just try and talk me out of buying a duallie, please

I am planning on towing a LOT- from 7000 to 25000 lbs but mostly in the 7000 range
and of course those are very generous estimates

10/11/2009 4:24:09 AM

pro: extra tire
con: you pay for the extra tire

Seriously though, what stuff are you hauling? My folks have a Dodge HD 2500 turbo diesel and it pulls just fine. They live in Colorado. I'd say you might be fine with a 3500HD of some sort. You also have to weigh in price differences (depending on year, they may not vary much). duals look kickass imo though. Also if you ever NEEDED to pull something upwards of 20,000lbs then yea it's a no brainer. Get the dual. Just leave that room for extra weight, that way you will never doubt your decision.

[Edited on October 11, 2009 at 12:31 PM. Reason : ..]

10/11/2009 12:24:56 PM

Saw a jacked up duallie F350 king cab or king rancher, or some crap like that, and it was a good foot wider than any available parking space.

that's all I got.

10/11/2009 12:27:09 PM

I wont be driving it to fucking Target or anything

10/11/2009 1:18:45 PM

Get the duallie. Better to have and not need than to need and not have. And after having towed LOTS of shit, the extra tires and the corresponding stiffer springs that come on a duallie make life that much more pleasant.

10/11/2009 3:09:47 PM

welcome to eating up front tires

10/11/2009 6:15:53 PM

what?

10/11/2009 6:19:14 PM

exactly.

10/11/2009 6:21:06 PM

are you getting Ivans trailer, Joel? or are you gonna run in the next year's tractor pull

10/11/2009 6:32:11 PM

go for it, the extra stability is well worth it especially with a bumper pull, and the tires will hold up much better since they will have half the load

10/11/2009 7:47:35 PM

I wouldn't think twice about owning a duallie. Man up, bitch.

10/11/2009 10:13:53 PM

Go for it..I would never bumper pull 20k plus with my truck.

10/12/2009 1:26:36 AM

sometimes the dually has a beefier axle


(2nd gen dodge 2500= D70, 3500=d80)

10/12/2009 8:15:11 AM

^ I know the manual trans 24v srw second gens had a disc brake Dana 80 rear. Maybe others.

[Edited on October 12, 2009 at 9:51 AM. Reason : d]

10/12/2009 9:51:07 AM

never said I was gonna bumper pull 20k danny!

10/12/2009 10:57:57 AM

^^ well shut my mouth

10/12/2009 11:06:20 AM

well good then, I'll be quiet.. The most I've pulled is around 9k trailer and all with surge brakes 550miles down here. It was absolutly no problem at all, cruising 75-80 and got 18mpg.

[Edited on October 12, 2009 at 6:00 PM. Reason : not that that helps.]

10/12/2009 5:59:49 PM

well I know you and jamie are full of reasons not to get a DRW truck, so dont be quiet I want to hear em

10/12/2009 6:54:29 PM

just buy a fuckin 5500 topkick/kodiak with a duramax and a flatbed with a gooseneck hitch and be done with it

10/12/2009 7:38:31 PM

^I'm down woth that!!!

10/12/2009 8:04:33 PM

Well let me ask this practical question. Will the extra cost of a duallie (in tires etc) significantly cut into your budget for other things (cars or otherwise)? Will you have to give some stuff up for it? You have to weigh what you gain and what you will lose.

10/12/2009 8:37:32 PM

we used to pull over 10k regularly with a srw 250 diesel. We had electric brakes on the trailer and a controller, it worked like a champ. If this is going to be just a tow rig I would look hard into the 1.25 ton trucks or even something like that kodiak.

10/12/2009 9:28:42 PM

Another consideration is what type of pulling you're going to do. If it's mostly local, close to home, folks you know, and help, then SRW may be fine. If we're leaving the state with a heavy load, those extra two tires offer a lot of peace of mind in case of a flat/ blowout. You can limp somewhere on three rears, unless both go...

And unless there is some reason you have to pull on the bumper, put it in the bed. I'd rather pull a gooseneck SRW than a bumper pull DRW.

Quote :

"^ I know the manual trans 24v srw second gens had a disc brake Dana 80 rear. Maybe others."

yup, the H.O.s with the nv5600, but the pre-2001.5s have drums in the back (even the HO 3/4 tons got the D80)

[Edited on October 13, 2009 at 7:55 PM. Reason : 3/4]

10/13/2009 7:53:58 PM

Basically I want to be able to pull whatever, whereever. For example next easter I want to go four wheeling, in Canada. Pulling my single car hauler behind the Escalade for 4 hours two weeks ago was.... fine, but after 14 hours I would pull my fucking hair out. I want a seriously heavy duty vehicle to tow with. Also I miss having a full size pickup, have you ever had to buy 20 2ft by 2ft sections of drywall cause you couldnt easily haul a 4x8 sheet? FUCK THAT SHIT. I seriously considered an Excursion for a long time, its HUGE, you can easily find one with the 7.3 PSD, and its HUGE. But then I noticed that Cummins powered DRW Rams are everywhere and, lets face it, the standard for MPG and power when it comes to this class of truck. The Ex would be really nice, but for the same price I can have 5 more MPG- meaning I can afford to drive it around town.

