Do I REALLY need a dually?

"Finally a big guy in a big truck" :B :B
Somehow I noticed different trend common.
Smaller the girl, bigger truck she will drive.

One day I went to Lowes in my F350 diesel crew cab dually and as I was getting out the guy in the next space looked and said "Finally a big guy in a big truck" I felt sooooo coool. At 6'9" 320 lb I decided when I retired I would get something I really fit in. I was tired of folding myself into most cars and trucks.
This has nothing to do with how you decide on what to get but I sure like my big dually and find I can park it most anywhere I want to go.

You can go with a SRW or DRW, but the DRW will give you more choices in what camper you can carry. Both have about the same actual axle rating, but the DRW has OEM tire ratings that allow it to carry more.

A SRW will do better in adverse terrain conditions than a DRW. The DRW will pack mud or snow between the dual rear tires and reduce traction. The wide footprint and flotation of a DRW give it a slight advantage in sand. If you have either truck with 19.5" wheels, flotation (sand) will poor but other terrain is not a problem.

Many people will sing the praises of wide hips resulting in better stability, but I will argue that it has more to do with less stressed sidewalls (you now have twice as many rear tires) and heavier spring rate than the wider footprint. My 3/4t truck with 19.5's and some suspension help was very stable carrying a 4000 lb camper. My 1-1/2t truck does this without modification, but I'm at half my payload capacity until I upgrade my camper.

I bought my truck before I was settled on the type of camper I wanted. I finally settled on getting a truck camper, I went as heavy as I felt I could with my truck. 30k-40k loaded miles later I am not sure I could have made a better choice for me. See signature.

I did not read the responses, the answer in my opinion is once you have the camper you can make a better choice! Regardless your choice my opinion is, if you plan on doing this for a while a dually will make you happier! Your prepared for most any camper upgrade you want and the stability is huge.

But NO depending the camper you choose it may not be needed. SRW pending the model and configurations have some formedal payload capacities.

A dually isn't isn't any wider than the camper is so width is a moot point.
It's a whole other discussion, but the posted weights of campers are ALWAYS a lot lighter than the actual scale weight when you get it on your truck.
You don't "need" a dually but I've had numerous truck & camper combos for almost 30 years and after going to dually trucks, I can tell you I'd never go back. They drive and handle with campers on SO much better!

bobbolotune wrote:


I am still unclear from this and other responses. Will I be able to park a dully (regular cab, long bed) at the grocery store? Can you park it in a crowded parking lot? Will it fit into a single space, or will I need to for example find two spaces together, which means if the lot is near full out of luck.

I definitely want a dully for the safety aspect, but am concerned about parking the extra width in a typical narrow parking space. Any advice about parking?

Like I wrote before, the width was never an issue for my dually parking.
Even the rear wheels take space from line to line, the cabin is narrower and gives space for opening the door.
My truck is extended wheelbase super cab and often I am looking for spot where I can back up over landscape to avoid the sticking out.
Still when I have cars on both sides it can make 8-point turning, but manageable.

For parking, it depends on your area. In my area of the country, I usually have to take more than one space. In my case, the length of my Crewcab doesn't fit either compared to my old Supercab. Finally, height is also a consideration in parking garages. The wheel width also doesn't fit in drive through so, but my solution is don't drive through.

Look up the height, length and width of the trucks you are interested in and then go measure where you want to go. I'm only able to get by with a DRW because my truck isn't a daily driver any more.

As a general rule, yes, you will be able to park at the grocery store! It will be much easier to park farther out where you can do a "pull through" with open spaces on either side, rather than trying to pull into that primo spot up close to the store. By no means are you excluded from parking most places. You simply have to compensate for the wider truck.

I just took my DRW truck to work yesterday. It fit everywhere I took it, no problem.

Most parking spots are plenty wide enough for the DRW, though they do vary. Use common sense and good judgement.

DutchmenSport wrote:
I've been driving dully's for many years now and do not have problems with parking spaces. But, I do have to plan it out a little, and make compromises.... My dully has never prevented me from going anywhere. But, I do have be a bit creative when parking, and willing to walk a little.

I am still unclear from this and other responses. Will I be able to park a dully (regular cab, long bed) at the grocery store? Can you park it in a crowded parking lot? Will it fit into a single space, or will I need to for example find two spaces together, which means if the lot is near full out of luck.

I definitely want a dully for the safety aspect, but am concerned about parking the extra width in a typical narrow parking space. Any advice about parking?