The M274 "mule" was designed to be used as an off-road vehicle. It has full-time all-wheel drive with solidly connected drive shaft and axle shafts from the transmission to all of the wheels. The effects of the solid connections are most evident when operating on hard paved surfaces. The lack of a limited-slip differential has all of the drive wheels turning at the same time. When executing a sharp turn the wheels of both axles are forced to turn at the same speed, forcing the wheels to slip. This would not be a problem on dirt, grass or sand. On a paved surface, the mule will resist the turn as the tires fight to gain traction on one end of the axle while the tires maintain traction on the other end.
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