It can pull........can it launch a boat?

You absolutely can use 4x4 on dry pavement. Distance doesn't matter. Speed is irrelevant up to 60 ish were the truck disengages it.

Turning is the only concern. Avoid turning on high traction surfaces.

Tons of people use 4 wheel drive in the winter with spotty roads.

If I had a concern leaving the ramp, 4lo and ride the handbrake untill the truck pulls against it would be my choice. If it's straight anyways, which every boat ramp is because boat people tend to suck at ramps for some reason.

Imo, you're asking a lot of a Tacoma. It wouldn't even be an issue with a half ton.

 

Ive only witnessed one go all the way under, and it wasnt the trucks fault.

Back in the 80's a young Rock Lobster grew up within walking distance of the local boat ramp. Being a bored kid I used to like to walk the docks after school, look at the boats and harass the ducks, general kid shit. One day while doing this some dude shows up in a new black ford pickup that obviously had the custom whorehouse-red conversion interior, similar to what was being done to vans of the 80's. He was pulling a custom matching black Mastercraft ski boat. So of course I see someone pull up with this rare combo I went to go watch him launch it.

The dude lines it up on the ramp, parks it, then hops in the trailer to ride the boat down the rest of the ramp. Meanwhile hes barking at his wife, giving her instructions to take over the truck, back down the ramp and get it in the water. Dude is yelling at his old lady like he's a coked up villain in your favorite buddy-cop movie. Screaming some horrible stuff at the top of his lungs "Back it down already, God, you cant do anything right! Left! No, trailer needs to go left, Fucking Retard!..." I'm not sure what happened next, I couldnt see what she was doing from my vantage point but I like to imagine that she just reached her limit. Quietly, eerily quietly, the truck just let go, rolled back and disappeared underneath the boat. The lady jumped out last minute, she was waist deep in the lake and last I saw, beelining straight for the marina bar. After about a minute of pure disbelief the dude fired up the boat without another word and headed out onto the lake. I never saw either of them again.

 

Boat trailers don’t have electric brakes typically. I’m sure the trailer does have surge brakes though.

 

I've launched 5000 lbs of boat on all kinds of ramps with no problem. Steep ramps are a blessing for launching because the boat floats off the trailer long before the wheels of your truck reach the water, pulling it out on a steep ramp is a little different, keep it in 4hi in case you need your front wheels to keep you from spinning. Its the gentle incline ramps where your wheels will go into the slimy shit on the ramp while trying to get the boat deep enough to float up. If all 4 of your wheels need to be in the water to launch your boat then your boat may be to large for that ramp, look for another launching area.

 

It doesn’t disengage, once in 4HI the truck stays in 4HI regardless of speed. You’re thinking of the limit at which the truck will allow you to switch in or out of 4HI.

 

I've never needed 4WD to launch a boat from a ramp. Side of the road into a bayou is a different story.

edit: It helps immensely to have a posi. though. I don't even understand why a truck would be sold w/o one....unless it's to sell more 4WD's....d'oh.

 

I’ve got an ‘01 prerunner and I’ve launched my 20’ ski boat (about 3500 lbs) tons of times with no issue. One time I about got drug into the water. It was a super sketchy launch ramp in Arizona on the Colorado river, the ramp had a lot of gravel on it and it was pretty steep. As I was backing up, the brakes locked up and I couldn’t do anything, the boat was just dragging the truck into the water. Fortunately it stopped before the rear tires were in the water but it was a very sketchy experience! If I had just gone a little slower it would have been fine, and I was able to pull the trailer out with no issues

 

The Gen3 and the Gen2 have the same towing capacity. However the Gen3 2wd (6800 lbs) is a different beast than the Gen2 2wd (3500 lbs).

 

I tow a 20’ wakeboard boat to the ramp all the time. I think it’s about 3300 boat, 1200 trailer plus fuel and people. It’s a pretty steep ramp. Mines a manual, so I’ve found I have to put it in 4low to pull it out. Letting the clutch out it walks up then I give it gas. The trick is to get it into 4low after you’ve straighten out and are backing up. I can pull the empty trailer out in 2wd.

To be fair tho, I only drive about a mile to the ramp. Wouldn’t drive it anywhere else....having to stop in 2wd at the top of any hill is my nightmare