I have been curious about dually trucks.
Why the extra tires.
And the added expense.
I could not find any convincing reasons to have it.
What do you think?
More tire equals more load carrying capacity…
Very obvious you have never towed heavy loads, if you have towed/hauled very heavy loads or driven bigger trucks, then you would not be asking… lol
“Dually trucks are often used for heavy towing and hauling because the additional wheels provide better stability and weight distribution , allowing them to carry heavier loads with more stability. Single wheel trucks are typically used for lighter loads and everyday driving”
" These extra wheels maximize traction and balance on the road, making them ideal for hauling heavy cargo. Dually trucks enjoy much higher towing and payload capacities than their single counterparts , but they’re also much more expensive."
4 Likes
More load capacity and greater stability when carrying a heavy load.
I’ve been told that one issue is driving in snow where the front tires don’t cut the track for the rears.
That is completely correct, but let’s not forget that some people purchase trucks like that solely to carry their fragile ego.
I used to have a neighbor who drove a diesel-powered dually, and he never hauled anything or towed anything with it. Instead, it apparently helped him to bolster his ego, as it was his “commuter car”.
8 Likes
I see a whole lot of large pickup trucks, and Jeep Wranglers for that matter, in my part of the world…that are clearly “equipped” for “rugged off-road life”…but clearly have never been off the asphalt.
It’s a shame the price that some folks pay in both vehicle cost, fuel, and silly “upgrades”, just to make themselves feel more “manly.” I don’t get it.
4 Likes
A few weeks ago, I saw an older CR-V with a very high “snorkel” air intake.
Like anyone actually uses a CR-V for fording deep streams…
I’m not a fan of Jeep Gladiators. They seem like the worst of both worlds to me. Like a guy who really wants a Jeep, but his wife tells him he has to get a truck for practical reasons.
Anyway… I’ve seen a very “rugged” Gladiator parked in my neighborhood. It has a snorkel intake, large fender flares, tall lift kit, bed cover, winch, color coordinated tow hooks, and…bed cover roof rack rails for attaching…something.
Of course, the Gladiator stays parked in the driveway most of the time, perfectly clean. I guess somebody should be impressed.
1 Like
Those Gladiators just seem loooooooong…
1 Like
… and if he ever does venture off-road, he will avoid washing it for weeks (or maybe even months), so that people can see the mud on the Jeep’s sides and be impressed… or so he thinks.
1 Like
My grandmother used to have a term: “Cool Fool”.
5 Likes
You need to give me scientific efficendence for your claim.
I was watching a contractor load 5/8 in drywall into his pickup truck’s bed the other day at a home products store, watching the back bumper of the truck getting lower and lower and lower. Each 4 x 8 sheet weighs 70 pounds, so it doesn’t take too tall of a stack before it approaches a pickup truck’s load limit. That truck didn’t have dually tires, and appeared to be well over its load limit. Could make the non-dually truck difficult to control , might even break an axle going over a bump, while a dually version of the same truck would have no problem .
4 trucks tires can carry twice the load of 2. Common sense science.
Dually trucks can carry considerably more on 4 tires than 2 since the load bed is directly over the dually axle. Math.
Trailers, in order to be stable must carry 10 to 20% of their load on the truck’s hitch. 18,000 lb trailers would then need 3600 lbs on the hitch. And there are work and RV trailers that big and bigger. Trucks with singles can’t carry the truck’s 4000 lbs AND the trailer’s 3600 lbs. That would mean each tire would need to be rated at over 4200 lbs each. Normal truck tires are not availble in that weight rating
Before asking Dave for evidence to back-up his statement, I think that you need to give everyone a definition for “efficendence”.
That term doesn’t exist in any of my dictionaries.
3 Likes
I think that is a carbonated drink that glows in the dark.
2 Likes
Not sure what “efficendence” means but if you are looking for evidence then how about simple math…
Tire speed rating and load index for the light truck tires
Tire speed rating (speed symbol) and load index are very important factors that determine tire performance. The common name for the load index and speed symbol is “service description”.
The tire load index and speed rating for light truck tires have some specificity compared to the passenger car tires.
Load index
The load index (Li) is numerical code, preceding the speed symbol, related to a tire load carrying capabilities and it shows the tire maximum load capacity. The tire with a higher load index indicates an increase in load capacity.
The light trucks utilize single and dual tires. Single wheel application (fitment) means two tires on the same axle. Dual wheel application (fitment) means two wheels on the both ends of same axle.
Dual tires on the non-steering axle are used to increase a load capacity and withstand stresses if one of two tires becomes flat or significantly underinflated. The remaining tire will carry the load for both tires.
All four tires on the rear axle must be equal - same model and tread depth.
Some light trucks contain two load indices in the service description. For example, for tire LT265/75R16 112/109 R, the load indices are 112/109, the first applies to the single tire fitment and the second refers to the dual fitment. The numeric load index code 112 represents the maximum load carrying capacity for single wheel use and 109 represents maximum load carrying capacity for the dual wheel use. The first number 112 denotes a tire’s ability to carry approximately 2,470 lb (1120 kg). The second number 109 refers to the dual fitment, regarding to a tire’s ability to carry approximately 2271 pounds (1030 kg).
For corresponding values see the load index table.
When the LT tires are fitted in the dual assembles the load capacity is reduced 9% of the single load capacity.
A common load index for a LT235/85R16 load range E (10 ply) has a load index of 120/116 which is Load Index 120 = 3,086 lbs per tire and Load Index 116 = 2,756 lbs per tire, 120 for single rear wheel and the 116 is for dual rear wheels…
So 3,086 x 2 = 6,172lbs of load carrying weight capacity for a single rear wheel truck…
So 2,756 X 4 = 11,024lbs of load carrying weight capacity for a dually rear wheel truck…
So with a Dually truck you can carry an additional 4,852lbs more than a single (non Dually) rear wheel truck…
Now of course the rear trucks springs, frame, brakes etc will effect those numbers somewhat…
Simple Math, more tires equals more weight carrying capacity… 
3 Likes
4>2
Scientific enough?
3 Likes
[I’m laughing as I type].
FWIW, there is a term in the roots of the behavioral theory of the firm and behavioral economics named “satisficing.” (Some of you know that one). It’s a combination of “satisfactory” + “sufficient.” It was posed as a more realistic standard in human decision-making than finding the “optimal/optimum”. Herbert Simon and all of that - you don’t go through the haystack looking for the sharpest needle of all. You just grab the first one you find that’s sharp enough to do the sewing. (It’s not the optimal needle, but is satisfactory enough to be sufficient for the job).
So, you know, maybe “efficendence” is a combination of “efficient” and “evidence?” Evidence that efficient enough? (Ok. LOL. NOT.)
2 Likes
After I retired from trucking I stopped at a local restaurant that all the city tractor trailer drivers used to stop at when we were working. I was driving my10 tear old Plymouth minivan. Another retired driver I knew slightly announced to the room loudly that"Real men drive trucks." His jacked up Ford 2500 was outside to which he had added clearance light to the roof of the cab and both side mirrors.
I walked right up to his 5’ 6’ frame perched on a stool at the counter with my 6’ 3" 270 lb seld and said, " No, real men drive whatever they want." He got very interested in stirring his coffee.
5 Likes