dualie or not

[richfaa]

hopefulowner.."I strongly believe they should gather all relevant information and decide accordingly. That is exactly right..If you do your homework you will understand the pro and con of what you decide to purchase.It may wind up being not what you would prefer..but it will serve your all over needs. We purchased our TV for the primary purpose of being a Tow vehicle for the 3400..It was not what we would have chosen otherwise..but it does that job very well.

[indy roadrunner]

Well back to the question of do I need a dulley. I accept that we all make our buying decisions on preferences. But someone made a reference to stabilty.
Have you ever wondered why more trucking companies are going to "Super singles" over duals on the drive axle and a lot of trailing equipment? Have you noticed that there are more and more tankers with super singles? Now if ever there was a stability problem pull a tanker that is half loaded. I do know that the trucking company I work for has ordered more super singles. I know the reasons why but to long to post on here.

[richfaa]

the super-single, or wide-body, radial that replaces dual tires on tractors and trailers. Less road drag, lower weight, longer life, fewer tires (thus reduced cost) per rig: Although some experts fear a loss of on-road stability, the super single boasts so many advantages that many industry executives predict it will do as much to cut costs as the CB radio did to thwart Smokey."

There isa savings in fuel, Maint, Cost of tires and increased payload which = higher profit. Time will tell..they may be a good compromise for towing a 5th wheel. Unfortunately we do not have that choice right now.

[Connorsmom]

As I've previously stated, I sure wish I had known about this site prior to ordering my TV. I would have either gone with a dually, or at the very least the 3500. There really isn't much I can do about it now, I'm just not in a position to sell a brand new truck to purchase another one. I am however, going to invest in the air bags, so that I'm at least doing SOMETHING to ensure I am within legal pin weight limits.

I haven't weighed the trailer yet to get the numbers, but I will once I have everything in the Monty I plan on having once I start fulltiming in June. I don't plan on putting much more in there, other than a few necessary tools, and I haven't even begun to use any of the cabinets that have the glass in them, nor do I have much in the basement except for hoses and cords. So I think I'm doing pretty good in regards to weight. I think it helps that it's just me and the critters.

I also stopped by the Dodge dealership where I purchased my truck the other day. I told them that as part of their job, they should take an interest in educating themselves about pin weight and other issues regarding towing trailers. I told them that I didn't appreciate their total lack of knowledge in this regard. I'm sure they could care less, but at least I spoke my mind.
Jan

[bsmeaton]

We use the SRW and everything is within the limits. If I had the room to park, I might have considered the dually for an extra margin of safety, but I don't.

As far as stability, I can see why a dually would have big advantages with an overhead camper, but I don't see it with a 5th wheel. In cross winds, the Monty can tip all it wants back there, but it doesn't affect my truck. In fact, I typically have to use the mirrors to see what the wind is doing to the Monty. Motorhome, different story all together, you know when that baby is getting tipped to the side!

[bncinwv]

So there is no confusion regarding my previous posts, let me clarify my statements on stability. Since we live in the heart of West Virginia pulling involves numerous turns and hills. The stability that is gained with DRW is directly related to the sidewalls of the TV tires. With the pin weight and additional gear we will stow in the TV bed, 3000 lbs of load in severe turns causes an impression of the tires rolling slightly (I have experienced this towing the TT and did not like the feeling of hoping the tires could stand the lateral stress. The tires will handle it but it is still an uneasy feeling that I personally would rather do without. Again I am only stating my opinion as food for thought so treat it as such.

[exav8tr]

Let me add my 2 pennies worth about duallys. I can't really speak to the lateral stability issue, but I do know that in snowy or icy conditions, the dually is just about tractionless. Not sure what the physics involved are, just know from experience that to be the case. Parking was a problem with the dually also. I would opt for the dually IF it was not my daily driver. My brother in law in CA has a Ford dually, but he stores it during the winter, right next to his fifth wheel. Maybe someday I will be able to do the same, but until then I drive a SRW to satisfy all conditions. JMHO!!!

AND you all know what they say about opinions!!!!!

[richfaa]

Any pick up truck is just about useless in ice and snow.That is why in my part of the country , Northern Ohio, we load them down with sand bags Concrete block, anything heavy and even fill up the bed with ice and snow.We are fortunate that we do not have to drive the truck in the winter in Ohio. We purchased what we needed not what we wanted and we were fortunate to be able to do that. As a matter of fact if we were not RV'ers we would not have a truck.Having done a lot of driving in the West Virgina hills I can relate to what hopefull owner is saying. Been there ..done that..He knows what he needs..

