? Pulling Boat w/ 2003 2wd Trac ?

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Darrell F

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Jun 1, 2006
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Does anyone regularly tow a boat w/ their 2wd Trac? If so what size?

I know it will pull but I'm concerned about getting the boat/trailer out of the water.

My wife and I are looking at the possibility of getting a boat but I don't want to be the guy that gets stuck on the ramp..lol

Thanks in advance for any replies and suggestions.

-Darrell
 
I tow and drop in 2 to 3 times weekly at paved and gravel ramps, in various conditions, and the only time I had to put in 4x4 was while pulling my duck boat out of the water, and that was only because the ramp had ice on it (YIKES). Your good to go. What kind of boat are you looking to get.

CHRIS
 
Thanks for all of the replies, friends.

We're looking at ski/runabout type boats. I have my eye on one that is almost identical to this one.

<a href="http://s175.photobucket.com/albums/w126/scotties2006/Boat" target="_blank">Rinker 212 BowRider</a>

It's a 21' like the one shown. Based upon your experience do you guys think this is pushing the envelope?

Thanks again; I really appreciate it.
 
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I've got an 08 4x2 with the 4.0 and tow a 5x14 trailer with 2 sport quads on it, the whole package goes about 1800 lbs or so. You can definetely tell that the ST is towing something. IMO that setup is just a little large for an ST with a v6
 
I used to own and pull a 21' Wellcraft cuddy (see my profile for pics). It was definitely noticeable, and sluggish with that beast behind the ST. I never had any troubles, but I certainly wouldn't tow it far, and would choose my ramps wisely. We considered getting another larger boat recently, but decided it was not fair to expect that of my ST. So, the ST will be going soon, making way for a larger truck, and ultimately a larger boat.



So, to more clearly answer your question, yes, you can tow it. But be advised that it is pushing the limit and you need to tow it understanding this. You shouldn't have any troubles pulling it out of the water on a well maintained ramp, but I'd question one that was not.
 
I tow a 16' Crestliner fishing boat. As long as I have the O/D off, I have no problems pulling the boat, except for going up the "hill" on the North Shore of Lake Superior. There is only 1 lake I need to put the truck in 4x4, and that's because it is mosly dirt/gravel/rock launch that is very steep. I don't have any other problems at concrete ramps. Here's the picture of me backing the boat in 2 years ago.

[Broken External Image]:



(It doesn't look as steep as it is because I'm at the top of the launch looking down at the trac, but you can see my rut from having to pull forward to re-allign the trac)
 
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We had to be very careful at launches. If they were too steep, we burned some clutch. It just meant doing some scouting before we made the trip and becoming creative with the use of the parking break when pulling the boat out of the water. Our biggest problem was the manual tranny in the truck, with it only being a 2-wheel drive it just didn't have a low enough gear to pull the boat out of the water easily. I don't think we would have had any problems with it had the truck had an automatic tranny.



Our boat is a '05, 20' Four Winns with a big ole 305 engine in it. It's the engine that accounts for the bulk of its 4500lbs. If you buy a boat, you will enjoy...it's great family fun. Ownership is expensive...but so worth it.



My ST doesn't have to pull the boat anymore, that's the Bronco's job now. We just didn't want to be limited to where we could take the boat anymore and we didn't want to wear out my truck by pushing the tow limits with it.



[Broken External Image]:
 
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IMO, tires and a limited-slip make a big difference. Granted I only have jetski (but it's a three-seater). When I had my Ranger and my previous Sport Trac they both had limited-slips and Bridgeston Dueler REVOs and I don't recall ever needing 4wd even on a wet ramp.
 
I have the 4.10 LS axle as well as BFG T/A KO's and while I never had a problem, I also never put myself in a situation that I might. Nothing would be worse than not being able to pull your own boat out of the water at a ramp.
 

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