Lightning and 4WD

[RickKeen]

I was thinking about the front axle on the F150 Lightning. The back already has locking capability.

I used my Lighting the other day to haul my boat. The conventional 4WD truck ahead of me spun some wheels a bit on the wet pavement of the boat ramp. My Lighting in off-road mode (locked rear) walked right up with no wheel spin (pulling a larger boat).

Experienced boaters know that you should always engage the maximum 4WD/traction capability that you have available on boat ramps. Its not just about avoiding wheel spin when pulling back up the ramp. Its more about avoiding sliding down the ramp and turning your truck into a submarine.

The rear wheels are usually on a part of the ramp or submerged where the ramp will be slick with algae. So its going to be all about the front wheels where the ramp will still be wet, but at least its wet pavement, not wet green slime. The Lightning, even without locking front axle does well with its rear locker, independent axle motors, and traction control. As mentioned, it just walks right up the ramp, no problem.

A really bad scenarios to avoid on boat ramps is when the rear of the truck gets lifted. One way this can happen is if you forget to detach the boat from the trailer winch. The boat can actually lift up on the trailer and hitch, decreasing the down pressure on the truck wheels.

The other way is if you back the truck too far into the water turning the truck itself into a boat. The bed of a pickup is very buoyant until it slowly fills with water.

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