[Glenn and Lorraine]

quote:Originally posted by rosyriz

Do we need a duely for a TV? Some people are telling us that we will need that for our 38ft Monty. What do you think? Rosyriz

rosyriz, I could have saved you a lot of trouble with this question and than having to go through all the responses.
I have found with this type question merely go to the Montana Owner's Rigs pages and see for yourself who has a dually and who has SRW or, where available, check out the individual signatures. Everytime such a qyestion was asked those that had a dually say "Ya gotta have a dually" and those with SRW say "Duallys are unnecessary". Same goes for engines, those that have diesels swear by them and the gassers swear by their gassers.
Our egos will not allow us to say anything different than what we are driving. To do so would be admitting he/she made a mistake and that just ain't gonna happen.
Go over to RV.net and ask which is best a MH, TT or 5er and guess what they will have to say. Ask which is the best TV Ford, Chevy, GMC or Dodge and guess what they will have to say. Ask what is the best brand 5th wheel and guess what they will have to say. 99 and 44/100% of the time it will be what ever the individual has.

Me? I say the SRW 2500HD GMC with the Duramax Allison combo is the best you can get or for a bit extra pin weight you could step up to the SRW 3500 GMC with the Duramax Allison combo. Of course if you looked at my signature you would have already known that.

As hopefulowner pointed out.. Personal preference should always be the deciding factor. You have read all the so called pros and cons but in the end only you can decide what is best for you and take what you read within this thread with a grain of salt.

Sorry Guys and Gals but I'm just telling it like it is.

[DarMar]

We've recently gone from a 2500 chevy to a 3500 dodge dually and there is no question that our new tv is far more stable. No question, far more stable!!! How much of that is because of the 1 ton over the 3/4 ton I am not sure but when loaded I don't think you can find a nicer set up to drive. I do enjoy the added piece of mind that we have an extra tire in case of a blowout on the rear. We are a two vehicle family so when not towing we have the option of a much smaller vehicle. Our dually does just fine on ice and in fresh soft snow but the duals do tend to hang up in heavy snow. Certainly a bit of a pain to park but any heavy duty truck is the same dually or not!!!

[Wrenchtraveller]

Well folks, it seems bizarre to have to point out the obvious but when someone starts talking about duallies on the front as an example for his SRW argument, I have to roll my eyes.

This question is about towing Fifth wheels which put as much as 25% of their weight on the back end of your little pick up truck. Four tires will support more weight than two tires. The front axle changes very little, usually less than 100 pounds of difference so, yes , single tires on the front are fine. Full timers will keep adding weight to their home on wheels and I have yet to meet a full timer that carries 40 pounds of new "stuff" into his rig and then carries 40 pounds of old "stuff" out to keep his weight the same. No they will just keep adding "stuff" to their rigs and at least 25% of the weight of their stuff will end up on the rear axle of their little overloaded SRW pickup. IMHO, a fulltimer towing a large Montana with a SRW is a gambling man. I wouldn't care if I didn't have to share the highways with these folks who seem to think a truck's payload is a personal preference. The right tool for the right job is what most people believe and a SRW pickup for a fulltimer in a Montana 3400 is the wrong tool and anyone who really knows pickup trucks will agree with me. This has nothing to do with preference, it is just common sense.

[Okie Guy]

Thanks for adding this topic! I am about to purchase a newer diesel pickup. I have been debating this a little bit. I currently have a Chevy 3500 dually and love the stability it has. I have been looking at the single wheel trucks and just like the looks of the dually but after reading I think its time to go with another dually pickup.

[Connorsmom]

I think I'm gonna sell everything and get into skydiving.....tee hee hee

Jan

[ols1932]

quote:Originally posted by Wrenchtraveller

Well folks, it seems bizarre to have to point out the obvious but when someone starts talking about duallies on the front as an example for his SRW argument, I have to roll my eyes.

