This is somewhat of a hot topic around here and you'll get a lot of opinions.
unfortunately I don't have 4A. .. so it looks like 2H for me and 4H only in a blizzard or off road.... Probably never need 2L unless I am down a trail that I am not supposed to be..4H and 4L should only be used when needed. They are not normal driving "all time on" modes as they are locked. 4A is not locked and can be a "all time on" mode when conditions call for it.
The big considerations with 4H/L is that they are locked and there are speed restrictions you should not exceed. These two are truly intended for off road use. You do not want to have these on while driving around town or even where there is rain and good grip. I would even say snow with pavement (where the tires can get through) is also not a good use for these. Your tires should be slipping when you use 4H/L. That is the main point.
4A is different in the sense that there is no locking mechanism. Meaning the tires on each end can rotate at different speeds. In addition the same speed restrictions do not apply. You can put the Bronco in 4A and drive it like normal. Heavey rain. Light snow. Would be fine. All conditions where you have perfect traction is 2H (Always).
You'll be fine. 4H/L is well more then enough. You will know when you need 4H and when to use it. If your on roads, with unplowed snow, going into 4H isn't going to break anything. You just dont want to be blasting down the highway in 4H. When you need it, you will know. Stop and put the bronco into 4H. And when your back into good traction. Change back to 2H. Like you mentioned you could always just use the goat modes and not manually change the settings.
Honestly 4a is another thing that sone people mess up. I work in a dealership and I've had some many broncos that people drive around in 4a all the time. I had to do so much work on transfer cases due to that fact. 4a is good and all but your are not supposed to leave it in that mode all the time. I never use 4a in my Outer banks
Interesting. So are you referring to customers who just leave it in 4A, regardless of weather / road conditions? Are you in an area with persistent snow and ice covered roads?
In my nearly 8 decades on earth I've driven over many thousands of miles on snow packed, icey, snow covered roads at reasonable speeds in 4H and have never had any mechanical issues resulting from it.
Meh - it's a lot like oil / oil changes - a lot of strong opinions. In the end it really has a pretty good margin - unless your doing something like towing 142% of your towing capacity on 40" tires while jumping snow drifts, you probably aren't going to break anything.
