Advice re pulling 9k trailer on sand with 3500 4wd Diesel Dually
 

I'm new to the forum. I recently bought a 2012 3500 dually with 4 wheel drive option. It's all stock so far. I bought this for towing heavy loads, including a horse trailer.

But I want to use this new truck to tow my 9000 lb camper to a beach with a large group; we do this trip to Mexico twice yearly. I have successfully done it so far with a 1/2 ton Suburban in 4wd and the tires deflated to 12-15 psi. Fully loaded, this camper, gear, and associated occupants are over-weight for the Suburban. I'm done with that.

One of the attendees has a Ram 2500, I think 2 WD, and he has no trouble pulling a trailer

Re the new diesel.
The tires are standard stock road tires. The doorframe sticker advises 70 psi front, 65 psi rear.

1) How low can I deflate these tires? 12-15 psi okay?
2) SHould I remove the outer wheel for this trip? Or instead get a spacer to enable deflation of both tires without rubbing?
3) If I get a spacer, will the tires project beyond the fender well and will I have problems from that, and if so, where would I get an accessory to address that?

Thanks!

[coffee]

C

Oh, and one other thing. Would it also be fine to just remove the outer tires for the trip? I don't have near the weight for this purpose to justify needing both pair of tires....just about 10k total max, which should be well carried by two rear wheels...

C

You could remove one pair of rears but I think the extra tire width will serve you much better on the sand. Remember you have twice the contact patch without airing down at all. I don't have a dually but I've run a 2500 on the beach with the tires at 30psi and it did just fine. These trucks are so heavy that they'll squish the tires down pretty well without having to air down that far.

I have had my SRW on the beach and in other sand too many times to count. We drag a 30' fifthwheel along just for fun. I have been stuck probably half a dozen times. Depends on the sand if its hard packed and firm or soft and blowing or had alot of traffic tearing it up. If I am going to pull into some soft sand I will air down the the truck and trailer to 20#. If it looks packed I may just try it aired up (this is when I usually get stuck) or air down just the truck. I will leave the tires aired down until I leave the sand. I have left them aired down for a week with no issues.

Sounds like Pismo.
If soft sand, air down and keep your momentum going.

When in doubt, air down.
You won't hurt anything, it's just a short distance at low speeds.

Air down to 15-20 psi, keep the dual rears on it... Avoid sharp turns at speed with it aired down.