I use this truck in hardmode as a yard truck. It's good for moving trailers, transferring and organizing cargo and is REALLY good at backing up tandem trailers. If I need the bigger crane to load a scout or scout fuel trailer into the bed of a truck, I can go back into the garage and fit that. Though this truck definitely needs to come stock with AWD, which I believe there was a factory option for.
one reason I've rarely used this is Because of the lack of a second rear axle (which this truck was optioned with IRL, that was a selling point of it) and also, the fact the frame is too long, and it sticks out behind all but three fixed frame add-ons (the medium log carrier, the fuel tank and heavy crane) unlike other trucks, there are no add-ons to push a frame addon back. The headache rack takes up no room, and you cannot mount the medium crane with a flatbed/sideboard because it's too heavy (which is complete BS; the fuel tank addon is heavier than the crane and other add-ons combined)
I think the reason it was excluded in the game is because it would make all 3 of the Brigadiers too similar. We have one with large tires and decent lift, one with smaller tire and a large lift and one with medium tires, large lift, and missing an axle.
I'm a veteran Snow*Runner player, and I've logged many many hours into this amazing game, so I'd like to think I know all the cool tricks, but that Switching off AWD is certain situations is great! I have noticed that there is a slight performance change, but never used it or thought deeper on it... Thanks for the TIP!
Hey thank you so much! It really is a cool trick to push more power to axles that have grip and also it save some fuel as well in some situations. I’m glad that you stopped by and enjoyed the video. :)
I found it a really useful truck as a tow truck with the articulated towing platform, because of its size it's good for getting into those annoying areas on maps to do rescues of the Scout vehicles and it's stability and ground clearance really helps it for this task even without AWD upgrade early game
This truck should have all its upgrades in Black River. It's a great early game truck. By the time you get all the upgrades, it's still outclassed by other trucks. I really love the Kodiak. Would love a few more versions of the venerable Kodiak series. Such as: *Dual rear axle version (6x6). *Single rear axle short semi (4x4). *Clipped rear version (no overhang behind the rear axle, [1 space] 4x4) *Extended frame version (dual real axle, 50% longer bed [3 space], 6x4 & 6x6 & 4x4) ((also option for extra long, rear mounted boom crane with 6 support legs)) *kodiak pickup (4x4) [1 space]
The awd isn’t locked behind anything special but someone’s willingness to explore Alaska without chained tires. The game even makes you visit during the introduction. You can easily acquire it with the Scout 800 or CK1500. Then go back to Michigan and use your newly upgraded C70. If you play through Michigan in its entirety before going to Alaska that’s entirely on you the player for basically waiting so long to retrieve it.
@@VeeTwoPointOhThats what I did. I took a little bit of risk and went to Alaska right away to grab the awd upgrade for the kodiak and the ank mk38. I haven't left Michigan yet otherwise but boy is it worth it to have 2 really solid trucks in your fleet this early in the game.
On another note, I never knew switching off AWD increased torque to the rear wheels. I knew that saying I'm pulling a load up a hill in Low+ and my truck taps out, can't go any further. Then if you take it out of Low+ and switch to Medium Low, you get increased torque and get moving again. I've done that and had it work. But I had no idea turning off AWD also increases torque (at least to the rear wheels)
Fully upgraded this truck with the wrecker bed on it has done fantastic in Maine for me. Engine seems a little weaker than I’d prefer, but it’s very stable albeit a little bouncy.
While turning off awd to transfer power to rear axle makes sense, it's very counter intuitive. Also it's so rare to get in a situation where axles get locked that most people will probably just use the winch, still it's nice to know this trick.
This truck is surprisingly capable even with RWD and highway tires. I've always used it as a semi truck with both high and low saddles, I even managed to take it without any upgrades to Island Lake. Not the most difficult map, but I was really impressed how this little boy crawls. It felt just as comfortable offroad as a Fleetstar with AWD and raised suspension on stock highway tires. It's probably because of HUGE rear overhang adding so much weight even the crane don't ruin that balance. And unlike Fleetstar the 1900 engine is enough for this vehicle.
