towing questions

[rboat]

Always had smaller 4x4 trucks for towing my boat. Looking at other options and wondering if 4 wheel drive is really necessary. Most of the ramps i use are nice normal concrete and a few are gravel. Nothing super steep. I always liked having the 4 wheel option, but it means a heavier vehicle, lower mileage, and normally a bit more required maintenance. My boat is about 2500lbs. Those who use a regular 2 wheel drive vehicle, ever have any issues pulling your boat out of water? I live in the deep south so ice or snow is not a consideration. Just wondering if I could get by with a 2 wheel drive vehicle? They are cheaper and easier to find a good deal. Any thoughts on your experience is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[Way north bass guy]

I towed a bass boat with a 2wd F-150 for quite a few years, with no issues at all. As long as your not trying to launch in a real soft sandy beach/ramp or real steep gravel/sand, it shouldn’t be a problem. Like anything else, just use your judgement for every single situation and maybe lean on the safe side if you think it’s gonna be too crappy of a ramp for your rig. 

[NHBull]

I have had a boat for the last 30 years and haven't needed 4wd for the last 28

[MickD]

Rear drive or front?  If 2wd front I would not use a gravel ramp. I encountered one and couldn't get the boat out, just  dug holes.  I'm not sure about rear drive, but I would be skeptical about gravel ramps with them, too.  Concrete ramps, no sweat.

[FishinBuck07]

I use two wheel drive truck to haul my boat!  Haven't had any issues knock on wood.  I just put it down in creeper gear to get the boat and trailer out of the water!

[Scott F]

I’ve been towing boats for over 30 years and have never owned a 4WD. Due to the fact that I never needed it in the past, I didn’t even consider it with the new truck I just bought.  I also don’t launch on bad ramps or put myself in a situation where I’ll need 4WD.

[slonezp]

Depends on the ramp. Depends on the weather. Reasons to have 4wd. Gravel, sand, algae, ice, shallow cement ramps, short cement ramps....and operator error.

I'd rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it.

[Jig Man]

I’ve helped get a bunch of 2 wheel drive rigs up wet ramps even in warm weather.

[A-Jay]

7 hours ago, slonezp said:

Depends on the ramp. Depends on the weather. Reasons to have 4wd. Gravel, sand, algae, ice, shallow cement ramps, short cement ramps....and operator error.

I'd rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it.

 

5 hours ago, Jig Man said:

I’ve helped get a bunch of 2 wheel drive rigs up wet ramps even in warm weather.

Agreed ~ 

 Hope can be a risky strategy. 

 For me, being 'prepared' 365/24/7, feels so much better than being under gunned even for an hour. 

A-Jay

[WRB]

Did you launch your boat this weekend in the frozen north?

Whare you live and common sense determines what type of vehicle to use.

Tom

[gim]

A lot of mid size and smaller SUVs now have front wheel drive like many cars do. I would prefer that over rear wheel drive to be honest.

[Log Catcher]

I would rather have 4WD. I have seen too many 2WD vehicles have trouble getting up ramps when they were really wet from a lot of people bringing there boats out. I put mine in 4WD a lot of times just to be on the safe side. You are pulling a pretty heavy boat. I definitely would want 4WD pulling that much weight..  

[Fishing Rhino]

14 minutes ago, gimruis said:

A lot of mid size and smaller SUVs now have front wheel drive like many cars do. I would prefer that over rear wheel drive to be honest.

Here's the problem with that.  When you hook up a trailer to your vehicle some of the weight goes on the rear wheels of your tow vehicle.  It also takes some of the weight off your front wheels because it creates a lever with the rear axle being the fulcrum.  Any time you add weight to the hitch, it exerts a lifting action at the front axle reducing traction.

 

What you can get with a two wheel drive is a rear axle locker.  I know you can get them on light duty pickup trucks. Not as good as four wheel drive, but definitely an asset. 

[BigAngus752]

I have a four wheel drive truck because I must have one to use on my job during our winters in Illinois.  My truck also has traction control.  I've found that even on a steep, slimy, wet ramp I never need 4wd to pull the boat out as my traction control and electronic locking rear axle easily gets me out of the water.  An adequately equipped 2wd truck should do you just fine.  

[MickD]

51 minutes ago, gimruis said:

I would prefer that over rear wheel drive to be honest.

But it is not as good as a rear drive for pulling a boat.  The rear drive gets weight shifted onto the driving wheels.  The front drive gets weight shifted off the driving wheels.  I love FWD for most driving experiences, but it is clearly not as good at pulling boats as RWD.  As Tom says, if you want to be sure you have the issue covered, get AWD.

 

I have FWD and it works fine for the ramps I go to.  I had an AWD for two years and never went to a gravel ramp.  So I was carrying around the weight and sacrificing the economy for 2 years and 24,000 miles without ever using the capability.  I have not wanted to go to a gravel ramp since then, so I'm not missing anything.  But if gravel ramps were important to me, I would consider that I had to have AWD.

