Loosing Traction Towing out of Ramp

[NYBo]

Re: Loosing Traction Towing out of Ramp

The lift kit itself won't matter as long as you use the proper drop ball mount.

 

[tx1961whaler]

Re: Loosing Traction Towing out of Ramp

I bring a rolled up length (about 2 feet wide) of heavy rubber backed carpet with me, unroll it (it's the length between the front wheel and back wheel) and put it in front of the rear drive wheel. I get enough momentum that I can usually get all the way up the ramp.

 

[zach103]

Re: Loosing Traction Towing out of Ramp

The lift kit itself won't matter as long as you use the proper drop ball mount.

just make sure the trailer is level right?

 

[alumi numb]

Re: Loosing Traction Towing out of Ramp

then again i could just pull your truck and your boat out.
you would never even have to start it.
point blank if your going to pull anything, nothing will do it as well as a diesel!

 

[NYBo]

Re: Loosing Traction Towing out of Ramp

just make sure the trailer is level right?

Correct.

 

[Jeepster04]

Re: Loosing Traction Towing out of Ramp

then again i could just pull your truck and your boat out.
you would never even have to start it.
point blank if your going to pull anything, nothing will do it as well as a diesel!

Im a dodge/Jeep man but just b/c you drive a diesel doesnt mean its going to pull a boat out of the water any better than a Ford when it comes to tire spin.

His boat may be bigger, weigh more, the ramp may be totally different, steeper, etc. A diesel has more low end torque and more torque all together which is great, but that doesnt mean you wont spin tires before he does.

If you already have a limited slip then some better tires along with a little extra weight would probably help the most. And Im confused how a wider tire means you will have less traction. If that were the case then the Dodge Viper would have pizza cutters.

 

[Titanium48]

Re: Loosing Traction Towing out of Ramp

Jeepster makes a good point - like the title of the thread suggests, it is a traction problem, not lack of torque. One needs to deliver enough torque to the wheels to get moving in the right direction, but not so much that they start to spin.

The high low RPM torque of a diesel does make it easier to do though. In any modern engine the computer is trying to keep the engine at a set idle speed when you're not touching the gas pedal. It will automatically inject more fuel when the engine starts to slow down as the clutch is engaged, so as the driver controls torque to the wheels with the clutch the computer adjusts engine power to match. Most gasoline engines can't make enough torque at idle for this to work though, so you have to use the gas pedal to try to keep the engine at ~1500 RPM to avoid stalling. That means engine power must be adjusted manually, which requires more skill.

 

[alumi numb]

Re: Loosing Traction Towing out of Ramp

Im a dodge/Jeep man but just b/c you drive a diesel doesnt mean its going to pull a boat out of the water any better than a Ford when it comes to tire spin.

His boat may be bigger, weigh more, the ramp may be totally different, steeper, etc. A diesel has more low end torque and more torque all together which is great, but that doesnt mean you wont spin tires before he does.

If you already have a limited slip then some better tires along with a little extra weight would probably help the most. And Im confused how a wider tire means you will have less traction. If that were the case then the Dodge Viper would have pizza cutters.

never said anything about tire width but profile will make a difference.
i said nothing will pull like a diesel, i'm not being brand conscious.
here are some facts however.
cummins pulles the best and is the easiest to work on plus it has no glow plugs.
duramax is the fastest.
powerstroke is a pain in the rear, to change injectors you have to lift the cab.
50% of them end up in the shop.
big rigs are diesel, why do you think that's the case?
the diesel today is nothing at all like the old ones nor is the fuel, it's a whole new ball game.
gassers need rpm to convert horse power to torque, end result tire spin.
with a diesel you can just ease it out not over torquing the tires.
not asking you to accept any of this.
just talk to a few people you trust that drive newer diesels.
chipped out it's not tough to get 500 hp and 750 pound feet of torque and be a daily driver.

 

[zach103]

Re: Loosing Traction Towing out of Ramp

yah but its still all about traction.. i get where your coming from and understand what yours sayin boss drives a dually.. . if you have the wrong tires no matter what your using your gunna spin.. like performance tires compared to a/t's

 

[alumi numb]

Re: Loosing Traction Towing out of Ramp

yah but its still all about traction.. i get where your coming from and understand what yours sayin boss drives a dually.. . if you have the wrong tires no matter what your using your gunna spin.. like performance tires compared to a/t's

no argument there at all, ask anybody in racing.
but, same tire the diesel will do a better job of managing it.
the reason i brought up the subject of diesel is this.
"blanket statement", no matter what you do the right equipment will get it done best.
a friend picked up a 25' cruiser then realized he needed something better as a tow vehicle.
three vehicles before he landed what he needed.
save yourself the expence and just go there or go to a smaller boat.
partially because of him i bought mine.
hills don't exist anymore and i totally love the truck.
i'd have sex with it if i could.
i'm a cheapskate and looked around untill i found a great deal, not just a good one.
point blank ya gatta get the boat out of the water.

