Rear Slip Differential vs 4x4 For Towing Boat

[swordfish01]

A dealer told me I will be fine for pulling a boat out of the water as long as my truck has the rear slip differential.. and won't need 4x4.

I dont want to be one of those iddiots at the ramp that has to ask 5 people to stand on the back of his truck..

I believe the TRD sport tow package has the slip differential.

Any truth to this?

Looks at a trd sport in indigo today with short bed.. BEAUTIFUL!

Got the lease deal to $329/month with 15k miles per year.


Thanks

[binmack]

Sorry but no one here could answer that with the limited info you just gave.

I did fine at the my ramp with an old 98 2wd 5spd stick and an open rear.

It depends on the ramp ( angle, material, condition ect ) , the boat and even the tides ( if you have them ).

Will you be using only one ramp ? If so take a ride there and spend some time watching other guys with different trucks and trls. and ask them questions. That may help.

[dack41]

I've hauled boats for many years. There are some important things to consider when pulling a boat up a launch ramp. How steep is the ramp, what material is the ramp made of, is it smooth concrete, asphalt, are there grooves to channel water, is the ramp free of gravel, seaweed,grass and mud. How big is your boat? All launch sites are different and in different conditions, some nice and others very unimproved (live in the south). I use a 4X4 and don't have to worry as much. You'll be glad you have 4X4 when water conditions are low and the trailer tires go off the end of the ramp and into mud. My 2 cents. Good luck.

[yrffej]

the trd sport should be better than an open diff, for what you described.... then the off road locker would be better then that.... but if there's no traction in the rear at all, 4wd is what you'd need. if you've got the $$$ trd sport 4wd...... best of both worlds...

search, it's been asked and answered many times....

[kowached]

One more thing to consider is that putting the truck in 4x4 Low Range on the transfer case really takes a lot of strain off the engine and transmission. The mechanical advantage of 4Low and power going to both axles will get the job done everytime, and make it look easy.

[lotust]

Originally Posted by kowached

One more thing to consider is that putting the truck in 4x4 Low Range on the transfer case really takes a lot of strain off the engine and transmission. The mechanical advantage of 4Low and power going to both axles will get the job done everytime, and make it look easy.

this is true. But it would be a shame to spend the extra $$ on a 4wd truck to use the 4wd just for getting up a ramp once in a while.

[HoustonHokie]

Depending on the ramp surface, tires will also make a big difference.

The TRD Sport comes with some pretty wimpy street tires that aren't going to provide a lot of traction that will be necessary to pull the boat out on a steep, wet, sandy, or gravel ramp.

I had a 2 wheel drive pick-up with LSD when I lived in MN that I used to pull out a pair of jet skis on a sandy, but quite level ramp and it REALLY struggled. The truck had Tiger Paw street tires and I just couldn't get enough traction. By the time I'd get them out, I have thrown sand and grit all over the jet skis. It sucked!

After a few times doing this, I'd just tow them to the landing (it was a private landing), unhook the trailer when it came time to load them, hook it up to my dad's 4wd truck, pull them out, and then re-hook them back up to my truck. That got old fast.

If you decide to get a 2wd Sport, I would at least have in mind that you may need to upgrade the tires to something that will provide more traction.

[cephasiii]

I was thinking about his topic earlier this week. I have a TRD OR Prerunner. Do you think I would be fine if I used my locker?

[ryanmartini]

Like mentioned above, it depends on the conditions of the ramp. Honestly, if you ahve a decent engine, just make sure you have some nice n sticky shoes on your truck. We used a friends 97' F250 5.4L 2WD, and we pulled some very good sized boats out of the water all the time.

What kind of/size boat are you going to be pulling out ?

[ryanmartini]

Originally Posted by cephasiii

I was thinking about his topic earlier this week. I have a TRD OR Prerunner. Do you think I would be fine if I used my locker?

For pulling a mid/small sized boat or jet ski, your truck will be absalutely fine Trust me.. Ive seen some S10's do amazing things.. you will be ok.. hehe

[swordfish01]

Originally Posted by ryanmartini

For pulling a mid/small sized boat or jet ski, your truck will be absalutely fine Trust me.. Ive seen some S10's do amazing things.. you will be ok.. hehe

Most dealerships here in sout fl dont have the 4x4 in the sport package, so im gioing to grab the 4x2.


I'll be towing a 21 footer, 23 at the max. I know the 4.0 engine can handle it no problem, and i'll pick and choose good ramps..

[ryanmartini]

Originally Posted by swordfish01

Most dealerships here in sout fl dont have the 4x4 in the sport package, so im gioing to grab the 4x2.


I'll be towing a 21 footer, 23 at the max. I know the 4.0 engine can handle it no problem, and i'll pick and choose good ramps..

Cool, just maybe get some nice sticky rear tires. Thats the key. a 21", yeah you should be good.

[hyperlitewkbrdn]

our 21' weighs 4500 pounnds and it will spin if im in 2wd.....

[cj99si]

How much more is the 4X4 ??