little problems at the ramp
rasbury
Member Posts: 8,393 ✭✭✭✭✭
Well, having some issues here at the ramp- was going to slip the boat for the week while on vacation here at Sebastian Inlet Fl but the weather has been so crappy I did not bother. Cleared yesterday so went to the best ramp I found in the area and really surprised we had issues just looking at it...not real steep and the concrete is serrated real well for traction. The weird thing about it's construction is it does not look like it was poured but was made in slabs and layed in, Right at just above the water line, it drops off at a different angle to the rest of the ramp so it's not a straight shot from top to bottom, does that make sense? So, as I'm pulling out, the trailer up near the front almost bottoms out and I could not maintain traction. A bunch of people jumped in the back of the truck adding about 500 lbs to the back and it pulled out. Common with these big boats? Wish I could have fond a 4x4nwhen I bought my truck and will try and trade out of what I have...could have tried also to power up the boat to help push the truck up also, is this a tactic other of used?
Comments
If your using a 2wd pickup then rear axle weight can be an issue, especially on steep ramps like that, even more if you load on a low tide or there's slime/seaweed. Precast slabs below the low tide line are pretty common on tidal ramps where pouring concrete without building a coffer dam is the common choice. Not ideal for larger boats if they get steep to capture some quick depth.
I try to plan my exit on a anything above a mid tide. I'd literally carry a small rake/tool to clear debris from my tire tracks of a poorly kept ramp. Traction is king.
Ramp choice and traction is pretty critical when hauling 10,000lbs up a slope and power loading is bad form at the ramp. You should always have a strap in the truck for assistance but I've NEVER attempted to push the whole rig with my boat. I've encountered more than a few marginal ramps that were blown out by power loaders who can ruin a ramp for longer trailers like ours. Until I added rear guides on our trailer I couldn't get it to even align with the bunks if I tried to coax it up with the engine even slightly. Guides and use the winch on the last 6' are the easy answer.
If I'm in doubt and can't see the end of the ramp I won't even launch until I probe the end of the ramp with my dock hook to see what my rear axle will have to deal with.
It's also good practice and common sense to listen to the boat mule(truck) as you gently haul out the beast/boat for any tell tale signs of mechanical fatigue. I always have my crew stand aside but on watch for issues/lines/breakage, leave my window down, and one foot/hand on the emergency brake in case of a transmission/drive line failure. I'm insured because stuff happens, even to the weathered mariner.
Just a few tidbits from ramp life. Mike
Our Suburban is a 3/4 ton rear wd. Good rubber is the answer. I needed to add a set of guides on the trailer for the different ramps we encountered and I always winch the last 5-6' so I don't sink the trailer totally (or soak the truck) and won't be like the guy who helped wreck our local ramp. Most of our ramps have signs about power loading that are often ignored. I just won't do it myself.
You're right to get that tongue weight right. Sounds like you need all you can reasonably get. I'd get a tow hook under that front end too. An F150 is a pretty marginal mule for that 270. Be good to it. Extra alfalfa before every pull.
air bags for the axle are cheap.... so is an on board air pump... you could have both for under or around $500...
I use a viair 12vdc pump mounted in a bed tool box, powered by an independent battery, also in the toolbox, tended by a solar panel on the roof of my shell... it has never let me down, once.. (now that I've said it, though)...
you'll want the bags between your axle and bumper stops, as the instructions will dictate... it allows you to manage a heavy pull MUCHO better..
I would also highly recommend traction bars for your tow rig... get good ones, not the elcheapo ladder bars that limit articulation. I have some PMF ones going on my truck next week (they are being fab'd right now)... the better ones replace rear axle blocks, or at least incorporate the rear axle block in a casing, so to speak, and have a heim joint at the point of connection... it connect to the frame rail a few feet in front of the axle to keep your pinion geometry accurate... they are flat out amazing for disallowing axle wrap, and warping the rear shackle of your leaf springs, and for protecting the driveshafts, pinion, and u-joints... I HIGHLY recommend you to use them for that heavy **** floater, not only for travel but for the ramp extract..
If you are going to look for a new tow rig, I would go with a 3/4 ton 4X4 for an boat that size. My Silverado 1500 4X4 with locking rear differential works fine for my 242, but any larger boat, I would go with a 2500. A Duramax diesel with an Allison transmission behind it is hard to beat!!
ford or dodge 3/4+ ton is even better.... there is no place for a independent front suspension on a 3/4+ ton truck..... solid.... front.... axles....
Definitely do not power load the boat please! it just builds up silt about 8 feet from the visible ramp and ruins the depth for others.
Drewactual
I agree, for a work truck, plowing, or serious off road, a solid axle would be best. But for occasional use such as a slippery ramp, or a snow storm, I see nothing wrong with an independent suspension. It may even handle better.
The IFS trucks are fine... It's just an opportunity to bust on gubberment motor company vehicles, when I get the chance...
I'd love to have the money to build a Ford third gen body an chassis with a Cummins 700 turbo diesel in front of an Allison box of mysteries, and running to Detroit lockers... That ain't gonna happen, though.. in the meantime, I'll stick with heavy duty on as little parts as I can get by with... My last tow rig was a dodge 1500 I built and turned every bolt on, and it just wasn't enough when I hitched up, but a lot of fun.. the IFS ate intermediate joints/shafts like they were candy.. every six months or so I was replacing them (but understand, I put some mileage on my rigs).. the angle was perfect, so that wasn't it.. it was that I had a choice between shear strength or torsional strength, and couldn't find a product that offered both... Solid front axle on this super duty, and all problems gone... I spend no more than an hour doing fluid and filter changes, and while the crank.case drains, crawl around underneath with a grease gun and a long screwdriver to check for play in joints...
2010 1/2 ton gmc pulling 1991 250. 6 speed tranny and 300 HP .. Great truck for the job.
Here is my invention, don't no one steal it before my patent goes through.....a water bladder that you put in the back of your truck...if you have a problem at the ramp, you have a pump with a hose to the water, fill up the bladder with about 80 gallons of water (7x80=560#), pull the boat out and then pump/drain the water back to the source...what do you think??
Beast?
6.4L powerstroke diesel.. 617rwhp and 1187# torque.. 17mpg overall, 15ish in town and just shy of twenty hwy... 4.5" lift w/37" tires, 3.73:1 axle ratio, hellwig bigwig sway bars and pmf traction bars and blocks... < That's a lil bit of an animal I'm raising, but I won't call it a beast until the rear wheels plant four figures of hp...
Thank you, sir... This is my other hobby... :-)
Big Al - 2006 - 270 Express Crusier
Home port: Hammond Ind.