I looked at a couple of trucks and found a really nice dually 3500, diesel, extra cab, Dodge 1997. Should I go dually or not?

Nice tow capacity but daily driving could get taxing on the pocket.I'd go for it

Originally posted by Sloan:
<STRONG>I looked at a couple of trucks and found a really nice dually 3500, diesel, extra cab, Dodge 1997. Should I go dually or not?</STRONG>

The only drawbacks would be:
1. SLIGHTLY worse mileage.
2. Have to buy 2 extra tires.
3. Less manuverable.

On the plus side, you can tow more with greater stability. So, if it's a nice truck and a good deal, I'd go for it even if I didn't "need" the DRW.

P.S. I drive a 99 F350 DRW 100+ mi daily, it's my economy commuter <IMG SRC="smilies/wink.gif" border="0">

[ 09-15-2001: Message edited by: Brandon Edward Wright ]

Mike just got one!, seem like a really neat rig

I would feel more comfortable towing a heavy gooseneck with a Dually, but for just my 4K Cruiser, I like the single wheel.

Don't pass a good deal though..

i also chose a single wheel.plenty for anything i need to tow...

single wheel trucks are <IMG SRC="smilies/rainbow.gif" border="0"> Iif you want to get it awn when you tow. There truly is no comparison. If you ever decide to get a cabover camper, and tow, you'll wish you had a dually. I recently follwed a Cummins dually towing a massive 5th wheel RV trailer to Tahoe, and I had a hard time keeping up with him in the Saturn. A single wheel truck would have ended up in the American River. I towed my rig to Fordyce recently with a single wheel chevy and couldn't believe the difference compared to my old dually (even with the cabover on it).

DUALLY <IMG SRC="smilies/smile.gif" border="0">

. If you ever decide to get a cabover camper, and tow, you'll wish you had a dually.

one my recent trip to Moab and farmington I was sold on a Dually all the way!! with an 11 foot cab over camper and a 18 foot loaded car trailer on a single tire rear axle made for a scary ride!!
<IMG width=640 height=480 SRC="http://www.pirate4x4.com/ubb/uploads/DSC00328.JPG">

Originally posted by tom@nwrca:
<STRONG>. If you ever decide to get a cabover camper, and tow, you'll wish you had a dually.

one my recent trip to Moab and farmington I was sold on a Dually all the way!! with an 11 foot cab over camper and a 18 foot loaded car trailer on a single tire rear axle made for a scary ride!!
<IMG width=640 height=480 SRC="http://www.pirate4x4.com/ubb/uploads/DSC00328.JPG"></STRONG>

That's what Im talkin' 'bout. <IMG SRC="smilies/wink.gif" border="0">

Originally posted by Mark Ryan Harris:
<STRONG>Mike just got one!, seem like a really neat rig</STRONG>

Yep, pretty much the same rig too! BTW I still get WAY better milage than my old gas powered pickup. Did 150 miles last week on a little over 7 gallons of diesel.. so thats what about 20 mpg or so? I haven't gotten milage like that since the last economy car I owned in college. I also dig the club cab, fits my entire family in it as comfortably as my wifes grand cherokee (even with the required car seats so my 9 year old claims). Parkings a bit more of a pain, but a lot of that is the extra length of the extended cab and long box combo. So now I park a bit further away and walk a bit longer to get a spot I can easily back out of. Im totally stoked with my purchase.. I got a great deal on it.. and I can convince myself I did my patriotic duty by dumping several thousand dollars into circulation <IMG SRC="smilies/wink.gif" border="0">

http://ajax.extremejeep.com/mike/Pictures/truck/DSC00076.jpg


Somehow typed 5 gallons.. oh well.. points still the same <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0">

[ 09-16-2001: Message edited by: mike ]

Thanks guys because I was thinking cab over camper and towing the 40. <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0">

now that yall mantion it,maybe i should have gotton the dual wheel truck.because my plans or to get a cab-over camper for the bed.but i was thinking about getting a fold down truck camper,they are a lots lighter.since i have single wheels i guess it will have to do...

SRW trucks actually have a higher GVWR than a DRW truck. when you add on the extra weight of two more tires, fenders, and all the other little things it takes to spin two more tires, you have lowered your GVWR. If you want stability and comfort and the peice of mind of knowing you have one extra tire left if one tire goes south, than the dually is for you. If you want flat out grunt, haulin the BIG loads, single tire is fine. Just remember, the bigger the truck, the lower the GVWR. A regular cab, short box, SRW truck will haul more than a crew cab, long box, dually.

