Not sure of the situation, but you have to let it work a little on the DII and gently keep your foot in it as you feel the traction control/ABS kick in.  I know of many folks that once the "shudder" starts, let off the gas.  Don't gun it, just keep even pressure on the throttle and it will start working, but will feel like something is wrong at first if you are not used to it.

However, if the 3 amigos are on, it won't work, ETC is disengaged.

Or you can fake it sometimes by applying brake manually as you throttle.

I'm not sure if it is a Wabco, or Lucas system off the top of my head.  As for your statement <True? If so, does it just suck?> , if it is Lucas - it has been said that they once made a vaccum cleaner simply to validate their position that they DO make a product that doesn't suck. 

Could you hear the ABS system kick in with the RrRrRrRr noise?  Did the traction control light kick on?  I wonder if it wasn't trigering?  Our 2000 DII didn't trigger when the 3 amigos were on and it made a huge difference in the traction it got when it did trigger (thanks to Columbia Rovers fixing it).

What a good discussion. This is great info.

I should add to this... with a center locking differential (CDL), and front/rear lockers, I don't need ETC at all when I'm offroad.  So, for me, the cons of the ABS systems offroad behavior outweigh any benefits the ETC might provide.  On the road, in compact snow/ice I like all the diffs unlocked and my ETC/ABS on.  They work great in these situations.  Having all the options does require one to think a fair amount while driving.  I enjoy giving all the manual input to the truck though.  Picking a line, picking a gear, pumping the brakes, engaging the locker in cross-axle situations, leaving the diffs open on slippery sidehills, etc is all part of the fun.

ETC doesn't drive itself, as Todd mentioned you still need to know how to drive the truck to take advantage of it.  I only say this, because people like to make fun of trucks with electronic traction aids as making drivers stupid.  That's anything but the truth.  Everyone, even with ETC, manual lockers, or Limited Slip Differentials needs to know how the work and how to drive to make use of each technology.

C

Hell yeah you will!

Thanks to my wife having the camera, here are shots of the stuckage...

No matter what level of throttle, tire pressure or brake-pumping (tried it all) it wouldn't budge.

And to keep this from being a complete thread hijack - I'm buying a CDL kit from Lucky 8 this month.

I (and my wife) need to wheel more and need to see others get stuck and unstuck.  

Looks like it is high centered.  A shovel and some sweat would have helped get it unstuck.

Other than a CDL check out Bill Burke's "Getting Unstuck" video. It will give you guys the foundation you'll need and is an excellent introduction to offroad recovery. We have a movie loan thread on here somewhere, so I'm sure someone could mail it to you if you don't want to buy it.

Bill really likes the Hi-lift jack due to it's versatility. Another option for a relatively stock vehicle is a hand winch. You'll need recovery points front/rear and a few accessories but most of them can be used with a regular winch if you buy one later.

Craig