Dually in the snow?
- Thread starter Blk88GT
- Start date
I think you'll be fine. I have spent tons of miles in the snow with a dually and never really gave it a second thought or wished that it was a SRW in snow. One other item to consider though is freezing rain/ice. Just in terms of physics, wide or 2 more tires on ice, you might be giving something up in going to a dually. But realistically, I doubt that it matters that much. I would definately make sure that it is a 4x4 though.
I think the benefits of a dually with a sled deck outweigh any drawbacks.
Honestly, the only reason I dont have a dually now is that it is a dually all the time! You know, parking at the mall, going through a car wash, drive through, etc... All the times that you DONT want a dually.
But would I take one for towing/hauling? Hell Yeah!
Maybe they can make one with retractable wheels and wheel wells... Like a Transformer...
I think the benefits of a dually with a sled deck outweigh any drawbacks.
Honestly, the only reason I dont have a dually now is that it is a dually all the time! You know, parking at the mall, going through a car wash, drive through, etc... All the times that you DONT want a dually.
But would I take one for towing/hauling? Hell Yeah!
Maybe they can make one with retractable wheels and wheel wells... Like a Transformer...
Dually's
From what I have seen they don't work very well. I grew up hanging out and of course helping out on a ranch here in Wyoming. My friend would always get nice new 1 ton every year and he always got the dually set up. They never did worth a crapp in the snow. Watching them in the snow they seem to try to lift in the air do to snow packing in between the duallys. Once it started to lift it would spin. This seem to be a constant no mater what brand it was. He was also tearing the dually fenders off all the time.
From what I have seen they don't work very well. I grew up hanging out and of course helping out on a ranch here in Wyoming. My friend would always get nice new 1 ton every year and he always got the dually set up. They never did worth a crapp in the snow. Watching them in the snow they seem to try to lift in the air do to snow packing in between the duallys. Once it started to lift it would spin. This seem to be a constant no mater what brand it was. He was also tearing the dually fenders off all the time.
Run a F-450 bucket truck at work at it sucks in snow. It's a 2 wheel drive, but it tips the scales at over 14,000 lbs. I think the rear end distributes the weight so much it tends to float. I've been stuck on level ground in less than four inches of snow with that thing. Had to put gravel bags under the tires to get out.
Dually
I have two dont even drive them in the winter, helpless.Drive my Dodge 2500 with sled deck.
I have two dont even drive them in the winter, helpless.Drive my Dodge 2500 with sled deck.
I have a 2000 Ford Powerstroke F-350 Crew Cab short wheel base 4x4 and FLAT OUT LOVE IT!
I wish it was new so I could start over and have another 8 years of happiness. I SNOWMOBILE FOR A LIVING and this setup is no different then any of my friends rigs that are single rear wheels. The bad times are when you get in ice ruts and the tracks are narrower then you are! It throws you around and is pretty scary. Then the only other bad aspect is buying those two extra tires. Normally my process is that I buy 6 studded traction tires and run them for a winter season until the law says no studs. Then I pull the studs and run the tires until they wear out (been getting 60,000 per set). The bad part is I normally have one winter season on no studs. The ultimate is this rig with 6 studded tires and two on the sled deck! I feel like SUPERMAN then!
So once again...proper traction tires are far more significant then single vs dual. Most dually's run crappy highway tires and that is the main reason people consider them bad on snow.
Have to pull to McCall today and it's a blizzard! If I crash you can say I was WRONG
I wish it was new so I could start over and have another 8 years of happiness. I SNOWMOBILE FOR A LIVING and this setup is no different then any of my friends rigs that are single rear wheels. The bad times are when you get in ice ruts and the tracks are narrower then you are! It throws you around and is pretty scary. Then the only other bad aspect is buying those two extra tires. Normally my process is that I buy 6 studded traction tires and run them for a winter season until the law says no studs. Then I pull the studs and run the tires until they wear out (been getting 60,000 per set). The bad part is I normally have one winter season on no studs. The ultimate is this rig with 6 studded tires and two on the sled deck! I feel like SUPERMAN then!