@@NProvince whait, what did I just say?!? 1900 engine is enough for C70 but not enough for Fleetstar, while C70 is heavier?!?!? It's areally interesting topic: why do some trucks feel faster despite lower power to weight ratio? I noticed that scouts feel a lot quicker than big trucks despite low P/W. Also, International Paystar 5070 despite having an A feels quicker than unluaded Fleetstar with A+. Same with C70 vs Fleetstar. ANK Mk38 feels A LOT quicker than the 5070 despite having a small difference of 1 P/W point. Another thing I noticed is that changing engines don't really do anything. I mean, it's Snowrunner, roads are short, narrow and very bumpy, I don't use Highway gearbox cos I want my truck to return from the mission in one piece. On balanced gearbox I don't feel any difference at all between 1900 and 2100 in the likes of Fleetstar, between 780 and 850 in ANK. I once tested Fleetstar with the top dog engine (I'm scared of bad fuel economy and usually sell it immediately) and, honestly, other than a slight increase in top speed I haven't noticed much. I expected it to become something like a Hummer with 6.2 or 6.2T (these engines do make noticeable differences), but it didn't. It felt just the same as my regular Fleetstar. Maybe the reason is engine sound. Some truck's engines just don't sound fast. And subjectively this may make the truck itself feel slower despite objective data, like when Scout 800 don't stall climbing up to the garage in Smithville Dam while feeling just as slow as with a stock engine. Or maybe there's something in the game files that makes certain trucks be objectively faster, maybe some sort of, idk, lower internal friction, or torque multiplying coefficient. I read those XMLs, but it's just too much info to analyse.
@@ldmtag The reason the C70 feels faster is because the torque is divided over a smaller number of axles than the Fleetstar. Therefore, each axle gets more drive in the C70 than the F2070A. The suspension of the F2070A in particular is quite stiff, which means outside of Low w/ diff lock, you tend to get a lot of wheelspin (ergo, wasted torque).
@@masterdynamo6457 it does spin wheels, but I'm not sure there's a connection. But what I am sure about is that I forgot I used my Fleetstar as a cranemobile. In older versions of the game crane didn't do as much of an impact on a truck, like, at least it could drive with stock bumper without scraping under increased front end weight, and difference in driving dynamics wasn't that noticable either. But I believe it still was there. Last time I made a playthrough I took the crane off my Fleetstar cos it clearly couldn't carry it any more, and I was SHOCKED by how fast this little thing was! It handled beautifully and felt nearly as fast as the Mk38 - just as its stated P/W of A+ indicated. Oh, and, btw, Mk38 according to my tests is one of the most fuel efficient offroad trucks, with 114SD being almost the same liter-wise and slightly better proportion-wise (how many % of total tank volume is consumed), and Fleetstar being the only consistantly better alternative. With every new test I appreciate Fleetstar more and more. Even despite struggling off road needing to winch a lot it still finishes the route with the most amount of fuel left, and it's one of just 2 trucks that feel pretty comfortable in RWD mode (other being the Kodiaq). And it can be pretty fast with the top dog engine and highway tranny. And it can tow trailers while having a crane and a bed (not that you'd ever need that, but still). And it's a free truck. Unfortunately, my favorite Paystar is worse in almost every way imaginable. Paystar's still the prettiest looking, but, damn, it's not only outclassed by ANK, but even it's "younger brother"🥲
I know this vid is a year old but wanted to say I really love the truck reviews, gone back and watched a lot of the older ones. Also on the kodiak, I’ve been getting great use out of it in Wisconsin for cargo delivery once it’s lifted with AWD and 43 inch tires. I might be biased based on my pfp but I really like driving it when it’s upgraded lol
I believe the Kodiak still holds up to most places in SR pending on driver patience. It opened my eyes on the Yukon which is notorious for making drivers angry with the slow nature and the tippy icy areas. I wish it didn’t have trailer contact for semi trailers, but as a flatbed or other roles. It does quite well.