IF you are thinking, "what about a SRW Dodge 2500???", well- what about it? Say I buy one and the first time I load up a heavy ass rig onto my car hauler, I have to move the load 10 times just to get it to handle safely... I will be out for blood. I am getting too old to play the musical cars game when it comes to a heavy duty, multipurpose, towing/hauling rig, so I am very, VERY inclined to seek out a DRW truck and be done with it.

I made the thread so you all could try and talk me out of it, explain to me the SRW really isnt any different, etc but I really dont see a lot of experiece talking in here. If I missed something, feel free to offer it up again but please make it clear if you know what the fuck you are talking about.

10/13/2009 8:17:21 PM

It should be clear I know what the fuck I am talking about.

There's no substitute for the extra stability that you get with duals; doesn't matter if you have load range F or higher tires...when loaded down, there's a lot of sidewall flex going on with singles. You figure that each of those tires is safely load rated to 6,000 lbs...but when you have FOUR instead of TWO...you have a lot less wiggle going on there. Who the hell cares about physical size? You're a good driver; you can put it where you want it.

I can tell you this: When I was working auto parts and turning wrenches fulltime, I drove two different rollback trucks and three different wreckers. First rollback was a Super Duty with 5.14 Dana 80 rear axle...even with a dually truck on the bed or a regular vehicle on the bed and one on the wheel lift, it was rock solid and never wandered. I drove that truck for 200 miles at a stretch, and it never felt uncomfortable. Same with our wreckers. One was a '75 Chevy C30 and another was a Ford F350. The only thing that sucked about them was the short wheelbase, which made them a little more touchy at highway speeds. None of the issues at hand were even worth mentioning with our 1700 International wrecker or our GMC Top Kick LoPro rollback. Lots of wheelbase, lots of rubber on the ground, and enough suspension to handle any load we threw at them.

Until Matt gets heavier springs and/or duals on the SuperDodge, it's gonna wallow around like a pig. The springs are just too light, and there's not enough rubber on the ground in back. Believe me, having that extra sidewall back in the back makes things a lot nicer. Ride gets rough if you're not loaded, but you'll be thankful at freeway speeds when you're loaded. More tire on the ground also means better braking too. Don't forget that.

Duals make a lot of difference...I remember when I was 18 and driving garbage trucks...we also had a 1/2 ton pickup and a 3/4 ton pickup that we used to haul dumpster trailers. Sometimes the damn dumpsters were full; that can be almost 10k lbs right there. It was damn easy to get the death wobble going on with the single rear wheels and that kind of a load. On the big axle trucks, having a tandem bogey under the rear was night and day compared to a single axle.

When I lived down in Bath, we spent a lot of time hauling the boats to the boat ramp. My supervisor had a 25' center console, and his truck was a 2500 Duramax Chevy. I did ramp duty a lot, and that boat tended to have its way with the truck more than you'd think. Two wheels, too much sidewall flex, shitty weight distribution.

Yeah, gooseneck makes a lot of difference too.

10/13/2009 8:53:58 PM

if you don't mind the extra width/maneuverability issues a dually brings, then there is no reason NOT to get one. as you know, i've spent as much time if not more than anyone here towing heavy with both. it's not so much the weight capacity, a drw brings the win in stability, end of discussion. it doesn't matter how stout the suspension is on a srw, it's just not going to match a drw, ever. not to mention the whole issue of safety should you have a blow out, if you need to put a heavy load in the bed at the same time, want a slide in camper, etc.

if you want the end all be all rig, the choice is clear to me. sure, a srw will get the job done just fine... a drw brings just a little more to the table, though. throw some bags and shaved 24.5's on, and have the ultimate pimp tow rig.

[Edited on October 13, 2009 at 8:57 PM. Reason : ^exactly... beat me to it]

10/13/2009 8:55:46 PM

10/14/2009 8:27:38 AM

Quote :

"Say I buy one and the first time I load up a heavy ass rig onto my car hauler, I have to move the load 10 times just to get it to handle safely... I will be out for blood."

I my experience, a 3/4 or 1 ton SRW with a gooseneck you'll never have this problem with 12k lbs or less. Like has been said before, gooseneck vs bumper pull makes a big difference as well. My experience is w/ a SRW 3/4 ton and 20 ft GN. Most of my hauling is cars / trucks with a towed weight of 8k to 10k lbs (4800 # trailer).

A half dozen or so times has been towing 14k lbs (skid loader), and have never had handling issues. At that condition It was simply a power issue (gasser).

For me, I couldn't sacrifice the convenience of a standard footprint truck.

