Parking Brake

[ethemartian]

I have read that a common cause to lose your truck at the boat ramp is due to the way the parking brake engages. It was mentioning that parking brakes typically only engage on rear tires. If for some reason your rear tires are in the slick the truck will just slide on back into the water due to the front tires not being locked.

Anyone know if this is true of our new rams with the electronic parking brake? Putting it in Park would not help since its RWD?

 

[piening2150]

All parking BRAKES use the rear BRAKES only.

 

[ethemartian]

LOL Thanks - i probably should have checked my post...yes breaks and brakes not the same...

What about shifting to P - will that lock the front tires? How can we ensure that the truck wont roll back at the ramp?

 

[Stevenc150]

Tbh it sounds like wild speculation. I've been fishing since I was a teen, countless boat launches & boat ramps from KY, tn, AL, Fl...never ever saw a truck pulled into the water except by driver error. (Didnt put it in P and/or use the P-brake) I always use them Both, mainly to keep tension off the tranny.

U could put it in 4wd & P to engage front wheels but that would still put unnecessary tension on the trans

 

[Richard320]

All parking BRAKES use the rear BRAKES only.

Not true. There were some Subarus in the late 70s that had it on the front. With disc brakes no less. The rear drum brakes were just service brakes. But there was a lot of weird stuff on those early Subarus. Rumor has it some Saabs were the same, but I never worked on one of them's brakes.

Before that, up 'til mid 1950s, a lot of vehicles had a parking brake drum attacked to the rear output yoke on the transmission with an external band. The problem with them was if a U-joint broke, you lost parking brake and compression braking simultaneously.

And thus endeth the history lesson for today.

 

[Jeffjad]

I have read that a common cause to lose your truck at the boat ramp is due to the way the parking brake engages. It was mentioning that parking brakes typically only engage on rear tires. If for some reason your rear tires are in the slick the truck will just slide on back into the water due to the front tires not being locked.

Anyone know if this is true of our new rams with the electronic parking brake? Putting it in Park would not help since its RWD?

If you have 4x4 engage it while backing down the ramp for launch and use the parking brake if you need to get out of the vehicle, this way you have two tires with the transmission engaged on dry land at all times. I have been launching boats this way for years and never had any problems.
If you have 2x4 then parking brake is your only friend. Happy boating!

 

[piening2150]

Not true. There were some Subarus in the late 70s that had it on the front. With disc brakes no less. The rear drum brakes were just service brakes. But there was a lot of weird stuff on those early Subarus. Rumor has it some Saabs were the same, but I never worked on one of them's brakes.

Before that, up 'til mid 1950s, a lot of vehicles had a parking brake drum attacked to the rear output yoke on the transmission with an external band. The problem with them was if a U-joint broke, you lost parking brake and compression braking simultaneously.

And thus endeth the history lesson for today.

Duly noted. I shall amend my statement then.

All parking brakes use the rear brakes only*
*(unless you drive a weird old Subaru or possibly a Saab or you are driving a 60 year old classsic, then all bets are off!)

 

[ethemartian]

If you have 4x4 engage it while backing down the ramp for launch and use the parking brake if you need to get out of the vehicle, this way you have two tires with the transmission engaged on dry land at all times. I have been launching boats this way for years and never had any problems.
If you have 2x4 then parking brake is your only friend. Happy boating!

Funny enough I didnt go 4x4 on my 5th gen as I never needed it on my 4th gen when pulling the boat out of the ramp but now im going to be a little scared at the ramp to be honest....i dont want to be one of those guys swimming for my truck...

 

[Stevenc150]

Funny enough I didnt go 4x4 on my 5th gen as I never needed it on my 4th gen when pulling the boat out of the ramp but now im going to be a little scared at the ramp to be honest....i dont want to be one of those guys swimming for my truck...

If u didnt need it then to get a boat out why would u need 4x4 now? Ive never needed4wd except a muddy dirt ramp 1 time. Just set ur parking brake and then put it in [P] and you'll be fine. That way worst case the tranny will catch it.

Also If the parking brake were such an issue, I think wed be seeing it on this forum

 

[Jeffjad]

Funny enough I didnt go 4x4 on my 5th gen as I never needed it on my 4th gen when pulling the boat out of the ramp but now im going to be a little scared at the ramp to be honest....i dont want to be one of those guys swimming for my truck...

Lol, those guys swimming after their truck are usually the guys that forget to put it in park or don't use the parking brake. Peeps use 4x2 trucks everyday to launch a boat without incident

 

[ethemartian]

If u didnt need it then to get a boat out why would u need 4x4 now? Ive never needed4wd except a muddy dirt ramp 1 time. Just set ur parking brake and then put it in [P] and you'll be fine. That way worst case the tranny will catch it.

Also If the parking brake were such an issue, I think wed be seeing it on this forum

Ahh maybe i misunderstood above - made it seem like if you don't have 4x4 since there is no physical link from the transmission to front tires putting it in P wouldn't lock up your front tires and the parking brake would only apply to rears so if you backed up far enough into the slippery area no matter what you did you are screwed once you let go of the brakes and got out to do get the boat on the trailer.

