I like 4wd even if I hardly ever use it. Never know when you need it.

I've yet to see a ramp that a 2WD RWD half ton pickup couldn't pull a boat out of with a driver who knows what he's doing. FWD is just asking for trouble, especially with a 21' ski boat on a slippery ramp. 4WD sure helps, but it isn't even close to being worth the extra cost up front and worse gas mileage if you don't go to questionable ramps frequently.

Me neither. With decent tires and a full tank of gas weighing down one side of the bed and maybe a couple fat chicks weighing down the other, you can pull Moby Dick out of the water. If all else fails work the emergency brake.

But 4x4 does make things easier.

Only been to 1 boat ramp where I wished I had 4x4. Choke canyon Mason Point ramp about 3 months ago had 6 inches to a foot of silt ontop of the concrete due to low lake level. It took some persistence, but the 2 wheel drive still got it out.

matt

I thought you drive a Z71

I do, we took the old mans ride, didn't know the mud/silt was there, his is a 2wd d-max. It took about 8-10 runs back and forth before the tires dug down to the concrete, but it got out. Next trip about 2 weeks later we took my pickup thinking it would be similar and the TPWD had cleaned the ramp with a loader launched 2wd no prob what so ever.

You want a nightmare ramp try Diablo on a busy tournament day! I've seen trucks slide into other trucks just trying to turn their trucks around. That place used to give me nightmares and I was always waiting to get smashed by another truck.

If the trailer and boat is in the water, fire up the boat and put It in gear while someone mans the truck, boat propulsion will push the whole rig up. I've seen it!

I used to have that problem at Alan Henry (but I never sat there and spun the tires for an hour like most people). I fixed that problem by putting 275 lbs of sand bags in the bed of my truck. Haven't been stuck since.

or you can circumvent these steps by buying a 4x4

Edit: That pic was over the top. My apologies.

Ive seen it too. It only works if you have a big outboard. We got stuck at choke on a mud/silt covered ramp in 2wd and the old 70 hp evinrude didn't budge a 3/4 ton diesel pickup.

I'm gonna need a cotton swab, lighter fluid and a match to burn that image out of my mind. Hope I don't have nightmares tonight. Bad enough it just ruined my lunch.

Google "Throttle modulation"

I have a Ford F-250 and without the 4 WD my truck spins all the way to the top of the ramp at Alan Henry. It is the worst ramp I have seen . 4 WD is a must at Alan Henry.