Originally Posted by kowbra
First, welcome to the forum!
Next, I think you've gotten some great advice to build on here. I like when folks share their scale numbers so we can all see what real world results look like.
Here is an interesting thing I wanted to make sure you noticed... in the scale tickets posted by MikeandDebbie, if your trailer weighs similar to theirs, you will be about 900lbs overweight (the difference between their truck scale weight and your trucks GVWR). However, their truck weighs about 900lbs more than yours does, so you actually may be within your weight limits.
EDIT: I read the ticket wrong... you would be about 1500lbs overweight towing their rig, but would gain almost 900lbs back due to lighter weight truck. In this case, still overweight, but depending on the trailer model and how you load it, the weights will vary and you could be close.
I share this because, to me, it is really interesting to compare a 2500 class truck with a dually and find that the 2500 truck may work for the weights. There are those who will say (and did say on this thread) that you need a dually. And, there are some advantages to a dually. But there are also disadvantages...
DISADVANTAGES of a dually:
-stopping distance. Even though many would praise the extra rubber for stopping, it actually can have the opposite affect. Less tire contact of the extra rubber of a dually means less ground pressure. This means that a dually has slight less grip compared to single wheels. (ask anyone who lives in snow country about how well an empty dually works in snow). Duallies are especially worse during sudden stops when empty, as the rear wheels will not have very much grip due to the low weight and high amount of contact patch.
-related to above - hydroplaning. A little discussed danger of DRW trucks is that they are more susceptible to hydroplaning. This is due to the rear wheels not tracking in the same path as the front wheels, as well as the lower ground pressure.
-BTW, if stopping distance is important to you; get disc brakes on your camper. Night and day difference. A SRW truck with a trailer that has disc brakes will stop far shorter than a dually with a trailer and drum brakes.
-driving everywhere else when not towing. A dually is a complete non-starter for my wife. I've had several work duallies in the past so my wife knows them. She will not drive a dually, period, and we stay in our Montana for about 5 months of the year where our truck is our only vehicle.
-costs. You will have 50% more tire drag and likely ~50% more cost to replace tires.
ADVANTAGES of a dually:
-if you are overloaded on a SRW truck, especially the rear tires or rear axle, then you need the dually.
-sway; the extra rubber and extra width will reduce the sway, especially in high cross winds. However, our new Montana tracks so well that it has not been an issue at all with our 3500 SRW truck. (I had an older 5th wheel on an older RAM dually (90s models of both); the sway of that combo in the mountains was scary at times and my new single wheel rig is far more stable). Would a new RAM 3500 dually be more stable, at times? For sure, but this is the most stable RV rig I've had so the difference is not enough... for me.
My summary? When you really need a dually to carry the load, then you need one. But there are also disadvantages to dually trucks, so if the numbers work with a single wheel truck, they can be very viable options.
So, if you do decide to purchase the Montana, it would be good to check the weights and see where you end up. In your case, you have a very high GVWR for a 2500 class truck and you may actually be able to make it work.
Brad
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