How important is 4WD on a duallie?

[RobertN]

I go hunting ect where I use 4wd in my SRW pickup. Otherwise, I might ask the same question.

But, I have had a couple occasions where I had to rescue friends. All were the same. 2wd pickup, tiny slope or slightly off camber, usually pointed slightly down hill. Wet grass. Absolutely no traction. They did not dig in, they just spun on the slippery wet grass. After I tugged them forward, you could barely even tell they had been there. This from a few different occasions, with SRW and Dually's.

It ws just amazing how immobilized they were, on the slightest of slope, without 4wd.

 

[newbury]

Skip the dually and get a SRW F-350. Mine is rated to tow just over 16,000#

All the Ford 2002's and 2003's 7.3's are rated at 12.5K.
I'm still leery of later Ford diesels - combo of newer is more $$ and not as reliable engines.

I want the dually also for trailer stability. But looking at some newer payload specs, 'cuz I can't find the old ones easily, the DRW run about 6,000lb payload and the SRW run around 4,000 lbs. That's a ton of bricks.

One red oak log 3' DBH by 8' long weighs about 2,500lbs. Wet trees are heavy.

But from the feedback it sounds like my quest for 4x4 (or is it 6 wheel/tire?) drive will continue and will be worth it. And I do plan on carrying a winch, and when possible a wench (as in country lass) to run the winch.

 

[schoolsout]

I don't know where you guys are getting the 16,000 unless you are talking GCVWR. the 12,000 the OP is talking about is GVWR. My 08 F-350 SRW GVWR is 11,500. I was looking at a 2010 Dodge Dually it has a GVWR of 12,200. There are no one tons with GVWR's of 16k. I don't even think a F-550 is rated that high.

I would be cautious getting anything with a GVWR over 12k because if you hook up to a 14k trailer which are common you all of a sudden are over 26k and need a CDL and all the joys that go along with that. GVWR exactly at 12k and 14k trailer you are ok, but get a 12,200 GVWR truck then you open up a can of worms. Honestly I have no idea why Dodge rates their truck this way as I was considering one but not any more.

Unless you are hauling big goosenecks all the time I would not worry about a dually. The suck in the mud and snow and you have more tires to buy. A F-350 single wheel will haul pretty much anything you want.

4x4 is a must on any truck unless you NEVER leave pavement. Diesel trucks are heavy in the front and get stuck really easy in 2WD. Years ago I had a 2WD F-350. I backed up into a buddies yard to help him move a piano. The grass was wet. The tires just spun and I was stuck in his front yard.

F550 is 19,500 GVWR

As for CDL, as long as the truck is under CDL (26k) and not a primary use as tow vehicle (set up like a tractor with no bed), you shouldn't have to worry about a CDL. That said, ask 10 different DOT/Transport Police people and you'll likely get 11 different answers...

 

[grsthegreat]

I don't know where you guys are getting the 16,000 unless you are talking GCVWR. the 12,000 the OP is talking about is GVWR. My 08 F-350 SRW GVWR is 11,500. I was looking at a 2010 Dodge Dually it has a GVWR of 12,200. There are no one tons with GVWR's of 16k. I don't even think a F-550 is rated that high.

I would be cautious getting anything with a GVWR over 12k because if you hook up to a 14k trailer which are common you all of a sudden are over 26k and need a CDL and all the joys that go along with that. GVWR exactly at 12k and 14k trailer you are ok, but get a 12,200 GVWR truck then you open up a can of worms. Honestly I have no idea why Dodge rates their truck this way as I was considering one but not any more.

Unless you are hauling big goosenecks all the time I would not worry about a dually. The suck in the mud and snow and you have more tires to buy. A F-350 single wheel will haul pretty much anything you want.

4x4 is a must on any truck unless you NEVER leave pavement. Diesel trucks are heavy in the front and get stuck really easy in 2WD. Years ago I had a 2WD F-350. I backed up into a buddies yard to help him move a piano. The grass was wet. The tires just spun and I was stuck in his front yard.

i know it sounds nuts, but here is Fords own data

2012 Ford Super Duty | View Towing Specifications | Ford.com

Conventional Towing - Maximum Loaded Trailer Weight Ratings (lbs.)
5TH Wheel Towing - Maximum Loaded Trailer Weight Ratings (lbs.)

 

[newbury]

I don't know where you guys are getting the 16,000 unless you are talking GCVWR. the 12,000 the OP is talking about is GVWR.

No the OP (me) is talking about TOW capacity. As in rated tow capacity. GVWR is what's in and on the truck. Tow capacity is a number the mfg pulls out of their ask me where but is what the LEO can refer to and say you are running over capacity.

The 2012 Ford diesel F350 DRW w 3.73 shows a rated tow capacity at 17,500lbs w/ a 30,000lb GCVWR. 2012 Ford Super Duty | View Towing Specifications | Ford.com

The 2012 Dodge 3500 6.7L Cumminsｮ Turbo Diesel I6 w/
6-Speed Automatic Transmission is rated at 22,750lbs w/ a GCVWR of 30,100lbs. Ram Trucks - Towing & Payload

 

[JESSE1]

A Ford F-450 pickup comes with diesel, 4x4 and 4.30 axle ratio and is rated 33,000# GCWR. Also comes with the wide track front axle for very tight turns.

 

[George2615]

Most all 1 ton trucks whether dually or not can easily tow 12,000 lb. today.

The question of whether you need it in 4x4 configuration depends on how bad your winters get (snow and ice), how steep and slippery is that boat launch, even on wet grass a 2 WD can easily lose traction .
Where I live, a 2 WD truck is only marginal in winter if it has a locking or limited slip rear and plenty of weight in back. If it has an open rear a 2 WD truck isn't going to go far on snow or ice. If it is mainly used in the southern states you probably don't need 4x4.

 

[jeffsw6]

The reason I need 4x4 is simple: parking in just the right spot. One place where I work every week all summer, I have to back the trailer up a grassy hill. If it has been raining, 2wd doesn't do the job. If I can't push the trailer up that hill in reverse I would have to push all my equipment up it on casters/dolly. No thanks!

A couple years back, I was helping a friend who does similar work to me. He had this job at a home, and parked his truck/trailer in their yard, at the bottom of a very steep hill. I thought it was a bad idea since it was supposed to rain, but you can't tell some people anything. So it rains a bunch, buddy digs his 2WD truck in so deep trying to yank that trailer out of the grass that the truck couldn't even move itself with the trailer unhooked. Customer's yard didn't look too good by this time. So we get a tow strap and pull his truck out from the street, and then I just took my 4x4 truck down there and that trailer came right out and up the hill without a hint of trouble, and not a single mark on the lawn (other than the huge ruts my buddy already dug.)

Even if I knew I would never have to drive in snow or ice, I would still buy 4x4 so I can pull trailers across wet grass without tearing things up.

 

[wolfpack2]

You can find older Ford Trailer Tow guides here:

https://www.fleet.ford.com/showroom/rv_trailer_towing/default.asp

The 2002 F350 7.3L DWR 4x4 was only rated to tow 12,400 - 12,900 depending on cab. It is actually rated to tow less than the SRW as both have a 20,000 GCWR and the dually is heavier which leaves less for the trailer.

 

[bearcreek paul]

Go with the 4 wheel drive it's worth it.I brought home a silverado 4 dr long bed 1 ton to show the wife,was already to buy it until I got stuck in my driveway.