Is there a such thing as too much truck? - Page 2

smiller · 01-30-2013, 05:39 AM

A half-ton truck would have been bad and a Toyota Corolla would have been even worse but that's entirely beside the point. Big rigs get blown over under those kinds of conditions so I'm not sure your two extra tires somehow makes you invulnerable, but if it's all about comfort level then I guess you'll be OK.

davidjsimons · 01-30-2013, 01:32 PM

I don't think that you get my point in regards to comfort. I know what I'm feeling in the seat of my truck and through the wheel. I trust my judgement better than anybody else's. I know that may sound arrogant but that is just the reality of it. And yes, a broader stance across the rear end of the truck makes a world of difference. If it didn't matter, they wouldn't build them and folks wouldn't buy them. I didn't just buy it because I thought that perhaps it looked cool and that I found some type of enjoyment out of buying six tires instead of four. I understand that big rigs get blown over as well, I happen to own a couple of Kenworths myself. The understanding of that concept is not lost.

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Escs36 · 02-03-2013, 10:19 PM

I bought my dually exclusively for safety while hauling. It makes a profound difference. Is it in my head: I highly doubt it. Commercial vehicles are dual rears for a reason. Even the "super single" big rigs still have the widest stance possible. Look at trophy trucks.

It takes energy to pull weight. All engines suffer significant mileage loss while pulling. Diesels are slightly less worse than a gas engine. My truck drops mileage 50% if I pull aggressively and about 40% if cruising around while pulling at maximum GCWR. A gasser in the same situation may drop by a slightly bigger percentage but the gasser already gets worse mileage to begin with. Commercial vehicles are diesel for a reason. A 14L big rig will get 5 mpg at 80,000#. What would a gasser get? my assumption would be .5 mpg!

crash · 02-04-2013, 03:20 AM

I bought my dually just for towing too,much more stable pulling the heavy 5th wheel .Even when we had a TT it pulled great and I didnt even have to use a weight dist. hitch like I did before I got the dually .JM2C.

ROLIN JOSEPH · 12-04-2013, 09:13 PM

Here is a video that fits right in with this thread, for those of us that have not seen it yet.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwOqARlw1EI

LABSRUS · 12-05-2013, 09:45 AM

Great post!

And we will NOT be pulling our 8,000 lb.+ new trailer with our little 1/2 ton pickup up - uh uh - no way!

bmach · 12-05-2013, 10:30 AM

So by your account you need your truck to tow a pop up? Whether you admit it or not you were not safe either!!! If your trailer being blown a1/4 of a lane then it could have hit anything driving in the other lanes. How does that make you safer with your trailer taking up more than one lane? Get off the road and let others be safe

davidjsimons · 12-05-2013, 01:56 PM

No, I don't think that is anywhere remotely what I said. My point was that the severe winds would have been far worse if I hadn't had a larger truck. I'm sorry if you disagree and at this point, it really doesn't matter. Obviously, you are happy with your truck and comfortable in your opinion, as am I.

2013 Cougar 28 RBS
2012 Ram 3500 Dually
6.7 Cummins H.O.
4.10 rears.

jje1960 · 12-05-2013, 01:59 PM

I love having to much truck!

RGene7001 · 12-06-2013, 06:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ROLIN JOSEPH

Here is a video that fits right in with this thread, for those of us that have not seen it yet.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwOqARlw1EI

The video shows exactly that the truck (DRW by the way) has little to do with this roll over, in fact it remained wheels down, not up in the end. Huge trailer will always be vulnerable to such strong winds; the best thingis to stay home if conditions are so bad. Would fifth wheel behave differently? I don't know. Even 18 wheeler can get blown off the road of the wind is strong enough.

Trent McCain · 12-06-2013, 10:13 AM

We pull with an F350 SRW and I see no need for a dually with our current coach. Would it be nice...yes, more stable towing...yes, but not a requirement with our loaded weight. I'm sure there are those that think we are over-kill with our rig, esp since it only gets 5K mi. a year on it with less the 2K pulling the coach. We are seasonal campers at best. My thoughts have always been if you need (or want) a dually...get a dually. I own/operate a fleet of Kenworths too.....and I don't care "how much truck" you have, there are going to be days when it's unsafe for anyone. We've had many times, where we shut them down early because of the wind. It's not worth the risk of getting someone hurt or equipment blown over in the ditch.....the key is realizing your limitations, and shut down when it's unsafe.

