Dually Trucks - RV-Dreams Community Forum

RonC · RV-Dreams Family Member

Dually Trucks

Rob_Fla · RV-Dreams Family Member

I would agree, once you get over the perceived intimidation of a Dually Truck they are no problem as an every day driver.
I have been driving my Dually truck as a daily driver for years now, through drugstore drive thru's, large city's like downtown NY City, Hoboken NJ, Dallas TX, Houston TX, Atlanta GA, Philadelphia PA, Miami FL just to name a few.

The benefits of towing (Stability, ride quality, safety) with a Dually far out weight the intimidation of driving one everyday.

Danny and Cheryl · RV-Dreams Family Member

I agree that the Positives far outweigh the Negatives

BiggarView · RV-Dreams Family Member

FWIW, if you can't get into the drive thru lane.... parking it and walking in is alway a good option, especially if there is line up at the drive thru window. biggrin

mycroft8 · RV-Dreams Community Member

My dually has a crew cab & a long bed, and is around 21 feet long. It fits (barely) width-size in a standard parking spot, but not length wise. So I go to the back and look for two length-wise spots.

I wouldn't try to take it to a big city downtown parking garage; but otherwise it's fine.

Zeek · RV-Dreams Family Member

Same here. I switched to a DRW F350 from a SRW F250. I like having the extra room in the bed, no more excessive worries about weight and best of all, this truck holds 48 gallons of fuel as opposed to my old 26 gallon tank . . . that was a pain.

LarryW21 · RV-Dreams Family Member

“The very large upside is that it is safer, more stable and better equipped to tow 5th wheel trailers (and almost everything else)”

And so is carrying 50 gallons of extra water. Having six batteries instead of four. Bringing an extra two 30 pound bottles of propane. Baloney. They are not “larger” inside.

If you don’t need a dually...you don’t need a dually.

Cummins12V98 · RV-Dreams Family Member

^^^^^ What the HE!! are you talking about???

Terry and Jo · RV-Dreams Family Member

I think Larry is perhaps considering comments that are in two of the above comments. Based on Larry's comments about size, I think it is because his profile lists him as having a travel trailer, thus not needing a larger truck with more stability and capacity. He wouldn't need a dually.

Terry

LarryW21 · RV-Dreams Family Member

Terry, OP wrote:

“The very large upside is that it is safer, more stable and better equipped to tow 5th wheel trailers (and almost everything else) than anything else. Consider this when you chose your tow vehicle.”

Almost everything else isn’t true.

RonC · RV-Dreams Family Member

Larry ... what isn’t true?

Terry and Jo · RV-Dreams Family Member

LarryW21 wrote:
Terry, OP wrote:

“The very large upside is that it is safer, more stable and better equipped to tow 5th wheel trailers (and almost everything else) than anything else. Consider this when you chose your tow vehicle.”

Almost everything else isn’t true.

Larry,

Perhaps it is merely opinion. However, can you state specifically that dually's cannot go through drive through lanes at all locations? If not, then your comments are opinion only. I own a dually that may very well be larger than a number of others, so I don't even attempt them. Besides, I hate drive through facilities. I'd rather go inside banks or fast food restaurants and when it comes to car washes, I'd prefer to do my own washing.

Like Ron, I'd like to know specifically what isn't true of his statements and your justification for calling them untrue.

Terry

LarryW21 · RV-Dreams Family Member

I am a firm believer in buying a sufficient TV. However, there is no reason to buy a dually for a 5,000 to 6,000+ pound travel trailer...not safety, stability or equipment. Therefore, "and almost everything else" is untrue. We have inexperienced people reading these posts and they shouldn't be offered the inaccurate quote below.

"The very large upside is that it is safer, more stable and better equipped to tow 5th wheel trailers (and almost everything else)”

RonC · RV-Dreams Family Member

Thank you for the clarification. I disagree with you ... it is not inaccurate to say that a dually is "safer, more stable and better equipped to tow almost everything". It isn't necessary with smaller trailers, but it is a superior tow vehicle. Those inexperienced people you mention will be very surprised at the difference in crosswinds and when being passed by big trucks between a SRW and a DRW truck. It's very noticeable. I understand that some really don't "need" a dually, but nobody will ever be sorry they bought too much truck.