 

It also depends on the weight of the trailer and boat.  For most of the rigs I see on this forum, an AWD is appropriate.  It would be interesting to know the rig weight and the gravel ramp usage for all those who don't think AWD is necessary.

Just now, BigAngus752 said:

I have a four wheel drive truck because I must have one to use on my job during our winters in Illinois.  My truck also has traction control.  I've found that even on a steep, slimy, wet ramp I never need 4wd to pull the boat out as my traction control and electronic locking rear axle easily gets me out of the water.  An adequately equipped 2wd truck should do you just fine.  

When you are not in AWD your rear wheels are doing the work, not the fronts, right?

[slonezp]

3 minutes ago, MickD said:

 

When you are not in AWD your rear wheels are doing the work, not the fronts, right?

In most cases, there is only one wheel doing the work. Rear wheel drive uses a single wheel until the wheel begins to slip. Modern trucks will have a mechanical or electronic lock on the differential which will engage the second rear wheel.

[MickD]

My question relates to how weight is transferred differently between FWD and RWD.  I believe that modern trucks MAY have a mechanical or electronic lock. . .but maybe not.  But the point is that there is a significant difference between front two wheel drive and rear two wheel drive for pulling boats.

[CountryboyinDC]

I had a small (17') boat in my younger days, and a 1 ton (single rear wheel, though) with RWD, because I mainly used it to tow horses.  My friend and co-owner of the boat had a S-10 4WD that we usually used to haul the boat. One day, we decided to do some evening fishing and launched at Camper's Paradise on Smith Mountain Lake (our normal spot) and for whatever reason I pulled the boat.  When we got ready to pull the boat out, the ramp was wet from the multitudes of other boats that had already left for the day.  I tried 9 ways to Sunday to ease out, but couldn't get the transom out of the water before the truck would spin.  Finally, after a crowd had gathered and a line had formed at the ramp (with no one offering to help), I did my best Big Daddy Garlits impression and did as much of a burnout as the 454 would muster until I couldn't see anything around me and worried I would hit something.  With the tires warm, the truck crawled the rest of the way up the ramp.  The crowd cussed me pretty good and the owner told me to never come back.  I vowed to never again pull that boat with a 2WD, and since that truck I haven't owned one either.  I guess you could swap out the spider gears for a locker and do okay, but 4WD is worth the money and gas mileage loss in my book.

[Bluebasser86]

I wouldn't even consider owing a 2WD truck for hauling my boat. I've needed it too many times throughout the years for various reasons, mostly because I fish during the winter months and a lot of people aren't courteous enough to let their trailer drain before pulling up the ramp in freezing conditions.

[Russ E]

20 minutes ago, Bluebasser86 said:

I wouldn't even consider owing a 2WD truck for hauling my boat. I've needed it too many times throughout the years for various reasons, mostly because I fish during the winter months and a lot of people aren't courteous enough to let their trailer drain before pulling up the ramp in freezing conditions.

^^^this.

I had a trip last january, where the ramp was dry when I launched. When I went to load the boat, the ramp was solid ice.  I had to throw a little sand on the ramp . It was still a little sketchy, even with the 4WD locked in. There was no rain that day. just water running off of boats as they were loading.

I have also had to lock it in on a slimy ramp, on a local reservoir when the water level dropped suddenly.

[Glenn]

I had a 2WD F-250 and towed for over 10 years with it.  I got stuck on ramps on 4 separate occasions.  

1. A sandy ramp that wasn't very steep at all.  Just couldn't get any traction. It was a slab concrete ramp.
2. Twice on ramps that had mud/dirt right at - and just beneath - the water line.  I just spun the tires in the mud. Couldn't budge.
3. Put the truck just a hair too far in and got to the mossy part of the ramp.  I ALMOST ended up with the truck sliding into the lake.  I still don't know why it stopped sliding.

All four times, I needed somebody to pull me out.  

 

Never again.

 

I now have 2 trucks and an SUV.  All of them have 4WD...and a set of tow straps in case somebody needs help.

[PourMyOwn]

I bought a 2wd 3/4 ton truck five years ago when money was tight. I've had a couple of close calls, but there are ramps I avoid. New Hampshire is not exactly known for its boat ramps, very few of them are anything more than a sandy drop off into the water.

 

One thing I would like to see is more guys using 4wd to pull out of the lake. I watched a guy dig a hole with his 4wd SUV that could have been avoided if he just walked out in 4 low as opposed to redlining it in 2 high.

[moguy1973]

13 hours ago, gimruis said:

A lot of mid size and smaller SUVs now have front wheel drive like many cars do. I would prefer that over rear wheel drive to be honest.

I know my buddies FWD Ford Explorer won’t pull a boat up a muddy river ramp.  Barely pulled the empty trailer up.  Had to call another guy  with 4wd to get us out. 
 

My 4wd F150 has never had an issue on any boat ramp.  That being said, unless I have to back in past my read wheel on a shallow ramp I leave it in 2wd. I actually prefer steeper ramps as you don’t have to back the trailer in as far.