Hello to all !! New to the Dodge Forums. Great information and thanks in advance for your assistance.

I have a 2003 Laramie with 2WD. No modifications yet.

I recently have purchased a boat (21' Center Console) and the truck pulls it without a problem. Gas needles floats down while im pulling it but by product of pulling the boat....oh well....

Problem comes when its time to pull the boat out. The last 2 out of the 3 times I have pulled out the boat, I have spun my back tires.

I had to keep the back tires off the water and winch the boat all the way onto the trailer. Good arm workout. It was told to me that I can upgrade to an after market LSD (Limited Slip Differential) add on that may help. I have found there are (2).....One is called Auburn and the other is call Detroit TrueTrac. I should have looked to acquire a 4x4 Ram when I purchased but wasnt really thinking about the boat at the time.

My questions is, is the LSD add on worth it? Who has it installed out there for boating reasons and what is your feedback? Is there another option out there for my problem? Should I look for a 4x4 upgrade? (Not really what I want but its an option)

Again.....thanks for your opinions and information in advance.

Thanks!

Chris

 

if you dont want a 4x4.. atleast do a lsd upgrade. a truck is almost useless without one. I was looking into the auburn one to put in my 4x4--- but waiting until the stock oem LSD bites the dust!

 

Thanks for the reply BIG WHEEL. I am looking into the (2) LSD options that I mentioned. Quick Question.........what's all this talk about leveling the truck? Sorry for the silly question.

 

I'll move this to the 3rd for you so that you can get more help.

 

Beccom,
Im a fellow boater. I have 4x4, and lsd. I regulalry pull my 24 foot sailfish center console behind my truck. Ive never spun a tire pulling my boat out of the water which weighs about 6500 with all 150 gallons of gas and 2 motors. and ive never had to engage the 4x4 to do so either. That being said the lsd may solve your problem. so as far as the truck goes it will more than manage your boat.
also take a look at your tires, when pulling a boat out of the water its all about traction, so make sure you keep tires with some good tread on your truck. the other thing i am gonna suggest is make sure you are going to a well mantained ramp, if you are an experience boater you know that some ramps are not taken care of well and that makes a huge difference. I would try some different ramps if they are available to you and see if you get a different result. you have to rememeber that water really is only a small part of your enemy on a ramp, youve got boats leaking fuel and oil all over them on an everyday basis. if they are not taken care of they can become a 2wd's nightmare.

 

https://dodgeforum.com/forum/3rd-gen...p-defined.html

you must have done a bit of research to come up with those two LSD choices. Those are really the only two common ones on the site. I use Auburn. cant say a bad thing about it. Locks up instantly every time. Cheaper than DTT also by about $100

 

I'm leaning toward the DTT if my OEM ever fails. When last I looked, the clips were intact, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. If you level the truck (raise the nose or lower the tail), it may squat too much when you're towing the boat. The tongue weight will determine that.

 

Why do you like DTT better? So you're saying you're gonna wait for the stock LSD to fail (cause its only a matter of time) to replace the lsd? Then you're lookin at an entire new rear end dude. Normally, if it aint broke dont fix it is the way to go, but i think preventative maintainence/modding wins out with the LSD issue.

 

LONG time tourney bass fisherman here. Have ALWAYS owned a 4x4 and of course that would be your best option for slick boat ramps. Nothing beats being able to deliver power 20' or so forward and up out of the muck where the rear tires can be.

However, an LSD is a good option. For your purpose, I would buy the Auburn simply due to cost factor. Advantage of the DTT is no clutch packs to wear out (not an issue if you are only using them for assistance on a ramp, and I really question this anyway, I had an Auburn in my last truck for almost 70,000 miles with NO signs of wear).
Advantage of the Auburn is it reacts a hair faster (only guys who go to the track need that).

A tip from someone who has been there, apply a slight amount of e-brake when tires start to slip pulling up the ramp. An old "LSD trick" but also will work to get a little torque to the rear tires with an open diff as well...

 

I'd like to hear more about your tires.