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Why is towing capacity so much different then R1T?

Gshenderson

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Depending on the steepness of the ramp, sometimes you can lose tongue weight when pulling your boat out which causes losss of traction in the rear wheels. Adjusting some gear such as coolers and whatnot to the front of the boat or in the rear of the truck can help alleviate this. But I’m pretty confident that Rivian’s traction system will be such that even that won’t be needed.
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bmac

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Think I found the right thread here... Questions on towing boats, more specifically about launching in/out of boat ramps. Following the "Qualified Captain" on Insta gives me nightmares about launching or hauling my 4,500 lbs dry weight 23ft Center Console. I heard a V8 Tundra can struggle compared to a Ford F-250 (or similar 3/4 ton heavy duty truck). In part, due to the weight (light weight in the case of the Tundra) of the vehicle itself. So while the R1S is rated for 7K lbs (which is great) and seeing all the testing with big heavy trailers in the dessert heat (also awesome)...how about Rivian shows us hauling a boat up a boat ramp? Anyone have thoughts on how capable the R1S will be? I'd imagine the 4 motor traction control will help significantly. Risky to try it...should I just rent a truck for the 2 times/yr i need it? Thoughts? #boatrampfails
I share similar concerns with regards to launching a boat. I will be launching a 23 foot wakeboat which is 5900 pounds of dry weight, but when factoring in the trailer, gas, and extra lead bags it will be close to 8500 pounds. My concern isn't with traction on hauling the boat up the ramp as any 4 wheel drive full size vehicle should get the job done. I am more concerned with backing down the ramp and then launching the boat. When backing down the ramp, boat trailer brakes don't work so I will be relying only on the Rivian's brakes. Without a transmission what keeps the wheels locked an an electric vehicle when stopped? I don't want to only be relying on the parking brake to hold the vehicle on the ramp when I back the boat off the trailer. Those rear wheels will be in the water on the most slick portion of the ramp. Do I need to be concerned, has anyone used a Tesla to launch a boat?
 

CommodoreAmiga

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I share similar concerns with regards to launching a boat. I will be launching a 23 foot wakeboat which is 5900 pounds of dry weight, but when factoring in the trailer, gas, and extra lead bags it will be close to 8500 pounds. My concern isn't with traction on hauling the boat up the ramp as any 4 wheel drive full size vehicle should get the job done. I am more concerned with backing down the ramp and then launching the boat. When backing down the ramp, boat trailer brakes don't work so I will be relying only on the Rivian's brakes. Without a transmission what keeps the wheels locked an an electric vehicle when stopped? I don't want to only be relying on the parking brake to hold the vehicle on the ramp when I back the boat off the trailer. Those rear wheels will be in the water on the most slick portion of the ramp. Do I need to be concerned, has anyone used a Tesla to launch a boat?
My last several vehicles have had several features to help in this situation:

Brake hold. When enabled, the vehicle holds pressure in the brake lines even if you let go of the brake pedal (until you tap accelerator). So you still have all four disc brakes holding you.

Hill start assist. Even with brake hold off, the vehicle will automatically hold the brakes to prevent roll-back when it detects the vehicle is on an incline.

And an EV has regenerative braking. The electric motors provide substantial resistance — much more so than engine compression braking on an ICE vehicle.

Backing a boat down a ramp with a Rivian will at least match if not beat any similarly sized ICE truck.
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