Do I need 4x4 to launch boat?

[tswiczko]

Re: Do I need 4x4 to lauanch boat?

Re: Do I need 4x4 to lauanch boat?

3/4 ton should be enough truck to pull 5-6k easy I do it with a 1/2 ton gasser but it doesn't like steep grades. As far as ramp issues go that is something you will have to find out for yourself, I do have 4wd but have never used nor needed it at the ramps. I attribute that to the fact I have a locker in the rear.

If you are going to be doing a lot of towing with a single wheel set up you will need to rotate your tires more often than if you had a dually, diesel would be a good upgrade if you are towing in an area that has a lot of hills. You live in Pa. so why not get a 4wd. I have cousins in punxutawney and have been there to visit them many times in the winter and I was glad I had a 4X4 not that you'll need it at the ramps but you might need it at other times.

I have a 24' w/cuddy 4025 empty,+ 56 gallons of fuel, + trailer,+gear, and I have never weighed the rig so I would would have to estimate that I am at least 5k+. I have run E rated for many years now and it makes a big difference in stabillity, with a dually set up I might run a D rated tire but with single wheel I would definately run with load range E

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Do I need 4x4 to lauanch boat?

Re: Do I need 4x4 to lauanch boat?

well a dually would definitely be more stable but you don't need it.... That is a pretty light boat and tires for the old truck will be ALOT cheaper than a new truck.
Does your current setup feel unstable to you? Does it squat or is it hard to stop?
I just went through this same debate with my dad... He wanted a dually like mine with a powerstroke. After MUCH debate and shopping he bought a v-10 single wheel and is VERY pleased with his choice.

Folks he never asked about a diesel.... he only asked about his v-10 4x4 vs a 2wd dually. I'm pretty sure he already knows what power his v-10 has.

edit: I had typed diesel instead of dually ... oops

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Do I need 4x4 to lauanch boat?

Re: Do I need 4x4 to lauanch boat?

FYI the boat in my sig weight twice what yours does and does just fine behind a single wheel truck.

 

[2300max]

Re: Do I need 4x4 to lauanch boat?

Re: Do I need 4x4 to lauanch boat?

FYI the boat in my sig weight twice what yours does and does just fine behind a single wheel truck.

I'm leaning toward new tires (e-load) the only issue I like a tall wide tire 33's for my truck....I was hoping with the rise of fuel price I thought I might get a good deal on a new truck! Checked out several dealer/lots and prices aren't coming down.

 

[Subliminal]

Re: Do I need 4x4 to lauanch boat?

Re: Do I need 4x4 to lauanch boat?

Yeah, I brought up the diesel...I figured if he's itchin' to spend extra money on an upgraded truck, might as well spring for the diesel rather than the dually.

Think about it.

-A diesel is a $6k+ option.

-Diesel fuel is more expensive. Regionally.

-Diesel maintenance is four times that of gas. $140.00 oil changes as opposed to $40.00. Ford Dealer average. (I only use OEM service).

The new 6.7L Ford Powerstroke is awesome, by any measure, but is it worth the money to you? Think twice.

Wow...well, getting raped at the stealership doesn't really reflect real life. My truck uses 4 gallons of oil, and I run Amsoil (most expensive oil on the planet?) with a bypass filtration system (twice as many filters, and they're amsoil, too) and even with all that shipped to my house, it's under $100. And I have to change it once a year or every 30k miles (I usually rack up about 9k in a year, though...lol)

Generally diesel maint. includes the following: Oil changes at longer intervals. Air filter changes at the same intervals as a gas counterpart, and fuel filters at more frequent intervals. No spark plugs to change, no plug wires or distributor caps...and diesels are pretty much made to go for a longer time than their gasoline counterparts.

I would say that, as a general rule, I would whole-heartedly disagree with your 'diesels cost more to maintain' statement.

The $6k add on price is probably on the low side, though. I looked at an '11 Cummins the other day and it was an $8k add on...lol

Fuel is a tough one now adays. What do you guys get around town with those V10s? 10ish? I get 17 in mine. Some quick math based on 1000 miles:

100 gallons of regular, figure $3.40 a gallon, that's $340 in gasoline.
59 gallons of diesel, figure $3.70 a gallon, that's $218 in fuel.

Of course, if you do even more math and try to figure out how long it's going to take to pay for that diesel upgrade, well, it's probably not worth it...at least if you're buying a new truck...although why anyone would do that is beyond me. Our 08 Equinox we bought with 3k miles on it, full warranty (minus those 3k miles) for 1/2 the price of what the folks before us paid for it. $18k vs. $36k...for something not even broken in yet.

Sorry for the hijack...figured the OP had already gotten what he needed and the discussion was on!

 

[scoutboater]

Re: Do I need 4x4 to lauanch boat?

Re: Do I need 4x4 to lauanch boat?

Fuel is a tough one now adays. What do you guys get around town with those V10s? 10ish? I get 17 in mine.

Our V10 gets about 10-12 around town, but 14-16 out on the highway, depending on how we drive it...

For the record, we have seen the onboard computer tell us that we're gettin 99.9+ mpg at times. Granted, we reset the computer as we started off of the mountain, so we were idling along at 55-60 mph

 

[pmillar]

Re: Do I need 4x4 to lauanch boat?

Re: Do I need 4x4 to lauanch boat?

Care to share what your mileage was on the way UP the mountain?

 

[likalar]

Re: Do I need 4x4 to lauanch boat?

Re: Do I need 4x4 to lauanch boat?