Originally posted by Scott *FYRMAN*:
<STRONG>SRW trucks actually have a higher GVWR than a DRW truck. when you add on the extra weight of two more tires, fenders, and all the other little things it takes to spin two more tires, you have lowered your GVWR. If you want stability and comfort and the peice of mind of knowing you have one extra tire left if one tire goes south, than the dually is for you. If you want flat out grunt, haulin the BIG loads, single tire is fine. Just remember, the bigger the truck, the lower the GVWR. A regular cab, short box, SRW truck will haul more than a crew cab, long box, dually.</STRONG>

Just because some number on the door says it can haul more, it doesn't mean it can handle the weight better.

<IMG SRC="smilies/rolleyes.gif" border="0"> <IMG SRC="smilies/rolleyes.gif" border="0"> <IMG SRC="smilies/rolleyes.gif" border="0">

ok, i have also been planning on buying a slide in camper for my 97 f350 crew cab 4x4 with the power stroke (single rear wheel). this thing is big heavy and seems like it could handle the camper and the trailer. also i don't plan to buy one as big as the one in the pic but rather i am going to look for one of the pop-up top ones. they are supposed to lighter and have less wind drag. anyone have any sugguestions?

Originally posted by Scott *FYRMAN*:
<STRONG>SRW trucks actually have a higher GVWR than a DRW truck. when you add on the extra weight of two more tires, fenders, and all the other little things it takes to spin two more tires, you have lowered your GVWR. If you want stability and comfort and the peice of mind of knowing you have one extra tire left if one tire goes south, than the dually is for you. If you want flat out grunt, haulin the BIG loads, single tire is fine. Just remember, the bigger the truck, the lower the GVWR. A regular cab, short box, SRW truck will haul more than a crew cab, long box, dually.</STRONG>


<IMG SRC="smilies/laughing.gif" border="0"> <IMG SRC="smilies/laughing.gif" border="0"> <IMG SRC="smilies/laughing.gif" border="0"> <IMG SRC="smilies/laughing.gif" border="0"> Uhhh yeah, mabye in fantasy land, buddy. Why don't you come pick up my 10.5' Lance Cabover Camper and load it up with a week's worth of camping gear, put my cruiser on my trailer on the back of your rig (you will need a 2' extension hitch) and take your single rear wheel truck for a spin and tell me how it's just as good as a dually. <IMG SRC="smilies/laughing.gif" border="0"> <IMG SRC="smilies/laughing.gif" border="0">

Originally posted by high5:
<STRONG>ok, i have also been planning on buying a slide in camper for my 97 f350 crew cab 4x4 with the power stroke (single rear wheel). this thing is big heavy and seems like it could handle the camper and the trailer. also i don't plan to buy one as big as the one in the pic but rather i am going to look for one of the pop-up top ones. they are supposed to lighter and have less wind drag. anyone have any sugguestions?</STRONG>

Troy has a "four wheel" pop up camper. It's small, but it only weighs 800lbs. vs my 2500lbs for my empty Lance.

I think if I were you, I'd just get a full cab over. You can't beat the comfort factor. Plus you can ride in it while travelling. Just get one of the smaller ones that fits in the bed. It's not like you can't haul a trailer and camper with a SRW truck, it's just not as pleasant as it is with a dually. That's all. <IMG SRC="smilies/smile.gif" border="0">

I am planning on getting a SRW tow rig since I don't ever plan on buying a camper for the back. I really don't like the DRW for daily driving and such, but that is my opinion. If I did plan on using a slide in camper and towing, I would get the DRW.

My next tow rig will be a dually. I have a single rear wheel Ford F-350 and yes, it's rated more, but when is the last time you believed the numbers as required by some idiot in Washingon? The extra stability and load capacity that comes with adding those two tires is well worth having them with you every time you go to the grocery store.

Get it!!!!

Since you're planning a cabover camper, I agree the dually is the only way to go. For just yanking the 40 around with nothing in the bed, it would truely be overkill, but that's not necessarily a bad thing <IMG SRC="smilies/smile.gif" border="0"> Really, the only downside to a dually is just dealing with the size of the thing. The difference in tire cost & fuel mileage is hardly worth fretting over. And if ya found a nice deal......


TEX

It's not that it would be overkill, it would be EXXTREME! <IMG SRC="smilies/laughing.gif" border="0"> <IMG SRC="smilies/laughing.gif" border="0">

Just a side note.... I have a 8600lb GVW Chevy that requires Load range E tires ($100 ea). If you go dually, you only need to run load range D tires which are cheaper. The the cost of tires turns out to be a wash either way.