So once again...proper traction tires are far more significant then single vs dual. Most dually's run crappy highway tires and that is the main reason people consider them bad on snow.
Have to pull to McCall today and it's a blizzard! If I crash you can say I was WRONG
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IdahoMike
Active member
Dually vs Single Axel In The Snow
I have a 2001 F-350 Power Stroke 4x4 crew cab dually long box, that I 've had since new. Before that I had a 1997 F-350 Power Stroke 4x4 crew cab long box single axel.
I've always run top of the line Toyo (M55) All Terrain tires on my trucks. I love my dually but no way does it handle snow conditions like a single axel does. Now granted, if you put 6 studded snow tires on the beast it is going to make a huge differance.
Also with Robs set up pulling the goose neck trailer he has good weight transfer right over the rear axel which makes a huge differance in getting traction to those four rear wheels. Think about it, the front axel on my dually weighs 4300 pounds, the rear axel weighs 3600 pounds, which do you think is going to get around better in the snow, a truck that has 4 tires with 900 pounds on each, or a truck with 2 tires that has 1800 pounds on each tire?
I would say unless you really need a dually, go with a 1 ton single axel. I think over all you'll like driving it in snow conditions better than the dually.
Here is why I drive a dually, we call her "Under 70" (feet that is 69 1/2 feet total)
I have a 2001 F-350 Power Stroke 4x4 crew cab dually long box, that I 've had since new. Before that I had a 1997 F-350 Power Stroke 4x4 crew cab long box single axel.
I've always run top of the line Toyo (M55) All Terrain tires on my trucks. I love my dually but no way does it handle snow conditions like a single axel does. Now granted, if you put 6 studded snow tires on the beast it is going to make a huge differance.
Also with Robs set up pulling the goose neck trailer he has good weight transfer right over the rear axel which makes a huge differance in getting traction to those four rear wheels. Think about it, the front axel on my dually weighs 4300 pounds, the rear axel weighs 3600 pounds, which do you think is going to get around better in the snow, a truck that has 4 tires with 900 pounds on each, or a truck with 2 tires that has 1800 pounds on each tire?
I would say unless you really need a dually, go with a 1 ton single axel. I think over all you'll like driving it in snow conditions better than the dually.
Here is why I drive a dually, we call her "Under 70" (feet that is 69 1/2 feet total)
dually
i think it has a lot to do with how stiff the suspention is a 1 to is more riddged it is like driving somthing with no spring at all. weight does not transfer or there is no give from side to side. put a couple more leafs in a 2500 and try to get around in the snow in 2 wheel drive it $ucks
i think it has a lot to do with how stiff the suspention is a 1 to is more riddged it is like driving somthing with no spring at all. weight does not transfer or there is no give from side to side. put a couple more leafs in a 2500 and try to get around in the snow in 2 wheel drive it $ucks
T
theultrarider
Well-known member
I drive a dually all day every day at work. Getting around in snow is not much of a problem over my pickup with singles. The HUGE difference is when tings started getting rutted wether it be ice ruts on the asphalt, or driving in 8" of fresh snow that has not been plowed but there is a well worn 2 track going through it. The duals do not want to sit in the 2 track that the other singles have left and and your rear end is constantly swinging back and forth. Very scarey if you are trying to drive too past or have any sistance to travel. Alot oof folks around here will actually run singles on their duallies in the winter for this reason. (or they are too cheap to buy the extra 2 studs) They look goofy set up that way. but are much safer on our roads. The duallies are great rigs, safe rigs when hauling heavy loads. Just not for everyone and get real squirrely in any thing rutted.
On my second GMC Xtended cab 4X long box in ten years. Great for putting the 11.5 ft. camper on or the deck and sleds then loading to the nuts but it does suffer in the snow for sure. I never get up the road as high as a single rear wheel 4X4 no matter what tires are on it. When the highway is slush you can feel the rear wheels sliding around compared to a SRW truck. With new tire technology you can load a SRW 1 ton with almost as much weight as a dually. Won't be buying another one.
