Who tows with 2WD?
 

So....
Who tows (launches) with a 2WD?
What's your tow rig?
What kind of weight are you dragging out of the lake?
Any occasion where you NEEDED 4WD, and conditions that necessitated it?

I ask because I upgraded the boat (3600# dry weight on tandem aluminum I-beam trailer),
but not the truck (2WD S/Cab Silverado, G80 Locker, A/T tires). I'm planning on venturing away from my known, moderately maintained, concrete boat launches this summer.

Looking for real life experiences on the subject. Let the horror stories commence!

I'm sure you will be fine. I never need 4wd, boat is around 4500 dry pulled with a F250 super duty.

"4x4 is priceless when you are slipping down the ramp backwards with no help in sight."

Plenty of threads on this in the past:
http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/s...earchid=568921

Fixed that with EoH brakes on the trailer!!! lol :ernaehrung004: :party-smiley-004:

I do. Newer Tundra 2wd pulling a 292 Islander (7,995lbs at the heaviest including trailer) and I've never had a problem so far pulling it up a wet ramp but I'm sure the traction control and Michelin LTX MS2s have been a help too.

I have 4x4, but have never used it but I always launch at one of a couple places and I am saltwater which I think causes less slippery conditions.

Oddly enough the times I have had to have my 4x4 have been the times I least thought I'd need it. Pulling through the yard on more Thant one occasion

I rarely have to use 4wd pulling the boat out 10,500lbs, only time I ever have to use it is when the water level is a little low at the ramp and the back tires have to hit the green goo or also known as the slickest substance to man kind, even then still rarely.

I had to use 4WD Low- trailer wheels slipped off the ramp (low side) when water was real low on Lk St Clair.

Wannabe

Limited slip, posi or locking rear differential is the key.

I have only used 4x4 a few times as well when water level was down and rear tires on the green goo as Quest mentioned.

This is the stuff I worry about. I carry a small compressor, farm jack, and sand/kitty litter, but luckily haven't needed it yet.

I tow my 32' Active Thunder (6800lbs dry - 7700lbs full of fuel, approx.), with my 2wd Avalanche, locally. Never had any type of wheel spin at the ramp, the Avalanche is built on a Suburban frame so that may help. For long trips, I use an f350 4x4.

Used a 2WD duramax for years....only time there was an issue was when the stock bridgestones were getting thin.....they became spin city! After that first set I switched to my normal LTX's and it was fine after that.

Truck only got stuck once in the 170K+ miles I had it. On a job site we used to park at the end of the sales center lot. Sales were progressing so they started clearing the lot and what was crushed shell for the previous 6 months was white sugar sand now (they scraped off the shell rock). I didn't notice the difference and drove right up on it but the truck somewhat "lurched" when I hit the brakes (odd, never did that before)....it was essentially sinking/setting into the soft sand. Still didn't realize the jam I was in until I went to leave.......turbo diesels suck in the sand....spin, no chance of rocking it out and the truck was loaded (bed was full).....had to call out on the Nextel if anyone was on the property that could pull me out.......Here comes the FORD heroes, no he didn't use a Ford he used a front end loader but was quick to brag how Fords never get stuck....

Living in Florida, 4WD is rarely needed unless you venture off road.......and in those cases my buddy's dad always said: "4WD just gets you stuck 200 yards deeper in the woods!"

^^^^^^
Yeah, when I has younger and dumber, I paid a 4 figure tow bill to have my lifted Blazer yanked from a trail after I buried it up to the axles. I would have never attempted the trail with a 2WD.

03 Chevrolet Duramax Crew Cab Dually 2WD pulling an 02 35' Fountain Lightning. Probably close to 14k lbs with fuel and gear. Never a problem where we boat.

Unless someone was giving the truck away and it was an incredible deal don't see why anyone would choose 2wd. Resale value usually sucks, when you need 4wheel drive you sure will be glad 2 have it. I had a 2wd pickup about 18 years ago, I had it for 1 year. I couldn't get rid of it fast enough.

3 Reasons for me on the 2WD-
1. Costly experiences with the 4WD components on a 93 Chevy 4x4 and a 02 Mercury Mountaineer AWD.
2. Comfort level- After years of running Crown Vics, Chargers, and 14 passenger vans at work, driving 2WD is second nature. When the AWD in the Mountaineer hooked up in snow, it felt awkward.
3. I've never really "needed" the 4wd, and I don't go off road much. The closest I came to getting stuck was Northern Michigan while snowmobiling. Aired the tires down to about 15psi and crawled out once the locker clicked in. Then hooked a recovery strap to a 4WD Ranger and pulled him to concrete.

I also think it's worth pointing out that the lower resale on 2WD at least partially stems from the lower initial purchase price.

