Why a 1 ton dually?

[DaveK]

Agree about one ton trucks, but it doesn't necessarily need to be a dually. Keep in mind that the "truck" does NOT stop the RV. The RV has brakes and we must know how to operate them.

[Cat320]

When deciding on a 250/350...2500/3500 the most important item is the cargo capacity, not the towing capacity. Most diesels of any size can "tow" any Montana....the weak link is the 250/2500 series is over weight with the heavy pin weight.

[dfb]

Most SRW trucks towing a large 5th wheel will be over GVWR and RAWR... this is the Reason for the Dually... The 3/4 tons will be over.. The 1 tons will be close.. We were over 200 to 400 lbs..

[R.S.O'Donnell]

I'm not weighing in on dually or no dually. Whatever works number wise is all anyone actually needs.

That being said..... We have two close personal friends (married couple) that are retired lawyers. They will tell you that towing overweight (knowingly or not) is just asking for trouble. Especially if you hurt or kill somebody in an accident. It's just not worth the risk.

I found this in about 30 seconds:

If you tow beyond the manufacturer’s limits you are treading on very thin legal ice. Understanding your responsibilities differences is critical if you intend to tow in a safe and prudent manner. Towing beyond any vehicle’s manufacturer’s weight ratings-or without regard to the properly equipped limitations a vehicle’s manufacturer places on the towing vehicle relates directly to the law of negligence and places may expose you to liability.

https://wolflawnj.com/2013/04/towing...rweight-loads/

[dfb]

Just happened. 2 people killed. A guy took an F-350 with a tow rating of 21000 and tried to pull a boat from Tahoe to Carson City. The Boat trailer had 12 tires back to back. The Boat and trailer were 33000 lbs. I believe they are going for man slaughter. Look up Boat and truck accident at bottom of Spooner summit. Now this is not a few hundred lbs over but 12000 over..

[432bartman]

Originally Posted by dfb

I lived in snow country. More tire surface area equated to less pounds per inch on the snows surface.. Wider tires slipped alot more than a narrower tire did.the trailers brakes were suppose to help stop the trailer not the truck's brakes. Our exhaust brakes along with the trailer brakes and truck brakes work together That trailer weighs more than the truck. Truck has a gvwr of 14k.. so the trailer is loading that safety margin another 5 to 6000 pounds more..

Snow and ice is different than asphalt as well as trailer vs. the tow vehicle, and tread design of the tire is a whole other topic. A lot of variables.

[PSFORD99]

Originally Posted by CADman_KS

I think that the major 3 three now have exhaust brakes on all diesel models, regardless of SRW or DRW. And the Ford and Chevy now have some killer transmissions with the 10 speeds in there. Our Chevy 3500 SRW in tow-haul mode, with the exhaust brake on, does a really nice job of slowing you down before you ever hit the brake pedal.

The amount of power that these news trucks make is just stupid...

If you have ever towed with a CUMMINS you would really know how well an EB works .

[jwengermt]

We tow with our 2500HD Chevy. Our 2006 Montana grosses out at around 12,500. The truck is very adequate for that amount of weight and have had to shut it down quickly a couple of times with no problem. That being said, if I were to replace my truck, i would definitely go with a 3500. I'm on the fence as to whether i want to change to diesel or not. If i changed to a heavier trailer would probably go to diesel. Comments here are excellent. Thanks to all.

[dfb]

Originally Posted by jwengermt

We tow with our 2500HD Chevy. Our 2006 Montana grosses out at around 12,500. The truck is very adequate for that amount of weight and have had to shut it down quickly a couple of times with no problem. That being said, if I were to replace my truck, i would definitely go with a 3500. I'm on the fence as to whether i want to change to diesel or not. If i changed to a heavier trailer would probably go to diesel. Comments here are excellent. Thanks to all.

We love our diesel. However, they are extremely expensive now. Kbb value on our 17 is about 10k more than we paid for it. We have a 3500 dually. Longhorn.. it's like a luxury car inside.Good luck if you do get another truck..

[dfb]

In trying g to find " does a dually stop faster" than a srw truck I found this. When stopping you want more psi on the ground. A dually distributes the weight between two tires. So this is less pressure pushing down on the pavement.

[kowbra]

Originally Posted by dfb

In trying g to find " does a dually stop faster" than a srw truck I found this. When stopping you want more psi on the ground. A dually distributes the weight between two tires. So this is less pressure pushing down on the pavement.

As commented, on dry pavement "usually" the extra tire contact patch is a good thing. However, that is not an advantage in all situations. Ice and snow are different, but actually the most dangerous negative is that of hydroplaning. A dually is more likely to hydroplane in the rear due to that wider contact patch, and that there are 2 wheels outside of the track of the front wheels.

