Hello, I am in the process of buying a new TV. I was going to buy a Dually and have it as a tow only truck, but having 3 trucks is kinda silly for me. I have a 2009 Silverado 1500, and my wife has a 2011 Yukon XL Denali. So I was going to trade my truck for a 3/4 ton D/A Denali or Sierra/Silverado. We plan on buying a Fuzion 315 sometime in the next year or two. Now without the weight police please and the 'Don't do its' I would like some REAL WORLD INFO from people that have TOWED WITH THIS SETUP before. Not speculation, but ACTUAL experience. We camp mostly in a 1 to 3 hour trip from home, in Wisconsin. Someday we might take a trip to Florida, or some other destination that has approx. 1,000 to 1,500 miles one way. What have been your experiences? Did you up-grade to the dually after a close call, or do you still pull with the 3/4 ton? I have been looking hard at the trailers I see, and it seems like very few are being pulled by dually's. I know that does not make it right, I am experienced in bumper pulling a TT that is too much for the TV, and it is not fun, but I know 5ers are a different beast all in all.
So thank you for your input, and please no bashing of the idea, I have read every other post here and it seems to happen, but I see so few posts by the actually 3/4 ton owners, and that is why I am asking this question.
2014 Coachman 320BHDS on order
2006 Cummins CC Dually 6 Spd
2011 Evergreen Everlite 33QB
Sold:
1996 Palomino Philly Pop-Up
2004 Kodiak 215 Hybrid
Probably not enough payload in 3/4 ton diesel. Spend the $600 for the SRW 1-ton minimum.
My friend towed 14k pound loaded 5er barely under all his ratings with a 2003 3/4 ton for 2 years. Got a dually now and is amazed at the difference in stability.
* This post was
edited 08/08/12 02:28pm by APT *
A & A parents of DD 2005, DS1 2007, DS2 2009 2011 Suburban 2500 6.0L 3.73 pulling 2011 Heartland North Trail 28BRS 2012 VW Passat TDI
The truck will pull for sure. Spring pack and footprint is the difference. GM says you can pull a couple thousand pounds more with the dually, lots of singles pulling heavy however.
Lord, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to hide the bodies of those people I had to kill because they pissed me off.
Real World experience here.... 3/4 ton 4X4 SRW Chevy Silverado towing a 37ft 5th wheel 13,000 lb. Got rid of it after a few trips and changed to a 1 ton dually crewcab. Much happier towing experience.
The 3/4 ton would pull the 5th wheel about the same as the dually. The dually felt more stable towing in wind and on winding roads. The main difference was in stopping or going downhill. It was scary trying to stop when towing with the 3/4 ton. I had to leave lots of room to make sure I could stop.
Downhill was always in first gear and lots of braking to keep from over revving. Any other gear and I would lose brakes. The dually was a little bit better and I could use 2nd gear on grades less than 6%.
Now I have my dream tow vehicle and enjoy my trips...no worries. Chevy C4500 MDT Kodiak,dually,crewcab with Duramax diesel and Allison trans with exhaust brake. It's nirvana...
Not the same setup, but I started out with a 34' pull behind Toyhauler and an 04 F250. The 250 COULD do it, but it didn't feel like there was much left. Plus everytime a rig passed me, I scurried to the shoulder so I could get ready for the sway that was coming. After about 6 months, and half a dozen trips, I upgraded to a 00 F350 dually. I felt SO much more relaxed because the truck could handle everything much better (I was no longer white knuckling the drive) I really enjoy the extra stability the dually gives me.
I know you dont want the weight police response, but your rig is just a little smaller than my Voltage, and I upgraded to an F450 so that I could safely tow it. Hindsight being 20/20, I could probably have towed it just fine with the F350, but again, I feel safer with the 450.
Why does adding two wheels, a good margin of safety, and a buch of capacity make something unusable during day today activities? If your 3/4 will fit then the dually will fit. (use the mirror rule, if your side view mirrors fit then the dually will fit.)
My dad tows a 14k fiver with a 3/4 ton dodge. He has survived just fine but is currently looking for a dually now.
Enjoy the search but please get the right tool for the job. Remember a hd truck does a fine job doing normal truck stuff like hardware store runs, groceries etc. however, unlike a less capable truck it can handle the job when called on.
Whatever you decide just stay under capacity and you will be fine.
TT: 1995 Layton 2910
Tow Vehicle: 1999 F-350, v10, 2wd, Crew Cab, Dually
Hitch: Draw-Tite Trunnion WD Hitch
Sway Control: Valley dual friction sway control
Brake Control: Tekonsha Voyager
"It's Kind of Fun To Do The Impossible"
~Walt Disney~
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