4x4 or not?

[89mercruiser]

Re: 4x4 or not?

The ramp I go to here. Majority of vehicles are 4x4 trucks. I've never had to pull out in 4x4 but it's nice to know it's there. I'm in MN so when it snows it can messy quick.

On a side note when we were camping a few years ago with my unlce up at his trailer, my dad's 2wd ram couldn't get our boat out. Empty trailer was fine, we had to get my unlce's truck to pull the boat out. Look at it this way it's better to have 4x4 and never need or come to a point where you need and don't have it.

 

[BRICH1260]

Re: 4x4 or not?

Because of where I live (winter weather) and my lifestyle( hunting, boating, camping) I could not get by with a 2wd truck. Are they necessary where you live and your lifestyle, I cannot say. Texas is pretty flat with little ice and snow. If the boat ramps are not slick and steep, you probably can get by with a 2wd.

 

[hungupthespikes]

Re: 4x4 or not?

6000+ lbs boat/trailer and have only used 4x4 a couple of times in over 10 years with this setup. Once I could have make it in 2wd but used 4 to stop the spinning, the second was all out wheels smoking to burn off the ramp slime. Had no choice the second time, 6 lane ramp and I'm the only one there, wonder why? :facepalm:
Get the 4x4, not just to tow, but because they are so much fun in the snow/off road. It's all we have now (3 of them).
Texas and the desert, O boy!! More places to go 4-wheeling off the top of your head than political jokes.
A better question might be. "will a 8 in. drop bar be enougt for 32" wheels." or "do I need a 1 ton for rock climbing" (oops wrong forum)
Man it's TEXAS, truck capital of the world, get the 4x4 and have a ball.
huts

 

[merchonda]

Re: 4x4 or not?

As was said before, 2wd works fine until the odd occasion when you need torque on 4 wheels. If you had perfect knowledge you'd know whether you need it or not. When I had my truck, I was surprised at how often I used 4x4 to get out of a tough spot--but that's a truck since all the weight is on one end with no-load. Farm country can get mucky so it comes in handy there, snow, yes even sea slime on boat ramps. Bottom line is traction goes way down on wheels that get dunked. 4x4 issues, other than expense, are dead weight (which means more gas) and the transfer case can get unreliable if you are pushing the load limits and wheels slip and catch on terrain. End of the day, 4x4 is insurance--question is, whether you drive your vehicle like a car or occasionally what it was designed for.

 

[erwinner]

Re: 4x4 or not?

Texas and the desert, O boy!! More places to go 4-wheeling off the top of your head than political jokes.
A better question might be. "will a 8 in. drop bar be enougt for 32" wheels." or "do I need a 1 ton for rock climbing" (oops wrong forum)
Man it's TEXAS, truck capital of the world, get the 4x4 and have a ball.
huts

HAHAHA I break the stereotype here because I like gas mileage since we went over $2.00/gallon! My secret is tiny boat/front wheel drive car. If I don't have to get the front tires wet/on the algae I will never, ever have a problem pulling all 700lbs. of boat/motor/trailer/gear out of the water. If it's going to get stuck, it won't have anything to do with whether the boat is hitched up or not.

 

[H20Rat]

Re: 4x4 or not?

The ramp I go to here. Majority of vehicles are 4x4 trucks. I've never had to pull out in 4x4 but it's nice to know it's there. I'm in MN so when it snows it can messy quick.

I would say the ramp has very little to do with that... Up here, not many people buy 2wd trucks. They are all but worthless when winter comes, they are by far the WORST vehicle on the road. Geo metro's do better on ice... (this is coming from someone who has owned both a geo metro, and a 2wd truck, and pretty much everything in between.)

 

[prokat22]

Re: 4x4 or not?