I would love to see the Kodiak C70 and the Ford F750 have their features combined since realistically they are the same class of truck I would love to see the F750 get the ability to carry two slots of cargo or a large fuel tanker like the Kodiak and I would love to see the C70 get the ability to carry one slot with a crane like the and the option of the autonomous winch like the F750 I think they should both also be capable of hitching Scout trailers
I actually really like the looks of the Kodiak, it’s performance is to be desired early game and late game, I’m currently using it over the gmc mh9500 and it’s putting in work when loaded down but it’s suffering when it’s light in mud, and deep mud you might as well just recover the truck because you’re not getting it out (I’ve come across several points where there are absolutely no winch points in a truck that frankly wasn’t intended to go through)
I really like it too for lighter hauls. So to combat it getting stuck alot like you mentioned, put cargo in its bed when traversing through stuff, also towing a trailer behind you is actually hindering it evern further. With added weight on rear axles (in its bed or liighter cargo on saddle this will help drive traction when coupled with Diff lock in combination with AWD.
I think this one gets generally quite overlooked really, I've used it from hauling logs in certain maps to scouting the latest ones as you mentioned could be a possible use. The BC maps made some of the scouts struggle and simply, the sections they fell down in the Kodiak ran right through without a problem. Admittedly that's later game with upgrades, but it's surprisingly capable in the right scenarios IMO
Those are good applications for this truck for sure. It is very underrated and it can be used on later maps like you explained here as well. I kinda would like to see it be a hybrid truck like the F750
I love the kodiak c70, sometimes it would be nice with a bigger fuel tank! It would be cool in my opinion to have some different engine options, I would like to have seen a 366 and 454 gas engine options!
With small fuel tanks, like the Kodiak's, something I do almost always, is have a scout with extra fuel in a caravan. It can provide a bit of a boost in tough terrain, and small amounts of emergency fuel, so the chances of actually being stranded are lessened drastically.
With gearboxes, Offroad VS Fine Tune is kinda like comparing a Azov 53 VS a Azov 64. As another RU-vidr Mr Lone Wolf would say "A Azov 64 may have a bigger fuel tank, but the Azov 53 will power though terrain much faster." Wolf has done some testing of his his own, and finds with the Azov 53, even though it only has 200L, that he can get similar range to the Azov 64. This is due to the Azov 53 being able to power though a lot more terrain in high, and being faster can cross a map in the fraction of a time the Azov 64 would. It's kinda same with Offroad VS Fine Tune. I used Fine Tune for a good while after it came out, I switched back to Offroad because of the slow gear shifting in Fine Tune. But I stuck with it enough to see the benefits of it. Like you said Fine Tune burns more fuel, but after using Fine Tune fora while then going back there is definitely a noticeable speed difference. High in Fine Tune isn't as fast as Highway gearbox, but it is notable faster then the Offroad gearbox. And at least when Fine Tune came out (don't know if it's still the same now), the Fine Tune had a lot more torque then the Offroad. I remember having Fine Tune in a truck, going up the path just outside the Black River garage towards the fuel station and just sticking the truck in High. The truck started spinning on the rocks along the trail and all but came to a dead stop. In that type of situation the Offroad would just conk out and give you the engine stall, forcing you into low or auto. But the Fine Tune didn't care, it just kept motoring and wheel spinning until the truck spit the rock out behind it and carried along it's way. So you get increased power and speed with the Fine Tune. So if used right (note up above I was just testing the Fine Tune to see if it would stall), then what you lose in fuel economy you should be able to make up for in time and distance travelled. The Fine Tune will get you where you need to go faster then the Offroad will. So it's not as cut and dry as higher consumption = bad. While higher consumption is a negative, the Fine Tune does have perks that balance it out with the Offroad. It really comes down to Offroad - Saves a little fuel in terms of outright consumption but is slow, meaning more fuel spent over a longer travel getting from A to B. Fine Tune - Higher outright consumption but if faster and more powerful, meaning less time and fuel spent getting from A to B. Now the Highway if you can handle it kinda got the best of both. Least fuel consumption plus the highest speed, meaning the least amount of time to get from A to B. But personally I just don't like it. This games physics doesn't like speed, you can barely get to 4th gear in Offroad without trucks sliding out of control, so having a 8 speed is useless. And I'm not a fan of losing out on the optional low gear ranges. So for me it's Offroad or Fine Tune, currently Offroad. But if you can master it, Highway is good.
