4WD for towing?

[ken 120]

All wheel drive (60% of power go to front wheels and 40% to rear wheels) works fine on slippery ramps with my Honda Ridgeline-drivetrain also allows for 4 wheel drive to be manually set- never had to use 4 wheel drive on a ramp to pull out my 22.

Ken

[T.R. Bauer]

[Will-C]

I usually tow longer distances but I thought some might be interested in our real world experiences with gas versus diesel and some of my thoughts on 4 wheel drive.
I’m not sure I understand about the mentioned extra maintenance concerning a four wheel drive truck. Having to change the oil in the front differential and the transfer case every 50k was not a deal breaker for me. I mean to each their own; but I like buying new and I’m on my second new Chevy 4 wheel drive pickup. I had bought a used a 1997 Ford 5.4 4x4 that my son still drives with well over 150k. That truck had to have a transmission replaced under warranty. I pulled a 18.5’ Scout center console with it back and forth to the New Jersey shore. My 2001 ½ ton gas 5.3 V8 I put a 100k on it before selling it to buy a ¾ ton diesel. It needed a alternator replaced about 70k no other expenses than oil changes, brakes, etc. The weak part of the 2001 Chevy was the transmission, an automatic 4 speed. Long grades required it get into 2nd gear and at 55 mph turning about 3500 rpms it pulled our current 6000 pound boat without a problem. But the downshifts were not pretty. Plus the truck got between 8 to 10 miles per mpg pulling our current boat. I never had an issue with the transmission failing but it was a big reason why I wanted a heavier duty truck. In 2009 I bought a ¾ ton Duramax diesel with a six speed Allison transmission. The ¾ ton diesel has now 42,736 miles it has the original tires and brakes with no other expenses other than oil and filter changes which I do myself. It gets on average 13 to 14mpg pulling the boat. The trucks computer shows 3130 gallons of fuel used. I divided the total miles by the gallons and came up with 13.65 mpg. Using the same mileage and using the 10mpg to be kind the same 42736 miles would result in 4273 gallons of gas at 3.50 per gallon = about 4000 dollars more spent in fuel comparing the diesel truck to gas powered version. My guess at about 100k the diesel might get close to paying for itself. The diesel truck takes another three quarts of oil over the gas engine truck but goes twice as far on an oil change. I normally change oil in the gas engine at 5000 highway miles versus 10k for a diesel oil change. Both trucks were extended cabs with 8 foot beds that could seat six adults. Because I carry a dinghy, 2.5 hp. dinghy motor, rafting bumpers , floor jack, our canvas camper back, generator, extra water, gas for the generator and dink, small portable air compressor , 7’ one piece fishing rods( the real reason for the 8’ bed), fishing tackle, extra water, and other related items we carry being away from home for a month or at least a couple weeks. Not mention a small 50# dog with related supplies. The SUV was out of the question not to mention the need for special hitches to handle the tongue weight and no room for all the stuff we carry. With all the stuff in bed with a cap for security reasons plus the tongue weight of the trailer the rear of our truck is far from being light. Having said that, it rides pretty well. It sits perfectly level. Even empty it’s does not ride all that bad. It’s nice to have the extra torque to be able to able to pass smartly on two lane roads while pulling the boat and it can. It’s not noisy but I think it makes a tad more noise than a gas engine at highway speeds. In the winter they are more noisy until it warms up. No diesel exhaust smell or smoke ever and I don’t have to use diesel exhaust fluid as it’s an 2009. For me the diesel actually makes towing the boat fun especially up grades. We use the truck for lots of other uses plus pulling an open topped trailer for bigger items, landscape items, mulch etc. or moving things or picking up things for our kids. We have dropped trees and drug sections of tree trunk out to where it is easier to cut it up into smaller pieces and to load on to a trailer. The other reason is that if we want to pull a larger RV trailer (25’+)down the road it’s capable of doing that without breaking a sweat. We have no interest in having a separate self-contained motor home to maintain. Having a diesel pickup 4x 4 pickup has a lot of benefits if you are the type that might want to enjoy effortless towing a variety of different trailers and the added security of four wheel drive especially if you live where it snows . For me two wheel drive is not enough. I wanted something that has off the road pulling power. We do some surf fishfishing and you can’t even go on the beach without 4 wheel drive. So for us 4 wheel drive is a no brainer. I realize it’s not for everyone. Keep a tow strap handy.
D.D.

[pat.jack]

We drive a 2005 Ford Explorer 4WD and it does a good job both towing and launching our 22 ft boat.

It was good to see the note referencing the Honda Ridgeline. I was thinking that might be a good all around vehicle-with AWD vs 4WD. In our area of the country with the fact it snows almost half the year, having AWD is a good general option. Our other vehicle is Subaru Outback, and the AWD is great in the winter-but obviously not a tow vehicle. I believe the Ridgeline is rated at 5,000 towing capacity-and I was wondering if it had adequate reserve power to launch the boat. Any feedback on experience with the Ridgeline would be appreciated.
Regards,
Jack Howell

[DuckDogTitus]

we use a 4wd/allwheel 2005 cherokee with hemi. I prefer it over the 3/4 ton cummings pickup for comfort while towing, its a fantastic tow vehicle for our 22CD.

but as Will pointed out with his silverado gas vs duramax (btw, i had the same gas silverado and yes that trans was weak), the gas mileage difference is substantial. I definitely want 4wd, but 9-12mpg with the hemi towing vs the consistent 17mpg in the cummings is a noticeable difference too.

