4WD for towing?

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

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.
 
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
 
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).
 
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.
 
Sunbeam":3l2skj86 said:
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).
Click to expand...

Irony here for me is that the Cummings would be the better long distance tow vehicle, for me, because of brute strength and mpg, but the hemi (although thirsty) is the much more comfortable road trip vehicle.

a late 90s early 2000 silverado would probably be perfect for me, if not for that darn weak transmission. for long trips. i found them to be very comfortable for a truck.
 
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.
 
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.
 
I think it comes down to with 2 wheel drive you have to pick the right spot or there will be a problem. 4 wheel drive gives you options.
DDT
Test drive a new Chevy 2500 or 3500 Duramax / Allison equipped truck with the front bucket seats. They are pretty comfortable. We could show a lot better mileage if we towed at more reasonable speeds : :twisted:
D.D.
 
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