Calling All Dually Owners

[rather_b_camping]

So I'm very close to pulling the trigger on '17 F350 DRW. The only very small hesitation I have is that it will be my daily driver. For those of you who own or have owned dually's, how many times can you honestly say the dual wheels truly put you in a bad spot. I currently have a '17 F350 SRW with an 8' bed so the length I'm already used to. I live in the suburbs, so not country but not city either. Thanks.

[BandJCarm]

I have zero problems driving it anywhere.


It doesn't go through the bank drive in. Big deal. I have to walk into the bank. Waa waa. LOL.

It doesn't go through automatic car washes. Waa waa. LOL.


That's it.

I park at back end of Walmart and other parking lots. I draw in my automatic mirrors. No problem. I walk. It's good for me.

On the other side of that coin.........I have NEVER EVER been driving down the road pulling my trailer and thought "Well, I have too much truck"..............

[SlowrideHD]

What bandjcarm said. ^^
Have never been in difficulty. True, no more auto car washes for you. Have to park and get out to get to the bank atm. You can't always park in the spots that will easily accept your mid sized SUV. But I can put a 26,000 lb load on my gooseneck and pull it safely in any traffic conditions, uphill and down!

[pjones1969]

Never been put in a jam, if you have a 8’ bed SRW it will be very much the same, the mirrors stick out farther than the dual fender wells. One thing I was taught during a mandatory drivers training our company put on is to plan your departure upon your arrival, the thought is that the surrounding will change while you are away, by thinking this way you pretty much guarantee that your departure will be very easy..... I also pull thru the spot or back into the spot everywhere I go. Yes, I may have to walk a little more but I’ve never been one to jockey for front row parking.

[moose074]

I find my Dually does better than my SWD F350. I also take it thru car wash but only if it says Dually approved

[frank4711]

When I was working I took my truck home as my daily driver it was not a DRW ... it was a Ford F 350 with a 8 foot bed and I found the length and turning radius biggest drawback and it was really just finding parking so I just parked out and walked no big deal .... I really miss that truck 7.3 diesel and it was a workhorse and would pull a house.

[ependydad]

Been daily driving a dually for years now. We don’t park far out at parking lots. But yes, my old mirrors had bruises from a drive thru bank that my wife attempted. Though, I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve been to/in a bank in the last 5 years.

My biggest pet peeve is parallel parking it. Something about the wider rear throws me off.

Truly, 9 out of 10 times the length or height are a bigger problem than the width.

We’ve been in big cities, small touristy towns, and old cities/towns with narrow streets. I’ve yet to find somewhere I couldn’t take the dually.

Oh, and I did get some cool desert pinstriping when I took it off-road. Branches kept knocking my mirrors in because the trail was cut for Jeeps. 2 miles of deep sand to the most awesome dinosaur tracks I’ve ever seen.

[Night Stone]

My current daily driver is 98 Silverado 3500 dually with 8ft bed. I have no issues with driving it around town and getting into some tight places.

As for parking, I try to pull forward into the other side of the straight through stall, but those are usually away from the main doors of the building. Parallel parking isn't much an issue for me. Been driving trucks for a long time since 07.

My current job, is half a day in the shop and the other half taking deliveries and pick ups for the company in a 22' Freightliner. Pretty soon it will be a 26' truck as our lease comes up.

In my wisdom, the more yrs you drive a truck, you'll learn what not to do and what the truck is capable of. It also depends on the person, how comfortable are you driving a long boat whether its a car or truck.

[Blender]

When it’s time to buy tires!

[Springerdad]

Originally Posted by BandJCarm

I have zero problems driving it anywhere.


It doesn't go through the bank drive in. Big deal. I have to walk into the bank. Waa waa. LOL.

It doesn't go through automatic car washes. Waa waa. LOL.


That's it.

I park at back end of Walmart and other parking lots. I draw in my automatic mirrors. No problem. I walk. It's good for me.

On the other side of that coin.........I have NEVER EVER been driving down the road pulling my trailer and thought "Well, I have too much truck"..............

X2. Have not read any other posts, but ....Ah, yeah. You could not have said it better.

[aircommuter]

I have driven a couple as daily drivers, 1 ton and a Mid-range Pete with a service body and crane. First you drive like you are one with your vehicle. Two; 102" is maximum width most places, many trailers even boat trailers are that size.
Three; the locations I have not see mentioned are 90 degree right turns in parking lots that do not have sufficient radius on the curbs and no room to swing wide, areas where landscape foliage is close to the curb and other low obstacles mostly on the right that you thought you were going to clear.
You will find other ways to do what you want.
Personally I always park far away and take 2 spaces because people do not care about your new vehicle, I do not use drive ups, and I wash at home.

[Springerdad]

Originally Posted by aircommuter

First you drive like you are one with your vehicle.

You will find other ways to do what you want.

Personally I always park far away and take 2 spaces because people do not care about your new vehicle, I do not use drive ups, and I wash at home.

X2

[Grapehound]

Bandjcarm captured the big parts of having a dually. We have a 2008 RAM 3500 Megacab dually. Few bank drive-thrus are wide enough nor are most automatic car washes. Most pull-through manual car washes are fine if the height is OK.

Other issues include the front of your protruding rear fenders get dinged more with stones or tar. (I had mine coated with a pastic coating to protect against stones.)

You may wish to add wide mud flaps to keep debris at least off the back of your truck. You also need to make sure the tire folks rotate your rear wheels so that the valve stems, which are located inside, between the two wheels on each side, are located exactly opposite each other for easy tire inflation (without having to pull forward to access the other valve on that side).

It's not an urban driver, as urban parking spaces and streets are not made for these big boys. I took a trip into historical part of Philly recently and even driveways and parking lot entrances in old sections of town with narrow walled entrances are not made for the wide turns required for a dually. Of course you buy six tires now instead of four (not cheap).

But I like the tremendous stability the dually gives you when towing; mine just about eliminated all trailer sway, even without sway bars. Better stability than my 3/4 ton diesel Excursion, better than my 500 cu in. 3/4 ton Suburban. Rock solid.

[Springerdad]

Funny how the bank drive through and car wash seems to keep coming up. I like going into my local bank to see my 'girls' as we are a small town, and I see them at the c store and grocery store all the time. And I simply won't disrespect my vehicle by beating it up in a car wash. But, that's just me.

[JustPutzin]

....contemplating getting F450 diesel dually......what kind of mileage are you getting towing and not towing?

Thanks for any info

[deepseadan]

I used to drive my dad’s Chevy 3500 dually duramax when I was younger and it wasn’t a problem. It handled better than other trucks on the freeway too. My only advice for you is don’t get another ford. Go any other brand!!!

[Jeff from Burlington Ont]

My every day drivers is a 2017 F350 Dually I would in a office building as the others say I am good at backing into a spot with my tail over the grass or sting through spots and leaving 3/4 of a spot behind me. Small cars seem to be happy parking behind me

[srosey]

Like most have said length, especially if you have 8' with crew cab like mine is really the issue. I back into spaces if I can, and then opening doors etc. is the same as a SRW. You will take up most of the space between the lines, but only at the curb end of the space so the people on either side are not inconvenienced either. I have rearranged some shrubbery backing into spaces but oh well.

[rskeans]

X3. '14 Ram 3500 dually 8' bed, cc. Don't need it anymore, but DW loves it! She is only 5' and scares the daylights out everybody. Always worry about the little ones!!!

[rlh1957]

Had some difficulty in the burger drive through! LOL Daily driver with no load they ride a little rougher than the SRW, but a unloaded ride is not what its designed for.