4WD for towing?

[johnr]

Hello,

I have an older C-Dory, 22 classic, so not that heavy, but too heavy to tow with my Honda Element (unless anybody wants to tell me otherwise!). Anyway I'm thinking about buying a older pick-up truck for local towing and launching...probably a Ford F-150...something around that size (unless someone wants to tell me otherwise). My question, is a 4WD something I should aim for, or would a 2WD suffice? We have a moderately high tidal range in my locale and the launch sites can be kind of steep, but nothing ridiculous.

Thoughts? I'm clueless about this and have little experience towing boats with personal vehicles.

johnr

[localboy]

Personally, I prefer 4 W/D and use it frequently on the ramps. Especially, at really low PNW tides. Some of the local ramps are very slippery & steep. Can't tell you how many times the rear tires began slipping, even when I'm easy on the pedal. One switch into 4 low and voila.

[Bris]

This post brought a smile to my face. I recall towing my 16ft plywood boat with a 35 horse Evinrude with a '59 Ford car to the Edmonds boat launch from Bothell. The car had a straight 6 and "3 on the tree." It had one side mirror attached to the drivers side door. The bumpers were metal so I could attach the clamp on trailer hitch. The ramps were slippery at times, but I don't recall ever having any trouble getting in or out. But I recall others did. One car I remember was halfway in the water while trying to get his boat out. Today, I can't envision not having 4WD.

[thataway]

Although the current Yukon XL is the first true 4 x 4 I have owned (the Honda Pilot also had 4 wh drive, but not a primary tow vehicle), I have been towing boat trailers for over 50 years with a rear wheel drive.

The issue with what you propose is that the pick up truck is very light in the rear, and you do launch in areas with a fairly good tidal range, for those two reasons I would go with 4 x 4. We did launch both a 25 up in that area a number of times with a 2 wh dr Ford Excursion Diesel.

I prefer a large SUV (which is on a pickup frame) for towing over the pickup. The reason is that there is more weight in the rear of the SUV, and the SUV is a much better riding vehicle. I had a chance to ride in a chevy pickup the same year as my Yukon, and the Yukon (with heavy duty towing package) was a much more comfortable ride.

You will get a little less gas mileage with 4 x 4. Diesel, especially the Ford 7.3 is an excellent engine and will get better mileage.

[T.R. Bauer]

I think that you will do just fine with rear wheel drive pickup. I have towed my CD 22 all over dodge in Alaska and I have never put anything in 4 wheel drive except when launching the boat in the ice and snow. I even tow it and launch it with my Winnie 25 foot class "C" without issues. Yeah the launches can be steep, but there is generally a pretty good line that has good enough traction to get up just fine.

[thataway]

That class C Winnie has a lot of weight on the rear wheels! I have launched the C Dory 25 with the 30 foot Class A on a steep ramp at low tide, with no problems, but with big duals and a lot of weight on them, I would expect good traction.

[spuncopper]

We use to laugh at ourselves and say, "Four wheel drive just gets you in trouble further out." Having said that, with tongue-in-cheek, it's nice to have. It can keep you out of trouble and, at times, can be used to help others.

The question to ask, "Is it worth the extra maintenance and expense?"

I prefer to have it. :)

[Will-C]

In perfect world you don't Need four wheel drive but when things take a turn for the worst it's nice to have. I have seen my share of two wheel drives clogging up launch ramps. Four wheel drive offers better resale value. You blown this much dough so far might as well go for broke. Sooner or later there will be ramp that will warrant four wheel drive. We just launched five boats in Canada the one two wheel truck drive had to get towed out. Don't be a victim!
D.D.

[Tom on Icarus]

I agree with most of the replies. You do not necessarily need 4x4 but it sure is nice.
I think that the automatic transmission is working very hard when pulling up from a steep ramp. To mitigate this I put my pickup in 4WD-LOW RANGE and there is so much low end torque that the truck just walks up the ramp with no, or little, throttle and no torque converter slipage. It also ensures positive traction on questionable surfaces.
I have owned 4x4 vehicles for 30 years.......before that don't know how many times I wished that I had one.

Cheers,
Tom

[journey on]

I just got home from launching at Ventura, Ca to go to Santa Cruz Island.

When I launched the boat at high tyde, I noticed that I needed to hold onto the cable to keep from sliding on the green slippery stuff. This was a first for me. Launched Journey On, parked the truck and thought "we'll be hauling out at low tyde." Ventura has smooth ramps, by the way. And Oxnard ramps are closed for repair.

Well, 6 days later, it was dead low when we returned to the ramp. I picked the least green ramp available. The better ramps were blocked by guys either fixing their trailer or fixing their motor. Backed the trailer in, set the parking brake with the trans in park and the truck slid backwards. I finally got out of there and tried a better (I hoped) ramp, leaving the real wheels on clean cement and accepting the fact that I'd have a long winch to get the boat out. And I did. Judy stuck the trans in 3rd, left a little brake on and out we came. Thank goodness for roller trailers.

