How Wide is a Dually? Always Need Dually Jacks?

[BFL13]

Wondering if you can just squeeze by without the swing-outs. Are duallies all the same width no matter what brand or year? Thanks.

[deltabravo]

There's no way my 2009 Silverado Dually will get get under my AF911 without dually swingout brackets

[towpro]

Kayteg1 wrote:
Ties on dually don't stick farther than rear fenders, so at least that issue is out.

well there not supposed to, the same with the front, not supposed to stick out past the fenders, but all the kids are doing it.

[Kayteg1]

Ties on dually don't stick farther than rear fenders, so at least that issue is out.

[BFL13]

Good point about the jack feet. I had my jacks on concrete blocks so they had less "travel" to do, and also to give them wider feet. This meant I had to squeeze past the blocks low down with my SRW and the 90 inch spacing between jacks--except at the bottom where it was much less spacing.

My "belly bars" are receivers with the parts that stick out with the chains on them inserted into the receivers and bolted. I had to put them in after sliding in the camper and sitting it down on the truck because the blocks were in the way of the belly bar receivers.

The buyer's truck had belly bars that stuck out already a little with the chain holders on the ends. So he got half way in and couldn't get past the blocks. Couldn't shift the blocks with the camper jacks on them. Had to start over and re-sit the camper on the saw horses to raise the jacks off the blocks and lower the jacks to the ground then raise the camper and do the slide in.

So it must be very difficult with a dually and belly bars that stick out like his did. The two piece kind like mine allows for blocks under the jack feet if you need to do that.

[TxGearhead]

When I bought the TC the previous owner had it stored in his backyard on a very soft spot. One side of my truck would sink and it was quite an experience to get loaded. I don't think the previous owner had ever loaded it on his truck. Probably took 2 hours to get it on there. I store it on a gravel pad with the 5th. Not much sinking issue.
I'm right at my 4018# payload, around 3900#. If we change 5th wheels to a heavier model I will go to a dually.
Comment about a jack spacer....I have to use plywood 1" spacer in the front of my truck bed. If not I can't open the back doors of the truck, they hit the folded dually jacks. A jack spacer will aggravate that issue unless it is between the truck and jack as opposed to the folding "wing" and jack itself. If I'm visualizing the jack correctly.

[Ronf789]

I haven't made the measurements but suspect you are pretty close. I just unloaded and loaded my 2017 Arctic Fox 990 and 1.5" on each side is about what I had. On my 2001 Adventurer 90RDS I used 2" Aluminum spacers. Both campers on a 2003 RAM3500.

[Fisher_Bill]

When I had my 1150 Artic Fox with swing out jacks I had about an inch and a half room between the tires and the jacks and when we sold it I delivered the unit because I didn't want them fitting the truck to camper in my driveway, it looked under rated so I offered to deliver.

Bill

Kayteg1 wrote:

TxGearhead wrote:
OK...I have 100 inches clearance between my swing out brackets. If I go dually I'm guessing I will have at least 3 inches total clearance between the rear fenders??
RAM site says 96.5 width, if I'm interpreting it right.

3" clearance is good on flat spot, but it shrinks very fast on slopes.
Bare in mind that most likely you will drive over jacks footing, so pay attention to make sure they have good inner support.

[Kayteg1]

TxGearhead wrote:
OK...I have 100 inches clearance between my swing out brackets. If I go dually I'm guessing I will have at least 3 inches total clearance between the rear fenders??
RAM site says 96.5 width, if I'm interpreting it right.

3" clearance is good on flat spot, but it shrinks very fast on slopes.
Bare in mind that most likely you will drive over jacks footing, so pay attention to make sure they have good inner support.

[BradW]

Wide, very wide.

[TxGearhead]

OK...I have 100 inches clearance between my swing out brackets. If I go dually I'm guessing I will have at least 3 inches total clearance between the rear fenders??
RAM site says 96.5 width, if I'm interpreting it right.

[Kayteg1]

I drive Ford Trucks for almost 20 years and don't take anything for granted.
Whatever you call F450 - I was loading 10,000lb on flatbed with no problem. (as long as I could load heavier side behind the cabin).
Had F350 dually, who was sold as C&C and that monster had suspension as beefy as F450.
When I was ordering new 2017 F350 dually for my 6500 lb camper- everybody on this forum was telling me that I will need to add suspension modification.
Turn out new truck have lighter rear, what adds about 400lb cargo capacity and not sure if the suspension is beefed up, but the truck carries the camper perfectly and I did not hesitate to follow semi-truck at 80mph.
That saves over 10% on fuel consumption, but the air turbulence makes it white knuckle driving.
Main misconception is taking the registration ratings as vehicle ratings and regardless constant reminder on forum - owners take the taxable rating for physical rating.
My new house is taxable at 1/3 of its actual value.

[BFL13]

mkirsch wrote:

I thought "F350" meant a 1-ton, but apparently not. I would say his is a 3/4 ton same as my Chev. ( I know nothing about Fords but am learning with my "previously enjoyed" MH E350 dually.) EG, I would expect a 1-ton to have G tires on the back with a single. His had Es.

Technically NONE of them are "1 ton," as these trucks can hold much more.

What you're probably thinking is that an SRW F350 would have the same payload capacity as a DRW F350. It doesn't. Obviously the DRW truck has more payload capacity due to the additional spring leaves and tires.

An F350 is not a "3/4 ton" truck either. An F250 has a ~6100lb rear axle rating, while the F350 SRW has a ~7400lb rear axle rating. It does have a higher weight capacity than an F250.

I do know that the SRW can carry less than the Dually with Chevs. I remember a SRW Ford "1-ton" had G tires instead of Es some years ago. Chev never even had a SRW 1-ton till about 2005, but it was/is just an up- graded 2500HD really. Their dually is the real thing still.

I was thinking it was like with Chevs where a 3500 is a "1-ton" and a 2500HD is a "3/4 ton" Chev used to have a 2500 which was a "heavy half" not a 3/4, and a 1500 is a 1/2 ton. But they also had a 1500HD as another way to do a "heavy half" for a while there. I just thought Fords had the same thing with 350/250/150 .

His F350 had GVWR of 9200 same as my 2500HD but his is maybe ten years older and trucks have been gaining carrying capacity over the years, so that probably doesn't count.

Anyway now I have a Ford, I guess I will have to learn their language too! 🙂

[Kayteg1]

I was carrying over 1 ton on Chevy El Camino, who had air-adjustable shocks.
I have a feeling that 1-ton truck, 12-ply tires and oil change 3000 have the same roots.

[mkirsch]

I thought "F350" meant a 1-ton, but apparently not. I would say his is a 3/4 ton same as my Chev. ( I know nothing about Fords but am learning with my "previously enjoyed" MH E350 dually.) EG, I would expect a 1-ton to have G tires on the back with a single. His had Es.

Technically NONE of them are "1 ton," as these trucks can hold much more.

What you're probably thinking is that an SRW F350 would have the same payload capacity as a DRW F350. It doesn't. Obviously the DRW truck has more payload capacity due to the additional spring leaves and tires.

An F350 is not a "3/4 ton" truck either. An F250 has a ~6100lb rear axle rating, while the F350 SRW has a ~7400lb rear axle rating. It does have a higher weight capacity than an F250.