4 wheel drive vs all wheel drive for retrieving????

[Fish Antics]

I have a 16 ft Lund and a heavier 16 foot Olympic. I have always had a 4wd Blazer to retrieve the boats at the ramp. Slippery or not, it always crawls up the ramp without a problem. I even launched my old 24 footer.

With so many new vehicles offering all wheel drive (AWD) I wondered if anyone has any experience with AWD at the ramp? Good or bad?????

Thanks!

[Anglinarcher]

I have a 16 ft Lund and a heavier 16 foot Olympic. I have always had a 4wd Blazer to retrieve the boats at the ramp. Slippery or not, it always crawls up the ramp without a problem. I even launched my old 24 footer.

With so many new vehicles offering all wheel drive (AWD) I wondered if anyone has any experience with AWD at the ramp? Good or bad?????

Thanks!

I think you need to research the term AWD just a bit more. For example, a 4WD with a limited slip differential is indeed different than an AWD, but if you don't have the limited slip, what is the effective difference? As I understand it, with an AWD, the power goes to the wheel(s) that need it, with all four wheels able to be driven. With a 4WD, it does the same, except you need to go from 2WD to 4WD to do it. With an AWD, it is always available, but with a 4WD, you need to engage it.

So, what would be the difference except that AWD use to be less energy efficient than a 4WD. Now I think that weight losses due to the change in differential design and transfer cases eliminate much of that advantage.

[danielt]

Are you saying you use 4WD every time you pull your boat out no matter what? Ive never put my truck or seen anyone else use 4WD to pull a boat out of the water under regular weather conditions.

[tcb]

Are you saying you use 4WD every time you pull your boat out no matter what? Ive never put my truck or seen anyone else use 4WD to pull a boat out of the water under regular weather conditions.

Daniel I disagree a bit.

it can depend heavily on your ramp angles, ramp material (paved vs. gravel) boat size, truck size, etc.

I have an AWD vehicle, and never worry about it. I have seen a couple of youtube videos of non-4wd vehicles getting stuck on ramps.


tcb

[danielt]

I agree that you might have to sometimes but Ive never heard of a person doing it every time regardless of weather or ramp conditions. From the sounds of the original post that's just what I picked up from it.

[Fish Antics]

I seldom have to use 4WD to retrieve at the ramp. I just like to have it if I notice other people are having trouble and the ramp is steep, covered in slippery stuff, and/or wet.

Some of the unimproved saltwater ramps I used in Alaska called for lots of traction. Maybe I just picked up a mindset that I could always reach for 4 wheel if I thought I needed it.

Originally, I used my gas-guzzling 8 cylinder truck to haul out my 24 foot Bayliner from a variety of ramps. Lots of power. Never an issue.

Now I use my Blazer, but ended up with much lighter boats.

I am considering downsizing my vehicle. To side-step the extra cost for 4WD and because some of the new lighter vehicles have AWD, I wondered if it would always do the job. I agree that many ramps are low gradient and don’t need it.

I appreciate the comments . . . sounds like AWD will be fine.