Petition Elon for Dually

[Mike Hickey]

Few need a dually. I tow a 36' 5th wheel 4 slides with GMC 3500 Diesel 4x4 standard 6.5' bed, 4 on the ground, 16K # max. EZ.

Majority of modern 5th wheels are no more than 16K #s. Just need Beef.

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[PACEMD]

Once you use a dually for pulling such loads you don't want to go back. Can you pull such loads with a short bed single axle truck? Sure, you can. Not very stable. I wouldn't want to do it. I don't even like to pass such rigs on the highway......fishing all around.........

 

[Quicksilver]

"Dually and a 5th wheel plate in the vault and CT could compete with almost anything.
This should definitely be an option. "
Let me preface this with some background info. For most of my adult life I was either in the military or drove a Commercial Vehicle (this overlapped when I was in the Army Reserve and drove a CV as my day job). My military career started in the early 70's and ended in 2007 when I medically retired off Active Duty from the Army Reserve. There are very few military or civilian trucks (heavy or light) that I have not driven from those dates. We currently own a 04 Dodge Dually (Boss Lady's truck) that pulls a gooseneck and a 32 foot stock trailer. It is essential for us to have this hauling capability. I also have a 87 Pierce firetruck that I'm adapting to pull some ex-military van trailers I use for various purposes and a 5 ton Military Cargo truck for really heavy hauling. It will haul 10 tons without breaking a sweat. We have a 40 acre farm and these three vehicles are worked like rented mules. I'm buying my CT strictly as a daily driver that might occasionally get called on to haul a pallet of feed or some other small load. We considered replacing the dually with a single axle, medium duty Freightliner like you see pulling toy haulers or very fancy stock trailers but they cost north of 120,000 grand thus putting the kabosh on that. Replacing the truck we have with new Dodge dually (the only truck the BL will have) would cost at least 60 grand and you are stuck with that DEF system that you end up paying a few grand to delete once the warranty is up. If Tesla could build a Medium Duty truck and come in at less than 80 grand they would do a land office business if it got the mileage the Tesla semi is supposed to be getting. Dual cab, 4 door, one ton pickups (of all makes) are the mainstay of farmers, rodeo/horse people, Hot Shot drivers and trades people. My guess is that Elon has his eye on those markets (and the large delivery van market) but is concentrating on getting the CT to market and showing the public that a small electric truck is viable and makes sense. In the Army we had a system called "crawl, walk, run". In the crawl phase you formed a plan and set standards to train to. In the walk phase you did Battle Drills and practiced your plan over and over fine tuning it as you went. In the run phase you fought mock battles to test your soldiers to see if they were meeting or exceeding the standards. I think at this point Tesla is in the walk phase. They have a plan and they are fine tuning it. Once they are satisfied they are meeting standards they will go wide open on production while still doing R and D on other products. The run phase will be when they are meeting demand on the CT and Semi and are looking for new markets to move into. Just my humble opinion for what it's worth.

 

[OCS12]

I’m just going to way in here despite the fact that half the people will hate me. You’re asking for an utterly impractical option. Basic math says the truck will be useless for long haul heavy loads. Quit asking for silly crap.

 

[Mike Hickey]

Once you use a dually for pulling such loads you don't want to go back. Can you pull such loads with a short bed single axle truck? Sure, you can. Not very stable. I wouldn't want to do it. I don't even like to pass such rigs on the highway......fishing all around.........

I've been full timing with this rig for 8 years, no sway, GVWR - 3900#. I see many 2500s towing 5th wheels, generally overloaded, GVWR - 2400#.

 

[PACEMD]

I've been full timing with this rig for 8 years, no sway, GVWR - 3900#. I see many 2500s towing 5th wheels, generally overloaded, GVWR - 2400#.

Cool. You can do it, no doubt. Is the dually more stable and a very different experience when pulling a gooseneck? Yes. Yes, it is. Like the difference driving a Tesla versus an ICE machine. I'm not insulting your vehicle, not at all, just sayin'..........

 

[Mike Hickey]

Cool. You can do it, no doubt. Is the dually more stable and a very different experience when pulling a gooseneck? Yes. Yes, it is. Like the difference driving a Tesla versus an ICE machine. I'm not insulting your vehicle, not at all, just sayin'..........

Yes, you can't beat a dually for towing. Wide stance makes a big difference plus a much higher GVWR than other 3500s. For Gooseneck 30K #s, you need a dually. CT could handle a 19' Scamp Camper (gooseneck).
https://images.app.goo.gl/NhabxezGGLxer4EP9

 

[bfdog]

My dually towed better (E350 with 7.3 towed better than F250 with 7.3 or 6.0 and other F250s I’ve had). It’s a stable feel—rock solid. But not enough to warrant me having another dually. I even see big rigs with one wide tire instead of a dually sometimes. Maybe they can widen the stance without dual wheels. I estimate zero chance for a dually to tow 14k pounds when efficiency overall is paramount. As others have said. Perhaps solid tires are in order though for less rolling resistance, if the suspension is up for it.