Hi all- considering a new 6.4 dually. Have an 07 Harley 6.0 now that has given me nothing but headaches, and my dealer is going to treat me right with a trade. There is a dually on their lot that I fell in love with. I do tow quite a bit ( boat and travel trailer), but not huge weight, about 9000 - 10000 max.

Question is, how are the new 08 duallies for ride, mileage, turning radius, etc.. The sales mgr says they ride as good as the single axle. ( kinda hard to believe) The truck has 4.30's and I think the 4.10 would be much better for the everyday driving and moderate towing that i do. Anybody with expierence between the 4.30 vs4.10?

It is such a sweet looking truck, but I don't want a harsh ride and way worse mileage from a single rear wheel with 3.73's. I realize that its going to be worse, but how much? If we are talking 1 or 2 mpg then that is acceptable, but more may be too great a penalty. Thanks for any advise.

 

The ride on the duallys is great. If you get a dually you should get one with the wide track front end on it. That option is awsome, it dang near just uses the inside wheel as a pivot point.

 

i traded my 2000 7.3, f350, lariat, crew cab, psd, for a 2008, 6.4, f350, lariat, crew cab, with the 3.73 ls axle. the ride on my dually is much more solid and STABLE than my srw 2000 7.3.

since you will be towing about 10k lbs, i would get a dually with the 3.73 ls axle option. i have a feeling that dealer wants to "unload" that 4.30 axle due to mpg concerns when empty. my mpg meter is showing between 13-14 mpgs with both city and highway combined driving. i don't gun it and keep the rpm's below 2000 and speed around 65 mph.

i am about ready to take a trip from northern arizona to san diego today and will post my mpg results when i get back.

one thing, i towed an 8000lb skid steer loader and a 2400lb trailer with my old 7.3 psd with the 3.73 axles without a problem (it was just a little slow taking off).

good luck,

66

 

by the way, i have the 4x4 if that matters.......

66

 

try to get the the wide track front end if you get a dually.the turning radius is awsome in these trucks.with 4:30 rears you can expect to get worse mpg than 1 with 3:73s.my f450 has 4:30s and i get 14 highway.

the problem your gonna have is that you cant get the wide track front end with 3:73s.so your mpgs arent gonna be that great.so i your gonna be using it as a daily driver id get a srw with 3:73s or dually with 3:73s (regular front end).

 

Thanks everyone so far. Sounds like the 4.30's are a bit to aggressive by the sounds of it. Is the ride really that good? I remember years ago duallies used to ride like an old wagon. Thanks again.

 

I had an 08 SRW F350 and traded it for a F450 dually after a year and a bit. I can barely tell the difference in ride between the two. So, yes, they do really ride that good.

 

I have a 08 f-350 DRW. Truck rides, tows & looks excellent. I run 4.10 gears, personally I would not get anything less. My MPG has been really good, 10 to 12 towing 10,000 lbs. 5th-wheel & 14 to 16 empty. Also a high of 17+ on highway driving here in Ohio. As far as DRW vs. SRW you won't go wrong with either. Towing experience for me has been well worth it & extra lbs. that I can haul vs. my old f-250 gasser. good luck !!!

 

When I got my dually, axle options were 3.73 or 4.10 with the latter being the only one available with limited slip. Have things changed in that option at all. I love the way my dually rides and will get another one next time - it gets at least one mpg less, maybe two than a SRW truck equipped with 3.73 gears. This is on a 6.0 so not sure if similar performance can be expected from the 6.4.

 

I have a 08 6.4L Dually..It is a fine truck..Yes the ride is a bit harsh..it is a big truck not a buick. I have the dually because I needed it for the pin weight of our 13K plus 5th wheel. We have the 4:10 Diff.I do not recommend the 4:30's..you don't need it..the truck has plenty of power and torque. If you do not need a dually don't get one. They are a pain in the butt to get around in. Again I got one because I need one. If we did not need it we would not have it.

 

New trucks these days ride a lot better than the older ones

 

i have a 08 6.4 cc dually with 3.73's. I am seeing consistant 12 around town empty and about 16 on the open road empty. I have a 36' enclosed car hauler with living quarters ( about 10-14,000 lbs depending on load) when it was new i would see 13 mpg doin' about 70 on the road. Having a few issues with it these days on the mileage. Dealer said it had the wide track but I don't think mine does but still turns tight. I know that sounds a bit off but it did not have a sticker on the window when I got it and the dealer never "got around" to printing one out for me.
I had a 4 dr Dodge before this so the new sled drives like a Cadilac compared to the cinder block I used to have.
My two cents: every one thinks they need the big axle but unless you pull a load every day or on a consistant basis, why drive a tractor!!!

 

My dually with 4.10 gears gets 12 MPG overall; about 12.5 MPG at 70 MPH on Interstate; 8.2-9.5 MPG pulling 14,000 lb fifth wheel depending on speed. Mileage improves if I drive 55-62 MPH on highway to about 14-16 MPG. All hand calculated over time from records since day one.

My dually rides great, but the previous two trucks before, 04 and 06 F-250 short bed 4x4s, rode a little better in my opinion. Same BF Goodrich tires.

My dually is a long bed with the wide track front and it seems to turn tighter than the 06 SRW shortbed F-250 did.

I have the rear camera and the backup sensors; I typically back in parking spaces (don't want the hips out for other people to swing into). Camera is super slick for backing up as far as possible when parking, not to mention hitching to conventional trailer. For the fifth wheel, I drop a couple of cones under the fifth wheel to line up on before dropping the gate. I need good line up with fifth wheel pin cause with my fold-a-cover I can not see the hitch in the bed as it blocks my view.

I love my dually but as others have said, I would not have one if I did not need it for the weight of my fifth wheel.

I would not go with the 4.30 gears in a 1 ton with the load you indicate you pull.

my 2 cents,

Bob

 

Thanks guys for the input so far. You confirmed my thoughts that 4.30 is too steep for my needs. I think I'll look for a dually with either 4.10 or 3.73. From what you've said , it seems to be a 1 - 2 mpg penalty for a dually.

If I can't find the right one,( pickings are getting slim in my area- too much oil money floating around here in Calgary, Alberta) I may just order an 09. Thanks.

 

If I was going to get a dually I would get it with 4.10 gears, but thats just me.
~Gage~