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Old 10-28-2014, 10:39 AM   #3
hot rod
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 527
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I agree with Bob. I went from a dually to a GMC 6500 Topkick mdt with a lot longer wheelbase and it actually has a far shorter turning radius than my dually ever did, and in most situations is easier to maneuver the trailer (40' goose/fifth). The exception may be backing 90 degrees into a tight driveway from a narrow street, the front of the long truck still has to go somewhere even though it turns really tight, the front end can swing pretty far backing up. The biggest adjustment for me was visibility backing up, you now have an 8.5' box about a foot behind your seat instead of being able to cheat and look over your shoulder and out every window in a pickup cab. But you get used to that. I added big city delivery truck type convex mirrors out on both front fenders and I can now see the end of the trailer at about 45 degrees in those (backing to the blind side) and there is just a moment of blind spot before I can see the end of the trailer appear in the right side window as you back sharper. And I can always see the end of the trailer in those while driving, no matter how sharp the curve. I see your truck did not have those, they are a big help. Also huge peace of mind on the road, those eliminate the blindspots on each side right next to the truck where a small car can easily hide out.

The 22.5's ride a little rough with a light load, but they are bullet proof and will last practically forever the way all of us use them, I think a worthwhile trade off. You can compensate for the lighter loads with lower air pressure, I only run 75# in my steers instead of the 110psi on the sidewall, based on Michelin's load/inflation chart and it makes a huge difference in ride quality. Mine doesn't have air brakes, but I wish it did. Even the big mdt 4 wheel disc brake are such a huge improvement over the small brakes on a dually that I don't need to rely on the trailer brakes (22000# trailer) at all for normal driving, and barely at all for a panic stop. With air brakes you would literally never know the trailer was back there.

The only company I know of that made a toterhome on smaller chassis was Pony Xpress and they are out of business now. I have seen many of their units for sale over the years. Most were a 8.5-10' box on a Chevy 4500/5500 mdt chassis, but they made some on the smaller Ford F450 chassis as well. Nice well built compact units, but really designed for the horse trailer market and don't have the real world capacity for a heavy trailer. The Ford F450, Chevy 4500, Dodge 4500 are basically an overbuilt 3500 dually, with the same drivetrain, 19.5 tires, and slightly heavier frame/brakes. Not a big improvement over a dually and by the time you add a big box, you are going to be farther behind in capacity than you are now.

My plan is to upgrade to a singled Volvo tractor the next time around. While my 6500 is a huge improvement over the dually, the Volvo would be the ultimate. Check out the irv2 forum, and the hdt rally forum, both have great info on towing fifth wheels with mdt/hdt trucks.

Good luck!
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