I've seen his tests, but when are we on hardened surfaces traveling? Almost never, add resistance and the AZOV 5319 is limited. In harsh conditions their travel times are not that far off. Concerning the Highrange gearbox. Im starting to change my mind on it. It allows a higher rev cap allowing the engine to work harder. In my Tayga video this week youll see higher fuel consumption rates with the highrange due to a higher rev cap. The Offroad gearbox limits that cap so it doesnt burn as much. I love Mr. Lone Wolf, but I take what he says as his opinion. With over 2k hours of gameplay and testing and also other testers that I work with, I think that doing your own research through testing pays off. Great points. Thank you for that
@@NProvince True, I just mentioned Wolf as a example. The points on the gearboxes though is legit my own opinion after spending time on both, when Phase 3 came out I got a good couple months out of the Fine Tune before going back. So I had plenty of time to see the perks of Fine Tune compared to Offroad. If it wasn't for the slow shifting then I dunno, I think I may of stuck to Fine Tune. Fine Tune kinda feels like what Offroad should be in terms of power and torque and such. I never had any problem with running out fuel that I remember. I play on normal though, so I just top up my tank any time I run by a fuel station, trailer, etc. In hard mode where fuel costs money, Fine Tune might be a little harder to justify.
@@justinlynch3 Thats fair. I do like the fine tune, but I think they should tweak it with some things you mentioned that was wrong with it. When it comes down to it man; I think we all have our preference and all that counts is that we get the job done ya know
The only role I personally have found a good use for this truck is a mobile garage. Put a service body and a fuel tank trailer or recovery trailer on the back and then drive or tow the truck to a remote map that doesn't have local facilities. It makes up for bulk of weaknesses and late upgrades because it just needs to get to one place and stay there, it frees up other trucks to focus on hauling loads or doing actual in field recovery only to tow them back to the Kodiak to get patched up again.
4:27, 6:02 The fuel addon would like to argue with these statements. Also not to mention the classic old bouncy suspension of older trucks. To be honest though it looks good simply because it fits perfectly down the length of the frame. Another good use is using the articulated ramp platform and haul trucks that are loadstar size or less. It looks good and natural too considering many real life predecessors are used as this as well
I still stand by those two statements; yet the thing is every vehicle succumbs to instability with heavy addons like that which increase youre vertical center of gravity. Are other trucks more susceptible to this; yes more than others. The Kodiak like alot of US trucks become quite tippy with frame addons like a fuel tank. Would I use a fuel tanker on this; i probably wouldnt unless i really needed to on a hardmode setting due to it completely collapsing its rear suspension as you said. It does look good due to the frame length as well
@@NProvince I mean, I'm not saying its terrible at it or anything else for that matter. Heck I used it as a fuel hauler for quite some time myself. Its just based off of my experience that I've gotta be more careful in terms of placement for stability, and to prevent unnecessary frame drag. My point overall, is that it's much different to drive a C70, than it is to drive an Azov 5319 offroad lol
My personal opinion (a year late but oh well), I was an avid C-70 person because even a year later it’s roughly the same versatility that it had when you made the video. The rear axle power is incredibly torquey and I rarely found myself needing to winch it, along with that it is somewhat upgrade necessary it is very capable with the stock configuration with some all terrain tires or chained. I do wish it had a slightly larger fuel tank, maybe 250-275 for some slightly better distance traveling but as a 2 cargo truck it’s my personal favorite as it’s not the hardest of trucks to understand.
I agree. I think this vehicle is sadly overlooked because of more voices telling people to get the Azov and the Tayga. In a sense those people ruined the experience of having a truck like this. It has done well in soo many conditions. I do wish it’s frame didn’t have low saddle contact issues, but it is what it is. Very good comment!