[thataway]

One comment about newer GMC's (2007 model on up) 6 speed transmission seems to have eliminated the "weak" transmissions in the past 4 speed of GM trucks and SUV. It has a considerably lower 1st gear (4.027and a slightly higher 6th gear (0.667) . (Of course the true 4 X 4 version has a low range which drops the gears by 2.72 more--so you can really grind out of that ramp with a final ratio of about 28:1., with a 3.08 rear ). It also has manual shifting, so you can drop it down for compression breaking on steep grades.

[pat.jack]

Will-C and Dustin,

Good to read of your towing experiences. I'm in agreement on the need for 4 wheel or AWD vehicles. I have a similar MPG issue with our Explorer-it seemed to get around 9mpg when we towed our boat from Virginia to Rochester NY. With the fact we get snow as often as rain, on average, in our area of the country I'm a big fan of vehicles that handle snow and ice. A friend of mine has a diesel truck-he tows 3 horses and his diesel pulls all that weight with little effort. The torque on a diesel truck set up for towing is amazing.
Thanks for the insight. I think it will be a little while before I start to shop for a new tow vehicle. We have to let our charge card cool down from some recent boating purchases and house maintenance issues I won't bore you with!

[DuckDogTitus]

Pat,
when friends are going on extravagant vacations I thank God that moorage on weekend trips is $20 being boat-poor myself

food for thought. I try to run fuel/injector cleaner semi-frequently on my vehicles, helps with mileage and performance I believe. also, after having my trans rebuilt, and then the software/electronics reflashed at the factory this spring, my hemi towing mileage went up from that 9 i listed to close to 12. I dont know the condition of your explorer, but food for thought. thirsty gas engines seem to respond positively to every little thing.

my 99 silverado with 4.8l v8 (not towing) got as high as 21-23mpg hwy mileage with K&N intake kit and filter, custom tune, and opened up exhaust. that's about the best v8 mileage i've heard of for that era vehicle.

[pat.jack]

Dustin,
Those are great suggestions on tweaking the engine of our tow vehicle. We have owned the Explorer for about 2 years now. I'm sure it has not had the software flashed. I will add the fuel system cleaning to the 'to do' list. It is definitely worth a shot. Good to hear of your experience.
Regards,
Jack Howell

[Sunbeam]

So much seems to depend on actual use case. If I were the original poster in this thread, I think I'd look for an older-but-decent pickup truck, taking whatever variation (1/2 ton/3/4-ton/gas/diesel/2wD/4wd) presented itself in good shape for a price I liked.

My current use is pretty much exactly the opposite: Long distance towing, including road/land camping -- and it's my primary vehicle (while I'm out and about). So I went for a Class B camper van, 2WD, gas. It's working great for my purposes and I'm glad I chose it; but if I were the Brat at the top of the thread, just going to local ramps and doing "home chores" with a second vehicle.... I'd probably be driving something like a 1987 pickup (or whatever presented itself as a good, clean deal, for not a lot of outlay).

[Aurelia]

We tow a non-cdory load with our smallish Kia Sportage Turbo. It hauls the 2200lb wide load just fine for us but it does kick out serious torque at 1800 rpm and without that it would not be pretty. Speaking to 4wd...

We roam around far and wide using different ramps a various tides as a matter of perverse principle. We often get a spectator or two as we back down the ramp especially when retreiving.

The large looking boat coupled with the small vehicle prompts people to see what might happen. Nothing worth watching ever does because we have that motor and electronic locking AWD. I get comments like... is that thing 4WD? or is that just a 4 banger in there? Our last tow vehicle had a 3.5 liter V6 and higher tow rating and it didn't come close to being as capable as this little Kia. Torque is king (gearing might be queen)

If you use the same ramp or limited ramps closer to home and get to know them at different water levels and do a bit of planning or accounting for those variables, I think you could likely do without 4WD. I know I could if I used our boat that way.

I, on the other hand like to keep my options open and claw my way up slimy broken excuses for boat ramps at less than ideal water levels which mandates 4 wheels helping my case.

[DuckDogTitus]

[MikeR]

Have launched lots of boats from 16 to 23' out of the various ramps in Bellingham, both with 2wd and 4wd trucks. There was definitely some inadvertent tire spinning at times with the 2wd but always made it out OK. Most retrievals out of Squalicum do not require the use of 4wd. At low tide it can be a bit slippery and it's a fairly steep ramp, so there have been a couple of times when I was thankful to have it. I couldn't find where you said which ramp you live near, but Fairhaven should also be OK w/ 2wd... Sandy Point and Larabee you might want 4wd.

[Chester]

Oddly enough the only time we've needed 4wd pulling a boat out was with our lightweight 15' sail n' oar Skerry.
http://www.clcboats.com/scripts/phpThumb/phpThumb.php?src=/images/photos/boats/skerry/Skerry-Top-View.jpg&w=580
But then I don't launch the C-Dory off of crumbling dirt banks...

[Jake B]

I would go with 4 wheel drive if it were me just the places we launch and essp. on low tide it is sometimes needed. or you could be like some of the riggs i see at cq with 4 dudes on the back for weight as they burn out and up van rippers boat launch to pull out. see it happen many times a year. also my buddy swamped his truck at the boat launch here in pa a few weeks back as his 4 wheel drive went out on him and could not get up the ramp in 2wd. on a fast incoming tide. I guess it all depends on the ramps you are planning on using. we beach launch also so 4wheel is a must IMO for that.