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Old 11-09-2019, 10:50 AM   #61
Theunz
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No, no ,no, you guys just don't get it. 3 separate teams of engineeres from 3 different manufactors spent thousands of hours and millions of dollars designing these trucks. Then the unfathonable happened...they all miraclaciously came up with the exact same 10,000 lb GVWR! B. S. GVWR is an arbitrary figure used by the manufacturer for their benifit. In the case of a 3/4 ton it is mainly for registration and licensing purposes. For 1 tons it is a figure that they feel will cause them the least amount of warranty repairs. Explain to me how 1 extra "magic" spring can substantially increase the GVWR when all other components are the same. I'd wager to bet that a 3/4 ton with air bags is safer than a 1ton SRW. It is axle and tire ratings that you don't want to exceede. As far as getting sued, they have to prove that you being overweight contributed to the accident. If you are driving a 3/4 ton with air bags and are within the limits of a 1ton SRW of the same make and model it would be hard to argue that over weight contributed to the cause. If you need a dually then you should get one, but not everyone does.
 
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Old 11-09-2019, 10:50 AM   #62
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All I know is I bought the biggest baddest ram for 2017.. aisin, 4:10, auto level..I don't even weigh my rv..385 hp, 900 fob. Torque.
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Old 11-09-2019, 05:52 PM   #63
Gary-Alberta
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For some, the biggest, heaviest truck is the most suitable. if you want to boon dock and carry lots of batteries, generators, solar equipment, fuel, water, etc. there are many, many choices for you. If you are like me, and drag your hotel room (Monty) to another location and go about enjoying the sites and amenities of the location, your tow vehicle does double duty as a daily driver. I quite like having a TV that can park at any city parking meter or parkade as well as competently tow my rig. To my knowledge, I have the absolutely shortest TV that can tow my rig. Since GM didn't make it that way, I had to modify the spring pack to have a double cab, standard box, that can handle a 3000# pin load. The GCWR of my rolling combo is 24,500 lbs. , which is 3000 lbs. more the actual. I travel light. My rig crosses the scales under 14,000#. My TV fits in my garage for the summer. In a total season, I doubt that I spend more than 180 minutes backing my rig into stalls. I am quite comfortable concentrating for that time to ensure that the rig doesn't hit the window. My aluminum Andersen hitch seems to help me in that end, (it also only weighs 35#). I expect that the folks that tow with a HDT are very happy with their choice. Obviously, from the responses, the folks that tow with a one ton long box dually, are very happy with their choice. To each their own. Set your priorities and have many years of happy camping.
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Old 11-10-2019, 06:21 AM   #64
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HOGWASH! First, anyone can be sued for anything. Second, the person AT FAULT is the liable party. Lastly, I wish folks would stop with this..
Now, get the weight of that truck BEFORE you buy. My guess is that the weighs in at near 9000 lbs with fuel and two people and hitch. If the Gvwr of that 3/4 ton is 10,000, the weight of the pin is too much, as it leaves 1000 pounds of leeway.. Do yourself a huge favour, Get a 1 ton dually long bed.. I DO see many GMS but i have no idea what the tow ratings are.. i do think the new Generals are more tow capable, whereas it was FORD AND RAMS..
I did not state it, did not think I had to ( read between the lines) and assume the accident was the fault of the over loaded tow rig.

You are right, everyone should know ALL the (real world) weight #s of the truck and camper that they want to tow and purchase a truck capable of towing the rig you want/have safely and within the trucks ratings. If the truck you have is not up to par to tow that monster fifth wheel, choose a smaller/lighter unit.

But the fact is most don't do it. They just wing it and do whatever they want.
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Old 11-10-2019, 07:24 AM   #65
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Yes!. I blame dealers at the car lots and the rv dealers. Also the owners who dont really care. Also, ignorance..
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Old 11-10-2019, 09:53 AM   #66
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thinking more about this... I think the whole problem is the new math and everyone wins idea.

Everything is over engineered, safety first. That doesn't mean you should try to find the amount it is over engineered. Quality is a statistic, not an absolute. Meaning that 99.99% of the time it won't break, blow out, etc. You might be the 0.01%. Plan ahead, learn what you can about how to handle the emergency, no you can't handle them all. I found this on skids - "For a rear-wheel or all-wheel skid in which your car starts to spin out of line, “Steer into the skid,” which means steer to the same side the back end of the car is sliding towards. During a front-wheel skid, straighten the steering wheel." What you do depends on what kind of vehicle you have.

Safe Travels
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Old 02-12-2020, 03:54 PM   #67
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3/4 Ton or 1 Ton? Long Box or Short Box?

Good day

Thanks to you all for your great responses. I took some good advice and we ended up buying a 2017 GMC 3500HD with an eight foot box!




Thanks!!
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Old 02-12-2020, 04:06 PM   #68
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Which truck style to buy..

3500 is a great choice and long box is a great choice as well. It is a little harder to park but it’s easier when towing
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Old 02-12-2020, 04:13 PM   #69
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Mine: Ford F-350, Dually, 4WD, 8' bed. Regardless of Make, do not compromise on your TV, there's nothing more important when the SHTF. Know your weight(s)
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Old 02-12-2020, 04:15 PM   #70
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Great truck, enjoy!
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Old 02-12-2020, 04:26 PM   #71
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Good choice.

