I have both SRW and DRW in 4X4, I avoid the dually in the snow because it is slick. But load the 4000lb camper on it and it does a much better job of gripping.
One other note... you have to take into account if the camper is in
or out...
camper in my drw in no problem in snow and ice... tons of traction..
camper out and no way it will preform like a srw in snow/ice......
...
If I have to drive my dually in deep snow unloaded (to work), I will sometimes remove the outter rear wheels and she preformes like a srw...
00' F350 PSD CC DRW 4x4 Auto front reicever w/scooter rack
05' Lance 1181
Torklift Tiedowns and Super Hitch 48", Fastguns
Equal-i-zer wt dist hitch,
Firstone Riderite bags, R9000 frt/RSX9000 rear
The other thing is the transmission is geared lower than my other trucks were, making it easier to spin the tires.
The trans in the 3/4HD and the 3500 are the same whether it is the Allison of the 6 speed, no difference. I also drive a 3500 dually.
I have had duallys for years and have no problem with them. I grew up in snow country (Montana) then lived in another place for 30 years (Colorado) that gets snow once in awhile. I was in MT just last fall in the snow and never used the 4X4 in the truck. I got along just fine without it. It is true you have more tire surface so it floats more but you learn to compensate for it.
Tires, tires, tires...MHO! With or without weight? I am used to driving on snowpacked roads for 4 months a year. Many trucks and many duallies later I would agree that a dually tracks differently and when empty can bounce around more than a SRW. However, with good traction tires and even 500#s of weight you will get great traction. A lot of the perception goes to what you are used to and after awhile you get used to the width and know your rigs track. On an upside the duals can ride better on washboarded roads (when loaded) since sometimes one tire is not dropping into a rut. If you do not carry enough weight to justify a dually then do not get one. If you do carry enough weight to justify a dually then a single is never going to cut it no matter how much you try to rationalize it with arguments about ride level. I just drove to Portland and back in a snow storm both ways (400 miles of the total 1600 mile trip) never even put the rig in fourwheel going over Lookout pass with 6 inches of snow. Sure I had to drive slower due to road conditions but the weight of the TC and good tire tread gives you a lot of traction.
Timothy F. English
"Eat beef, drink Bud, drive a Chevy!"
2004 K3500 Duramax duel crewcab
Firestone Ride Rites
Hellwig front and rear anti sway bars
Rancho 9000 (quad rear)
2004 Arctic Fox B1150
1998 Custom Weld Cobra SE 20ft.
Quote: 4SEASON,
Read California's Chain Requirements! If you have a dually, even 4X4, you WILL be chaining up as the requirements are based on weight. Your SRW MAY get by more often.
I was just reading the CA tire chain requirements from the CA DOT Tire Chain Requirements and I don't see where it says anything about the dually having to chain up more because of weight. Could you please give me a site that states it. I come down that way every so often and want to make sure that I'm legal.
Butch
* This post was
edited 01/10/05 11:22am by Butch50 *
My experiance has always been with about 5000 pounds in the bed, only in snow. Since I have had my truck we have driven better than 100 miles in snow over a foot and under eighteen inches. No chains, no problems, DRW, all the wheels under power and from level to a low pass.
'01 Dodge 3500 CTD, Lance 1121, Air Bags, Rancho 9000, All Wheels Under Power When Needed, A Few Engine Mods For Increased HP
Burning Grease, 800 ft/lbs. of torque from something you throw away.
I live in Fairbanks Alaska, where we drive on snow or ice-covered roads from October through April of every year. I have a Dodge 3500 dually that I drive every day and I have never had any serious problems getting up or down the snow covered hills and mountains of Interior Alaska. I have not used a set of snow chains for at least 30 years. Granted, with a foot of loose snow with deep tire tracks, the dually will fish-tail somewhat, because you keep hitting the snow ruts pushed up by other vehicles, but that's fairly easy to control, if your paying attention even a little bit. I agree with the previous poster who noted that traction in the snow is not the deciding factor when considering a dually vs single rear wheel: if you need a dually for load carrying ability and stability, that's what you need to get, irrespective of traction issues.
Our 4x4 DRW truck does "OK" on snow-covered roads, but I don't think it handles quite as well as any of the 4x4 SRW trucks I have had in the past. On roads that are not snow-covered, however, it pulls our RV better than any of our previous SRW trucks could have and, after all, that's why I bought it!
Robert AKA: EEEEZY
You can't get us confused. I'm also "Nice", but NYYYCE is Never "Easy"!
I have to agree with heavyputer and jbrown's posts. Our unloaded, F350 4 x 4 is far inferior to a SRW on snowey surfaces. Rarely did I have to use our old Ram 2500's 4WD to get up my snowey driveway but had to use the dually's 4WD many times. There's no doubt that a camper-laden dually will have significantly more traction loaded than unloaded.
We departed San Diego, CA on Jan. 1 and drove to Colville, WA on US395 the entire trip. There was plenty of snow and ice on the road from Bishop to Colville. We made the same trip last year with 6-8 inches of fresh snow on the road between Burns and John Day Oregon. Our chain-less, stock tired dually with camper handled the conditions without inducing the "white-knuckle" syndrome. (You do need to slow down and be cautious of black-ice.)
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