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Old 02-06-2018, 04:04 PM   #1
topjustice
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DRW Questions

A few questions about DRW's when it comes to weather or road condition related performance. I know the towing comparisons between SRW and DRW have been discussed ad nauseam, and that the opinions vary widely. I would like to side step those issues and simply ask how the DRW responds in adverse weather and road conditions. We know already that they do not perform very well in snow, and it's unlikely that we will be towing a fiver in the snow on purpose. That leaves rain, sandy roads and gravel roads for my questions. First, does a DRW hydroplane as much if loaded down with a 3,000lb plus hitch weighted fiver? Same question specifically for uphill travel in four wheel drive on sandy or gravel roads? Does the added rear hitch weight help a little, a lot, or what? My second property where the fiver will call home has a very long uphill gravel road, hence my questions. Thank you.
 
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Old 02-06-2018, 04:19 PM   #2
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I have never (knock on wood) had a hydroplaning incident with our DRW. You already know about the snow. IMHO I think the weight makes a significant impact regarding hydroplaning. Our driveway is a long gravel road but flat grade so I don't have any input there. WA coast beaches are about the only time we are in soft sandy conditions. We haven't been stuck yet
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Old 02-06-2018, 04:38 PM   #3
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Oh no get the popcorn ready LOL


I would reaaaaalllllllllyyyyy like to see some data on stopping and STABILITY of DRW vs SRW under load particularly under adverse conditions! I get the hydroplane argument IF the trucks are EMPTY but like topjustice I wonder how those dynamics change when you have a loaded truck and or your towing a 5er! Likewise, I wonder how using 4x4 on a dually would impact hydroplaning particularly at slower speeds that you should be driving at on icy roads?


I also wonder who would be stupid enough to drive over 35 mph in two wheel drive on snow and ice with an unloaded DRW? We do get ice storms here in North Arkansas and I lived in the Texas Panhandle as well so I do have some experience with it. In fact we are under an ice storm warning for tonight! Anytime we had to venture out in adverse conditions in the oilfield we always put some sand bags or something in the beds.


I can already attest to the fact that a DRW tends to not sink as bad (the load is spread out across a larger area) in soft soils like sand (we take kayaks to the river banks mind you). It also tends to pull up gravel hills much better and 4x4 adds to that. I pulled my tractor up a hill a couple months ago without spinning much at all with my DRW in 4x4 that I could not make it to the top of with my 4x4 SRW.


It has been my experience that the duallys will pull a house down going up a mountain and they don't get pushed around as much by the load going down the hill. Understand I have been in situations where we where pulling 18wheelers up the side of a steep hill/small mountain with bulldozers in the snow so I know what trucks will do in bad conditions. We were fracking wells, my drivers with hazardous chemical were driving dually 1 tons loaded down. They were pulled up, I had to park the SRW at the bottom of the mountain and hitch a ride. My drivers could come down the hill on their own unloaded. The 18wheelers had a dozer behind them as they came down. NOBODY went up or down in a SRW bulldozer or not! But the company man drove his DRW up and down, I know that for a fact he was the guy I went up with!
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Old 02-06-2018, 06:06 PM   #4
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I had an early 90's F350 diesel dually 2 WD for about 10 years. If an ant peed in front of a rear tire it would spin! It was terrifying in the rain, let alone the snow. I once got stuck pointing downhill on a fairly steep snow covered road. The boys and I were doing a lot of motocross at the time and in the mud and steep dirt roads leading to some of the tracks my friends 2WD 1/2 tons would have no problems, while I got by on a wing and a prayer. That being said I would have no problem buying a 4WD dually. Obviously parking is a pain, but in the 10 years I never got a door ding! The rear fenders keep anyone from getting close enough to hit your doors with theirs!!
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Old 02-06-2018, 06:09 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Theunz View Post
I had an early 90's F350 diesel dually 2 WD for about 10 years. If an ant peed in front of a rear tire it would spin! It was terrifying in the rain, let alone the snow. I once got stuck pointing downhill on a fairly steep snow covered road. The boys and I were doing a lot of motocross at the time and in the mud and steep dirt roads leading to some of the tracks my friends 2WD 1/2 tons would have no problems, while I got by on a wing and a prayer. That being said I would have no problem buying a 4WD dually. Obviously parking is a pain, but in the 10 years I never got a door ding! The rear fenders keep anyone from getting close enough to hit your doors with theirs!!
Were you carrying weight in the DRW when it was terrifying?
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Old 02-06-2018, 07:16 PM   #6
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No, it was my every day driver.
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Old 02-06-2018, 07:26 PM   #7
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So as your daily driver was it empty much of the time?
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Old 02-06-2018, 07:50 PM   #8
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Yes, what I your point?
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Old 02-06-2018, 08:13 PM   #9
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Originally Posted by Theunz View Post
Yes, what I your point?
Read the original post.

