I have a chance to get an Ford Edge and I am worried that it might not get the 25 up the ramp being that it is front wheel drive.
Any information or advice??
Any information or advice??
Pulling Up the Ramp with a FWD
- Thread starter timebandit
- Start date
this is not usually a problem with front wheel drive vehicles, IF the trailer is set up and loaded properly to begin with, AND being towed with an appropriate sized vehicle.... when pulling a boat up an inclined ramp, the boat weight will shift rearward a bit, and the momentum will allow almost all of the normal weight of the front end of the vehicle to be on the tires for traction.... the boat isnt heavy, so that bit of incline should never be a problem at a normal ramp... its only another "hill" like if you were pulling a steep grade somewhere in town
but this will make little difference if the ramp is muddy or covered in moss/seaweed...
but this will make little difference if the ramp is muddy or covered in moss/seaweed...
getting up the ramp is all about traction and traction is all about weight over the drive wheels.
If you find yourself spinning your tires then enlist a few local kids to sit on the hood. 300 lb of kids will increase your traction by 300*the friction factor. typical friction factors for rubber on concrete are 0.9 so 270 extra lb of pulling power. This is really evident in pickups with nothing in the bed.
If you find yourself spinning your tires then enlist a few local kids to sit on the hood. 300 lb of kids will increase your traction by 300*the friction factor. typical friction factors for rubber on concrete are 0.9 so 270 extra lb of pulling power. This is really evident in pickups with nothing in the bed.
Perhaps a trailer hitch on the front of your vehicle would be feasible. The marinas I worked at had them on the front ends of pickups, enabling us to move boat trailers around the yard more easily. In your case, a front end hitch would increase traction to your drive wheels.
Well, there is usually a weight transfer that takes place from the front to the rear of the vehicle. This is a function of the slope of the ramp but also as a result of increase of the load. The faster you may want to go up the ramp the more weight is transferred to the back. This weight transfer causes the front wheels to loose traction. Traction is also affected by ramp surface as well as the type of tires. My suggestion would be to find an adequate ramp, insure your tire pressure is set up for maximum traction and to pull up the ramp at a slow but steady pace. Strong rear shock will help maintain the vehicle in balance. I looked at the towing specs of the vehicle and they go up to a maximum of 3,500 lbs with a towing package. I don't know how much your boat+trailer weighs but going up a ramp with water resistance that will increase the load. Another reason why to pull slowly. Hope it is a V-6.
I never had any problems launching a 1100 lbs whaler with a fwd Buick LeSabre. Did it many times every season for over five years. No matter what the tow vehicle I always have a wheel chock in place with a line looped over the driver rear mirror to retrieve it with once I start back up the ramp. I would not trust a parking brake on a ramp. A simple yellow plastic wheel chock can take much of your worry away.