I almost miss my old F250 with manual locking hubs, was able to put transfer case in low and not have the front end bind up (new has auto locking) at top of ramp when making tight turn. If tires ever spun I would then lock the hubs.

Then again now being boatless I don't have any trouble at all

There is a kit to convert the hubs to manual hubs........the best thing out there is being able to select the hubs being locked or not.......................

Thanks, its my wife's daily driver and I like the fact that she can easily put in 4x4 in snow and slippery rain without getting out (she wouldn't). The truck could pull my old 311 up just about any ramp, it just wasn't the best treatment of the trans in high gear

You must use more gas in your van going up and down the ramp than you do in the boat for a day!

Liability is a big one that many overlook. Keeping yourself alive is even bigger. While the light-duty pickup will pull these monsters, once you find yourself in a scrape, you'll have the best results with the biggest truck you can buy. I rolled a 38TG with an under-limit dually. Wasn't fun. The Apache gets tugged by an FL70. I've done a couple of quick maneuvers and even got about 3' off the berm into the grass to avoid a left-of-center. Yanked it right back up with zero fuss. You can hardly feel it back there. The driving is alot more relaxed too. None of this white-knuckle crap anymore. Steep, wet, greasy ramps are something I avoid with it for obvious reasons.

I bought the FL70 for a third of what a new 550 costs. It pulls the boat and serves double-duty anytime I need to move anything bigger than will fit in a pickup. 16' flat bed.

I don't normally use it. I look at the ramp and see if the water level is low...if it is, it's usually "slimy" because the water is usually covering it. I probably use it half the time. It's good to have 4x4 when you need it

I use 4 low all the time just think it puts less stress on the truck. I had manual transmissions before and figured 4 low was easier on the clutches. i didn't figure this out until the third clutch though. Usually pull pretty big boats out at the ramps, and when the boat is not all the way on the trailer it tends to lift the rear wheels off the ground. Nice having the front wheels locked when I'm on the trailer operating the winch.

I use 4x4 everytime as a precaution. no matter what

New truck this year, but the parking brake didn't work in the last truck. So i put it in 4 low and put it in park when i had to launch on my own.

I use it everytime. It only takes a second to switch and the truck doesn't even know the boat is back there in 4L.
I also use 4wd, when launching, that way I don't have to worry about the front tires slipping.