10/14/2009 8:55:44 AM

just get one pussy

10/14/2009 9:17:07 AM

the trouble I am having is there seem to be so few DRW trucks compared to the regulars... and then I find a good deal on a dually and its got a gas motor

10/28/2009 1:33:47 PM

^^^keep in mind that me, Jeepman, optmusprimer, and others all pass around my 32ft. bumper pull like a $2 whore. it has been and i'm sure will be in the future regularly loaded with 11-12k lbs. + trailer weight, and it's not light. a srw gets the job done, but a dually really tames it.

10/28/2009 9:32:04 PM

yeah a weight distributing hitch would be a great idea for the excursion on 24s

10/29/2009 2:49:12 PM

those are for pussies

10/30/2009 2:05:31 PM

duallies are great, I had suburban back in the day and even put duallies on it. Anyways someone mentioned getting a kodiak 5500... I just wanted to chime in and say DON'T I own a c7500 and even though my motor and tranny are the best in the world (cat + eaton=heaven) the bowtie parts of this truck (and I'd suspect the smaller kodiaks as well) SUCK. I don't think this is true of the 3500s and 2500s but the 4500s and 5500s are just the same fit and finish wise as mine, and that sucks. Ford's 450s and 550s are outstanding trucks, go with that or if you need a bowtie get the 3500 but stay out the kodiaks, there's a reason they're shutting that division down.

10/30/2009 3:36:42 PM

10/30/2009 4:10:25 PM

Re: the third pic from the bottom, we have a ton boxtruck that the box has rotted off of, can you buy a back wall for a cab? Right now the front of the box is the back of the cab. I have thought of getting a van and cutting the back off as a donor.

10/30/2009 8:05:17 PM

it has to be ordered as a chassis cab, the ones like you have are an ambulance body done by the outfitter

you would probably have better luck using the back of a pickup cab for the graft

10/30/2009 9:06:07 PM

10/31/2009 3:36:04 PM

6.5? eh

454? ehh

10/31/2009 4:13:14 PM

6.5 isnt that bad, hell it works in a H1


Keep in mind my last tow vehicle was the Escalade, so replacing it with a roll up windows, cloth bench seat truck isnt really what I am looking for

10/31/2009 5:16:19 PM

saying a 6.5 works in an h1 ANYTHING is like saying scissors work to cut your grass.

if you think you'll be out for blood over making the wrong decision on srw vs. drw, you'll be going on a nationwide killing spree the first time you hook something to that truck.

10/31/2009 9:38:04 PM

6.5 =



[Edited on October 31, 2009 at 10:33 PM. Reason : of course it'd be 8 rods, not 6]

10/31/2009 10:32:44 PM

prove it?


a lotta shit talking coming from the guy who pulled with a busted ass 454 suburban and the guy who killed the transmission on a borrowed dodge

[Edited on November 1, 2009 at 12:13 PM. Reason : if i get the 6.5 at least you lot wont be trying to borrow my rig! LOL]

11/1/2009 12:08:04 PM

prove what? would you also like us to prove the sky is blue?

Quote :

"a lotta shit talking coming from the guy who pulled with a busted ass 454 suburban and the guy who killed the transmission on a borrowed dodge"

i know, right? the 6.5 is such a piece of shit, it's even an exception to the beggars can't be choosers rule!

Quote :

"if i get the 6.5 at least you lot wont be trying to borrow my rig!"

and i guess you won't be having any need to borrow my trailer either, because it won't even pull it! lol

nah, go ahead and get one. we need some entertainment. at least you'll probably save enough $$ to do a 12v swap later.

11/1/2009 3:45:35 PM

pssshh duramax swap is more like it

11/1/2009 3:56:49 PM

call chase and ask him how his crank in his 6.5 fared. point proven.

11/1/2009 6:24:59 PM

lol

11/1/2009 7:16:27 PM

I was gonna look at 93-older cummins trucks, but thought it might hurt your feelings when I bought one with a bed on it.

11/1/2009 7:20:41 PM

i have a line on a bed, just have to work out schedules and pick it up

11/1/2009 9:47:19 PM

The worst thing about '93 and older is that the engine and axle would easily outlast the body by a factor of three or more. Bodywork is shit. Electrical system is especially shit. But god how I love the cummins.

The 6.5 isn't a bad engine IF YOU LEAVE IT STOCK. I have a friend who has a '96 dually that he uses primarily for tow duty (usually a car trailer or their travel trailer)...he loves it. It's on its second engine (he bought it like that), and he meticulously maintains it. Amsoil 12 TBN diesel oil, and the thing is NOT turned up whatsoever. Baby one and it will last a good long time. Abuse it...and it will die horribly. As far as reliability, the 6.5 is actually WORSE than the old 6.2. An interesting fact is that the 6.2 was actually built by DDA back when GM still owned them. The 6.5 has always been built in-house by Chevrolet.

The 6.5 is an engine that was designed primarily for economy, with power being factored in after the fact. Who the hell wants a Ricardo chamber engine for hard work?

11/2/2009 1:41:25 PM