pros and cons for dually

[GLASMITHS]

jdecampo

What in the world would a MAXIPAD owner know about leaving black marks on the road??

 

[dan_gilson]

I have had both and both have been my daily drivers.



Pros for the dually: There seems to be a lot more traction on the rear end. Especially in the wet. A lot more stable side to side.



Cons: The parking lot stuff that was mentioned before. Yes, I too park way out and take 2. On narrow roads it is more of a chore to drive. You can't use the fact that if your nose clears the rest of you will. That was how I learned to driver on those roads.



The reason why I moved up to a dually in the 1st place was that after I put a 2500 heavy duty everything into a spreadsheet, the 3500 only came out $180 more. It seemed like a no brainer from then on.



My dad has had to do a couple of panic stops with a 5th on the back. He says the dually is much better.

 

[Bob Cochran]

I agree with all comments so far. Haul a 14,000# 5ER would not do it with out the training wheels and exhaust brake. One con I did not hear is trying to park in a parking garage. Sometimes to go to higher levels need to take 2 shoots at the turn. Sure makes a lot of noise though in those garages!!!



Before I am tothe dark side, Old Chevy dually I had wife knocked of flare going out of driveway and has not driven my duallies since!!!!



Oh fogot to say I drive it daily; you get used to it in a short period of time.

 

[Got Smoke?]

I used to say I'd love to have a Std. Cab 4x4 3500. Now I find myself wondering if I should have gotten and Ext. Cab 2500!



I wouldn't "MIND" having a Dually, but I don't have a need for one. Hell I didn't have a reason for getting my 2500 other than I wanted it.



Also I had a friend let me drive his 99 Std. Cab 3500 Flatbed. Didn't seem any different than driving my 2500 (other than 12 Valve/ 24 Valve differences). Now he has a 02 Quad Cab 3500 with a Daully bed that I haven't got to drive yet! That should be interesting!

 

[RJ2]

Dan

Ya gotta luv these duallys, BUT ,when empty on wet

roads they will spin in a heartbeat. Especially if you have ranchos set hi. I would bet that the biggest percentage of junk yard duallys are wet curve related. Doing a 180 turning into a shopping center will make a believer out of you.

On the same note , a Con I did not see on the posts

is boat people in Florida usually opt for front receivers to launch .

Last week after hauling I forgot to set the Ranchos

back to 3 , hit a small bump in the middle of a curve (dry road)

skipped over about 2 feet and corrected . Talk about some big eyes in the passengar seat.

 

[Steve G]

I drive my dually as a daily driver. I don't have a need for one and the only reason I got one, is I like the looks of a dually. I don't tow heavy and have considered going to a 3/4 ton. My observations:



1. Empty a dually is a rough ride. Even with aftermarket shocks etc. You need weight in the rear.



2. If you ever have to drive on ice, forget about it... unless you have a lot of weight in rear.



3. Getting off wet boat ramps, see #1 and 2.



4. If your towing heavy or with livestock, I would definitely get a dually. More stable.



Don't get me wrong, I like my dually but if I get another truck either 3/4 or 1 ton, I will get a 4X4 as I think the above would not be a factor.



Steve

 

[GLASMITHS]

Wade Patton

I saw your truck this mornig on I-10 near Vidor, TX. A 90 something Ferd, painted light tan with black bed(flat). It really looked good; pulling a large 5er. Too bad it wasn't a CTD.

 

[Mutch]

Chesapeake Bay Bridge tunnel from VA beach to Cape Charles is $10 w/ 4 wheels and $14 w/ 6. ouch!



I love my dually, it corners like a sports car when empty and is rock solid when towing.



Off road, the front wheels suck with the offsets, take off your wheel covers/hubcaps or you will break / lose them. But, you don't have to air down the dual rears on soft sand, they have enough flotation at 50 psi. People are always shocked to hear I air down my fronts to 35 psi. (from 65)



What about on trailers? what do y'all think of a tandem dually vs triple 7ks?



Cheers

Drew

 

[me4osu]

No problems with mine. I have a gooseneck hitch, but most of the time I have the shell on. It will bumper-drag most stuff that I see 3/4 tons use a gooseneck for.



Haven't driven in the snow yet, but unloaded on mud and ice it is about the same as any other unloaded pick-up.



I agree with illflem. When I drive it out from compressor locations, I always stick my head in the rear fenderwells to make sure there are no rocks stuck between the tires. That is a very true story. Has not happened to me, but I know plenty of people that it has happened to.

 

[Mingoglia]

I don't think the rocks getting stuck between the duals is as much of a problem as it used to be since Dodge increased the offset... . at least I haven't had a problem. My friend occasionally did it with his '96, but I have yet to do it on my '01.

 

[illflem]

If they increased the offset it just means you can pick up bigger rocks. I've picked up 6-8" diameter ones with my dump truck, talk about an out of balance feeling till it flys out.

 

[QRTRHRS]

I spent a good amount of time hauling off road. The trick to stone removal is to look at the shape first. If it does not look like it will rip into the sidewall then put a stout bar between the rims and back up until it forces the stone out. Otherwise, you may want to pop a wheel. Be advised, a 10-20 sidewall can take alot more abuse than an E range.



Back to the main topic; I like to keep my 100 gal transfer tank pretty full for both ride improvement and traction. Wet curves don't bother me to much but snow is another thing altogether. I get mostly wet heavy snow and the duallys don't do well tracking in the parted snow.



Empty and ABS is wonderful when applying the brakes and hitting a bump too.



Maybe I am biased but I think the stock bed with dually fenders is ugly too. I much prefer a flat or custom hauler bed.

 

[hammersley]

To wide

CON - I use my truck to go places you simply couldn't take a dually - way to wide. And the turning radius is increased because of teh increase in tire width. For my use they aren't nimble enough! If you keep them on road, or where there is no space restrictions, then OK. However, a setup like the 3500 where the rear wheels are wider than the steering ones, presents unique problems in traction as well. You're always breaking ground with 6 wheels instead of having the back ones somewhat run in the ones from the front. And in my experience - have you EVER had a flat on the OUTSIDE TIRE? It seems like the flat on a dually is always on the inside - for some goofy reason.

 

[Mingoglia]

I'm fortunate that I haven't had a flat on the outside dual. . . especially considering how fast I tend to go through trailer tires. Having a flat on the outside dual scares me. I've seen too many trucks missing the majority of their fender.