I am in the market for a pick up truck to tow my 25' Macgregor sailboat. I'm aware that a 4WD truck is probably better because of slippery boat ramps etc. I'm finding more affordable 2WD trucks on the market and was wondering if 4WD is really worth the extra expense. How many times were you glad you had it or will a 2WD be fine most of the time? Thanks for your advice. Richard
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4WD needed on tougher ramps
I launch at a tough ramp. Not very steep, so launching and retrieving get creative. I had a selectable 4WD, so I could go into 4WD LOW. That saved the situation numerous times. One other consideration you should have is the towing capacity of the 2WD vehicles. Often, it is significantly less than the 4WD versions. Check the ratings to be sure you cover your boat, trailer and gear with room to spare.
I launch at a tough ramp. Not very steep, so launching and retrieving get creative. I had a selectable 4WD, so I could go into 4WD LOW. That saved the situation numerous times. One other consideration you should have is the towing capacity of the 2WD vehicles. Often, it is significantly less than the 4WD versions. Check the ratings to be sure you cover your boat, trailer and gear with room to spare.
Never Had a Problem with 2WS
I have a MAC 23 (about 3000# with trailer) which I put in and take out with a 2WD F-250. I have never had a problem, but that doesn't mean I won't. I have a American Fiberglass D-18 (about 1000# with trailer) which I put in and take out with a 2WS Cavalier. I have never had a problem with it either. One thing to consider. With a rear wheel drive, your weight shifts to the rear on a loading ramp. This tends to increase your traction on the rear wheels and reduces the traction on the front wheels.
I have a MAC 23 (about 3000# with trailer) which I put in and take out with a 2WD F-250. I have never had a problem, but that doesn't mean I won't. I have a American Fiberglass D-18 (about 1000# with trailer) which I put in and take out with a 2WS Cavalier. I have never had a problem with it either. One thing to consider. With a rear wheel drive, your weight shifts to the rear on a loading ramp. This tends to increase your traction on the rear wheels and reduces the traction on the front wheels.
2 W not a problem
I've been towing for some 35 yrs off an on, Todays boat ramps in most case are not a problem,(unles your doing so in the mud, or sand) people use their cars to launch boats. When I ordered my new blazer in 1996, I ordered it with a limited slip drive, if one wheel fails the power is transfered to the other. I would think just about any 1/4 or 1/2 ton V-8 truck would tow your boat nicely out of the water If your wheels begin to spin, let up on the gas, you can add a little bit of the emergency brake to get both wheels to BITE. If you have the money, and can affoard the MAINTENANCE COST of a 4 wd, the added INSURANCE COST and GAS, than you don't have a problem do you ! Pick ups are always light on the back end but with that size boat I can't beleive you would have any difficulty retrieving your boat and like you said, there are some real nice deals on full size 2 wheel drive trucks today with very low interest rates, sure is tempting ! Good luck on your choice..........
I've been towing for some 35 yrs off an on, Todays boat ramps in most case are not a problem,(unles your doing so in the mud, or sand) people use their cars to launch boats. When I ordered my new blazer in 1996, I ordered it with a limited slip drive, if one wheel fails the power is transfered to the other. I would think just about any 1/4 or 1/2 ton V-8 truck would tow your boat nicely out of the water If your wheels begin to spin, let up on the gas, you can add a little bit of the emergency brake to get both wheels to BITE. If you have the money, and can affoard the MAINTENANCE COST of a 4 wd, the added INSURANCE COST and GAS, than you don't have a problem do you ! Pick ups are always light on the back end but with that size boat I can't beleive you would have any difficulty retrieving your boat and like you said, there are some real nice deals on full size 2 wheel drive trucks today with very low interest rates, sure is tempting ! Good luck on your choice..........
Towing Vehicle
FWIW last Monday I traded my FWD mini-van for the AWD version of the same mini-van. Both are rated for 3500 lb. towing capacity. The reason for my trade: the underwater portion of my regular launch ramp is not paved; it has a sand bottom AND the sand portion runs rather flat (not much slope). I found that, even with the drive wheels of my FWD on the paved portion of the ramp, (and rear wheels are far in the water, on the sand) the front drive wheels spin if the ramp is wet [and it usually is]. To get the boat (total trailed load 3000 lb.) out of the water, it requires a heavyweight friend to sit on the left front fender of the mini-van. This is an obviously dangerous situation! A similar situation with the FWD vihicle happens at another, all paved, but quite steep, ramp. Here, all of the vehicle wheels stay out of the water; the ramp is deeply cross-grooved, and there is no problem pulling the boat up and out, that is, no problem if the ramp is dry. If it's wet, the front wheels again slip and spin. Since the FWD was marginal -- that is, it almost worked OK -- I sure hope that the AWD version gives the extra push needed to solve the wet ramp problem. I'll find out this fall when I pull it up the sand-bottom ramp.