It was probably the 80's, and my memory may be fogged, but wasnt there a time when 1-tons were only offered in 2WD? Seems like an uncle wanted a dually for towing a camper and couldn't get it from the factory in 4WD.

Rest assured though, the first time I start sliding on green goo, I'll be on Craigslist looking for a 4WD 7.3 Powerstroke or a Duramax. Just hoping that day doesn't arrive for a while.

I could not believe how many 7.3L PSD were on eBay when I searched yesterday. 180 or some similar number, from the mid-90s through 2003.

VERY happy owner of a 7.3L here.

Very happy 7.3 powerstoke 4x4 owner here also

<-----happy 7.3 owner here too!

Zero problems on Michigan ramps with 2wd Cummins Rams, 2wd freightliner, 2wd International pulling 33 Outlaw.

I used an old GMC 2WD dually for years to pull my 42 Harley up the ramp. Boat and trailer weighs in about 19,500 lbs. It never ever spun a wheel. Now I have a Kodiak 4500' and it works the same except I don't have to hold the gas pedal to the floor while going up hill.

Save your money and buy a 2WD if getting the boat up the ramp is your only concern.

We pulled the rough rider several times with a 3500 dually 2wd, got a little tricky at one ramp on the river but we got out. Not sure what the boat on the gooseneck myco weighs but its a lot.

Tow with a 2wd lowered square body dually. The trailer has EOH on two of the three axles. Never had a problem pulling out of a ramp! Many are amazed when they see how well it pulls up the ramps, the 800lbs of tongue weight probably helps! Boat and trailer are about 9000lbs

http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i4...b/b53a9e1a.jpg
http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i4...ps9076bda1.jpg
http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i4...y/a713c097.jpg
http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i4...y/b93690cf.jpg

That truck is slick. You just don't see them in that shape, anymore. I'm going to start getting all misty-eyed for the days when radios had 2 knobs and cars/trucks had sealed beams. And nobody used "liter" to describe a motor.
The boat looks good, too!

Obviously the only time you may need 4x4 would be on a wet ramp . Make sure trailer is adjusted so there is plenty of tongue weight . The light weight of the back of a pickup is the big problem .

you should be fine. my last boat was 6500lbs with trailer and only needed 4wd once. I was using a ramp that was concrete but had a ton of slime, sticks and trash on it. you could barely walk on it without falling. that is a extreme case. other then that one time I have launched tons of times in 2wd. just don't get the back tires wet and you will be fine. btw, i was towing at the time with a 2500 ram.

Never needed 4wd with one of my trucks, the next required it almost all the time, and this is with same boat (27 Fountain)/trailer, and at same ramp. Both those trucks mono traction. Current truck never needed it yet with the 32, but it is posi. I think tire designs was the biggest factor. Some tires just don't do squat

Not true. I've been stuck on solid ground wet grass before when towing the boat as well, and needed 4x4.


A little trick on a wet ramp when you are in trouble:
With a skilled driver in the truck AND boat, you can use the boat to push the rig up the ramp.
You have to know the ramp and have your timing down though. You need to pull the throttles back, shifters to neutral, and shut them down before drying out the impellers. We've done it before at the 14th street ramp in Pompano.

I pull with a lifted duramax 4x4. Almost never need 4x4. But that is not never.... And those times count.

I don't worry about being stuck, or going somewhere I can't get it out of.

My buddy pulls a 24 Fountian, with a new dodge Cummings, duelly 2wd...... It sucks when I have to, unhook my boat, to hook to him to get him and his boat out of something... He will go 4x4 the next time 100%. Cause that few times you need it, YOU NEED IT!!!

I have 4 wheel drive and I ALMOST never need it.

Is the Dodge that bad or is this one of those 24 Fountains loaded with lots of skanks making the cig guys jealous again!!!! LOL :whistle: :party-smiley-004:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]515782[/ATTACH]I always have a nylon tow strap in case of green slime.

If you ask around here, that van isn't enough to tow that boat ;)

I have a one ton dually powerstroke.

I was at a ramp in MI that was not that steep but had some sand on it. I went to pull up and all 4 wheels started spinning. I flipped the 4wd switch and up we went. Around 14k boat and trailer.

I went through these same thoughts when searching for a tow rig. Never have anything but 4wd after that. No one was around either.

That is a sweet R/C boat!! I want more details on it!

I pulled my 30 velocity manny times and a 32 baha w twim bbc out w my front wheel only arcadia no bull tripps

lil red I read Mild Thunders thread on towing After I hauled the boat from Chicago to Texas thinking I was hauling 14,000 and found out I had 200 gallons of gas plus I think he said his 402 and trailer dry was 17,000 scared the #### out of me after the fact, but I gotta say that 3500 super duty van hauled it great! luckily it is docked and I only use the van to pull it out a couple times a year.

Can we assume your buddy has a Cummins instead of a Cummings?

I hope that was a fat finger typo.