My truck is in the ditch!

[LD1]

So what's the consensus from those that plow snow for a living?

I wouldn't give up my dually for anything. I can move the snow when others I plow with just slip and slide.

And for all around winter driving...The log wheel base and DRW just seems like a lot more stable platform. Less likely to feel like it's gonna fishtail.

My last truck was a regular wheel base. And I loaded about 1200# in the bed. This dually of mine, with one ton in the bed, will go places in 2wd that my last truck in 4wd would not go.

Dad just recently upgraded to a dually as well after having been a 1/2-ton and 3/4 ton guy all his life. He too always heard the myths that duallies suck in snow, and would get stuck on a wet leaf in in the spring. His experience is just the opposite, and like me....Is really impressed with winter driving even in 2wd

 

[Cougsfan]

So did the 100 hp just try to drag you out? Where as the 125 hp picked your truck's butt up (adding to traction and freeing the rear diff.) to pull you out? Or was it just the fact that the 100 hp might have been 2 wd and the 125 hp was 4 wd?

I wasn't around when the 100 hp tractor tried to pull it out. We took off for a week's vacation just an hour or so after I stuck the truck (a guy has to have priorities, you know). My neighbor who's driveway it was stuck in called in guy who lives down the road with a 100 hp JD (with a snow blade on instead of it's bucket) to plow the roads when it snowed some more, and afterwards they together tried to get it out. From what I understand, he tried just pull the truck sideways back on the road without lifting it, and just dug the tractor's wheels into the ground. The JD probably would have done the job fine with a good knowledgeable operator. But it kind of spooked me when he called me and told me that a 4wd 100 hp tractor with chains on couldn't get it out. That is when I decided to start this thread.

I am not sure about the dually versus single rears argument. You will definitely sink in less with the dually's, which would make it harder to high center a rig, but because you don't sink in, your tire(s) get less bite. Probably depends on the conditions which is best. I know in mud, the dually certainly outperforms singles.

 

[GregbkH]

Glad to see that you got it out.

I have a 2016 Ram 3500 dump truck with a 9'6" v plow on the front. Total weight is about 10k. Plowing on flat ground is a breeze. However, I got stuck twice about a week ago plowing rain soaked snow on my hilly property. Neighbor who is a farmer pulled me out.

What I've learned is that I need to add weight to the back. The plow up front weighs 1000# and I should have at least twice that much in the back. The reason I had nothing in the back is because I'm still using the truck to move house hold items out of my old home. I'm going to add a big load of firewood to the bed since I have a huge supply. I can always dump it and reload it with my tractor if I have to.

 

[Egon]

They sure do. I'll take a tractor with chains on ice over a dozer any day of the week. I just had to pull a triaxle out of my driveway 2 weeks ago. The old guy wanted me to try pulling him with the dozer and I flat out refused to even consider it. The dozer weighs nearly twice as much as my 4wd tractor but with tire chains on the tractor I was able to pull him right up the icy driveway.

Weld on some ice cauk's and then try it.

Tracks do slide on rock but not near as much or as easily as on ice. Width of tracks make a big difference too. Narrow on rock or in winter. Calks in rock seem to dissapears quickly so it's just ordinary grouser's. Wide for working in soft conditions. Worn down grouser's slide more also. There are variables involved.

 

[orezok]

I would think that dually tires would hinder traction, as it is twice the flotation, so each tire only gets half the weight. You're still putting the same amount of weight to the ground, but its spread out over twice the area, so there's less pressure under each tire patch.

If that is the case, then Newtons third law is incorrect. The one that states "for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction".

Lets say that the truck has 5000# on its rear axle and the tires are inflated to 80#. If the tires have a 6" width, then the length of the contact patch will be about 5.2" or 31.25 Sq In. This not correct in the real world as the tire is a semi rigid structure and the load at the edges of the contact patch will diminish to 0 PSI increasing the actual contact patch.

Given that, if you add a second tire to the axle, the contact patch will be cut in half, but the pressure exerted will still be 80 PSI (average) over the increased area.

 

[LD1]

Quick better go tell all the farmers that are running duals.....and oversized massive tires on grain buggies to reduce field compaction, that they are wasting their time and money because all they gotta do is let some air out of the tires.

 

[RedNeckRacin]

If that is the case, then Newtons third law is incorrect. The one that states "for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction".

Lets say that the truck has 5000# on its rear axle and the tires are inflated to 80#. If the tires have a 6" width, then the length of the contact patch will be about 5.2" or 31.25 Sq In. This not correct in the real world as the tire is a semi rigid structure and the load at the edges of the contact patch will diminish to 0 PSI increasing the actual contact patch.

Given that, if you add a second tire to the axle, the contact patch will be cut in half, but the pressure exerted will still be 80 PSI (average) over the increased area.

I think you need to re-study that law. the FORCES are still equal and opposite but the FORCES are acting over a LARGER AREA.

Nice LD, We better spread the news!!

 

[LD1]

If ground pressure equals tire PSI, I wonder what foam filled/ solid tires would be? Or steel wheels? Since they have no air....is that 0 PSI ground pressure? Do they float along?

There is limited truth to tire pressure vs ground pressure. Because a tire has a carcass and sidewalls that want to retain its round shape. If we were talking about something that would deform uniformly......like a balloon.....then the theory would be true to an extent.

 

[orezok]

So you guys that go off roading in soft sand, what do you do? Lower the pressure so that the tire has a LARGER flotation area thereby keeping you floating on the top of the sand. Same with equipment with flotation or double tires, lower pressure to result in greater area and dual tires on tractors provide greater surface grip from the lugs, not tire friction.

Area and pressure are directly related but as I noted, a tire is a semi rigid structure so in a tire it's not 100% related.

 

[LD1]

It's not anywhere close to 100% related