FWIW last Monday I traded my FWD mini-van for the AWD version of the same mini-van. Both are rated for 3500 lb. towing capacity. The reason for my trade: the underwater portion of my regular launch ramp is not paved; it has a sand bottom AND the sand portion runs rather flat (not much slope). I found that, even with the drive wheels of my FWD on the paved portion of the ramp, (and rear wheels are far in the water, on the sand) the front drive wheels spin if the ramp is wet [and it usually is]. To get the boat (total trailed load 3000 lb.) out of the water, it requires a heavyweight friend to sit on the left front fender of the mini-van. This is an obviously dangerous situation! A similar situation with the FWD vihicle happens at another, all paved, but quite steep, ramp. Here, all of the vehicle wheels stay out of the water; the ramp is deeply cross-grooved, and there is no problem pulling the boat up and out, that is, no problem if the ramp is dry. If it's wet, the front wheels again slip and spin. Since the FWD was marginal -- that is, it almost worked OK -- I sure hope that the AWD version gives the extra push needed to solve the wet ramp problem. I'll find out this fall when I pull it up the sand-bottom ramp.
Select what's best for YOU
When I checked the towing facts from several brands, I was surprised to find that a two wheel drive had a slightly higher towing load capacity. The bottom line is where you plan to launch. I pull my Catalina 22 (about 2800 pounds)with a Mercury Mountaineer V8/2wheel drive/limited slip rear. There has never been a problem with ramp slime, although I don't launch in mud or gravel and never put the rear wheels in the water further than a couple inches deep. I'm more concerned about water getting to the brakes or into the rear end. I bring a tow strap for emergencies (never been one) and I use an extend-a-hitch to put the trailer further out in the water. It things are really shallow, I un-hitch the trailer and roll it into the water till the boat floats off, then pull it back out using the trailer's boat winch strap. I think that 4wd is a bit costly if you only want it for towing a boat. Catch my wake...
When I checked the towing facts from several brands, I was surprised to find that a two wheel drive had a slightly higher towing load capacity. The bottom line is where you plan to launch. I pull my Catalina 22 (about 2800 pounds)with a Mercury Mountaineer V8/2wheel drive/limited slip rear. There has never been a problem with ramp slime, although I don't launch in mud or gravel and never put the rear wheels in the water further than a couple inches deep. I'm more concerned about water getting to the brakes or into the rear end. I bring a tow strap for emergencies (never been one) and I use an extend-a-hitch to put the trailer further out in the water. It things are really shallow, I un-hitch the trailer and roll it into the water till the boat floats off, then pull it back out using the trailer's boat winch strap. I think that 4wd is a bit costly if you only want it for towing a boat. Catch my wake...
Alternatives
I towed our O'Day 25 with our Dodge Ram 2500 for several years, and found that on many ramps, it couldn't pull my boat out of the water. I finally built an extension of the hitch (the trailer has surge brakes, so I didn't extend the tounge). Basically, tow pieces of steel, that fit inside one another, one piece into the hitch receiver, another fits over that, and provides another "receiver" for the ball. Then I attach the trailer to this rig (with the trailor's jack wheel down), and pull it out. It effectively "extends" my hitch 9 feet behind the van. Works every time for me. The van pulled the boat just fine on the road, and launched great, the only problem was retrieving. We just replaced it with a GMC Envoy. When shopping for a new vehicle, I noticed what was mentioned here, the towing capacity of the 2wd version of vehicles was usually equal to, often more than, the 4wd version.
I towed our O'Day 25 with our Dodge Ram 2500 for several years, and found that on many ramps, it couldn't pull my boat out of the water. I finally built an extension of the hitch (the trailer has surge brakes, so I didn't extend the tounge). Basically, tow pieces of steel, that fit inside one another, one piece into the hitch receiver, another fits over that, and provides another "receiver" for the ball. Then I attach the trailer to this rig (with the trailor's jack wheel down), and pull it out. It effectively "extends" my hitch 9 feet behind the van. Works every time for me. The van pulled the boat just fine on the road, and launched great, the only problem was retrieving. We just replaced it with a GMC Envoy. When shopping for a new vehicle, I noticed what was mentioned here, the towing capacity of the 2wd version of vehicles was usually equal to, often more than, the 4wd version.
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