@@NProvince Thank you! I haven’t had any issues with low saddle attachment truth be told, then again I always use the 2 cargo slot and 4 cargo pull along trailer for whatever I need. But I do wish it had a bigger role in most peoples garages it’s very much suited for heavy rescues and other utility purposes. Weight on the back wheels are it’s best advantage with AWD off as it’s got plenty of torque to get itself out.
That long frame contacts quite a bit.. which is sad because the semi trailer would add weight to wheel increasing grip even more. Still not all trucks are meant for everything. Kodiak still is a worker for sure
Don't forget about it's versatility. I believe it's the most versatile truck in the game for loadouts. Pretty sure this is the only truck you could 100% the game with by itself.
It is versatile, wish it could use a crane and flatbed. Other trucks do have more addons than this one as well. While I Am definitely in agreement with you, versatility is not a sole contributor to addon capacity. There are a lot of trucks that can mount something, but that doesn’t mean they can use them well.
@@NProvince Agree about the crane. The chassis is so long, it shouldn't have been a problem to at least give it the crane + bed option. I find myself sidelining the Kodiak for other trucks with a crane because of this. I still hold out hope that one day they might add new features to this truck, or introduce other variants.
Thank you so much for the excelent Review, I didnt really like the fleetstar and was wondering If kodiak was a good truck. When i noticed the only real downside was upgrades coming in too late, i Just scouted ahead and got ALL upgrades for It asap then back to Michigan and now it Just do everything i throw at It. Including rescuing the whitestar and the Hummer. Thx for the awd off tip, that Works wonders up Hill with heavy cargo.
Oh you're very welcome! Im glad you have been enjoying the Kodiak! Its really a good truck if you can have patience. Great Comment! Love seeing people have success with this thing!
I have never understood this truck: a long frame but only 1 rear axle and no crane+bed+trailer combo, although the frame should allow it. It's somehow heavier than Fleetstar or GMC, but is surely less capable. Smaller tires, fewer wheels, late AWD upgrade. It's too light and tippy for a heavy fuel tank frame add-on or the van body, and not very useful for hauling cargo for the reasons mentioned above. Having a PC-320 crane option or high saddle looks like a joke. The only appliance I see for it - semitrailer hauler.
It’s actually not well suited for semi trailers for the same reasons the fleetstar isn’t. There is Fran contact when going over terrain that pulls it’s front axles off the ground. Again, small crane, bed, and trailer aren’t that game breaking. I’ve used this truck for many things despite its downsides and I enjoy it :)
Its intresting how you find pros eaven for this truck. In my experience the long rear overhang is a problem... why didnt they make the frame 2 feet shorter, that way it would have at least some uses. As a tanker it gets to top heavy, tipping over all the time. I dont know why it has a saddle add on, with the long frame it is problematic. The only way i was able to use it so far was with a flatbed and light load in it.
Generally this thing isn’t meant for heavy loads, or pulling heavy trailers. Also has issues with saddles and such. I have had good success with it even in places like the Yukon when it’s used effectively. Some addons really don’t mesh well with it, that is true, but it is a good truck when it’s used right
I'm currently starting a hard mode campaign and I'm still at black river. Would the Kodiak be a good truck to use in hard mode since money is more scarce?
Um I wouldn't use the Kodiak at the start because its not going to have upgrades needed to push you through. The Fleetstar is a sure bet and it gets most of its upgrades on Black River. Just be cautious, its a lil tippy. Hope that helps!
I completely miss the point why this truck is in the game, I would like the single axel as most have double, but with the longframe sticking out from most add-ons it just looks awefull.
I have used this truck later in the game and it actually has done well. I wish it was just like the F750 to be honest and could haul and scout. I think it would be much more valuable
It's not that hard to get it's upgrades if determined its another truck than can love high gear with load and blast through soft mud just hates the deep but can climb better than anything due to tire set up so close to bumper
