I need to replace my truck. The trailer I have currently is a two horse gooseneck with a dressing room. In the future I may upgrade to a 2 + 1 trailer. Should I look for a dually or not? I will get a 3/4 ton 4x4 with a towing package. I am just not sure if I really need a dually this time. I think I might switch to gas instead of diesel as I am not traveling as far. When I first bought the truck that I am replacing, I had a 28ft long gooseneck and went on long trips.
Anything to stay away from in a tow vehicle? I am looking for something slightly used and am partial to Chevys. I haven’t bought a truck since 2004.
I have a 4Star 2+1 and pull it with an F250 extended cab, short bed just fine. As long as it’s not a steel trailer, you should be just fine. They are great trailers.
I pull a 45 ft enclosed car trailer that weighs 11K loaded with a Chevy 2500 Diesel short bed crew cab. Unless you put a ton of weight into a living quarters conversion, there is no way you need a dually for a 2+1 in my book.
Is there any difference towing-wise between a long and short bed other than the length? I have always had long beds but it seems what I am seeing in the ads are standard beds. Are you pulling a gooseneck?
I have to navigate this purchase by myself and am not a truck expert. Horse expert, yes, truck expert, no.
I’ve never had a long wheel base. Just standard/short because of the turning radius of long beds is not great. Have had nothing but gooseneck for last 20 or so years. Standard beds often have a bit better towing capacity. Have always had gas engines too. Have always heard gas engines require less maintenance and cost less to repair. I don’t generally haul great distances either. Just regional.
My F250 was the long (8’) bed. Two differences to me would be less/no risk of popping out the back cab window with the long bed and, IIRC (and perhaps over time this has changed), in the long bed, the hitch was right over the rear axel (at least on my truck) while in the short beds, the hitch isn’t installed quite over the rear axel. Probably not a big deal but a ‘difference’.
It is a gooseneck (actually a fifth wheel but the principle is the same). My hitch is installed right over the axle. The main issue that most people have with a short bed and a gooseneck is overturning the trailer (particularly when backing up) and hitting either the rear window or rear post of the cab and denting the truck or breaking the window. My trailer is kind of a hybrid V nose - the first two feet of the neck is just the underlying frame so a very severe V. I’d have to try really hard to tag the back of the cab with the trailer. If you end up with a standard bed, see if you can find a trailer with a V nose - you’ll be less likely to damage the truck/trailer and in addition, it helps with wind resistance and fuel economy.
I’ve never towed this trailer with a long bed, so I can’t speak to the difference in how they drive.
As far as diesel vs gas - diesels can usually tow more weight and handle hills better, I’ve also found that the diesel gets better mileage towing than a gas engine. The diesel DEFINITELY costs more to repair/maintain - but a properly maintained one will go for more miles than a gas one.
Size of fuel tank for short bed vs long bed, if you plan to tow long distances. Not sure about gas Chevy, but the Duramaxes with long bed had much longer driving distances on a tankful, at least in the 2006-2016 era. I haven’t looked at trucks in 10 years, though.
My daughter’s trainer pulls an aluminum 6 horse with a non-dually F350 diesel. Long hauls sometimes, too. I’ve always been under the impression that the dually contributes more to towing stability than it does tow weight capacity. I could be mistaken, though.
