[A/S] std. vs auto trans and the 4wd question

[f breed <temp4ident@xxxxxxxxx>]

yes! 
  4wd w/ the low range is a great when you have a std!!! i don't bother to 
lock the front hubs on my '89 ford and i can back up and driver around with 
the trailer at a snails pace without stalling. with an automatic that's not 
such a big deal, but i have had 1 2wd pickup in the last 20 years and it was 
an oman that i got stuck in a mud puddle at the dealers lot. 30 days after 
purchase we went to az, a little west of tucson/nogales in a national forest 
on the mexican border we went for a little ride. we left the wild life refuge 
and decided to drive the scenic way back. the dirt roads got worse and 
worse... we passed the point of no  return and got stuck at the end of a road, 
(later found out it was the border) 3 trys back up the hill we had come down 
and we blew a tire, it was obvious we where not going to get out w/ that 
truck. we where expected for dinner and had signed in at the wildlife refuge 
so we just settled in. i changed the tire, we had a bag of ice, two sleeping 
bags, 2 cans of corn and a couple of dog bones for heidi, our min. schnauzer. 
we woke the first morning out there and we heard a helicopter real close, we 
burned the bad tire but they where so low, just on the other side of the hill, 
they never saw us.  the rest of that day went by quite slowly. the next day, 
we had a big fire going and we heard the helicoter about 10 miles east of us, 
the sun was right behing them and we ripped off the rear view mirror and 
started flashing..... yahoo!, they heqded right for us, they landed, gave us 
some water and checked us out then went back up and directed a deputy in a 
rescue vehicle to us. the deputy was there in 30 minutes, winched us up the 
hill and led us to freedom. i live in vermont now and don't have anything two 
wheel drive. 
talk later, jeff.
'76 argosy
'89 ford