Help - Search - Member List - Calendar
Full Version: Do I really need a dually? Tire changing hard?
Truck Camper Forum > General > Matching Truck and Camper
striderinco
unsure.gif Looking for the best combination for full time Truck Camping. Plan to sell my house next year when I retire, and sink some money into the best full-time rig I can swing. Looking at the Northern Lite campers, but here is my problem: I want to get a cab chassis and have a camper body built so there will be more storage. That will add 800-1500 lbs depending on how carried away I get. I have been told that I will have to go with a F450 or better yet F550 dually, but I have never owned a dually and I want to be able to handle small emergencies myself. Just how hard is changing a flat on the rear of a dually, would I need to carry two hydraulic jacks? Bear in mind that I am an old woman with some arthritis but I have worked hard all my life. Thanks for your advice! (BTW this is also the first time I have ever posted on a forum, is there a guidebook somewhere?)
aqualung
Changing a flat on a dually isn't much more difficult than a single rear wheel truck. There will be 8 bolts instead of 5 to remove but then the wheels slide off just like a regular single wheel. I only ever use the bottle jack that came with my truck so you don't really need hydraulic jacks. Although the hydraulic jacks would be better with the extra weight of the camper. One jack is all that's needed.

When reinstalling the wheels, just make sure the outside wheel tire valve is lined up with the inner wheel tire value so you can easily check tire pressure. My wheels have a small hole in each wheel amongst the bolt pattern that indicates where the valve is. I imagine most do. This just makes it easier to line up the two wheels - just align the two holes.

One thing about the truck tires in general, they are E Load rated or better so they have thick sidewalls which makes these tires heavier. Also the dually wheel is typically heavier... a AAA membership with RV Plus might be a good investment.... that's what I have wink.gif

You might also want to add some valve extensions on the rear wheels to make checking/adjusting tire pressure easier. They just screw on in place of the normal valve cap and are under $10 for a set. Mine are plastic but do the job. Although I have found that the dealers have difficulty putting them back in the right spot after maintenance, even when you show them where they go.... or maybe that's just my dealer..... dry.gif

Sorry, I haven't found any forum guidebook but that doesn't mean there isn't one.
striderinco
QUOTE(aqualung @ Sep 23 2013, 04:19 PM)
You might also want to add some valve extensions on the rear wheels to make checking/adjusting tire pressure easier. They just screw on in place of the normal valve cap and are under $10 for a set. Mine are plastic but do the job. Although I have found that the dealers have difficulty putting them back in the right spot after maintenance, even when you show them where they go.... or maybe that's just my dealer..... dry.gif

Sorry, I haven't found any forum guidebook but that doesn't mean there isn't one.
*



Thanks, aqualung! Nexus RV offers some stainless braid valve extenders as an option on their E-series chassis motorhomes, but you also have to option a stainless center wheel insert so somehow I thought you needed that to have the valve extensions. I will do some searching to see what is out there. I am not super mechanical, just enough to get in trouble, LOL.
reeta
you will really struggle on hills with a v6. I have the 4.6 v8 and the tow package with 3:55 gears and I pull a 1000 lb. boat on a trailer. I have to gear drop from od to 2nd and still only do 40 mph at 3500 rpm. my camper is 1100 lbs without gear.
dubob
QUOTE(striderinco @ Sep 23 2013, 03:46 PM)
unsure.gif Looking for the best combination for full time Truck Camping.  Plan to sell my house next year when I retire, and sink some money into the best full-time rig I can swing.  Looking at the Northern Lite campers, but here is my problem:  I want to get a cab chassis and have a camper body built so there will be more storage.  That will add 800-1500 lbs depending on how carried away I get.  I have been told that I will have to go with a F450 or better yet F550 dually, but I have never owned a dually and I want to be able to handle small emergencies myself.  Just how hard is changing a flat on the rear of a dually, would I need to carry two hydraulic jacks?  Bear in mind that I am an old woman with some arthritis but I have worked hard all my life.  Thanks for your advice!  (BTW this is also the first time I have ever posted on a forum, is there a guidebook somewhere?)
*

Please trust me when I tell you that you will absolutely WANT to have the dually. I would also highly recommend that you carry some sort of emergency road service that you can call to come out and change the tire for you. Think outside air temp at 15, wind speed at 20 and then imagine you changing the inside dually. You have to pull both wheels to change the inside. Enough said.
This is a "lo-fi" version of our main content. To view the full version with more information, formatting and images, please click here.
Invision Power Board © 2001-2024 Invision Power Services, Inc.