SRW trucks actually have a higher GVWR than a DRW truck. when you add on the extra weight of two more tires, fenders, and all the other little things it takes to spin two more tires, you have lowered your GVWR. If you want stability and comfort and the peice of mind of knowing you have one extra tire left if one tire goes south, than the dually is for you. If you want flat out grunt, haulin the BIG loads, single tire is fine. Just remember, the bigger the truck, the lower the GVWR. A regular cab, short box, SRW truck will haul more than a crew cab, long box, dually.


DRW trucks definitely have a higher GVWR (gross vehicle weight rating) than the SRWs. What IS the same is the GCWR (gross combined weight rating), meaning that you can actually tow more weight with a SRW truck, and stay under the manufacturer's ratings, since the SRW truck is going to be lighter. If you are seriously considering any kind of slide-in camper, you should go DRW. Pretty much any but the smallest slide-ins will exceed the RAWR (rear axle weight rating) of a SRW truck.

If you want the footprint of a single-wheel axle and the function of a dually, buy a cab-and-chassis truck, with the narrower rear axle. If you build a flatbed with lightness of weight in mind, you can have the best of both worlds... that is unless you have *gotta* have a cabover by the maker who shares your name... <IMG SRC="smilies/thefinger.gif" border="0">

One of my acquaintences runs a late-70's cab-and-chassis Ford truck with a regular bed slapped on top of it... if you're not paying attention, you won't notice the dual rear wheels or the double-wide custom wheeltubs. Sure, you can't slap a 4x8 sheet of plywood on the floor between the wheelwells, but it toes well, parks well, and avoids notice by the neighborhood CCNRs.

Randii

Nobody has mentioned the issue that became a real drag for me. You cannot take the dually through the carwash. Period. I know it sounds petty, but every time I needed to get the Dodge dually washed, there was no one but me to do it. The Crew Cab Ford has a much better interior and goes through the car wash with ease. Enough of an issue to make me trade vehicles. (By the way, I am still bitter that Dodge won't make a true Crew Cab.)

Originally posted by randii:
<STRONG>that is unless you have *gotta* have a cabover by the maker who shares your name... </STRONG>

<IMG SRC="smilies/thefinger.gif" border="0">

Originally posted by Todd C:
<STRONG>I know it sounds petty, but every time I needed to get the Dodge dually washed, there was no one but me to do it. </STRONG>

Doesn't your local H/S pom pom squad do car washes for fund raisers? <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0"> <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0">


TEX

Originally posted by TEX:
<STRONG>Doesn't your local H/S pom pom squad do car washes for fund raisers? <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0"> <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0">


TEX</STRONG>

Guess not.. too bad, they're more fun than an automated car wash.. besides I havent been able to use a car wash in years anyway (they all say NO 4 wheel drive vehicles) I make my daughter wash it <IMG SRC="smilies/wink.gif" border="0">

My 2000 F350 crew cab deals with my 9' Alaskan camper and the 40 on a trailer (+ gas Quads and motorcycles) beautifully. DRW's will give you a bit more stability but a properly set up SRW should handle it just fine. It makes the run to Moab a piece of cake.....

<IMG SRC="smilies/smile.gif" border="0">

Originally posted by Black Dog:
<STRONG>
SRW truck is going to be lighter. If you are seriously considering any kind of slide-in camper, you should go DRW. Pretty much any but the smallest slide-ins will exceed the RAWR (rear axle weight rating) of a SRW truck.</STRONG>

Are slide in campers really THAT heavy?

My SRW is rated at 6300lbs on the rear springs. The axle is 7500lbs, but the tires on it (10-ply/E) are only 3,042lbs each (6,084lbs).

I went over the scales more or less "empty" with tools/2-extra transmissions in the 8' bed and came in at 3200lbs rear axle. ~3,000lbs excess capacity.

With the same 2 727s, tools, and my car trailer the rear axle weight was +/- 3900lbs - still a full ton of cap left over.

I *could* upgrade to DRW and get about 8k in tires, then add air-bags to get up to the 7500lbs rating.

As for tires.. I had to put new tires on the truck when I got it home. $450 for 4 new 235/85-16 10ply/E 3,042lbs tires and 4 new Ford steel wheels. The tires were $80 each.

-Tom
'74 International 1T 2wd SRW long-bed crewcab

[ 09-17-2001: Message edited by: tsm1mt ]

Doesn't your local H/S pom pom squad do car washes for fund raisers?

