What Are The Upsides & Downsides To Driving A DRW Truck?

Gentlemen, All your comments have been very interesting. Yes, my wife will not drive the Truck & TC, whether it's SRW or DRW. I think I'm pretty well sold on the Ram 3500 DRW crew Longbed diesel & Eagle Cap 1160, with some minor modifications, now to make a deal and get the best sums. Having driven commercial trucks, interstate, I am aware of solvable problems with regard to parking, but it's always good to get someone else's opinion and idea's and suggestions, there maybe something that I had not thought off. This Forum offers a wealth of great ideas & opinions. Taking my current large vehicle off road has it's hazzards, however cautious I might be. I have all my license points and stick to our state speed limits, but am not perfect. I have owned and driven many exotic vehicles, that I generally change vehicles before the tires run out, every 2-4 years. I liked the 2002 Ford F250 diesel lwb SRW, currently 2011 Chev 2500hd diesel sc lwb lb. Previously had an OKA 9 sweater 4wd with 8x6 tray & crane(www.oka4wd.com), Toyota 4wd x 2, Lotus Esprit x 2, Jensen Healy x 2, Chev 2 door 56, various other V8's & V6's, Quad Bikes & Trikes, etc., all good fun. Been to the US 5 times, so far. Many others places. Worked for my self for over 40 years. Been very lucky in life, like all of us in the Western World.
See you all in the Great Outdoors! Thank You!

Lantley, amazing that you can alter the laws of physics just by owning a DRW. I need to go out and buy one, so I can, too. :)

My wife told me tonight I don't know how to park! She said I was on the line, on here side, then I told her I was on the line on my side. 8 PM and the lot was empty does it matter :)

jimh425 wrote:
Jeff, what makes you so sure that people who don't have a DRW have never driven one?

Yes, you are more likely to get door dings. It's not your door opening that you have to worry about. A SRW can cheat against one line in a corner parking space to gain effective space on the other side. The DRW can't go over as far because the wheel/fender sticks out.

I'm happy for those of you that can't tell a difference in the spaces for where you park. That's not the case for many of us. I don't drive my truck to work now because I can only park it in a very few spaces. I can literally be blocked in by people being legally parked. The spaces are barely wide enough for a SRW if you want to stay inside the lines. Like it or not, a DRW track is wider. I would have bought a SC SB GM if I knew I was going to work where I work now, no, it would not be a DRW LB CC. :) I would have had to bail on the Ford. I bought the Ford because it was the most capable diesel that would fit where I had to park at work.

As far as length is concerned, Ford's are longer than Chevys from cab forward, and crew cabs are longer than a super cab. You don't have to like it, but that's the truth just like if the turning radius barely works for a short wb supercab, a DRW CC is going to be a major pain in the neck. Most DRWs seem to be CC. Some people have SRW CCs. Those would be the same length, but for the most part a SC isn't even an option for some DRWs.

Just because you don't have to deal with it doesn't mean it's not true.

From real experience it is much easier to back a crew cab truck into a space vs. pulling in. 9 times out of ten the cars around you have pulled in front first. In this scenario the doors of the cars around you do not line up with the hips of the dually. There is no door ding issue.
I agree that mathematically there is a point where a dually will be too wide to squeeze into or through a given area. With the exception of drive thru's and gated parking lots yo do not find these tight areas very often.
If you do its usually a simple matter of parking a bit farther away. A crew cab dually is no harder to park in real word situations than any truck its same length. I have encountered spots I cannot fit into however I have yet to come upon a scenario where I thought if only I had a SRW I could fit.
Those of us that drive a dually in the real world know duallys can be driven on a daily basis without any real heartache. Those of us that drive dually's on paper can contrive all kinds of problematic scenarios that you simply don't encounter in the real world

I have an old dually,1995 silverado ex-cab,454/410 gears,low miles.I love it,the wife wont drive it,thats a good thing.I dont really have a downside regarding drw trucks,feels stable with my lance on it,newer non duallies may have more payload,but I love my old beast,and i love driving it in the city!!

I used one as a daily driver for several years. Some HOAs won't allow them and they don't fit in a normal garage. The biggest thing for me was the day I realized I needed new tires and I got a quote.

There are always a few people who think any opinion different than their's is obviously wrong. They usually think they are the experts. The reality is they don't understand as much as they think. Sad really.

This forum is the way it should be, open conversation even if we disagree.

There used to be a private site that heavily moderated ideas. I don't know if they are still around. :)

Just Jeff wrote:
...but so far the only people saying this is ACTUALLY a consideration are folks who apparently don't drive duallies...so they don't KNOW!

That's funny. I counted SIX posts on the first page alone from dually owners who mentioned parking. This isn't rocket science here. Anyone can park a SRW truck into a tight spot and clearly see there isn't enough room for several inches more per side. My driveway is kind of narrow as it passes my house. I've often snuck by with the fender close enough to matter.

Just Jeff wrote:
They've just interpreted some numbers they read and used that to make their own decision...and then present that interpretation as fact.

Yeah, because anecdotal stories from those who spent good money on their choice of truck are always more accurate than measurable numbers.:R

I have seen a lot of erroneous or at least misleading opinions by people that don't have 1 ton dully's than I'd have believed possible.

And it's a shame... it's not what makes a good forum like the truck camper forum have a lot of readers and contributers.

Over the last 10 years there have been very few people that are always disruptive by their behavior.

Many of the oldtimers read the posts...but avoid answering except ny pm. After a while we even quit asking questions because of the disruptive behavior of a few.

I often refer others to the real experts that won't get involved in the petty efforts of a few to be disruptive.

I promise that I will always share my honest thoughts based on my real experiences... and it is what I expect from others.

I hope that others respect my efforts...

Sleepy

I brought up length and height because you cannot get a short wheelbase in a DRW and many 3/4t SRWs sit lower than 1t SRW or DRW trucks.