Tow pig upgrade. Dually or not?

I made a post earlier about upgrading my tow pig and wanting something with room for my big dog to spread out.  After reading and doing research, I don't think even a big SUV is ideal.  My RV is almost 37' long, weighs 8650 dry and has a tongue weight of 1000lbs.  I'm going to go with a pickup truck and make sure it has a fold up rear seat or buy one of those things that can make a flat surface in the back.

A few things of note.  I have a weight distribution hitch and sway bars.  Budget is $15kish.  No Ford diesel or 5.4L.  Going with at least a 250/2500 if not a 350/3500.  Should I go dually or is single wheel sufficient?  Place near me has a 2012 Ford 6.2L gas dually with super high mileage (400k) but nearly textbook perfect documented service history.  That's the low end of the price scale.  Lots of others with less miles and different configurations, with varying prices.  Few are Dodge, almost all are Ford 6.2L gas or Chevy 6.0L Vortex/6.6L Duramax.  Most are single wheel but several are dually.  

What say you?

Two more tires sounds like two more hassles.  You had a long wheelbase F250 non-dually.  Did that feel like enough? 

Was it too long? 
Would a dually be too wide?

Duallies don't fit into parking spaces either...ha.

I'm glad to hear of the idea of building a platform in the back seat of a crew cab since this was a suggestion that I gave in another thread.   

Should there be any roadside assist concerns?  I ask because I think traditional AAA will service/tow an F250 but balks at F350 thereby requiring an upcharged membership.  This may not matter with RV based programs...but check.  Does your auto insurance look at a F350 or Dually differently than a F250?  

If towing is what the truck is going to be doing, I would absolutely recommend the duallie.  If you've never pulled with one, do yourself the favor of finding a way to try it at least. 

That's at the threshold for where I would want DRW.  
The tongue weight and length especially would make towing more tiring with a SRW truck especially in cross winds.

Absolutely dually! That's what they excel at. They aren't good at being a DD, but towpig is one of their primary functions.

What's the actual towed weight? Like 10k? That's kind of on the edge of it being a good idea. If all you're doing with the truck is towing I'd consider it but probably wouldn't go out of my way to get it. If you're using the truck for anything other than towing with any frequency, the extra width and terrible ride quality will get very annoying very quickly.

In reply to John Welsh :

The current F250 is pretty good at towing, it does squat some with the trailer attached.  I figured if I'm going to upgrade, I want to get the best tool for the job.

The trucks primary job will be towing.  It could see occasional daily use but rather unlikely.

Would you buy a 12 year old F350 with 400k miles and a great service history?

I have a 6.2L gas SRW F-250 crew cab, and I think it would handle that trailer OK. It's been a really good truck for me and is tolerable (barely) for driving around town when not towing.  IIRC it is rated for 3400lb payload, I have no trouble with a 2000lb truck camper and a 6000lb race trailer, although I wouldn't want to tow in the Rockies with that setup.  

If it's a dedicated tow pig and you're doing long trips and/or mountains, a diesel dually is probably the better tool. For anything less you should be able to get away with the single rear wheel setup.  As far as I can see, the biggest advantage to towing with a diesel is to be able to use the diesel lanes at truck stop gas stations instead of having to manage the trailer at the regular passenger car gas pumps. 

ShinnyGroove (Forum Supporter) said:

As far as I can see, the biggest advantage to towing with a diesel is to be able to use the diesel lanes at truck stop gas stations instead of having to manage the trailer at the regular passenger car gas pumps. 

Boy, you can say that again about the easy diesel pumps...  

Years ago, I co-drove this Super C class RV down to The Challenge.  It drove/towed/hauled great but it was 8.0L gas.  

In that picture I am parked nose to nose with a traditional sleeper cab semi.  Notice that our combined length is nearly as long as the semi.  This much rig is the kind of thing you don't want to head off the road and into a parking lot with a clear path of exit.  Yet, at a Pilot/Flying J/Loves type truck stop we had to battle the passenger cars in the front of the store for a gas pump.  We'd need two pumps worth of space and while blocking the first pump and waiting for the second pump, someone would try to slide into that second pump.  In the Charleston, WV area we needed gas.  At the only gas station available, two of our crew stood on the road to stop trafic as I backed this rig out to the main road leaving this small BP gas station.  

Life would be so much better if you could pull around back to the diesel/semi fuel in the back of the store!  

EDIT:  but, that RV above had saddle tanks.  When it comes to a standard F350 DRW, do those trucks accept the large, high flow nozzles used to fill semi trucks quickly?  Said another way, can you take a typical F350 diesel to the back pumps at Pilot/Flying J/Loves truck stops?  

SKJSS (formerly Klayfish) said:

 

Would you buy a 12 year old F350 with 400k miles and a great service history?

Nope. I'd have no interest at all in any gas burner with 400K on it. Especially at $15K. 
 

I'd consider a diesel with that mileage, but it better be a good deal. Like well under $10K.

My $0.02 (but I do tow a LOT)

For the purpose of almost exclusively tow vehicle, diesel is pretty much across the board better. The only reason I'd consider a gas truck for this is if it was basically free. And even then it would be a hard sell.

SV reX said:

SKJSS (formerly Klayfish) said:

 

Would you buy a 12 year old F350 with 400k miles and a great service history?

Nope. I'd have no interest at all in any gas burner with 400K on it. Especially at $15K. 
 

I'd consider a diesel with that mileage, but it better be a good deal. Like well under $10K.

My $0.02 (but I do tow a LOT)

The 400k mile one is asking $7500.  I've looked at ones ranging from that price point up to $15k.