Yes, but never when my truck was covered with bugs and mud and road grime! The car wash has more convenient hours, but their outfits aren't as cute.

Originally posted by Jason M:
<STRONG>My 2000 F350 crew cab deals with my 9' Alaskan camper and the 40 on a trailer (+ gas Quads and motorcycles) beautifully. DRW's will give you a bit more stability but a properly set up SRW should handle it just fine. It makes the run to Moab a piece of cake.....

<IMG SRC="smilies/smile.gif" border="0"></STRONG>

Nobody said you couldn't. <IMG SRC="smilies/rolleyes.gif" border="0"> And a 9' camper is child's play. <IMG SRC="smilies/wink.gif" border="0">

Originally posted by Lance:
<STRONG>Nobody said you couldn't. <IMG SRC="smilies/rolleyes.gif" border="0"> And a 9' camper is child's play. <IMG SRC="smilies/wink.gif" border="0"></STRONG>

did they sell mans campers where you bought that one? try a 11 footer with all the amminaties! a/c generator statlite dish ect damn i wanna dully! chevy for sale!

I *could* upgrade to DRW and get about 8k in tires, then add air-bags to get up to the 7500lbs rating.
Point of clarification... you can upgrade the CARRYING CAPACITY of a vehicle, but you cannot upgrade the RATING of a vehicle... that's stamped on a sticker and slapped on the door pillar when it rolls off the production line.

Sure, you can run over-weight, and many folks do with great success... but this is just one more thing that gives the insurance company an opportunity to fight against you if you're in an accident. Me, paranoid? Yeah, maybe...

My point is this -- be aware that you are taking the vehicle past its rated capacity, if you do, and be aware of the changes that this can make to the vehicle's handling, your personal lawsuit avoidability, and what the Measurements and Weights guys may say when they drive up next to you in that snazzy black-and-white pickup truck with the pretty lights. Odds are you'll never have any troubles... but it is still worth thinking about.

Randii

The biggest thing that sold me on a SRW was that a dually just plain won't fit a lot of places off road. I like being able to take my daily driver on non-wheeling camping trips. We camped out on Medeno Pass (near Mt. Blanca) over Labor Day last year, I don't think I would've taken my truck if I had a dually. I like still having a truck to go camping with when the Blazer is in pieces, or its far enough I don't feel like taking it if we're not really wheeling.

Pete

Originally posted by Lance:
<STRONG>
<IMG SRC="smilies/laughing.gif" border="0"> <IMG SRC="smilies/laughing.gif" border="0"> <IMG SRC="smilies/laughing.gif" border="0"> <IMG SRC="smilies/laughing.gif" border="0"> Uhhh yeah, mabye in fantasy land, buddy. Why don't you come pick up my 10.5' Lance Cabover Camper and load it up with a week's worth of camping gear, put my cruiser on my trailer on the back of your rig (you will need a 2' extension hitch) and take your single rear wheel truck for a spin and tell me how it's just as good as a dually. <IMG SRC="smilies/laughing.gif" border="0"> <IMG SRC="smilies/laughing.gif" border="0"></STRONG>

If you want stability and comfort and the peice of mind of knowing you have one extra tire left if one tire goes south, than the dually is for you.
Isn't that what this means?

I do hitches and trailers all day long. I may have fawked up the letters, but the rest of it is true.

I don't just do tag trailers. I don't care what happens when you slide your camper in the back of the truck. My concern is getting the trailer on the back of the truck. I know all the ways there are to cheat the numbers and keep the tires out of the fenders. I do know that dual tired trucks are more stable.

A gal I know two towns over just laid her 99 Super Duty on it's side because the dealer forgot to tell her that "they suggest that people use a dual rear tire truck with this particular model and size of slide in camper".

A guy that comes into my shop frequently has decided to switch to daully and get rid of his single tire truck (that he has had for 3 years now) to pull his 44 foot gooseneck horse trailer. He said that after his first blow out with that truck/trailer combo, that it was cheap insurance to keep him out of the ditch.

All of our top of the line gooseneck trailers, and living quarter trailers, get pulled in over the road and 100% of them are pulled with a dually.

I put air bags on a 3/4 ton Dodge Cummins SRW to pull this trailer:
http://www.pirate4x4.com/ubb/uploads/sundowner.jpg

You wanna talk about cheating numbers and stability and all that jazz? It is scary to watch that thing go down the road!

