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RE: Trucks



Hi Marlene,

Whether you want a dually or not depends on what most of your driving will
be like.  A friend and I did the shopping for our trucks together (in 1990).
She bought a dually and I bought a 4 wheel drive.  Both of us are happy with
our choices.  Both our trucks are one ton gas hog crew cabs--hers a Dodge
and mine a Ford.  The only real differences are the dually versus 4 wheel
drive.

If most of your driving is on the road you will prefer a dually.  They are
more stable.  You will feel less sway from the trailer.  They sit lower than
my 4 wheel drive--an advantage on the road as well as when getting in and
out of the truck.  If you have a goose neck trailer, duallies sit lower so
you don't have to have a special hitch on the trailer to level it and the
weight of the trailer is distributed better.  They handle curves better too.
I believe they are better towing vehicles especially at high speeds on the
highway.  They also handle a big load (especially a tall load) in the bed
better than 4 wheel drive.  The dually is wider than my 4 wheel drive--not a
problem when towing as it is not wider than her trailer but is a pain if
just driving in town.  My truck is 21 feet long (crew cab) so it is not
exactly a joy to park in town either though.  LOL

However, off road the 4 wheel drive has the advantage.  And I am not talking
about "4 wheeling" in rough country.  Duallies have no traction in slick
areas.  LOL  I had to pull my friend's truck off the lawn for her once
because the grass was wet   I did not have to have the 4 wheel drive on to
do it--her empty truck bed with those dual wheels seemed to just float on
top of the wet grass!  I use my truck for a lot more than just hauling a
trailer down the road and needed something that could handle that.  I haul
hay out to the field in it.  The dually can only handle that job in good dry
weather but my critters seem to want to eat in rain and snow too.  I go
camping with the horses on some pretty rough roads where other vehicles seem
to bottom out.  I have been drafted at the fairgrounds to help pull the
duallies with their fancy rigs out of the field where they were parked
before the rain started.  You can get a 4 wheel drive stuck--can bury both
axles (not telling how I know that--LOL) but your dually will start slipping
first--long before I even put my truck into 4 wheel drive.

You will have to decide what kind of driving you do most of the time to know
which choice is better for you.  Just to confuse the issue--they now have 4
wheel drive duallies!  That choice wasn't available when I bought my truck
so I don't know anything about them.  They could combine the advantages of
both which would make me willing to spend more for that choice.  I would be
cautious checking them out though--they could still have the traction
problems.

Hope you find the truck that is right for you.
Donna Dochterman
Dokada Arabians
http://members.tripod.com/~DokadaArabians/index.html



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