U will defen. see the diffr. when u start replacing front bearings and hubs, crazy $$$$$ vers. a 2WD.

And alot more tire wear on a 4X4 even not using it.

Joe this should help ya out if your still on the fence.

Peace

Try J-town in the rain tugging a Top gun...4wd and chirping the tires a 1/4 mile to the top...The pucker factor is WAY up there !....4wd..Why chance it ?

yeah I'm still undecided... I launch at the same place constantly and haven't needed 4x4 yet... but I would also like to take it to a couple other places.... I still gotta get rid of mine anyways, but now i'm leaning towards 2wd again.... I wanna stick with a chevy I think though so now don't know about gas (454) or diesel

Yep - ultimately it is your decision. Lot of constructive feedback in here so make the decision based on your circumstances......

Good Luck....

Easy guys....the input is start'n to get ugly. Every situation is gonna differ depending on boat size, location, ramps and yes...personal preference. In my 20+ years as an over the road driver I know a little something about weight distribution and live and breath fuel milage/tire wear. I've had both 2WD and 4WD and the difference is a lot less then some are mak'n it out to be. If you sell the truck in the North, the resale value on 4WD makes up for it and then some. Weight distribution isn't gonna matter when the crest of a boat ramp changes 10-15 degrees. Once the truck clears the crest you've just lost the weight off the rear axle. If the ramp is wet...enough said. If you're gonna boat other ares as we do alot, you don't know what you're gonna find. When I still had my 2WD dually/30' Villain/Eagle trailer, I couldn't get up a perfect straight out ramp in Sheboygan, WI. Due to heavy ramp use it was very wet with a lot of algae...might just as well been on ice. Once the rear wheels got a taste of that I was screwed...looked pretty stupid being helped up the ramp by a 2WD Ford Ranger. :mad::eek:
BTW...yes I did slide backwards...can't defy the laws of physics.

Joe, only you know your situation best. Hope all the input helps in your discission.

Wayne

Perfectly stated! To add to the statement about resale in the North: It's almost impossible to sell a 2wd pickup where it snows a lot unless it is a cheap work truck

Real life opinions is what 007 was looking for and that is what he is getting.

There is no "right answer" to his question. Personal opinion only.

As for the 7.4l (454 gasser) that's what I have and it does pretty well. 2000 Chevy dually with now 121,000 miles and no rebuild yet. Towed the race boat across the country a few times this year 21k miles. Averaged 8.5 mpg towing the 27 Activator and full of gear and crew! 7000lb boat & trailer and a golf cart, tools, and spare parts in the truck...LOADED!

Dave

Yes you will get your money worth out of that gasser. My 2WD dually was an 85 with a 454. Bought it 3 years old with 157,000 on it. Put 120,000 on myself and sold it to a local lawn care outfit in 94. He did the body on it and replaced a very wore out carb...that's it. Seen him with it in my neighbor hood this summer and she now has over 350,000 on it and he's never touched the motor. My last gasser only had 70,000 on it when I thought I had to have a newer truck...what the h!ll was I ever thinking. :eek:

My experiences
 

Never is a loong time- I think you mean you havent yet needed 4wd with your 26 ft velocity in the situations youve encountered so far.

Ive only rarely needed 4WD, but when I did- I was really glad I had it. 8 times out of 10 I use 2WD when pulling a boat up a ramp and Im fine.

To answer your questions it all depends on the ramp-

Ocean ramps can have severe high and low tide cycles and when you combine that with the green algae that grows on them pulling out a 5-10K boat up a steep slick ramp with all 4 wheels wet can be a real challenge.

I dont tow anything over 10K pounds so I went with a smaller 1/2 ton truck, but with 4wd capability. (Nissan titan 4x4- the new Toyota is an excellent choice as well)

A compromise allowing me better economy while maintaining flexbility, of course my boats are only 28 and 21 ft and my toy hauler is about 9K - all of which I can pull just fine- if youre thinking of upping to 42 ft twin in 2 years get a 4x4 diesel now.

