kelownadiesel

Anybody have any experience driving a dually versus a single wheel on the highway in the winter.?the truck is a 4wd.Ive heard people tell me that it will be dangerous when it is slippery and some tell me that the duals are an advantage in the slippery weather.With good tires it shouldnt be a problem right?

jj3500

I drive a 4x4 dually, in the winter. Its horrible! The rear end feels like its floating around in the least amount of snow. You really have to pull one of the tires out of dual to get any real traction. I'm mean you can drive it around. Not very reassuring feeling.

I'm sure someone will say different. The winters I have experienced are up in N.Y. so its a good guage.

99DodgeGuy

I find no difference between any of our trucks and the Dually in the winter time, plowing or not, if your in doubt, lock it in, btw we don't run any ballast in our pickups, never really found it was needed

Longhorn06

Been driving a dually since 88 and have never had a problem with good tires. With bad tires, they can be treacherous. Have driven many miles in your area in the winter no problem. The issue with a dually is that it breaks 3 trails on each side. The front tire takes one path and the duals both run outside of the front. In heavy snow and slush, this can suck, but once you are used to it, no problem. the rest of the time, better traction, and more stability.

the_fox_man4

on the roads here in MN I havent had any real problems. the only time I don't like the dual is when I get off the pavment and in to a feild or shoulder I have to put it in 4wd to get out the back end just pulls right in..

P.J

I would imagine that in general having the rear end weight split up onto another 2 wheels is a BAD thing. It is tough enough to get these pickups to stay straight. I hadn't thought about the cutting 3 trails per side thing, but that sounds like a disadvantage too.

I won't be driving much in the snow this year, unless it just plain gets too deep for the car. (uh, over 6").

I guess if you had it really loaded, like over 1,200lbs in the bed, you would be doing better.
?

Shovelhead

Most folks who say 4 rear tires is better in the wet, slippery conditions have never driven a dually.
4X4 will be a great help, but us 2WD duallys either have to weight the rear down & chain the tires, or find a different vehicle to drive when the going gets icy.
We get more frozen rain & sleet than snow in our area.
Dry powdered snow may be a whole different situation.

- =
- = the front tires push the slop to the sides, right into the path of the rear tires.

blackdiesel

A dually has more traction on dry pavement only!!! It's like a prosteet car or dragster. wide tires hold on a dry track, but they don't drive them when the road is wet. If I drive in the field when it's wet (even in 4x4) I will slide to the bottom of the haller (hollow for you yanks), but if you had a SRW, you wouldnt have a problem.

Sidewinder

My truck (in 2x4/6) is TERRIBLE in bad conditions especially snow - and yes it has good tires.

BUT once I put it in 4 wheel drive (or 6 wheel drive - or 5 wheel drive -as there is no limited slip on the front axle, or whatever it's called) it will go almost anywhere. I can't imagine driving it in the snow if it wasn't a 4x4 , 4X5 or 4X6.

the_fox_man4

if you want to get nit picky about it, would be 3x6 with open stock diff 1 front tire spining and and one set of rear tires spining.

~Angry Tractor~

I've never owned a dually but I have pulled a few of them out of the ditch in the winter time. Mostly 2wd's though. Guys that have dully's always tell me you gotta have 4wd to pull the truck around in the snow cause the back end wants to ride up on the snow.

kelownadiesel

thanks guys,I see some pretty hairy winter conditions,I have to drive through mountain passes all the time.I have been using the single wheel for this for the last 2 winters,but have a dually as well now and want to get crazy with the single wheel,and use the dually for the driving.The truck will have a 75 gallon tank and a full toolbox as well as a cannopy on it too.The dually is just a better higway truck I would think,because it has a lot of nice amenities that the other truck does not,plus its newer.I just gotta break down and buy some tires

Dodgezilla

Throw some weight in the back and you will be fine. My 98 Dually 4x4 absolutely stunk in the snow and ice until I figured out that I needed some weight in the back. I have an 07 now and I will load it down before the bad weather arrives so I don't have any issues....

Tate

I never had any problems last winter in snow. I'd go into 10"+ of snow with my truck into parking lots at work, never got stuck. Just go until it stops, then back out of it, and try another path. I did have some trouble in the parking lots at this last job I was at, but a seized e-barke cable casuing the left drum to drag a lot is what I'm chalking it up to. I never found it was terribly squirelly on snowy/icy roads, but I was easy on the throttle too, didn't want to tempt fate. 1000 lbs. of steel will be going back into the truck shortly though, as it does ride and get going better with the extra weight.

Checkmate

Yes, the rear will "float a bit on snow, BUT it's not that bad unless your haulin ***.