Then read mine.

I agree that an UNLOADED drw is scary in adverse road conditions.

I completely understand why someone would choose not to have DRW if their primary use of the truck is as an UNLOADED daily driver.
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Old 02-06-2018, 08:21 PM   #10
BuilderBob
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I drive a 4x4 dually every day for my work as builder never have had any problems with
hydroplaning at all and I live in a state wear it rains a lot Washington St! it all so snows and gets muddy to on job sites and in the woods and I don't have any problems at all.

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Old 02-06-2018, 08:35 PM   #11
Theunz
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Read the original post, that's why I responded.
Read your post.
Simply stating my experience with a 2WD dually.
Stated I would have no problem with 4WD dually.
Unless the dealer hooks it up to his trailer before he takes possession, or he gets someone else to drive it for him, pretty sure he's going to drive it unloaded. Sometimes it rains unexpectedly!
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Old 02-07-2018, 08:46 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Theunz View Post
Read the original post, that's why I responded.
Read your post.
Simply stating my experience with a 2WD dually.
Stated I would have no problem with 4WD dually.
Unless the dealer hooks it up to his trailer before he takes possession, or he gets someone else to drive it for him, pretty sure he's going to drive it unloaded. Sometimes it rains unexpectedly!
Ok. Just based on the specific questions posed by the op I thought was important to point out if your loaded or not when speaking of a given experience. The question posed here is if the difference between srw and drw changes if the trucks are loaded vs unloaded. Assuming that a drw will not stop as fast and stable as a srw when unloaded in the rain is the same true when loaded? I strongly suspect that being loaded changes the answer. And does the answer change if instead of rain we are talking sand or gravel roads
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Old 02-07-2018, 09:09 AM   #13
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Even a three legged dog learns to run. Tire tread select has some impact. I had am MGB that got around in snow better that a half to pu. Bare feet go better in sand than swim fins. A lot to the OP. 4 me - loaded, give me the DRW.
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Old 02-10-2018, 09:45 AM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by topjustice View Post
A few questions about DRW's when it comes to weather or road condition related performance. I know the towing comparisons between SRW and DRW have been discussed ad nauseam, and that the opinions vary widely. I would like to side step those issues and simply ask how the DRW responds in adverse weather and road conditions. We know already that they do not perform very well in snow, and it's unlikely that we will be towing a fiver in the snow on purpose. That leaves rain, sandy roads and gravel roads for my questions. First, does a DRW hydroplane as much if loaded down with a 3,000lb plus hitch weighted fiver? Same question specifically for uphill travel in four wheel drive on sandy or gravel roads? Does the added rear hitch weight help a little, a lot, or what? My second property where the fiver will call home has a very long uphill gravel road, hence my questions. Thank you.
Our dually is great in the snow.. rain hydoplaning is caused by speed...
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Old 02-10-2018, 04:03 PM   #15
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We have never driven in snow or ice with our dually. We do not go off road with our dually.We have never hydroplaned with our dually. It is not our daily driver. The Montana is behind the dually 95 % of the time. We have been blown across two lanes of interstate all 23K of us by high winds. I do not like to drive in heavy rain I let Helen do that. We have never been stuck in the mud with our dually although we were at the "MUD Rally" with the escapees at the Missouri State fairgrounds and we did 4 wheel drive out with no problem.
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