Tales of towing:
Bought a 22' Prokat, bought a 2000 GMC Yukon 2WD to tow it. Listened to all kinds of advise on what would pull it out at the ramp. First time out, the one wheel peel. Someone hooked me up and pulled me out. Mad, pissed, aggrevated. OK, put in full locking rear differential. Better, not stuck all the time. Lots of spinning, sliding, LEARNING. Still quite frustrating. 4-500 pounds of sand and gravel in the back. Better. Still got stuck, sometimes at low tide. Low, low tide all that 3 guys and my wife on the bumper and trailer tongue. 2 wheels spinning. Frustrated, aggravated, new Ford F150, 5.4L 6 speed, 4X4, tires don't slip an inch, any condition, any tide,etc. so in the end, not being able to pull the boat out, when it is you and your wife, gets old, frustrating and takes the fun out of boating. Everyone has a different boat, setup and place that they launch, to ask the question here is one tough answer. At least for me, I would have never thought it would take so much, in the end, for peace of mind and fun in boating, I had to have the 4 wheel drive. That's my story, hope it helps.

 

[oldjeep]

Re: 4x4 or not?

I would say the ramp has very little to do with that... Up here, not many people buy 2wd trucks. They are all but worthless when winter comes, they are by far the WORST vehicle on the road. Geo metro's do better on ice... (this is coming from someone who has owned both a geo metro, and a 2wd truck, and pretty much everything in between.)

Where is "up here?" Pretty much any service pickup is 2wd, as is any pickup I've owned. They work as well as anything in the winter - do you seriously drive on the road in 4wd?

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: 4x4 or not?

They work as well as anything in the winter - do you seriously drive on the road in 4wd?

REALLY???????

ROFL.... no they so incredibly do not.... 4x4 is a HUGE advantage in the snow

Of course you drive on the road in 4x4 when the snow starts piling up..... I've towed my sig boat through the (wee little northeastern u.s.) mountains in a blizzard in 4x4....


Of course this is all a bunch of hijacking... the O/P asked about boat ramps.... not snow

 

[oldjeep]

Re: 4x4 or not?

REALLY???????

ROFL.... no they so incredibly do not.... 4x4 is a HUGE advantage in the snow

Of course you drive on the road in 4x4 when the snow starts piling up..... I've towed my sig boat through the (wee little northeastern u.s.) mountains in a blizzard in 4x4....


Of course this is all a bunch of hijacking... the O/P asked about boat ramps.... not snow

Jeez, I don't know I tow car trailers back and forth to Montana and ski Colorado using nothing but a 2wd.

 

[hungupthespikes]

Re: 4x4 or not?

hey oldjeep, buy a 4wd truck next time, you'll never go back. They are a ball. I've gotten stuck with 2wd and 4wd more times than I can count in mud/snow/sand. The 2wd's will get out just fine, but waaaaaay more digging to get them out.
And waaaaaay better than an old jeep too.(I had one and still in the family)

The only place that I can think of that the 2wd would not handle the work, is at the ramp. Sand under the tires, in the bed, ect.... there is nothing I can think of, (tire chains?), that will get you up the ramp without a tow. Where the 4wd will just do it.

I'm well over 200K on the truck and no problems ever with the 4wd, and very few on the truck at all, heck, all three 4wd units are over 160,000 and no problems with any of the 4wd systems . So reliability, maintenance cost are of very little concern anymore on any of the 4wd units out there. That's a far cry from the 60,70 and 80's when they were a pita.

If the 4wd is only for the boat ramp then it's still not a bad deal, imho.
There is just so much more of the outdoors that is opened up to you with 4wd that it's a no brainier given a choice.

huts

 

[F14CRAZY]

Re: 4x4 or not?

I've towed my Bayliner up a number of ramps with my '74 LeSabre w/ open rear diff and never had any traction issues

 

[Slow Ride]

Re: 4x4 or not?

I happen to use 4x4 but I'm not one of those guys who going to tell you its required. I see it as insurance when the ramp is slippery or really steep and I also do a lot of hunting and camping which regularly require it. The best thing I can think of is to go to the ramp that you will use most in the afternoon when everyone is pulling out and see whats going on. Notice the 4x4 vs non 4x4 but also notice the maker etc. As an example, I have a friend who has a ford 2x4 truck with a diesel engine. Its a great tow vehicle for going down the highway but at the ramp, I have to get in the boat and run the motors to help push us up the ramp and get a running start. All the while his tires are spinning and struggling. On the other hand when we used my chevy z71, for some reason it did a better job and we did not need to use the boat motors to push it out. And get this, I did not use the 4x4 option. I suppose there is a geometrical difference that caused this but it always stood out as odd in my mind.