This question is about towing Fifth wheels which put as much as 25% of their weight on the back end of your little pick up truck. Four tires will support more weight than two tires. The front axle changes very little, usually less than 100 pounds of difference so, yes , single tires on the front are fine. Full timers will keep adding weight to their home on wheels and I have yet to meet a full timer that carries 40 pounds of new "stuff" into his rig and then carries 40 pounds of old "stuff" out to keep his weight the same. No they will just keep adding "stuff" to their rigs and at least 25% of the weight of their stuff will end up on the rear axle of their little overloaded SRW pickup. IMHO, a fulltimer towing a large Montana with a SRW is a gambling man. I wouldn't care if I didn't have to share the highways with these folks who seem to think a truck's payload is a personal preference. The right tool for the right job is what most people believe and a SRW pickup for a fulltimer in a Montana 3400 is the wrong tool and anyone who really knows pickup trucks will agree with me. This has nothing to do with preference, it is just common sense.

I'm the "someone" who happened to mention duals on the front as an example to refute the "blowout" of a rear single wheel tire. The argument about duals being better in case of a blowout is invalid. As far as fulltimers needing trucks with duals goes, that also is invalid. As Glenn said, "It is a matter of preference."

Orv

[bsmeaton]

Gee-zoots these things get nasty ! Can't we just give Rosyriz an honest answer to his question.

By the numbers, my Ford 1-ton SRW pickup will tow anything in the Montana line and stay within specs. You don't "really" need a dually! (Ford are the only numbers I have) Beyond that it's preference. If you overload your pickup or Monty, it's a different story - you're overloaded plain and simple.

And how in the world do you disqualify yourself from your own DRW argument because you're not a fulltimer! You still drive down the same road, either with weights in spec, or overloaded.

[Dave e Victoria]

There are times when you have to have a dually and the Towing a Cambridge is one of those. Moreover, I suggest it MAY BE a requirement for the new Big Skys'. I started with a 2500 pulling a 3295 Big Sky and all was cool. I had something like 2600 pounds pin weight. Crossing the scales I was well within the various ratings. Then I bought the Cambridge and loaded it up. I crossed the scales with 3800 pounds on the pin. Looking at the weight on the rear axle I was 600 pounds over the rear tire rating on the truck. Believe me, I went to every aftermarket outfitter I could find and could not find a reasonable way to fit tires with a better rating. The only solution was to go to a dually. So, now we have Bubba.

Now, despite what has been said about people who own duallies, I would try everything possible to stay with a SWR short bed. IMHO, they look better, park better and ride better when unhooked. I pull in mountains and in crosswinds and a lot. We do 10 to 15,000 miles towing every year. I see no significant difference in "stability" . BTW, even with Bubba, we still miss the CGWR but not by much and it is not much of a worry. We are a lot closer than with the 2500HD. Frankly, the 2500HD was the best vehicle we ever owned. The 3500 Dually comes in second but, in our case, it is a necessity.
Dave

[Garin1]

Dave, how in the world did you ever get 3800lbs on the pin. The only thin g I ever saw that heavy was the Teton Royal.

[Wrenchtraveller]

I have a 300 pound payload advantage over a diesel powered pickup in my model and I am right at my payload limit with the smallest Montana in the line up so there is no way I could pull a larger unit with my F350 SRW and stay within my truck's GVWR. If my truck was a PSD, I would have to leave my auxiliary tank at home or I would be overweight.
There are people staying within the specs on SRW trucks but they must travel very light and that is very difficult for a full timer to do.
It could be said that it is a person's preference to exceed the design specs of any vehicle they own but for these same people to try and convince others to do the same is not right. I receive PMs and email from people thanking me on my stand on this issue and that is the only thing that keeps me on this forum. Some people don't like the message so they would like to shoot the messenger.

[ols1932]

Everyone's opinion is personal. Can't dictate one's opinion to anyone else. It's all in what you feel fits your situation.

Orv

[Dave e Victoria]

Wrench traveler (Don),
Are you using CGWR for fifthwheel Loads or GVWR? The CGWR on my truck is 23,000 pounds. It is adequate for the existing Montana line.

Garin1
Here are the figures from the scale when we had the 2500HD hooked up
Front Truck axle hooked up: 4,060. Truck only: 4,080
Rear truck Axle Hooked Up: 7,380. Truck only: 3,540
Trailer Axle(s) Hooked Up: 4,160.
Total Gross: 25,600. Unhooked truck Gross: 7620,
Pin weight = 7380-3540= 3840,
Trailer Gross = 25600-7620=17,980

We had to reduce weight slightly to get trailer within perscribed gross of 16,900
Notice trailer is almost perfectly balanced with 21% on the pin
We are about 10% over CGWR of the truck. We were within the rear axle rating but over the SRW tire rating.

After this we unloaded a lot of "crap" from the trailer and traded for Bubba.
Dave