Heads up, Slippery boat launch

[larry_arizona]

Yeah don't I know it. That ended up, in a roundabout way, killing my dad.

I am very sorry to hear that.


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[larry_arizona]

I found a line lock kit that would work on most trucks.


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[z28ke]

I found a line lock kit that would work on most trucks.


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That is a great solution for those who need it, I wouldn’t have thought of it for this application, though I do have a line lock on my camaro!

[trayson]

ramp in wisconsin was pretty steep. I almost ate $hit a couple times from algae.

our ramps here at mead are very shallow. guy that we bought our house from has a 30ft carver. he can't get it all the way on the trailer as he has to put the rear tires in the water to get it on. 2wd and all he does is spin in his f250. going to cost him 2 bills to get boat positioned to drive it to his new house in cali. we have to use 4x4 to get our boat out and diff is pretty much in the water. I see a lot of rear diff fluid changes going forward.

Extend your rear breather line higher. Problem solved. This ain't nothing new to anyone that's owned a wheelin' rig.

[trayson]

Scary for sure. I don't own a 4x4 so we always launch with a 2wd. Our ramps get super slick as well to the point where you have to hold on the to the vehicle and take baby 6" steps to get to the trailer to unlatch the bow eye but I have never had an issue with the vehicle slipping. Even on ramps this slick I have never even spun a tire pulling out, empty or loaded. I wonder if the texture of concrete or maybe the type of algae is the difference maker?

I'll admit that my boat sticks to our dry bunks really well and our ramps aren't ridiculously steep, so I unhook the bow chain and strap before I back the trailer down the ramp. So the driver never has to get out of the truck. And with the boat not attached to the trailer, the boat couldn't add to the mass of the trailer pulling the truck backwards, the boat would just float off the trailer.

But yeah, I guess it's a good idea to use 4WD regardless... We have plenty of times where the wife will nose me up to the dock, and I'll get the truck and trailer and then she'll nose up again so I can drive the boat onto the trailer (if it's crowded, or windy, or bad river current I won't have her drive it on--and we're STILL faster at loading than almost everyone else at the launch). So yeah, my truck is unattended with the empty trailer in the water for about 30 - 60 seconds. And that's all it would take. I do however reach over the bow on my XLV and can clip the bow hook myself after putting the boat on the trailer. so if someone else is backing the truck, they never have to get out. If I ever got a Max, I'm sure that wouldn't be possible anymore. But on the XLV, it's great to drive the boat on, clip the bow hook, turn off the engine, and have the driver pull us out while everyone else is chasing their tail.

[sandm]

Extend your rear breather line higher. Problem solved. This ain't nothing new to anyone that's owned a wheelin' rig.

huh??......

[trayson]

huh??......

You commented that the rear differential was in the water and you expected more differential fluid changes. The differential is a sealed unit except where it needs to have the 'breather'. Very often there's a breather hose (or you can add one). And it's a quite simple job to extend the rear differential breather line higher so that water can't enter. They even make one way valves for the end of that line to keep water out. It's a very common practice on 4x4 wheelin' rigs that see stream crossings as part of their usage. I had extended breather lines on my transmission, both differentials, and even a intake snorkel on my jeep.

[sandm]

got it.
we're talking about a stock silverado diff here. water has a way to get into anything. I bet there's some water intrusion just the dozen times or so we've launched the boat. my old ford had water in it and caused a $800 rear diff seals/service.

I follow your basic launch/retrieval process. driver of the truck never gets out. we never used 4x4 on ramps in idaho/wisconsin but here in nevada we have every time but I think it's more about the craptastic factory tires chevy sticks on their z71 packages. I think new rubber will eliminate the need for 4x4.
guess it's a good thing I need tires this winter......

[trayson]

got it.
we're talking about a stock silverado diff here. water has a way to get into anything. I bet there's some water intrusion just the dozen times or so we've launched the boat. my old ford had water in it and caused a $800 rear diff seals/service.......

I guess that's what I'm saying. Stock vehicles either don't have differential breather tubes or they're not very tall. So all that's necessary is to extend the breather tube up higher than the water level will ever get. Sometimes you have to be creative. But once that's done, the water won't get in the differential. It's a lot easier to spend some time and a few dollars in hose than have to mess with that stinky gear old in the diff.

That also was where I was able to convince my buddy that having a lifted truck for launching a boat is actually a benefit. keeping the drivertrain and body out of the water is a good thing!

[FamilyMan]

I can throw the hook onto the max from the trailer so the wife's feet stay nice and dry..... not super comfortable but doable.