towing question
- Thread starter JJO
- Start date
JJO, you should really put your boating information in your signature. Not that I think it matters on this one but for future questions that you may have it helps people know what you are working with.
To answer your question, you do not need to have the truck in four wheel drive when trailering. If you are working on a slippery ramp it may be a good idea to switch it at the ramp but I do not see the benefit of having it in four wheel drive while trailering down highway.
If i recall you are trailering a '98 215 express cruiser and towing it with a 2007 pathfinder.
Wesley
To answer your question, you do not need to have the truck in four wheel drive when trailering. If you are working on a slippery ramp it may be a good idea to switch it at the ramp but I do not see the benefit of having it in four wheel drive while trailering down highway.
If i recall you are trailering a '98 215 express cruiser and towing it with a 2007 pathfinder.
Wesley
Sundancer
Well-Known Member
- Jul 20, 2005
- 2,909
- Boat Info
- 34 year old CLASSIC 300 DA, towed almost anywhere behind the Duramax Dually Crew Cab.
- Engines
- 16 cyl, 700 cu. in./Alpha I's
Unless there is snow on the road, the ramp is slippery or there is some other reason the road or ramp is slick, the answer is no. It doesn't do anything but chew up mileage and tires if you are driving on hard pavement. Some folks use it to get out of a slippery ramp, but in over 20 years of towing, I've only need to kick it in once. That was on a deep gravel ramp and it didn't help anyway. I ended up leaving the boat and moving over to a more solid surface. If you read your owners manual, it will tell you the same thing. If you have a steep ramp and need low-range, it might be worth while, but that's only for a few seconds!
Sundancer, you don't have your tow rig info in your signature space. Are you towing with a Dodge diesel now? If so, you may want to check your mileage in 2wd and 4wd. I cannot detect any difference on the highway, not towing. About 20 mpg either way. I'm thinking maybe you have a Chevy though.
Whether it eats tires or not depends a lot on whether he has a non-locking 4wd mode. Still no reason to be in 4wd on the highway in normal conditions.
Whether it eats tires or not depends a lot on whether he has a non-locking 4wd mode. Still no reason to be in 4wd on the highway in normal conditions.
JJO, you should read your owners manual. If your 4WD mode locks the front and back axles together (ie. no differential between front and back) then the front wheels have to turn the same distance as the back. When you go around a corner, the front needs to travel farther. If in locked 4WD mode, the only way this is possible is for the front or back wheels to slip, skid, or hop. If you do it, you will probably find it hops. Bad thing. :smt021
So if yours is locking, then if you use it in that mode to pull the boat out (I always do), then make sure you make no real corners before going back to 2WD, if on pavement. Gravel or grass, something the wheels can slip on, is not quite so bad.
So if yours is locking, then if you use it in that mode to pull the boat out (I always do), then make sure you make no real corners before going back to 2WD, if on pavement. Gravel or grass, something the wheels can slip on, is not quite so bad.
MAKC
Member
- Oct 23, 2006
- 519
- Boat Info
- 1997 400 Sedan Bridge
- Engines
- 3116 Caterpillar
4wheel drive is geat only if you have traction issues. Snow, slippery ramps, etc are a great time for 4wd. But once you get that thing up out of the water and off the slippery ramp, 4wd is doing nothing for you.
All true.GJarrett said:
MAKC said:
:thumbsup: Sums it up :thumbsup:
Sundancer
Well-Known Member
- Jul 20, 2005
- 2,909
- Boat Info
- 34 year old CLASSIC 300 DA, towed almost anywhere behind the Duramax Dually Crew Cab.
- Engines
- 16 cyl, 700 cu. in./Alpha I's
Dave M. said:
Dave:
I never check mileage! It's a diesel! :grin:
I guess I should revise my sig line. MOST of the time we tow with the Chev 3500 Crew Cab D/A Dually. Sometimes we tow with the 3/4 Ton Burb! We used to have an old Jeep with Quadratrac (or whatever was the three differential version!) that could be run on hard dry pavement and it did get slightly worse mileage when in $4x$4!! I'm embarrassed to admit I don't know if the 3500 has the third diffy? I'll have to check when I get home tonight. I'm guessing it doesn't. it's not something we drive in the snow anyway. The duallies make it a little light in the rear. A full load of gravel would help! :thumbsup:
- Oct 3, 2006
- 1,985
- Boat Info
- 2004 - 220 Sundeck
- Engines
- 5.0L w/Bravo 3 Drive
I used to put a couple of steel bars in the bed of my dually. Helped keep the read down and made for a nicer ride. :grin:
I keep an eye on my mileage all the time. Part of the reason I suppose is that my model has both and average and an instantaneous readout of MPG. So it is easy to watch. My guess is that you will find the 3500 does not have the third differential. And I don't like rear duallies for the reason you mention. I don't ever carry enough weight to warrant them, and they are a bear unloaded in bad weather. I do drive my Dodge in the winter. Until last fall, I had a 350Z as my 'regular' car, and I definitely did not drive THAT in the winter!! :grin:Sundancer said:
Now I have a Camry hybrid, and it is fine for winter driving. Now I don't have to take the diesel on short winter trips to the grocery store. That's good, as it would not warm up on short winter trips of 10 miles or less.
Sundancer
Well-Known Member
- Jul 20, 2005
- 2,909
- Boat Info
- 34 year old CLASSIC 300 DA, towed almost anywhere behind the Duramax Dually Crew Cab.
- Engines
- 16 cyl, 700 cu. in./Alpha I's
True! The best bet would be to empty the diesel and mothball it for the winter and then drive one of the burbs. that's basically what I do anyway, but I drive it enough to assure I don't have problems with the fuel getting stale. I probably fill it up at least every 7 - 8 weeks, but that's changing now that towing season is here. Can't wait to get out on the water now! We didn't really want the duallies, but when you are stuck in LaGrande, OR and that's the ONLY truck available, has a brand new motor in it, 50,000 miles on a 2005 and it's less than $30,000, what's a guy to do? :wink:
