[emoji637] ton Ram-single vs dual wheel?

[deerefan]

I am torn here- never owned a dually, have heard they can be bit troublesome to park and navigate around tight spaces. This will be our tow vehicle, towing anywhere from 8k to 20k lbs. Other than some stability, what am I losing going with single wheel over dually?

 

[4570Man]

A dually tows substantially better and hauls a lot more payload on the bed. I’ve had both and a dually is considerably more stable against swaying. I don’t think the width of a dually is any real difference to park. You need a lot more room to open the door and get out than what the wider bed takes up. The turning radius of the newer coil spring trucks is substantially better than the older leaf spring Fords.

 

[Hay Dude]

You’ll get used to the dually really fast.
They are remarkably more stable and safer for towing and pin weight load bearing.
Let me know when you see a SRW that can do this:
Over 18 tons in tow behind my Ram.

 

[jyoutz]

A duelly is far better for towing and hauling uses. But not so good in the mud and snow.

 

[deserteagle71]

I have one of both and do not find the dually to be any more of a problem than the SRW. Actually I find the length (both crew cab long beds) to be more of a problem than the width. Remember - the mirrors are the widest part of the truck and the edges of the mirrors are the same width apart on a SRW and DRW truck. If the mirrors fit then the wide hips of the dually will fit also.

There is no comparison as far as stability. Those extra two wheels on the back make a huge difference, whether towing a heavy load or hauling a heavy cabover camper.

Yes, I do take my dually on dirt roads!

 

[Hay Dude]

I am torn here- never owned a dually, have heard they can be bit troublesome to park and navigate around tight spaces. This will be our tow vehicle, towing anywhere from 8k to 20k lbs. Other than some stability, what am I losing going with single wheel over dually?

I would say if you are using the truck to tow heavy and frequently, go with the DRW. If you are towing moderately or occasionally, go with the SRW.
Not something you want to think about, but in the unfortunate event of a blown rear tire, the DRW gives you a chance to survive long enough to pull over.

 

[LittleBittyBigJohn]

I just have a 3/4 ton. I haul around 10,000# on a regular basis, and have hauled up to somewhere between 14,000 and 15,000 on rare occasions. I can tell you with 100% certainty that if I hauled any more weight than that 10,000 on any kind of regular interval I would have a DRW 1 ton. My friend let me haul a lighter load, probably 7,000-8,000 lbs with his dually on a 250 mile out and back trip. It was a very noticeable difference. Not as much difference as 1/2 ton to 3/4 ton though.

I'm not sure how much squat would be different on a 1 ton SRW vs DRW. In my 3/4 ton I have to be a lot more careful of tongue weight than the guys with the DRW trucks. But, that is not the only difference by far. In my experience my SRW truck requires more active driving than the DRW truck. Meaning, the SRW seems to "wander" a little bit more on the road, where the DRW seemed to hold a line without much input at all, again not massive but definitely noticeable. Also there is a lot less movement when taking turns and curves. The SRW seems to have less lateral "hold" and the trailer can feel like it pushes the rear of the truck side to side. Not sliding the tires on the road, but flexing the sidewalls quite a bit side to side like if you were to try to balance on a beachball. That was noticeably less with the DRW.

As for tight spaces, I don't think the difference is that great. they are both going to be large, long trucks. With either one you aren't going to park up close to the store in a crowded lot.

 

[deerefan]

Thanks guys. This is exactly the input I was looking for. We will probably go with a Ram as we have owned a couple and are most familiar with them. What I am finding surprising is the prices of the srw vs dually is very close, talking maybe a few hundred apart.

 

[dieselscout80]

If you have high center of gravity loads think slid in camp / hay bales stack high say 5 or more tiers then a dually is a big difference.

Also especially if you have a rear tire blow.

 

[QRTRHRS]

In the Dodge Ram line up, is the width for a cab and chassis version slightly narrower than for a one with the regular body? If I understand their specs correctly, it can also vary moving up to the 5500/6500 models?

There are some pretty nice hauler beds or even flatbeds available such as the Eby that I had way back when I had a 97' Ram.

What's your take Hay Dude?