I currently have a 2wd dually. I havent had any problems with it so far pulling my 38 out of the water. One day is was raining while we were pulling the boat out, and the ramp was soaked and steep. tires did slip a tiny bit, but the key was not to just stand on it. Came out fine.

With that being said though,4wd is priceless. The extra traction is great, but my favorite part is 4-LO of the transfer case. Why superheat the torque converter and stress the drivetrain pulling 15k lbs out of the water up a steep ramp? Are you saving 4LO for a special occasion? lol I dont have that choice in my older 2wd 454 dually. I do cringe while creeping up the ramp with my foot damn near the floorboard and the motor struggling to get up the ramp. Sounds like Im gonna snap a u-joint at any moment.

I do have electric brakes on my trailer, so it does feel a little better backing down the ramp, and having some trailer braking while going down. I still put it in drive though while backing down, never know when a brake line is gonna burst! Also keep a 20ft hi-test chain in the back of the truck in case i need a tug.

Go 4x4 if you can.

What it boils down to is this and good post by the way. 4 wheel is the better option and nobody should dispute that. But 2 wheel will be fine, but it comes down to is knowing your load, truck, and ramp. Alot of opinion comes down to a bick D contest with guys. Same thing in hunting forums guys try to tell others that 30.06 wont kill a deer and they better get a 300 Super mag or something. When in reality if you look at stats most deer are killed within 75 yards and just about anything short of a 22 will take a deer down in that range.

Be smart about it and you'll be fine. If you dont have snow and deal with dry conditions why waste your money on 4 wheel and get worse MPG just to launch a boat a few times a year. With that said always carry a tow strap just in case.

used to tow a 40 hustler with trips behind a crewcab 03 gmc 2wd diesel dually. one time at texoma lake i had a wheel slip that was it. stop tire spin and started again no trouble then pulled out some steep ramps as well with it on lewisville lake...

I like my 4wd because it means I dont have to spend a day going to recon ramps and worry about how everything is setup.. And I can pull pretty much any trailer up the ramp if Im helping someone out.

Helping someone out on the ramp is great. Be it helping someone launch, recover or just verbal tips. Ramp is just an extension of the water we boat on. My first time out in the FASTech I towed another boat halfway the distance of the lake to their ramp.

If you have a descent sized boat and dont check a ramp first or at least make some calls, then I dont know what to say. It doesnt take a day to check a ramp out. If you dont check a ramp out there are worse things than getting stuck with a truck

You just love to argue with everyone on every topic. First as Fountain4402, now as soldier4402. What's next...Douchepickle4402?

Lol

That there is funny!!

Hahahahahahaha!