Moving from 3/4 Ton to Dually - any regrets

[rickfox]

It's perhaps a small issue (or maybe not), but as often been commented, the 1 tons will more than likely carry any of the Montana hitch pin weights, and the 3/4 tons will almost always be over their GVWR and close if not often over the rear axle ratings when towing the Montys.

But the 3/4 tons do get in tighter spaces.

You can be legal and wider, or overloaded and narrower.

[H. John Kohl]

This is not pointed at rickfox but the common idea on legal. quote "You can be legal and wider, or overloaded and narrower." unquote

I have wondered on the legal portion of the above statement for a long time.
Legal to me means you are breaking the law. The law is what you're licensed to carry.
To me the specs on our pickup trucks are what the manufacture rates it at, not what is "legal".
I do consider the axle weights and bed limits but the gross vehicle weight is what I choose to ignore.

My reasoning. My truck is rated at 21000 with a 3.73 rear end. If I had the 4.10 rear end it would be 23000. The gears make the difference to the manufacture only. This is my thought process.

Now legally I am not licensed properly for Florida because my GVW is licensed at 9999. When my trailer is hooked up it (the truck's total weight) weighs around 12500, therefore I am illegal. I do plan on increasing my licensed weight, pay more money. Nothing has changed to the truck to make it legal.

Now the comment about lawyers getting involved does scare me. But what law are we breaking? The law of common sense. Boy I do that all the time.

Just my two cents. Good luck and tow safe.

[HamRad]

We have the 450 and the tires are the same all around. The rims are interchangeable all around.

HamRad

[richfaa]

Not taking any sides on this, one reason is because I got the 1 ton Dually so we would not have to worry about any of this..as for the legal part.. it Is the "legal" part that counts.Try talking to the court about common sense or reasoning.What the law "is" is what affects us no matter how unreasonable they may seem to us.. Been there.. done that...

[Broome101]

OK Rich what does dually have to do with it. In fact when I looked at trading this summer my one ton SRW had more towing capacity than the dually. Dually had more pin weight capacity but not towing capacity. One reason I did go with 350 vs. 250 I did not want to have to add air bags as some have stated they have added. on my older 250 it did sag about 2" in rear when hooked up, but with 350 no sag at all. Having 3685Fl my pin weight is one of the higher model numbers, I don't haul cattle or horses so have no need to have more stable rear end due to moving or unstable freight such as livestock. Personally I saw no need for dually for my towing needs but everyone is different and must make there own assessment.

[richfaa]

Dually has nothing to do with it.The subject was about weight and the law. I said I got the Dually so I would not have to worry about the weight IE:Pin weight or air bags. Your truck is perfect for you. H.John Kohl was talking about weights and the legalities that go along with them.and I replied that it was he law that applied..not common sense or what we thought wasrighrstarted out by saying I was not taking sides and just stated a reason I got the dually... What you said about the truck you got makes perfect sense...for you...

[rickfox]

Gosh guys,

I wasn't trying to stir things up. I also was not commenting about towing capacity. I was talking about rear axle rating, and GVWR (gross vehicle weight rating) of the 3/4 ton.

The maximum rear axle weight for the 2500HD is 6084#. Without the trailer this weight is about 3100# allowing me to carry about 2900# more in pin weight. When carrying about 1200# of cargo my pin weight is 2400#. When I carry about 2200# of cargo, I am very close to 2900# pin weight.

While carrying only the 1200# of cargo, the GVW of the TV is 9400#. The GVW is 9890# when the trailer is loaded with 2200# or cargo. The label on the side of the TV says GVW max is 9200#. I'm over the manufacturer's rating no matter how I look at it. And in many states - I have been told - this is considered a violation of the law - if you're caught.

I have also been told that the new SRW 1 ton TV's are rated at 9900# with a higher rear axle rating - thus solving these problems, and it will still be able to go through a narrower space (and also legally park on the street in front of my house - I hope I don't start something here).

[Wrenchtraveller]

In 05 Ford jumped up the GVWRs and my SRW F350 has a GVWR of 11200 with the V10. The same model, CC LB 4x4 SRW with a diesel is 11500. The diesel is 500 pounds heavier so I have a 200 pound payload advantage. Ford is the first to increase GVWR and watch for GMC and Dodge to do the same.

As I have said a hundred times, the world has changed thanks to lawyers and law suits.
A year ago the company I work for threw away thousands of dollars worth of rigging equipement we had safely used for 20 years. WHY? Because it was not designed by an engineer. Some of the new engineered stuff is lighter than the stuff we threw away but it is legal.

It is the same with truck GVWRs. RVs have been over their GVWRs for years but now some parts of the country are enforcing it and if you are in an accident with an overloaded vehicle
.............well let's hope it never happens to any of us.