Trent

davidjsimons · 12-06-2013, 03:43 PM

The thread was titled questioned could you have too much truck. The answer is no. Do you absolutely need more truck? The answer to that is also no. So long as the truck meets the load capacities, you have enough truck, but simply having enough does not mean that more can't be better. I don't need my truck for my camper. I was lucky enough to already have the need for that truck and it is also my daily driver. I can appreciate your not having the need for a bigger truck. However, my experience in the past has told me that if a piece of equipment is not taxed to its capacities, you will most likely get many more miles of service from that piece of equipment. Everybody has an opinion on this matter and not all of us will agree. I put more than 5,000 miles per year on my truck and most likely demand a bit more from it. Enjoy your truck, as I do enjoy mine very much as well.
As to not leaving home in bad weather, that is good advice, the problem is being caught in it. That was the particular at hand that I was referencing. Thirty mile per hour winds are not impassable for my truck and trailer combination. What turned into the larger issue for me were powerful wind gust on a high bridge. There wasn't really any places to stop in that situation. At that point I reduced my speed and worked my electric brake box for the trailer to keep it in my lane behind me. Obviously I did something correctly, I made it off of that bridge and kept all ten wheels on the ground.

2013 Cougar 28 RBS
2012 Ram 3500 Dually
6.7 Cummins H.O.
4.10 rears.

Trent McCain · 12-06-2013, 05:52 PM

With all due respect sir, I feel the same way as you can never have too much as well....otherwise I'd have kept my F150. But I also find it interesting the number of people on RV sites that insist a dually is the only way to go. Sure it is if you want the stability, or need the capacity. It no doubt increased your safety in the conditions you encountered. We are fortunate that our trucking operations are local....we usually know what the weather/wind is going to do before they ever leave. So in the unfortunate situation that it changes unexpectedly (and this has happened) we are never too far from the house, or people we know. If we know it's going to be a bad day....they are parked. Anyways, I didn't want anyone taking offense to my post. Trent

abneynormal · 12-06-2013, 06:03 PM

if my trailer brakes fail or come unplugged I can still stop mine. if its a really steep mountain I don't have to drop out of high range. so no you can never have too big a truck. my rig is 65 feet long a friend of mine has a stretched pete and is 75 feet long. both th are 40 footers.

davidjsimons · 12-06-2013, 06:05 PM

None taken. People need to give people the benefit of context in their post. I didn't take any offense to your comment. When I encountered that situation that I described, I was 500 miles from home, and the weather indeed had taken a real bad turn. That wind gust was the hardest broadside hit I've ever felt while towing a trailer. It made me sit up in the seat and take notice. I was happy to be off of that bridge.

2013 Cougar 28 RBS
2012 Ram 3500 Dually
6.7 Cummins H.O.
4.10 rears.

ROLIN JOSEPH · 12-06-2013, 07:52 PM

Let me 'throw in' another video to this thread.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLE1nn0P9AI

In this video, note that the much smaller tow vehicle landed on its roof.
Bigger may be better sometimes.
Of course there are many more variables from the previous video, but as many of you have said; "Be aware of your limitations" and "Bigger is better, but definitely not invincible"

Randy_K · 12-07-2013, 03:43 PM

Since we are doing video links....

Here you will find that smaller cars often tow better and safer then a lot of the big trucks. Real world tests for those who think that bigger is better. Food for thought at the least.

http://www.canamrv.ca/towing/

Festus2 · 12-07-2013, 03:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Randy_K

Since we are doing video links....

Here you will find that smaller cars often tow better and safer then a lot of the big trucks. Real world tests for those who think that bigger is better. Food for thought at the least.

http://www.canamrv.ca/towing/

Mmmmmmmm After watching these videos I am wondering just what these "real world tests" actually showed. Perhaps I missed something but I was not left with the finding that "smaller cars often tow better and safer than a lot of the big trucks".

These videos did nothing to convince me that I should think about trading in my 2500 GMC Duramax diesel for a Mini.

While bigger may not be necessary better, I will stick with my truck thank you.

Exactly what findings did you see that led you to stating that "smaller cars often tow better and safer than a lot of the big trucks"??

RGene7001 · 12-07-2013, 07:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Festus2

Mmmmmmmm After watching these videos I am wondering just what these "real world tests" actually showed. Perhaps I missed something but I was not left with the finding that "smaller cars often tow better and safer than a lot of the big trucks".

These videos did nothing to convince me that I should think about trading in my 2500 GMC Duramax diesel for a Mini.

While bigger may not be necessary better, I will stick with my truck thank you.

Exactly what findings did you see that led you to stating that "smaller cars often tow better and safer than a lot of the big trucks"??

Well, this tests show that non pickup truck vehicles can handle carefully matched trailer on quite high speeds and debunk the myth that only big and heavy truck can deliver safety during emergency maneuver. There is one video showing pickup towing fifth wheel, and it is not doing the job any better, but it is not bad either. Todays cars and unibody suvs are much heavier and stronger than ever before, in order to meet crash tests requirement, as well as for quietness and comfort on the road, powertrains pack more power than even the fastest driver will ever need. What's more important, they demonstrate what the art of matching and hitching the trailer can do, when taken to the max.
Braking tests were done as well and the results are very similar.
Braking+handling+ proven crashworthiness of the cars=SAFETY
While these tests are not completely objective, Canam had established record over the decades and A+ BBB rating.
Few people will sell their pickups and fivers because of Canam, but new people coming to rving will understand the options and choices they have in order to do so, without breaking their bank accounts and living with vehicles they don't really need our like

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