I recommend you take the truck and RV and weigh them at the scales once you have loaded them. Then pull in the parking lot and disconnect from the RV and weigh just the truck. Make sure to put your front and rear axles on a separate platform so you get accurate axle weights. Same when you do the RV.
Then go to TRAILER LIFE and look up the guide for towing with a 2017 truck. This way you will know if you a good to go or you might need to adjust your weight. Especially water weight. I put around 20 gallons in my fresh water tank just in case it is needed. Might have to move tools out of truck and put in back of RV?.
I have a 2013 Ram Laramie Longhorn 8ft bed. I have no problems. I used Trailer life guides while I shopped for 2 years. I was blessed with this truck.
I have a 2015 3791RD. Plus I am also full time.
We use the truck for towing and car for running around.
You seem to have made a good choice but check to make sure before going down steep mountains.
Happy Raving.
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Old 02-12-2020, 04:40 PM   #72
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While I typically drive what I consider to be a conservative speed, 65-70mph, would love to hear comments on this, I experienced a situation where I crested a hill and was faced with traffic at a complete standstill at about 100yds. Needless to say this got my full attention as well as my DW, different story, but without the dually braking and overall weight handling capacity not sure the results would have been the same. We braked safely without issue. While Duallies definitely present a parking problem when used for around town travel, figure it out. Park further away, less door dings. more exercise, win-win.
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Old 02-12-2020, 06:18 PM   #73
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While I typically drive what I consider to be a conservative speed, 65-70mph, would love to hear comments on this, I experienced a situation where I crested a hill and was faced with traffic at a complete standstill at about 100yds. Needless to say this got my full attention as well as my DW, different story, but without the dually braking and overall weight handling capacity not sure the results would have been the same. We braked safely without issue. While Duallies definitely present a parking problem when used for around town travel, figure it out. Park further away, less door dings. more exercise, win-win.
I have made this argument more than once. Six tires will brake faster than 4 under load. It's just common sense, more rubber in contact with the road=more braking power. There may be some argument for the hydroplaning effect when empty on wet pavement but you should be driving slower under wet conditions anyway.

Likewise a wider stance is inherently more stable. Its not rocket science, a dually is simply a safer tow platform. It might not be the perfect fit for everyone's needs but it is the right tool for the job.

Over the years, I have had my fair share of experiences with unexpected emergency stops. I can say without any doubt in my mind there are some situations where the dually made all the difference in the world.
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Old 02-12-2020, 07:12 PM   #74
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My crew cab, 8 ft bed silverado is very long and very very large.

When I rv, the bed is full, the cab is full, and the trailer is full, so I don't know how I could make it with less truck.
Seen to many blown tires on over weighted trucks cause thousands of dollars of damage or flip the truck and trailer leaving all of someone's worldly possession spread all over the highway to not error on the side of caution.
That means more truck than I need is what I like. That is why I like the dwr drive, more tires means less chance of a blow out due to weight problems.
The biggest problem I have is the cheap car wash will not wash or wax my truck.
So I have to pay $30 more to have a guy do it, though he does a much better job.
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Old 02-12-2020, 07:44 PM   #75
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When we decided to move from tent camping to something off the ground, we towed with a Chevy Lumina Mini Van, then a Suburban 1500, then a 1 ton dualy long bed gasser
Chevy Silverado, then the second 1 ton dually long bed gasser Chevy Silverado, and then finally our current truck, a 1 ton dually long bed diesel.

Why such big truck when we could have towed with something less? Because we did not know where we would end up. Getting the heftier, all inclusive tow vehicle meant we'd never have to worry about any kind of weights. Until we purchased our current 5er, we were way overkill. But when we got the 5er, we were all set and didn't have to buy a new heftier vehicle. We already had it.

My suggestion, get the biggest right now. You just never know where your future will take you.

About the ride? I've never towed with a 3/4 or a short bed. I do know, all 3 dualies and long beds I've owned always provided a very stable and comfortable tow. I never had a white knuckle experience as the brakes of the truck were more than adequate to stop both truck and trailer in the event of brake failure in the trailer (which actually happened to one of our travel trailers). The brakes of the dually were so good, I didn't even know I forgot to plug in the 7 pin connector until someone flagged me down, got me to pull over, and told me I had no tail lights in the trailer (Oh, Duh ... I missed plugging in the umbilical cord into the truck).

On another occasion, the brakes quit working completely. Long story short, there was a bare spot on one of the brake wires that was touching the axle causing it to fail intermittently as the wire flopped around. (3 trips to the repair shop and they finally found the culprit). But the thing is, the truck was stout enough to successfully and without any stress, stop the trailer at a 60 mph speed and I could not tell the difference.

That is something you might want to think about? And actually, my current 5er was no problem with no brakes when .. um .. "confession time...?" about 6 weeks after I got the 5er, I forgot to plug in the umbilical cord and it drug on the ground and ground it down to almost nothing. Truck stopped the trailer just fine, and I was able to replace the cord with a new one. (DUH! .. oh DUH!)
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Old 02-13-2020, 09:07 AM   #76
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Not going to argue the point that duallys are better for towing, they are. When it comes to braking however, they offer no advantage. Most of your braking is done by your front brakes, and the tires on the front of a SRW truck are significantly wider than they are on a dually. Under hard braking weight is transferred forward causing the rear to become lighter thus reducing the coefficient of friction of the rear tires. The reason Dutchmansport noticed no difference on braking when his trailer was unplugged is because the electric drum brakes on these heavy trailers are woefully inadequate! I bet he would definitely notice he was unplugged if he had disc brakes.
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