 

[zach103]

Re: Loosing Traction Towing out of Ramp

oh yah completely agree lol.. im in one almost everyday .. just dont drive it lol. but ill most likely have one when im older..

 

[Jeepster04]

Re: Loosing Traction Towing out of Ramp

never said anything about tire width but profile will make a difference.

Someone else was talking about that, not you.

And I understand that a diesel manages the situation better. They both still have tires on the ground though.

 

[Bob's Garage]

Re: Loosing Traction Towing out of Ramp

I have read every response so far posted to this guy's problem, and only one member actually answered with a solution that is immediately usefull.

Use the park brake to help fool the transmission into working as if the tires are not slipping.

I used to tow a 3000 lb boat with a woefully under powered B2000. I didn't have the money to do it right, never really gave a thought how unsafe it was, just knew I could take my family boating.

When an old guy (seemed old then) told me to use my park brake, lightly applied to add resistance to the wheels, the truck just walked right up the ramps, even slippery and sandy ones.

You don't want to totally lock up the wheels, but just before the wheels lock. Move ahead slow, let the truck set the pace, don't apply full throttle, do not spin the tires (spun tires wont pull) and release the brake as soon as you are out of the slip area.

I know I'm going to catch flack for the B2000 towing a 3000 lb boat, but that was then and I'm sure that I'm the only one that ever did anything so careless.

 

[alumi numb]

Re: Loosing Traction Towing out of Ramp

that i am 65 in july.
none the less had a great time skiing this winter, another love of 31 years.
well anyway hope this helped somebody, you might just want to pull a camper also.
gatta go now, it's time to take my viagra. lol!

 

[chrisq2]

Re: Loosing Traction Towing out of Ramp

If you have someone with you just use the outboard to give a push and get things moving. Sometimes that is just enough. I have done this a few times over the years and it worked well.

 

[salty87]

Re: Loosing Traction Towing out of Ramp

nobody was in the back of the boat? did you go up to the bow when the tires were spinning (if you were in the boat still)?

siped tires might help

i have a few bags of cement that got rained on, i'll toss 2 or 3 in the truck before i head for the ramp but it's only 1/4 mi.

 

[luv2b0at]

Re: Loosing Traction Towing out of Ramp

Diesel has more torque and stuff, but that is not the problem here. It's traction. He has plenty of power to pul it out, just not enough friction.

 

[NSBCraig]

Re: Loosing Traction Towing out of Ramp

Wide tires do have less traction.

It's contact pressure- weight per sq inch surface contact.

It's why you put wide tires on your four wheel drive.

A skinny tire with moderate tread should work best on a two wheel drive on a ramp.

(The Viper is a completely different situation, dry pavement wider is better, wet pavement wider can be frightening if not deadly)

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Loosing Traction Towing out of Ramp

I have lived in the upper midwest my entire life and never saw a stuck vehicle WITHOUT limited slip spin both rear tires. That would mean both tires have EXACTLY the same loss of traction which is nearly impossible. It is more believable that if you are spinning both rear tires you actually have a limited slip or locking diff. Starting out in second gear has been a low traction freature in automatics for year. Back in the day when nearly all cars were stick shifts, it was very common to start out in second to prevent overpowering the drive wheels. And starting out in second gear with an automatic will not burn out the clutch discs -- the torque converter will reach its slip (stall rpm) and nothing will happen if the load is too heavy to move. To burn up a clutch disc it has to be slipping which is not the case unless you have a tranny that's going out in the first place.

 

[25thmustang]

Re: Loosing Traction Towing out of Ramp

Not sure why there is a diesel debate happening on a thread about traction. Tires make a MUCH bigger difference pulling a boat out of the water than the diesel part. Unless we're talking about a hugely oversized boat, or undersized tow behicle.

As a matter of fact on that same comparison my dads 2006 Ram Cummins is AWFUL in 2wd, absolutely useless. My V10 F250 in comparison moves around fine in the exact same driveway (actually every vehicle we have is able to drive around in stuff that stops the Ram in 2wd). I have new tires, he has about 21K on his, which is more likely than not the main reason for this. Even he admits his 2wd is pathetic, the truck literally stops in a few inches of snow and 2wd. In 4wd the truck drives fine, as do most 4wd trucks!

But the point of this argument was not a diesel, or Ford vs Dodge argument, it was a traction issue. Weight, and tires, two biggest factors without ripping out mechanical parts and adding lockers!