Originally posted by randii:
<STRONG>Sure, you can run over-weight, and many folks do with great success... but this is just one more thing that gives the insurance company an opportunity to fight against you if you're in an accident. Me, paranoid? Yeah, maybe...

My point is this -- be aware that you are taking the vehicle past its rated capacity, if you do, and be aware of the changes that this can make to the vehicle's handling, your personal lawsuit avoidability, and what the Measurements and Weights guys may say when they drive up next to you in that snazzy black-and-white pickup truck with the pretty lights. Odds are you'll never have any troubles... but it is still worth thinking about.

Randii</STRONG>

Smart gal.

Originally posted by Lance:
<STRONG>
Why don't you come pick up my 10.5' Lance Cabover Camper and load it up with a week's worth of camping gear, put my cruiser on my trailer on the back of your rig (you will need a 2' extension hitch) and take your single rear wheel truck for a spin and tell me how it's just as good as a dually. </STRONG>


Umm... Lance, repectfully, I don't think your camper and trailer would go over to well with the suspension of my lowered S10. It's the only thing I got that runs till the big truck gets done.

Originally posted by randii:
<STRONG>
Point of clarification... you can upgrade the CARRYING CAPACITY of a vehicle, but you cannot upgrade the RATING of a vehicle... that's stamped on a sticker and slapped on the door pillar when it rolls off the production line.
</STRONG>

Right you are. Good point.

<STRONG>
Sure, you can run over-weight, and many folks do with great success... My point is this -- be aware that you are taking the vehicle past its rated capacity, ...what the Measurements and Weights guys may say when they drive up next to you in that snazzy black-and-white pickup truck with the pretty lights.
Randii</STRONG>

All good points. So here's some interesting tid-bits to muddy the waters some more.

The truck's door-jamb GVWR is 9,000lbs. The front is 3800lbs (limited by springs), the rear is 6300lbs (again, springs). What I find odd is that when *I* add 3,800 + 6,300 = 10,100lbs. Seems the truck was under-rated to be sure to fall under the 10,001-lbs DOT limit.

Perhaps the lower overall rating is because of the extra-beefy but ultra-long 166" WB frame.. or something else, but it seems there's extra capacity there, tho' the VIN tag doesn't reflect it.

But to make it more interesting, in Montana I have to license my pickup for GCVW. I'm currently overweight with my car trailer since the DMV person talked me out of up-rating the truck. I'm only rated for 12,000 GCVW at the moment (~6400lbs of truck, ~6000lbs of trailer), tho that'll change now that I've gone back over the rules.

I can license my truck for GCVW of 24,000lbs without commercial plates. (Say I wanted to haul a 2-rig gooseneck trailer)

While it may not be factory rated, it would be *licensed* for 24k.

It all gets awfully grey at that point, I think.

It is normal for the front + rear axle ratings to exceed the GVW. This is to allow some flexibility in the loading of the vehicle, otherwise you would have to have the load in just the right spot (front-rear) to carry the max rated weight.

Pete

There's no confusion as to the rating on my truck:

<IMG width=500 height=345 SRC="http://www.pirate4x4.com/ubb/uploads/camper_special.jpg">

<IMG SRC="smilies/smile.gif" border="0">

In light all the "reviving the dead" going on here lately... btt!

And duallies are great for tow rigs.

Originally posted by Aggro
In light all the "reviving the dead" going on here lately... btt!

And duallies are great for tow rigs.

Yep, old thread but a good one! I hadn't seen it, but this (I think) pretty much helped sell me on dually when the 1/2 ton goes away next year. :D

I have a 1990 F-250 X-cab 4x4 7.3/auto longbed, and I also load
an 11.5' Vacationeer cabover fully loaded........ the camper dry
weighs 2400....... empty...
add:

40 gal freash water = 280 lbs,
food/beer/coolers/clothes=400

so that package is over 3000 on the truck.

Add a 18 foot steel-deck tandem trailer weighing in at 2500 itself,
and a 86 cj7 built on top... (jeep was prob 5K)

so, camper 3k, trailer 3K, jeep, 5k =11K load....

and the truck itself weighs over 6800 empty (weight cert on that)

--The single rear wheel handles everything fine. But I would
feel more comfortable with a dually....

(next rig will be a CC f-550 4x4)

can you say HUGE FRIGGEN BRAKE ROTORS--? i BET YOU CAN!

--Sherpa

Ken, I bought a dually knowing I'm going for the big slide in and the rig on a trailer. Yuo can't go wrong :D:D:D:D.