But, while we are on the subject of braking, by far the best thing to do is to upgrade to disc brakes. With our 3790 with the Legacy package and factory disc brakes, along with a SRW 3500 RAM with the Cummins engine brake, I have absolutely the best braking performance that I can remember with any rig I've driven. And, I've driven over a million miles in my lifetime, mostly commercial trucking when I was younger, but also lots of miles with goosenecks behind pickups.

My advice is always, buy the right truck for the job, but be careful thinking that bigger is always better.

hth,
Brad

[dfb]

I'd like to switch to disc on our Montana. As far as braking, really do need trailers brakes working..

[dfb]

Originally Posted by DutchmenSport

Invariably, there is someone who makes a post on this, and other RV related forums, asking the question, "Can my truck tow (this) or (that)?"

And what follows is a discussion that often leaves the original poster frustrated because he is not accepting the answers to justify his under-par vehicle for the trailer in question.

And all too often, such bull-headedness results in a post 3 months later stating, "I just purchased a heftier tow vehicle." Often times, these posts are made by folks wanting a "daily driver" more than a tow vehicle.

I have repeatedly made this statement:

“You really need to think in terms of what is the ultimate extreme usage you'll be experiencing with your tow vehicle, not what is the lightest usage and hope it's OK when the extreme happens."

Well, the extreme happened to me last week, and these words kept echoing through my mind which made me glad, and thankful, I bit the bullet on the cost of a dually, the cost of diligent upkeep, and the cost of simple operation.

We left Central Indiana, Friday Sept 17 for a KOA South of Chicago where we spent the first night of our current journey. The second night (Saturday night) we stayed at another KOA in Wisconsin. By now we were over 400 miles from home.

When we pulled out Sunday morning, we hadn't traveled more than 3 miles when I realized there were no trailer brakes. Of course my wife and I had a very diligent and serious discussion about how to handle the problem. I decided to keep driving the additional 250 (plus) miles to make it to Baraga State Park in Michigan .... without trailer brakes.

This was Sunday and we had a week long reservation for this State Park. Rather than going to another campground for an indefinite length of time to get the truck repairs was, well, ... simply not an option.

Three things were now in our favor.... first ... I know my trailer. Second I know my truck. Third, I know my driving skills.

Yes, the front tires of the truck skidded a couple times when I attempted to stop too hard and too fast. Under normal conditions with trailer brakes, a second incident would have not been an incident at all, but a stop light turned red faster than expected causing another squeel from the tires. But all was well.

I must attribute the successful arrival at Baraga, Michigan on my truck. A smaller, lighter, 4 wheeled vehicle could have never extremely challeng to brake for truck and 14,000 pound trailer in tow. Careful driving, slowing down far, far ahead of turns, stops, and exchanges paid off, making the actual "braking" a very short distance. I know drivers behind me were probably annoyed. But one thing I noticed about Michigan .... folks here are really nice! No one honked at me, gave me the middle finger, cut me off in a rage, or yelled obscenities at me when they passed. .... Dang, I wish people in Indiana were this nice.

So, we got the trailer parked at the State Park and Monday morning we found a GM dealership that could service the truck. The appointment was Thursday at 8:00 am and we had to get out of bed at 5:00 am to make the drive. All worked out well.

It turned out to be the trailer brake relay that's located near the rear axle. I'm glad it wasn't the integrated brake controller, or something worse. $280 and 1 and 1/2 hours after we arrived, we were on our way back to Baraga.

We leave Baraga on Sunday for Wilderness State Park in Michigan on Sunday for our second week.

So, in this case .... bigger is better. Bigger paid off. Bigger got the job done. Bigger proved to the right choice in 2014 when we purchased the truck!

I share this ramble with everyone to seriously consider, how would you handle your trailer if it lost all brakes and you were a few hundred miles from home. Hopefully, your tow vehicle is hefty enough to brake for both truck and trailer, and hopefully your driving skills will proved to be excellent!

If the trailer brakes go out, STOP.. I HAVE TOwed ovER the sierra nevadas. NO TRAILER BRAKES WILL GEt YOU OVERHEATED TRUCK BRAKES AND NO STOPPING AT ALL. WITH A STICK SHIFT TRUCK AND NO EXHAUST BRAKE WILL ALSO RESULT IN OVER HEATED SMOKING BRAKES THAT WILL RESULT IN A NO STOP CONDITION.. ASk me HOW I KNOW.

[bshgto]

Originally Posted by dfb

If the trailer brakes go out, STOP.. I HAVE TOwed ovER the sierra nevadas. NO TRAILER BRAKES WILL GEt YOU OVERHEATED TRUCK BRAKES AND NO STOPPING AT ALL. WITH A STICK SHIFT TRUCK AND NO EXHAUST BRAKE WILL ALSO RESULT IN OVER HEATED SMOKING BRAKES THAT WILL RESULT IN A NO STOP CONDITION.. ASk me HOW I KNOW.

I`ll pass on that