Pulling Out With Stick Shift

H20Rat

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I
As for adding weight, don't forget that other people make great temporary weight. Have your buddies sit on the tailgate as you pull up the ramp. Heck, ask the cute girl at the dock who's waiting for her boyfriend....you never know. Ask her bigger mama and you'll get the double bonus! I've sat on the hood of many stranger's Buicks and Oldsmobiles as they tried to pull small boats out of ramps with their front wheel drive cars.

I'm all for helping, but sitting on a vehicle of a complete stranger is something I will NEVER do, nor ask anyone else to do. Very low odds of something going bad, but when they do, you are going to get run over. You don't know how they load, or if they are going to mash the gas halfway up the ramp.

I've hooked onto the front bumper of more than one small 2wd truck at the ramp, and pulled them out with my subaru sports car! Still substantially safer than getting on the tail gate of a strangers vehicle.
 

72fj40

Petty Officer 2nd Class
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Jul 16, 2013
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With an open differential the easiest tire to spin will spin. An old 4wheeling trick is to apply brake pressure so that it puts a drag on the spinning wheel, so the differential will transfer power towards the other wheel. If done correctly, the power can be evenly split between the 2 wheels. It works alot of the time. You can do the same with the parking brake by engageing it just enuff to create a drag on the wheels.
 
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bigdee

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I use to pull out with a 4 cylinder, 5 speed S-10. 3000 Lb ski boat. Talk about finesse? It took every bit of it!
 

jimbo_jwc

Ship Happens
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Dec 19, 2010
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They must not be able to do the three pedal , left foot clutch , right heel brake pedal toes for gas . I guess being a big foot helps or I always used 4wheel low at questionable ramps that were wet and steep .
 

Chuck08

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Apr 4, 2016
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With an open differential the easiest tire to spin will spin. An old 4wheeling trick is to apply brake pressure so that it puts a drag on the spinning wheel, so the differential will transfer power towards the other wheel. If done correctly, the power can be evenly split between the 2 wheels. It works alot of the time. You can do the same with the parking brake by engageing it just enuff to create a drag on the wheels.

I was thinking about letting the parking break out and re applying it a few clicks to add that pressure to even things out. The other day at work I tried it in the parking lot at work. The truck did putter down and bite, then it slowly and steadily took off. No gas applied just 1st gear flutter the clutch out.
 

jimbo_jwc

Ship Happens
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Dec 19, 2010
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I was thinking about letting the parking break out and re applying it a few clicks to add that pressure to even things out. The other day at work I tried it in the parking lot at work. The truck did putter down and bite, then it slowly and steadily took off. No gas applied just 1st gear flutter the clutch out.

Its easy to forget you leave on as when rear drums more so than disc brakes are submerged , the steam will remind you by time u leave and mileage will bad .
 

92cobra

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Mar 29, 2016
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I have an 01 dodge ram 2500 cummins,4x4,six speed with some work done to it.at lake cumberland out ramp is pretty steep.I'll go 1st gear all the way up due to if I shift I'll smoke out the ramp.but I just have that right "feel" of the clutch and broke at the same time. When I put my boat in I always throw a block of wood behind the tire set the brake and leave it in gear. Sometimes if the ramps wet,ill use 4high
 

bigdee

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I guess I'm old school. Always had a stick until I got my first auto at age 62! Never had an issue launching/retrieving boat.
 

Chuck08

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Apr 4, 2016
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I've pulled trailers down the highway and even launched a pontoon before but with this new to me boat the weight is different and I don't really have a technique down. I do not think its impossible, I do however think I will be replacing the clutch and tires before this winter if I get the boat out as much as I would like to.
 

MH Hawker

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i used to tow and launch and retrieve a 20 foot pontoon with a 4 cylinder S 10 stick on a retrieve i would back in the trailer and set the emergency break and stick it in reverse, it held on the ramp better get the boat on the trailer and back in the truck start the truck and to pull out i would go to low and let the clutch just till it started to pull then pop off the E break never had a problem pulling out, however ever 2 years was a new clutch so i now traded up to a silverado auto
 

thumpar

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Jun 21, 2007
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I've pulled trailers down the highway and even launched a pontoon before but with this new to me boat the weight is different and I don't really have a technique down. I do not think its impossible, I do however think I will be replacing the clutch and tires before this winter if I get the boat out as much as I would like to.
Make sure you have enough tongue weight. That will help get grip on the back tires.
 

ObcBoat

Recruit
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Apr 13, 2016
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If you are getting wheelspin when trying to pull out, the issue is a lack of weight over the drive wheels. Stick shift or automatic, it doesn't matter. The trick is enough weight over the drive wheels. With a pickup truck, you have the easy option. Water weighs 8lbs per gallon and is easy to load/unload.

Get two 30 gallon plastic trash cans from Home Depot, along with a Homer bucket. With the trailer backed in, and the boat loaded, put the trash cans in the bed of the truck, over the drive wheels. Use the bucket to fill the trash cans 4/5 full. 25 gallons weighs 200lbs. Two trash cans mostly full of water = ~400lbs of disposable weight. Pull out the boat. Dump the trash cans at the top of the ramp.

I used this technique many times to pull a 3000lb boat and trailer out on some steep ramps with a 'yota pickup with a 22RE 4 banger.

There is no need for permanent weight.
 

Chuck08

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Apr 4, 2016
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I think tongue weight may have a big part in this as when the boats weight is not on the trailer yet.
 

thumpar

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I think tongue weight may have a big part in this as when the boats weight is not on the trailer yet.
Don't back in so far. That will get at least the front of the boat on the trailer ahead of the trailer tires to get some weight on the tongue.
 
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