Maybe this was already suggested: For the ocassionally slime covered, low tide ramp, how about a hitch receiver mounted on the front end of the truck. The drive wheels stay higher, away from the slippery stuff. You might need some weight in the rear of the bed, though.

Larry

 

[tswiczko]

Re: Do I need 4x4 to lauanch boat?

Re: Do I need 4x4 to lauanch boat?

Folks he never asked about a diesel.... he only asked about his v-10 4x4 vs a 2wd diesel. I'm pretty sure he already knows what power his v-10 has.

`Yeah, I threw that in there because I haven't had any experience with a V-10 but have run diesels and definitely prefer the diesel over gas V-8 especially if you get into some good grades we have a couple of small hills here in southern Indiana that I can't get out of second gear going up hill

 

[lonnie t]

Re: Do I need 4x4 to lauanch boat?

Re: Do I need 4x4 to lauanch boat?

i bought an old 4x4 just to take my boat down to the ramp ,i dont trust our other car (magna auto) with the boat on the ramp , i keep havin bad images in my head of it rollin in lol
i only live about two min drive from the ramp so the old girl will be fine

 

[Prophammer]

Re: Do I need 4x4 to lauanch boat?

Re: Do I need 4x4 to lauanch boat?

I think I've seen a Buick Roadmaster pulling a boat!

 

[Perlmudder]

Re: Do I need 4x4 to lauanch boat?

Re: Do I need 4x4 to lauanch boat?

As they say... 4wd is priceless when you are sliding down a ramp and no one is around to help you.

 

[Prophammer]

Re: Do I need 4x4 to lauanch boat?

Re: Do I need 4x4 to lauanch boat?

I've often said a 2 wheel drive truck is a waste of materials, you're almost there, just add a little running gear and you have 4X4, which can get you out of a mishap or 2. But at the boat ramp I only remembr using it once, the ramp was covered with river mud. I wouldn't have been putting in a 23ft Maxum there either though. But also there was a time in Florida, seaweed was washed up on the ramp, and at low tide the trailer wheels dropped off the end of the cement. But I was more worried about the bow pulpit of my Seafox going through the back window of my Chevy Tahoe!

 

[sea_goin_dude]

Re: Do I need 4x4 to lauanch boat?

Re: Do I need 4x4 to lauanch boat?

Well I do live inland here and see mostly fishing (bass) boats being ramped into and out of the lakes here. I do know from watching some having problems with the ramps from mud slime etc that I would want two things to improve my efforts. First a rear locker and if you do have 4x4 the use of the low range will help with the usual 2.6 -2.7 or so ratio as so many with 2x4 must spin the tires to let the engine rev enough to get the torque to pull out. Either spin the tires or slip the clutch. Not a problem with auto trans but a manual with 4low will let you pull out with no tire / clutch spin/slip almost effortless. The 4low will also help the auto. That 2.7 multiplyer in the xfer case is a life saver. Especially with some of the low powered "toy" trucks, this advantage is worth a bundle. So not so much with the 4wheel but because you have that high/low xfer case that gives you the real power option to "get er done".
This is my first post here so will say hello to everyone from east central alabama or as we call it "LA" lower alabama

 

[Prophammer]

Re: Do I need 4x4 to lauanch boat?

Re: Do I need 4x4 to lauanch boat?

I prefer the parking paw of the automatic trans, and I always use the parking brake, And I have a rule to never leave the engine running while parked on the slant, if it jumped out of park and rolled into the water, it would be far worse if she (the truck) went down running. The only time I break that rule is, if it is dark out, with no street light at the ramp. In that case I leave the truck running and trailer lights burning under water, real visible that way! I hope she don't do me in cause of that!

 

[NSBCraig]

Re: Do I need 4x4 to lauanch boat?

Re: Do I need 4x4 to lauanch boat?

I wouldn't shut my motor off on a ramp.

I'm sorry I just don't get that.

Why would your truck jump out of gear? Fix your tow vehicle!

If your truck goes under it's just as bad if it is running or not (unless it's real old which might explain your concern for it coming out of gear) it's still junk.

 

[NSBCraig]

Re: Do I need 4x4 to lauanch boat?

Re: Do I need 4x4 to lauanch boat?

Ok as I think about it I guess I do shut it off every now in then, like while waiting at an empty ramp for my friend to bring his boat around.

But I still don't get the fear of leaving it running.

 

[jeeperman]

Re: Do I need 4x4 to lauanch boat?

Re: Do I need 4x4 to lauanch boat?

Ok as I think about it I guess I do shut it off every now in then, like while waiting at an empty ramp for my friend to bring his boat around.

But I still don't get the fear of leaving it running.

If running it will ingest water into the bores and hydrolock.
Possibly breaking rods, pistons, heads, etc.
If it goes in not running, that wont happen.
Still wet but still possibly able to dry it out and get it running again.

 

[repo-man]

Re: Do I need 4x4 to launch boat?

i think the f-250 with a v10 is a great combo for pulling that boat. I have an 01 f350 dually with the v10 that has a 6000 pound sneaker lift in the back and i can pull everything short of a diesel excursion. I had the diesel 7.3 which was awesome but the v10 is a great engine. Plenty of guts for pulling a boat

 

[flimsyjim]

Re: Do I need 4x4 to lauanch boat?

Re: Do I need 4x4 to lauanch boat?

...In four Low, don't even need throttle to get out...

...4low will let you pull out with no tire / clutch spin/slip almost effortless ...That 2.7 multiplyer in the xfer case is a life saver.

Once I pulled out with 4 Low, I never went back- it practically walks up and out on its own.