[jarmstrong]

I have another question that might be a little odd. I've never towed a small load with a dually. Is there any benefits?
In a year or two, I'll be shoeing horses on my own and I've decided to shoe out of a trailer. This won't be a huge trailer, a 2 horse goose neck or 12-16 foot utility, maybe 5k total. Towing this every day, would it be earier with a dually?
Don't think I'm an idiot, I know that hands down a daully is better. I've towed a good amount with both srw and drw, just never a drw with a light load everyday and I don't know if it would be waiste.
thanks

 

[arisley]

Better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it. Wish mine was 4 wheel drive. Wait a minute, it is, just all on the same axle. Wish mine was 6 wheel drive.

 

[SmokeyWren]

Farriers also often haul horses, and a Dooley is definitely better for hauling even one horse than an SRW.

But if you promise never to haul a customer's horse(s), then for your use the SRW would be just as good as the Dooley.

The Dooley is more stable than the SRW when the trailer weight gets up over about 7,000 pounds or so. And animals of any kind, horses, cattle, sheep or goats that move around in the trailer, need the stability of the Dooley. But for 5,000 pounds of blacksmith and farrier stuff, the SRW is all you need. You don't even need the F-350 SRW - the F-250 will be plenty of truck for that load.

In fact (perish the thought!) an F-150 with the 5.4 engine, 4.10 rear end, and 7,700 GVWR pkg should be plenty of truck for your use. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

 

[TXGooseneck]

In hind sight I should have checked my desire for my need and gone with a dually. Now I'm left contemplating the dual wheel conversion.

 

[Riggodeaux]

As LMJD sez on the related gooseneck thread, and I explain there, a dooley is overkill for hauling 4 or fewer smaller horses in a lighter weight trailer. I wouldn't add the purchase expense, fuel expense, and limits on maneuverability inherent in a dooley unless you really need that extra towing power. Horses can't count the number of wheels on your rear axle ....

That said, every farrier I've seen carries lots of heavy stuff, either in their van, trailer or capped bed. Make sure you have enough trailer/trailer axle to tote that heavy farrier gear & collection of shoes, especially if you expect to haul a horse or two along with it. And if the total load has you carrying/pulling 6-8 tons, or more, go for the dooley ....

 

[00PSD1]

I horses some of the farriers have duallies others dont. I know one who doesn't tow a farrier trailer and uses his dodge 3500 dually for his business. I think its up to you. What else are you going to use it for? What type of area do you live in? How big are the parking spaces where you go?

I have an F550 I drive it every day it sticks a little bit out of the stalls at times which is my main concern. I love driving duallies and never have had a problem with one.

Again its your choice. If you need to haul other things with it I would go with a dually.

-
Andrew

 

[haul_n_horses2]

Most of our farriers tow a small bumper pull trailer or have their gear under a camper with side panels that flip up. The problems with duallies for this line of work is frequently you have to get into fairly tight places around barns and the bumper pull trailer wheels track the vehicle better (ie do not drift to the inside on a turn) and the tighter turning radius of your shorter bodied F250 or (heaven forbid) 2500 will get you in the barns better. My CC LWB DRW has the turning radius of a aircraft carrier.

 

[mrnecsteve]

I myself avoided a duelie because of the possible "hassle factor"
What hassle factor? Well If you decide to have an advertisement on the side of your truck and you decide to do some farrier work down here in Maryland where a few notable race horses have been known to graze AND you are driving a dualie ,which is over the 10,000 pound class gvwr, At minimum you might be considered a non commercial driver driving a commercial truck,which is allowed in maryland and there are some reciprocal agreements etc etc etc.Or you may get pulled over and asked to see your medical card,your triangles and your working fire extiguisher and be let go cuz your outa state
Do you really want to have to deal with researching state to state should you decide to go interstate? If you go down to Chicoteague or Assateague and decide to advertise service to the new pony owners after the pony swim and auction....is the hassle of haveing to stop at the tunnel weigh stations ,because the sign says ALL trucks over 5k enter?
I have an 07 with FX4 and a hydraulic dump trailer. I have towed 9800
pounds in it about 4-5 times. It is well within the srw capabilities with lots of margin for durability and safety.If you do a fairly large,steel,extra tall ,two horse with a front storage /changing area...you will be at 8000 pounds trailer gvwr.(sister has one) With a weight equaliser/stabiliser set up properly. I believe you will have a smoother ride for the truck and smoother ride for the horses.Dualies are great for capacity but they have some seriously stiff springs.
Various States are looking closer and closer at small trucks ,one by one. I believe that 3/4 non dualies are "under the wire" in all states.

 

[welder79]

Depends on wether or not you need a truck with training wheels!

 

[Pat Dolan]

If you are going silly-heavy, there is no substitute for a dually, but if you are going moderately heavy (as it seems you are) I have found that converting a SRW one ton to 19.5 low-pro tires is a really nice way to go. We did a Dodge 3500 crew/short box 4x4 this way with Rickson ( http://www.ricksontruck.com/customers/dodge_srw/046/index.html ) using 245 load range F tires. It gives about the same axle capacity as a 16" dually, but is much narrower. We pull 4 horses on a ball/gooseneck setup. Betting out of the 450 (a genuine towing champ) into the CTD is like stepping into a sports car (even loaded).

The other big bonus is that you now have "real" truck tires that are following in the same tracks front and rear, so are infinitely better in snow or mud. This is not the cheap way out, but it is still a lot less money than buying a new dually.

BTW this business of tire/rim rigidity is 99% of what setting up a tow vehicle is all about. I do it so much that when I put new tires on my 450, I can barely stay on the road (tread squirm). That's really al about the "feel", but if it is that obvious with 4 x 19.5s on the ground, you can imagine the difference between some whimpy passenger car tires (what is on a pickup) and a medium truck tire with very short, stiff sidewalls.

 

[hotrod220257]

[ QUOTE ]
Depends on wether or not you need a truck with training wheels!

[/ QUOTE ]
i agree my srw that i bought the guy before me pulled 24' equiptment hauler with a cat loader on it and 300 gal feul tank no problem well by truck was built to pull a lot more than that though and i will never use training wheels!