Russ Ranger · RV-Dreams Family Member

I think you are all correct. I'm a motorhome guy so I don't know anything about tow trucks. But what I do know is that there are a whole bunch of different ways to RV. What is right for one person might not be right for the next person. Ford/Chevy/Ram....5th wheel/travel trailer/motorhome..... big or small....slides or no sides..... gas or diesel. We're all out here having a great time.

We could debate who's having more fun. I'm pretty sure that it is me. But that is just my opinion.

I'm still pretty sure I'm having more fun than you are.

RonC · RV-Dreams Family Member

Russ ... you may be right! From my perspective, this is a civil discussion/disagreement. As long as it stays that way, I'm good with a little back and forth.

Russ Ranger · RV-Dreams Family Member

"From my perspective, this is a civil discussion/disagreement. As long as it stays that way, I'm good with a little back and forth."

Ron, I agree with you that it's been a good discussion. However, I am a little disappointed that you didn't challenge me on my claim to having more fun that everyone else. Some 'facts' should not go unchallenged.

BiggarView · RV-Dreams Family Member

Russ Ranger wrote to RonC:
...However, I am a little disappointed that you didn't challenge me on my claim to having more fun that everyone else. Some 'facts' should not go unchallenged.

I didn't know this was a contest. biggrin

Russ Ranger · RV-Dreams Family Member

Brain,

Isn't it a standard joke that everything is a contest for us guys. I've already lost the 'WHO HAS THE MOST TOYS' contest. Having given up my big red tool box when we began traveling I am no longer in the running for that prize. Maybe if there was a contest for grayest hair I could win.

-- Edited by Russ Ranger on Thursday 15th of February 2018 03:46:46 PM

BiggarView · RV-Dreams Family Member

You got me beat... as you can tell from my avatar... mine just falls out before even getting to the gray stage.

RonC · RV-Dreams Family Member

Brian ... I loose any contest involving hair😂😂😂

carolinakids · RV-Dreams Family Member

Its a challenge at time swinging around in tight spots, but we love our dually. It's a she name we have attached to it. Ole Fat baby. She has been through a lot in a short time. Has propelled us a lot of miles in our short fulltiming adventure. She's been rear ended and took it like a champ that she is. Been given the wrong fuel and coughed and sputtered till we repaired her. Now she is a purring like a kitten. Want be long and she will stroll across America once more and hopefully she will wind us up in Alaska.
Every 5000 miles she gets a fresh oil change. She's just a little plain and not to fancy. Got good rubber and few scratch's. Even get's a nice bath inside and out every once in a while. Just some good ole TLC for her.
So we love ole Fat baby and plan on keeping her a few years. Hopefully we will all continue to grow older together as long as we continue to give her some ole TLC and keep up her maintenance.

The Bear II · RV-Dreams Family Member

For many years I towed a 24ft TT with a 2500 longbed SRW Chevy. I used that same truck to tow our new 38ft 5th wheel and found it lacking in brakes and stability. Quickly I bought a crewcab dually longbed chevy 3500 and was much happier except on long 6% down grades. The truck brakes would fade near the bottom of the grade even if I used first gear and the stab and release braking technique.
I put up with it for 13 years until the truck became unreliable due to breakdowns.
By the way for four years I used the dually to commute to work in Downtown LA daily. It was fun driving through the multi story parking garages and setting off car alarms because the weight of the truck would vibrate the roadway as I searched for a parking spot.

The truck I bought in 2008 is a Chevy 4500 crewcab dually longbed. This is the best truck so far for towing our 3,500lb pin weight 5th wheel. It actually out maneuvers most pickups due to the 53° steering angle; makes it easier to get in and out of tight spots.

My vote is for dually trucks when towing heavy hitch or pin weight trailers.

-- Edited by The Bear II on Friday 16th of February 2018 12:24:32 PM

Zeek · RV-Dreams Family Member

RonC wrote:
Thank you for the clarification. I disagree with you ... it is not inaccurate to say that a dually is "safer, more stable and better equipped to tow almost everything". It isn't necessary with smaller trailers, but it is a superior tow vehicle. Those inexperienced people you mention will be very surprised at the difference in crosswinds and when being passed by big trucks between a SRW and a DRW truck. It's very noticeable. I understand that some really don't "need" a dually, but nobody will ever be sorry they bought too much truck.