This is my first dually. Towing its great, cant be beat. Looks......hard to beat. Driving it...no problem. Backing it up, now thats another story. You have the "hips" to see past. Just have to be more carefull backing up especially with a trailer that is short in length and is more narrow than the truck. I like my dually.

 

I have one because first it is the coolest thing on the road,
Upside:
+ It is stable,
+ Puts up an awsome rooster tail when it rains,
+ Always have a spare,
+ Big rig looking rims,
+ People always look at you,
+ Has larger rear brakes,
+ More traction,
+ Only comes on 1 ton
+ Easy to handle in the event of a blow out,

Downside:
- Cost extra $500.00 for tires,
- Takes the entire parking spot and then some,
- People hit fenders with shopping carts,
- People always rub their butts on the fenders when they get out of their cars,
- Takes a bit getting used to drive,
- More rolling resistance,
- pain when using snow chains,

But I love mine. Jim

 

Jim, do they have bigger brakes?? I didn't know that, well I guess you learn something new everyday... ....

Dusty, you said "You have the "hips" to see past.".
The movie "tommey boy" came to mind when he started sing "Fat guy in a little coat" ...

great now every time I see a DRW I am going to have that song in my head...

 

I own both CTD. Dually 24 valve for towing no comparison, 12 valve SWR for fun.

 

ditto. LOL

I had a hard time getting rid of that song in my head before and now its back.
I better go bust a few seams on some skinny jackets today.

 

Those aren't "HIPS". Those are "TRAINING WHEELS" for us big boys.

 

That is the exact same combo I use .......12v auto SRW for ripping it up and a 24v dually 5 spd for towing......there really is no comparison when it comes to towing on the heavy side.....the dually wins hands down.

 

Blah,Blah, Blah. If you are not towing, get the 3/4 ton, or maybe a Viper, or Camry, for that matter.
If you are going heavy, over 10k lbs, get the 1 ton, for all th reasons beaten to death. One other, 3500 has Dana 80, more weight capacity.
I find traction on mud with the Positraction to be pretty good, with the Goodyear Wrangler tires, positioning a heavy 5er. It would be much better, I suspect, with Goodrich TKO AT's.
Oh, on the guys with the bigger tires, maybe some day you will grow up. There is no reason to do it. If it does not improve the truck, or functionality, you are wasting money. Might as well get a 57 Chevy, cut off the fenders, and put them there. (Do'n't forget the flames on the side & hood, for extra speed).
If you are not towing heavy, then get a Frontier or Tacoma! Cheaper to keep, about the same mileage.

 

Let me answer this question from my infinite wisdom.

To the original poster:

For what you are doing, the 3500 4x4 SRW that you mentioned getting will suit you just fine. However, I would highly recommend getting the long bed instead of the short bed. I have a short bed and 3 days after I bought it I was wishing I had bought a long bed (and a 4x4). The long bed trucks just have more to offer. If you think you'll ever put a toolbox or auxillary tank in the bed then you DEFINITELY want a long bed.

That being said, there is something to be said for having a dually. Specifically, that something to be said is, "Cool." I don't NEED the truck I have now, but regardless of that I sure would like to own a big 4x4 dually...maybe even a Mega Cab.

For what you're doing with the truck, either would serve you well. It all just depends on how cool you want to look while using it.

Hoss has spoken. This thread may be closed now.

 

Does somebody have a Schrader valve tool? I think we need to let some air out of Hoss's head

~Rob

 

Maybe more like : "Hoss has spoken, the thread will be locked out now"

 

I bet his wife put a pressure relief valve on his head a long time ago.

 

What part of "this thread may be closed now" did y'all not understand??

 

I only have a 28 ft travel trailer, not a fifth wheel. When I bought my truck, I tried to get a SRW 3500 but the only ones the dealership had were shortbeds. I didn't want a shortbed, so I went with the dually. I was skeptical of it. Hell, I was a little scared of it--backing it up, parking it and all.

The first time I towed the trailer, I attributed the stability to the slow speed. You remember that first 500 miles of towing at 50 mph, don't you? That was pretty boring. But after the initial 500 miles, I really began to appreciate how much better the dually towed compared to my previous SRW truck. At 70+ mph, passing big rigs didn't move me around in my lane. The strong winds in Wyoming didn't phase me. The gusting crosswinds in Texas were only a minor nuisance now. The rutted-out interstates everywhere didn't shove me around. I absolutely love the stability of this truck, especially when towing!

So what if I can't go through the drive-in at the bank. I've found the tellers inside to be pretty nice and some are kind of cute. So what if I have to park in the back of the parking lots. I'm too fat anyway and I can use the exercise of walking a little more. Car washes? Man, I haven't used one of those automated jobs since 1976. I remember the year because that was the last time I saw the windshield wiper on the 1975 Honda Civic I had. There are some streets in my city with lanes so narrow, I hang over when driving through. So what? People get out of my way or I hang back and give them space. Not a big deal.

The downsides are minor to me.

 

Can't resist! I LOVE my dually! I started with a 2002 2500 8' bed and regretted it from the day I bought it. I now drive a 2004.5 3500 dually, and love it!!!! I will never go back to the SRW pick-ups. With my camper in the bed, it is soooo nice compared to the SRW. Doesn't move! Yeah, parking sucks, but it is worth it.....when it is empty, it feels like a slot car. Loaded, nothing like it!! Like everyone else said, 2500 = Pick-up, 3500 dually = TRUCK!

Now, if I could just get rid of the 70 MPH vibration, I would be a happy camper!