Northwest Fishing Reports

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!

Micropterus wrote: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.

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.

danielt wrote: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

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.

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.