What is the difference between 4H and 4L on a four wheel drive truck?

Answer 1

4H is 4 wheel drive High gear range. Used only on slippery surfaces, otherwise not good for the drive train. Usually ok to drive upto around 60-70 Mph depending on the vehicle.

4L is 4 wheel drive Low gear range. Use only on very slippery or soft surfaces. Normally you can't drive over about 20 mph without hitting redline. Used primarily for steep hill climbing offroad, deep mud.. off road stuff... mabye pulling someone out of a ditch on an icy road.. but not for driving any distance.

4L makes your truck put more power down to the ground and normally doesn't allow for as much slip between from and rear wheel speed.

Answer 2

That is a question that goes back as far a the 1950's. When the International Harvester Company (I.H.C) began using all wheel drive on their pickups as well as their big trucks and the International Scout and the International Scout II. Most if not all of these were all wheel drive. So to answer your question... Four wheel drive has only the front axle that pulls... While only one wheel in the rear pulls. Unless you have positraction which then gives you power to all four wheels at once. What International had was called traction lock... And all four wheels had traction. The power was distrubited to all four wheels. Ford had something simular called Hi Loc and Lo Loc which basically ment Hi was Hi range and Lo was Lo range. They also had the regular stuff as well. But when you shifted into Hi Loc or Lo Loc all four wheels were pulling at once. Jeep had Command Trac and so on.Now for all wheel drive... That means that all four wheels have traction at once. Same as they used to be in the 1950's. International had this system from the 1950's till the last ones were made around 1980. Ford started the Hi Loc and Lo Loc about 1973 and quit using this about 1979. Jeep still uses it to this day.

Answer 3

If you are stuck or going through mud or something like that, you would use the 4L, it is a lower gear and provides more power. If you are driving on snow or ice, you would use 4H. You should never use 4L on the road and if you drive in 4H, you should go slow.

Answer 4

4H is a high gear ratio, 4L is low gear ratio. In other words 4H is the same gear ratio being used in 2H our during normal driving. But when you go off-road you can shift to 4L and climb a hill and it won't load down your engine like it would in 4H. The same is true on a bicycle with multiple gears. I hope this helps.

Answer 5

4H stantds for 4 wheel drive high and 4L stands for 4 wheel drive low. so in 4H you can go at faster speeds then in 4L.

Answer 6

4H (high) allows you to drive at the speeds you normally would in 2H. The only difference is that you are in four wheel drive. 4L (low) reduces your gearing, giving you more torque (power), but reducing the speed at which the vehicle can travel.

Answer 7

4H is four wheel drive high gear, for over the road driving. 4L is four wheel drive low gear for off the road ,or plowing snow, or things like that. 4H should only be used when there is snow, ice, or wet pavement.

Answer 8

4L is used for pulling or low speed hazard type driving .4H is used for higher speed driving . Both should be looked at in your owners manual for the safest and correct selection .

Answer 9

4L - 'm pretty sure - is gear ratio designed for use when you're in very challenging very low-grip terrain eg really muddy and wet tracks with a lot of slip, in which you need to go real slow. I think 4H is gearing designed for higher speeds. you might want to double check this.

Answer 10

Are you serious ? The 4H is for moving faster... snow , ice , and flying through mud pits... 4L is for moving alot slower and for maximum traction , steep grades rock crawling etc ....