So I guess what I'm saying is the local ramps have more to do with the question than you think and its worth packing a lunch and going down to the ramp to watch fora couple hours. Besides, you get a chance to chat with a bunch of great guys down at the ramp and listen to a few good fishing stories!

 

[joewithaboat]

Re: 4x4 or not?

I happen to use 4x4 but I'm not one of those guys who going to tell you its required. I see it as insurance when the ramp is slippery or really steep and I also do a lot of hunting and camping which regularly require it. The best thing I can think of is to go to the ramp that you will use most in the afternoon when everyone is pulling out and see whats going on. Notice the 4x4 vs non 4x4 but also notice the maker etc. As an example, I have a friend who has a ford 2x4 truck with a diesel engine. Its a great tow vehicle for going down the highway but at the ramp, I have to get in the boat and run the motors to help push us up the ramp and get a running start. All the while his tires are spinning and struggling. On the other hand when we used my chevy z71, for some reason it did a better job and we did not need to use the boat motors to push it out. And get this, I did not use the 4x4 option. I suppose there is a geometrical difference that caused this but it always stood out as odd in my mind.

So I guess what I'm saying is the local ramps have more to do with the question than you think and its worth packing a lunch and going down to the ramp to watch fora couple hours. Besides, you get a chance to chat with a bunch of great guys down at the ramp and listen to a few good fishing stories!

Tires and Driver make a big difference as well.

 

[chris.j.marshall]

Re: 4x4 or not?

There's also the 4x4 fun factor. I thought it was unnecessary until I got a truck that so happened to be a 4x4. It came in handy a few times then it
felt like a necessity. It became a must in my next truck and I find myself looking for reason's to "need" to engage 4wd. Definitely nice to have. I've lived in the midwest and southwest, it's more important in some climates than others. I've only used 4wd once at the ramp though, as a precaution on a muddy ramp at a low level lake.

 

[Sunsetrider]

Re: 4x4 or not?

Peace of mind comes to mind . . .

Many of our local ramps are are dirt mixed with loose gravel. When the tires spin in the looseness, it's pretty sweet to yell to the wife: "put the 4wd on!". Plus we have a lot of snow and all our vehicles have a 4wd or awd capability. I pull with a Dodge Dakota 4x4 4.7l. HO and I'm confident it can do the job better than the Subaru Forester . . .

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: 4x4 or not?

^^^^ 100 extra points to you for saying "peace of mind" instead of "piece of mind"


bout time someone gets that one right lol

 

[chriscraft254]

Re: 4x4 or not?

Its probably already been said, two wheel drive is fine until you need 4 wheel drive. Its all going to depend on your set-up. Plain and simple. Front wheel drive on a ramp would be just as useful as 4 wheel drive to me, but how many bad azz trucks come with front wheel drive?

And as far as the snow thing goes, you need 4 wheel drive less when theres actually snow on the road, it provides traction. But that would all depend on what tires you have and what type of vehicle. Trucks are notorious for being lite in the rear end. Thus the need for 4 wheel drive sometimes..

 

[YZ165]

Re: 4x4 or not?

Depends on your particular situation. You can put in at the lake I frequent in 2WD(maybe), but getting your boat out is a whole other ball game. There are five or more military 2 1/2 ton 6x6s on the beach on any given weekend....for a reason. The sugar soft sand makes for great camping, but does not lend well to 2x4 vehicles. FWD alone is not an option.

 

[CapeAnn]

Re: 4x4 or not?

There sure are a lot of people boating/camping in one area! With a 4 X 4 / 6 x 6 I would opt for an area where there aren't too many folks and boats.

I like the flat top mesa in the background.