The guy next to me wasn't so fortunate. He couldn't get out with his boat, took the boat off and still couldn't get out. Another boater pulled him out and then got the boat out. Hallelujah!

So here's my thoughts. After 40 years of launching at ramps, I've been towed out once; a guy was right there and did it for free. Just needed a small assist,since the Long Beach ramp was covered with sand (and still is). And that was in the 80's.

A 1/2 ton truck will tow that 22 just fine. I'd vote for a V-8 if you're going far. And I don't recommend 4X4. Something else to haul around and maintain. Every 30 years you'll have to wait for high tyde to haul out or use a little common sense. Or you can get a roller trailer and winch the boat on.

And lastly, it's 186 mile from Valley Center to Ventura and 186 miles back. All just chock full of stop and go traffic. LA is crowded and everybody's on the freeway. I'm getting too old for that.

A tired Boris

[Sea Wolf]

I've mostly had 2WD vehicles and, for the most part, gotten by fine, but my latest vehicle, a Dodge Durango, has a full 4WD (not "all-wheel"), low range, and a full-sized 360 cu. in. V8. (but not a "big block" 450+).

Will not go back. Much more positive and safe. Why worry?

Works like a tractor, even on steep, sand covered, or algae covered, ramps.

In low range, the 4WD will pull my 8600 lb Sea Ray and triple axle trailer (equivalent to a CD-25 or better) up any ramp I'm crazy enough to try.

And yes, Boris, the all roller trailer is a bit more complex, but will launch and retrieve in a much greater variety of situations than a bunk trailer. Like it!

Don't love the 14 mpg around town, or 11 mpg with a CD-22 gas mileage, but that's why we have several other vehicles.

If I were going to make a decision and planned to be towing boats for the next 5-15 years, I'd definitely get a horse to tow the wagon, not a pony, so to speak.

Joe.

[johnr]

Thanks for the advice everybody. To clarify, right now, I'm not looking for something to tow my boat halfway across the nation (nor do I have the money for that right now!). I live less than a mile from a boat launch that looks out onto the San Juans, so I'm just looking for a very used "work truck" to get me in and out of the water locally. I was thinking truck rather than SUV because we could also use the truck to haul trash/leaves/wood, etc...all the stuff that you would typically use a beater truck for.

From the discussions here, it seems like I could go either way with regards to 4WD or not. I lean towards 4WD but, as I shop around, maybe I'll let the condition of the truck and the price be the thing that closes the deal.

[journey on]

I understand that 4-wheel drive gives a sense of security that allows one to conquer the world. I also understand that my thoughts on not getting 4-wheel drive will be rebutted. In addition, I don't have trouble with anybody's 4-wheel drive, I just thing it's superfluous for launching a boat on a cement or gravel ramp.

I spent 50 years out in the desert and saw a lot of 4-wheelers. They worked well and their owners had a lot of fun, while I stuck to 1-wheel drive. I also learned that the thrill of 4-wheel drive could get you in some predicaments that cause trouble. Such as all 4 wheels dug in, just floor it and see the sand fly. Or going up a hill and flipping.

Certainly the desert and launch ramps are not the same, except for the feeling they give the drivers. I've launched at ramps from Los Angeles Bay in Baja California to Spanish, Ontario, Canada. All with 2 wheel drive. And some of those ramps were truly afterthoughts. But I never left a boat or truck behind. As I described above, one has to use common sense, either with 4-wheel or 2-wheel.

If a person is trying to get a used vehicle for a short trip to and fro and one finds a good 4-wheeler, buy it. If one wants to buy a new truck for longer trips, IN MY OPINION, the extra cost, weight and maintenance aren't worth it. And I've made it stick.

So if you're on a sandy or green slippery launch ramp and for the first time or even for the 100th time, think before you jam it.

Boris

[thataway]

Boris,
Do you cary chocks for the wheels? I carry them; both plastic and steel. The steel ones have a sharp edge which digs into the ramp.

Would have that kept your truck from sliding backward?

[Chris Bulovsky]

In my part of the world I have used 4-WD on cold days as icing on the ramp can be problematic. Sometimes the ramps have ice near the waters edge and keeping the front tires on dry concrete is the difference between easy and a big PIA. Most local launches are doable in 2wd 95% of the time but on occasions the 4-WD gets engaged.

I do really like how a big V-8 pulls a 22' vrs. a V-6 grunting out from a boat launch. So the notion of a full size truck dedicated to pulling a 22' to and from the launch a few miles is reasonable to me. A 4-WD truck is more versatile to me in my climate as it is used on some pretty gnarly logging roads for hunting and pulling trailers from snow drifts.

I would be curious to see what others use to launch at your local ramp.

Cheers
Chris