In reply to SKJSS (formerly Klayfish) :

I wouldn't be interested in a 400K gas burner. At all.
 

And I don't want a dually, and I don't want an F350.  Unless I'm buying a dump truck.
 

You may like it. It really is a matter of personal choice. 

I went from a SRW F-350 to a DRW F-350. I got the unique experience of towing the exact same trailers/loads over the exact same roads with trucks that were theoretically identical other than 4 vs 6 tires. 

My story is that I'll never go back to a SRW for a tow vehicle. It's a stark difference in stability. Especially after you go over a bump at highway speeds, like the transition from bridge back to asphalt, or railroad crossings. Instead of that initial bump and then a few follow-up wobbles in the SRW, in the dually it's essentially just the initial bump. 

On gas vs diesel, I'm in about same budget for my theoretical next tow rig, and I'm torn. Buddy that's a diesel mechanic at a fairly popular independent truck shop says he'd probably buy a gasser if he could afford to keep it filled with gas. But I'm torn. In my case, it's going to get used for towing 90% of it's usage, but sit around otherwise, and while I really want the diesel torque, it feels like a heavy initial investment and maintenance cost commitment to go diesel when a "modern" gas motor will probably do just fine. 

I tow around 15k on a daily basis for work. If the vehicle is purely for towing I would recommend a dually. They are some much more stable. They really make towing less of a hassle. I personally think the sweet spot for you would be a gasser dually. A diesel SRW would probably be fine too though. I like my tow vehicles to be overkill, so I wouldn't want a SRW gasser if towing frequently or long distance 

ShinnyGroove (Forum Supporter) said:

As far as I can see, the biggest advantage to towing with a diesel is to be able to use the diesel lanes at truck stop gas stations instead of having to manage the trailer at the regular passenger car gas pumps. 

The biggest advantage is the torque. Once you're used to towing with a diesel, you realize how much worse towing with a gas truck really is. If towing will be the main use, diesel wins every time. As others said, duallly for towing is great, but without a trailer, is miserable. 

My comments probably sound like I am down on duallies. I'm not. They tow great, and if I needed a vehicle that did nothing but towing, I'd drive one. Terrific highway cruisers. 
 

I also have to drive it daily. That's why I don't want a dually.  The daily annoyance of finding a parking space, trying to maneuver through traffic, or trying to avoid clipping a mailbox with the fat rear end is not something I want.

Ive never had a dedicated tow pig. My truck needs to tow AND be a daily driver.

If the primary mission is towing, dually all the way.  Especially if you're towing enclosed trailers that have higher side loading in wind.  Otherwise, everyone above has hit the high points.

Most diesel trucks accept the 'big truck' nozzles, and being able to use the big truck lanes with a trailer is a huge plus when pulling a trailer.  Most regular gas stations are now set up with the pump lines perpendicular to the store, which makes it pretty difficult to get a rig with a trailer in/out, especially if they're busy.  Also, you can use a fuel card like Open Roads to get a discount off the big truck pump price.

I don't daily my dually, but I don't have that much trouble running it around town when I do drive it.  If you live in a big metro area it would probably be more difficult.

The Ram crew trucks, at least have a fold up rear seat and 'package tray' that creates a flat surface perfect for dogs.

I'm moving to Florida and I only have two parking spots at the condo.  Therefore the truck will likely sit at the same storage facility as the RV when not used for towing.

Not sure I want or need a diesel, but this one seems interesting.  I like the idea of a new factory installed transmission with warranty Chevrolet Duramax dually.  Not sure if it would be a pain in the ass to hook up the trailer.  This is the high mileage one I mentioned earlier.  Love the configuration and the service history, but oh so many miles.  https://www.cobbluxurycars.com/details/used-2012-ford-f-350-super-duty/98750672

I tow that weight toy hauler - 8600 wet - with a gmt900 duramax srw and definitely recommend a dually. SRW is ok but I wish I had better stability overall. 
And, yes, I am running a weight distribution system 

SKJSS (formerly Klayfish) said:

I'm moving to Florida and I only have two parking spots at the condo.  Therefore the truck will likely sit at the same storage facility as the RV when not used for towing.

Not sure I want or need a diesel, but this one seems interesting.  I like the idea of a new factory installed transmission with warranty Chevrolet Duramax dually.  Not sure if it would be a pain in the ass to hook up the trailer.  This is the high mileage one I mentioned earlier.  Love the configuration and the service history, but oh so many miles. 

Maybe it's just the pics but That "bed" seems to extend out too much. Beyond that looks pretty decent. Lots of miles though. 

In reply to SKJSS (formerly Klayfish) :

I looked at the carfax of the 400+k F350.  What I see interesting...  

8-23-23 (14 months ago) the truck is noted as sold at auto auction.  Today, we see the truck still listed as the same mileage of 410,118.

This makes me wonder...has the truck really sat, unsold and undriven for 14 months?  If yes, see that even for yourself there will be no secondary market for a 400+k truck when you are done with it.  So, every dollar spent will be an un-recoupable dollar.  Just a reminder that if you were to buy this, buy it REALLY low because you will have to sell it REALLY low, if at all.  Should the truck end up being in an undrivable state during your ownership then it's value is just $0.  

OR

It is a common practice for dealership to leave up ads to vehicles they have already sold.  They put a low price on the item and use the ad as bait to lure in customers they can up-sell.  But, if this was the case and the truck had sold, the carfax would likely show a new registration.  

In reply to amg_rx7 (Forum Supporter) :

Yes, that stake bed configuration is not going to to be friendly to "bumper-hitch-ing" a camper/trailer.  

If you're not apposed to a small back seat and a flatbed... 

2006 diesel w/200k in Orlando