Does the NP242 TC distribute the torque equally and evenly between the front and rear regardless of which wheel has traction?

The 242 uses an open differential for Full Time 4WD, so it favors the driveshaft with the least resistance.

Correct. 1 WHEEL spinning can get all the power.

Some of the older tranfer cases had a viscous coupling in them that worked very well.

On the topic of 4WD: Why is my jeep so terrible in even the slightest traction reducing surface when in 2WD?

I've literally had trouble pulling out of shallow puddles and asphalt sprinkled with a tiny bit of snow. In 4WD however, I can plow through 2-3 feet of snow no problem.

My tires don't have much tread left and that's really the only explanation I could think of. I just wasn't sure if such a dramatic difference was normal. I've seen sedan's do better than my XJ crawling out of some snow when I'm in RWD only.

No weight in the rear

i understand that. years ago i had a chevy s-10 2wd for a few years and it did pretty good in the snow. i bought another one a few years newer that was 4wd. and that thing stunk in 2wd in just a little bit of snow. in 4wd it was fine. maybe im crazy but, thats how it was. it is the same with my 97 cherokee. if there is a 1/2 inch of snow on the road. have to put it in 4wd. it will slide all over the place. haha

It's the tires.........

Probably 99% the tires needing more tread or a better design.

I owned an S-10 for 3 years (and drove one for 2 years for NAPA), it was the worst car I've driven in snow or rain. My Dodge pickup was 2nd worse. After that was my 67 & 70 Mustangs, with my XJ after those.

I have about 100lbs of gear in the back of the XJ, and decent but not expensive tires (Goodyear Wrangler Radials). I occasionally have a little more slip than I like when stopping on wet roads, but not anything worse than other cars I've had. And I haven't been getting stuck going through ice, slush or snow this week or last.