If you boat almost exclusively in a place where you know the ramp situation- 2wd is probably ok-

If you plan on launching from in various lakes, rivers, or ocean front states you arent familiar with- dont risk it. Buy the additional capability and security of a 4WD unless youve got a friend standing by at your side with his or her 4WD to save your behind when the inevitable happens.

I wish I could tell you with confidence youll never have an issue with 2WD but my personal experience doesn't bear this out.

Good luck, let us know how it goes.

Uncle Dave

Laveycraft 2750 Ilmor 710
Laveycraft 20.8 Sebring 406 SB

Watch this video at 1:20. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIsqjAzkhXI

Notice the ONE wheel spinning...not even a posi!! As for the tires, I think they are like 50" tall.

Dave

My Buddy Jake in LOTO....

Thanks Dave!

amazing
 

Awesome looking rig- but it looks like he bought it to "show" instead of to tow.

I cant believe they/he didnt check the 4x4 or posi box on the order sheet.


Uncle Dave

Laveycraft 2750 Ilmor 710
Laveycraft 20.8 Sebring 406 SB

Wait until you hit a ramp with a sharp transition; where the trailer drags. Then try and get it off with 2WD.

See you in the spring. You'll still be there. :D

I've used 4wd once when I was towing a 6k utility trailer with my 1500 ram in city driving. It was raining pretty hard and everytime i would stop and go, the rears spun quite easily so i turned on 4wd and the prob was never to be seen again.

But highway towing and wet roads shoudlnt be a problem. 4wd will probably increase some resale value

Look at the front axle it looks to be a 4X4 to me. I think he didn't have it engaged when he first started.

It is 4WD...I was just busting JBS's ballz...Plus it has a winch just in case! That rig is awesome and I'm sure it tows the 50' Mystic just fine! If you haven't seen it up close and personal, you should attend a race and check it out! The tonneau cover lifts hydraulically to reveal 3 LARGE SCREEN LCD TVs and speakers with the whole strobe light show and bass pounding and....well either way it's pretty impressive!

Dave

Sounds epic
 

The ride sounds nothing short of epic to me.

I cant really see the front end in that video, but it makes a lot more sense to me that it is 4WD. I just couldnt fathom dropping that kind of coin and not going all out.

I have forgotten to lock the wheels before myself and really dont need to about 90% of the time anyway

To make my rig lock up I usually have to straighten the whole setup- roll forward to let the differential locks engage then Ill roll backward-



Uncle Dave

Laveycraft 2750 Ilmor 710
Laveycraft 20.8 Sebring 406 SB

Here's a video of the truck at a parade near us. It's pretty nuts.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u60Po83QF3c

What happened to the youtube option? Couldn't get it to work right.

Someone stated that it is cheaper to own a 2wd over a 4wd, insurance wise. That is dependent upon the state. The insurance company that I had in Utah gave a discount to 4x4 vehicles, called it a saftey feature.

Grow up in the farming world, you know what a 2wd truck is? Worthless:eek:

I have used launch ramps from the west coast to the east coast, always use 4wd. I couldn't even imagine trying to get my boat out of the water without it. Wait, did use 2wd once, when a u-joint broke and had a 4wd hooked to the front:party-smiley-004:

Thanks for all the great info.... Lot's of good points on both sides of the coin. I still gotta get rid of mine but but have been looking a little. I'll post what I get as soon as I find it. I'm just gonna consider both and see what comes up for what deal.

New Tow Vehicle
 

Okay I decided since this has a 396 already and I already upgraded brakes I'll just use this is the spring.....

Got air shocks? :drink:

Averaged 8.5 mpg towing the 27 Activator and full of gear and crew! 7000lb boat & trailer and a golf cart, tools, and spare parts in the truck...LOADED! axapowell


You would have gotten at least 12, maybe 13mpg with a diesel.