I think ill retrieve a couple of times having the wife at the seat ready to hit the brakes in case i get out and the truck starts to go lol

 

[Billy James]

The parking brake is on the rear tires. If you pull your boat down onto a slick ramp; then technically the truck can slide into the water (get pulled in by boat and/or trailer) if the rear tires don't get a grip. I always put my truck in 4x4 when launching and recovering my boat so that the front tires will lock up as well; not because I always need 4x4 to pull the boat out. If your truck is in 2wd and you put it in park, it still only locks the back tires with the transmission; you have to be in 4x4 to lock the front tires with the transfer case/transmission. In addition, I carry a chock and pop it behind the driver's front tire whenever I get out of my truck at the ramp. The chock is good, easy, and cheap insurance to ensure that you don't have one of those embarrassing and tragic roll downs.

 

[Jeffjad]

The parking brake is on the rear tires. If you pull your boat down onto a slick ramp; then technically the truck can slide into the water (get pulled in by boat and/or trailer) if the rear tires don't get a grip. I always put my truck in 4x4 when launching and recovering my boat so that the front tires will lock up as well; not because I always need 4x4 to pull the boat out. If your truck is in 2wd and you put it in park, it still only locks the back tires with the transmission; you have to be in 4x4 to lock the front tires with the transfer case/transmission. In addition, I carry a chock and pop it behind the driver's front tire whenever I get out of my truck at the ramp. The chock is good, easy, and cheap insurance to ensure that you don't have one of those embarrassing and tragic roll downs.

Chock is a great idea especially for the 2wd folks.

 

[Neurobit]

Chock is a great idea especially for the 2wd folks.

Yep.

 

[WXman]

I wish I had a $5 bill for every time I've seen a 2WD truck struggle to pull a boat out of the water on wet, slick ramps here in KY. I've also seen a few vehicles end up in the water. I've seen SCUBA divers called in to hook tow chains to them under the water. It's a little scary.

So, I always engage the t-case and set the park brake firmly. I doubt wheel chocks would do anything on a steep ramp with that much weight pulling against the truck. I also make my occupants get out before launching the boat just in case the truck does go into the water.

 

[Neurobit]

I wish I had a $5 bill for every time I've seen a 2WD truck struggle to pull a boat out of the water on wet, slick ramps here in KY. I've also seen a few vehicles end up in the water. I've seen SCUBA divers called in to hook tow chains to them under the water. It's a little scary.

So, I always engage the t-case and set the park brake firmly. I doubt wheel chocks would do anything on a steep ramp with that much weight pulling against the truck. I also make my occupants get out before launching the boat just in case the truck does go into the water.

Great tips all of them.

 

[ethemartian]

Chock is a great idea especially for the 2wd folks.

Thanks for the explanation! That is what I thought I had read and makes total sense...I might be in the chock club - should have gone for the 4x4...next one for sure.

 

[oversear]

I have read that a common cause to lose your truck at the boat ramp is due to the way the parking brake engages. It was mentioning that parking brakes typically only engage on rear tires. If for some reason your rear tires are in the slick the truck will just slide on back into the water due to the front tires not being locked.

Anyone know if this is true of our new rams with the electronic parking brake? Putting it in Park would not help since its RWD?

So I'd like to add my 2 cents in on this topic. I have a 4th generation ram 4x4 slt. And I was researching this topic as my truck was recently pulled into the water launching a 2023 yamaha waverunner. I have launched many boats/jet skis in my lifetime and this was a 1st.
First of all since they say the insurance will not cover anything unless your parking brake has been utilized I really thought that they locked the front tires so I would always use the parking brake (not realizing it wasn't) I also have 4x4 but hardly used it unless I was really spinning too much. Well after reading the comments here it isn't fun watching your vehicle slide into the water and nothing you can do to stop it. Not sure if I was lucky or not as I still ended up with 4k worth of drivers side door and drivers side front quarter damage. I had the drivers door open while loading my waverunner onto the trailer with the truck running, in park and emergency brake engaged. Everything looked good as I drove the ski onto the trailer giving it a few throttle hits to adjust appropriately. I then shut off the ski and jumped from ski to ramp. This is when I instantly noticed the truck sliding.....I ran and jumped into it as the door was open and tried closing the door which now grabbed onto the dock as the truck got lower on the ramp and into the water. Putting it into drive did nothing since the door was open (safety door mechanism.....Sucks!!!!) End of story I had to beat on the door from the dock jumping in and out of the truck (rocking it) turning the steering wheel to finally get it off. The water actually helped make it lighter/ buoyant to accomplish this. Moral of the story don't think it can't or won't happen, even when you think you did everything correctly.
I will be using 4x4 all the time now as I could have definitely used the 4k elsewhere. It still amazes me that even newer vehicles emergency brakes don't lock the fronts!!!

 

[Quint]

I never thought of using 4x4 just in case so that the front wheels were involved.

On 95% of the ramps that I launch from, my rear tires aren't in the water. There is one lake with heavy milfoil that causes the steep ramp to be slippery. That's one of the few times outside of winter when I'm glad to have 4x4.