currently have a 08 3/4 ton duramax and my wife and i are wanting to purchase a fifth wheel camper so i was wondering about a dually and if it would make that much of a difference. i never had a dually so was wondering about the pros and cons. please help now cause i found one for a good deal and need to decide. for any of you camper guys what length and weight trailer is the cutoff for the 3/4 ton?

Pros: More stability when towing or having a truck camper loaded in the bed. I tow a 28 foot haul mark and have made a cross country and some other long hauls and am glad I have a dually. I do not get moved by the wind very much. Last March I was driving across Nebraska in winds that were 45+ mph and it only move the truck once. Very stable tow platform. I would buy the truck just for that.

There is nothing you can't tow. Actually, while the truck does have its limits you do not have to do any mods (suspension, tires, etc) to tow if you don't want to. I have had 13k in my trailer and have not had any problems. I do have a weight distribution hitch but that's it. I do not get any sag, squirmy suspension, etc.

Now that my motor is mostly broken in, I get better mileage than I did with with my 97 1/2 ton GMC 4X4. Running empty I get anywhere from 16-18.7 depending on my right foot and traffic. I have a LMM same as you but the big difference is my truck is much heavier than a 3/4 so that affects mileage and everything else.

Cons: You have 6 tires to spend money on. If you are looking at customizing your rims etc, then expect to pay big money if you want to upgrade bigger than stock.

Sometimes you have space issues. I have a CC with a long bed so they don't make them much bigger. I can always find a place to park but...you have to be smart or you are going to dent a fender or someone elses ride. That's what mirrors are for. You can do most drive thrus and banks but look before you go. This truck is also heavy so if you have to do any manuevering on your yard etc, expect to leave some tracks.

You can keep your 3/4 tn and tow a 5ver depending on how big it is. I see people do it all the time. You may end up having to upgrade your suspension with either an extra leaf or air bags. You may also have to upgrade your tires to 19.5 rims or bigger with commercial tires to get the stability you desire. It's about how comfortable you feel when towing and how much you are towing so don't think it's a requirement to upgrade your 3/4 ton just because you want to tow a fifth wheel. You need need to crunch some numbers and see what your truck can handle and then decide if you just need to mod your truck or go with a dually. With a dually you won't have to mod much unless you are towing something really heavy like some of the folks do around here.

Mixed opinions on that from what I've seen, there's lots and lots of drw vs. srw banter on here, worth the search. I wanted a drw truck but for daily driving, cities, parking, drive thru's, plowing, etc... it would have been too much between the 8' box and the extra width. I see a lot of duallys with cracked rear fenders for sure....but I know a lot of that has to do with driving skill. There was a recent discussion where guys were stating they were pulling some pretty big 5er's with a srw just fine, but then some swore by a drw...I still want (don't need one), as soon as my son is old enough to plow for me he can have mine and I'll step up. You can soak up more input at some of the towing/rv sites too I bet. Good luck.

I've had other heavy duty trucks, and I tow alot, a dually will forever be in my garage as long as I tow.

I tow alot, a dually will forever be in my garage as long as I tow.

X2

The long bed offers a 34 gal tank which is nice when towing. It's not just the dual rear wheels, though, the longer wheelbase also affords for much greater towing stability. Payload capacity is greatly increased with dual rear wheels, which is important if you tow a heavy trailer, with for instance a fifth wheel hitch, tool box, external auxillary fuel tank, on-board air, etc.

It's just more truck and that usually is a good thing when towing.

All this being said, your `08 3/4 ton SRW is no slouch. It will tow most trailers fine (but not as fine as a dually, IMO). Really it depends upon what you plan to tow, and how good of a deal you can get on that dually you're looking at.

Good luck!

X3

It just rips when ya go to the tire store!!! But you play you pay!!!
I just bought 6 cost me 207 each.

Thanks for all of the input. I have never had a problem hauling horses or cattle with my 3/4 ton but my wife is looking at a 36' fifth wheel camper that weighs about 13000 pounds empty. I thought that might be pushing
it a bit.

Thanks for all of the input. I have never had a problem hauling horses or cattle with my 3/4 ton but my wife is looking at a 36' fifth wheel camper that weighs about 13000 pounds empty. I thought that might be pushing
it a bit.

Oh you will want a Dually for a trailer that big, however there are some people that pull that big with a single and get it down.

I pull a 36-foot 5th wheel, about 14,000#.

Last truck was a Chev SRW, and now have a Chev DRW, both DMax/Ally drive train.

The difference in stability is phenomenal --- side winds, passing semi's, windy-to-calm-to-windy underpasses which used to toss me around with the SRW and now not even felt.

Yes, it's big and you can't use the "compact car only" parking spots anymore, but you get used to the size really quickly --- just use your mirrors!

Probably depends on your bank account and comfort level. As in my sig, I've got a 35' Jayco that I pulled with an 05 2500 which I ended up swapping for an 07 dually for that very reason. The 2500 pulled it with no problem, but the trailer pushed it around a little and was just not a comfortable feeling. The dually is virtually unaffected by the 5'ver. The 2500 will do the job, just not as safely.
What's your safety worth to you?
PS. I drive and park my dually everywhere I go with no problems.
90725

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v631/cyal8tr/LeavingBGA-07-31-05.jpg

Hey!

