Single Rear Wheels vs Dual Rear Wheels, Everyday Driving???

[Cjackg]

Sounds like a lot of folks love their DRW's. I had two Dodge RAM 3500 Cummins a few yrs ago and even pulled a Fifth Wheel to Alaska and back to Florida with one.

but driving one around town and in traffic is a whole different thing. The maneuvering and parking difficulty is bad enough, but no one has even mentioned what happens when you have to slam on the brakes with a dually with no load on the back.... With no weight back there and only the truck weight spread across four tires in the rear you may be in for a surprise to think about stopping quickly on a wet highway... even with ABS it can be shocking how an unloaded dually loses traction on a wet street...
This is all based on my experience, and is just my opinion...

After driving several of the late model SRW trucks I am impressed with how well they can handle a fifth wheel trailer and only in high winds do I notice the kind of sway that would be handled better by a dually.

 

[whp4262]

I've had to do a couple panic stops and my new dually does surprisingly well. The couple times I've done it with the new truck I think I could have taken my hands off the steering wheel. The old truck had 4 wheel ABS too but didn't track nearly as straight or stop as well as this one but the brakes are also bigger on my new truck, especially on the front.


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[Jim.Allison]

Heavier loads have been carried by lesser trucks in the past. Today we have the finest trucks in the world available to us. SRW trucks are quickly closing the gap. The overkill of a DRW truck is not necessary today. The SRW is coming on strong, I for one am not going to trade the functionality of a SRW for what little a DRW truck can offer.

 

[MTPockets]

If your total payload is within your truck labeled limit, then there is absolutely no reason to have the dual rear wheels. My observation Is that too many try to justify the SRW choice and go with it overloaded. Still your choice. I choose to stick with posted limits. (And I always observe posted speed limits) (fingers crossed)

 

[Kosanko]

Yes I park my dually in my garage with a 7' door height, not much headroom, another coat of paint and it would scrape the door seal. Width is not an issue since we have an 18' door and garage dimension is 24X26. I can walk the whole way around the truck with the door closed.

 

[Bob&Patty]

Here's my take on this. Last truck was C/C LB SRW. New truck C/C LB DRW. Both the same length. So parking in spots designed for "tuna cans" was out. As for the 1/4 fenders on a DRW....if the mirrors go through the spot..then the 1/4 fenders will too. Garage parking. My LB is 19' long...might fit in the garage..maybe not. Height maybe...never tried it. Width same as SRW at the mirrors. If a Suburban will fit in your garage...then your S/B DRW will. Maybe you can borrow someones truck and try it. Just watch the marker lites on the roof so you don't remove them. BTW, if you have the old style wood garage doors, I don't think it will clear.

 

[Bohemian]

For our purposes, the garage is not a factor. We will be full timing. Dealing with a garage will e much later.

 

[Jim.Allison]

Ditto; I don't think the 2014 3500 Ram crew cab is overloaded in the SRW. I dont know about the other two.

If your total payload is within your truck labeled limit, then there is absolutely no reason to have the dual rear wheels. My observation Is that too many try to justify the SRW choice and go with it overloaded. Still your choice. I choose to stick with posted limits. (And I always observe posted speed limits) (fingers crossed)

 

[sstdusty]

Just my opinion, but as a owner of a 2011 DRW Ram and a 2014 SRW 3500 short bed Ram, the 14 is way easier to drive, park, and go through a drive thru. The 14 has a higher towing rating. But I use my 11 to pull my Bighorn because of the stability the 4 tires out back give me. If I was forced to get rid of one of my trucks and taking everything into account. Like how much I drive my trucks, daily vs only when needed, fuel mileage, how often I have something "hooked" to it vs empty and the fact the wife isn't crazy about the dually (but will drive it it loaded) the dually would have to go. And yes my trucks live inside. But I don't like leaving things outside in the weather.

 

[Bohemian]

The difference is

Ram 3500 Longhorn CC 4x4 6.5' Bed 3.41 axle SRW: 3,740 lbs payload

Ram 3500 Longhorn CC 4x4 Long Bed 3.41 axle SRW: 4,100 lbs payload

Ram 3500 Longhorn CC 4x4 Long Bed 3.41 axle DRW: 5,430 lbs payload

Both have about the same tow capability

Higher ratio axles available on the DRW increase tow capability, not payload