First I would like to say Good luck With whatever you do.

But I have done it both ways and I will never go back to a SRW. I had to make an abrupt stop with a 2500 and could not do it. No one was injured so I was lucky. But I spent alot of time reseaching this before I made the plunge to a Dually not knowing what to expect.

On our very next trip with the dually I can upon a almost accident with a motorcycle and another car, not me they were in front on a double highway doing about 60mph. I managed to stop with more than adequate space. If I would have been in the SRW I would have probably mowed over someone. If you love your family and I am sure you do, go with the dually. More stopping power and load capacity. I wil never go back:D

If you want to stay within factory load capacities, you will need a dually.
My '06 Chev 2500HD D/A Ext Cab 4X4 short box, with me and dw (we are average size) spray on liner, 5th wheel hitch, tool box with 150+-lbs, full fuel weighed 7600lbs, which left only 1600lbs for hitch weight.

I had a Dodge SRW 3500 Cummins. We decided we wanted a bigger camper and I knew I would need DRW because the new one was heaver and longer. Now that I have a DRW I would never want a SRW again. Makes a huge difference in stability.

The difference is the ability to handle the pin weight. The 3/4 and the dually will both "pull" fine because the drive train is the same. However the dually has nearly twice the cargo capacity and can handle the pin weight. Take 20% of the 5th wheel's GVWR and that will equal your pin weight...then add the weights of the hitch, passengers, cargo, tools, etc to get the total weight in the truck. I have about 3,300# of weight in my truck when pulling the RV...about 1,000# over the capacity of your average 3/4 ton.

Also, in the 05s and newer models, there is a Tire and Loading Information sticker on the left rear door post, it will tell you the cargo capacity for that truck to the nearest one pound.

Is there anything that can be done to a 2500hd, other than airbags, to increase the pin weight capability some.

..............With either SRW or dually , have disc brakes installed on your 5'ver because there is NO other single addition that will add as much safety and contentment as knowing that you can make an emergency stop , should you be required too do so !
...............Stability is a big plus factor that the dually has over a SRW , another one is the difference in the axle size twixt a SRW and a dually . All three mfgers use the same rear axle for both 250 and 350 SRW trucks so the only Difference between a 250 and a 350 is the additional leaf springs under the 350 SRW . , ckfan

Go to RV.net they have a lot of recommend upgrades for 3/4 to handle truck campers, 5th wheels etc. Adding another leaf can help with the weight, but may kill your ride quality. Some folks over there also suggest Timbrens which is an interesting idea. You should go to the Timbrens website to see what I'm talking about. For stability you can add a sway bar and upgrade to 19.5 rims/tires. I think though after you get done upgrading your 3/4 ton's suspension you will have spent pretty close to the difference in price between a 3/4 ton and a dually that is stock because none of this stuff is cheap.

I tow almost all the time when driving my 06 dually. I had an 02 2500 before. The difference is amazing, both have B+W hitches the 2500 had bags, the dually doesn't yet as of yet. It's like going from a Yugo to a Vette as far as handling and control goes between the 2 trucks hooked to a trailer. My Dad used to haul livestock and had 2500 after 2500. He finally bought a dually and never went back. I never will either JMO.

I am one who upgraded to a dually after having a SRW. Yes, I could have towed it relatively safely w/ my SRW with the air springs I had installed. I believe the Timberlins would have been better, but the tradeoff was a little bouncier ride partially loaded. I was at the limit of my RAWR and over my GVWR for the truck.

Anyway after driving 5000 miles or so, watching the handling characteristics, additional sway in the rig, tire pressures, tire tempuratures, weighing in the truck with different types of loads, and just the fact of what a blowout on a SRW truck would mean, I ended up trading in and buying a DRW truck. I think the biggest problem I had was the weight on the rear axle. We were having to load things back of the trailer in the rear of the living space to help lift pin weight off... Or even adding water to the fresh water tank. Weights with the wife, the cats, and a full tank of fuel were within 50lbs of the limit of one of the rear tires. (Just a note to weight in and then weigh in on one side to determine true individual tire weights) We couldn't carry any other passengers w/o exceeding the weight limit on the rear tires. What made me the most concerned was driving at those limits during a long summer trip. Another is if you had a blowout on a rear tire, look at the clearance from 5ver to the bed rail and compare that to your sidewall height. My truck bed would have definately made contact on the adjacent side if I had a flat. Not to mention what an impact like that drop could do on an already loaded truck. Frames are made to twist somewhat but again, with the weight issue already in question for me it was a no brainer. I would rather be SAFER and if something did happen in a better position to maintain control, change the tire, and get back to enjoying myself, not dealing with the aftermath of a little damage here and a little damage there.

Bottom line, if you already have the truck get everything and get weighed in. If you don't have the truck, think hard about the monetary impact of changing your mind later like we did. No one should be telling you what to do, but I would take into account other peoples experiences.

Happy RVing.... at least that what it's supposed to be about!

Peace