I have the opportunity to possibly get a Dodge 3500 dually 4x2 brand new without losing money on my current 2500HD. The 4x4 option bumps the price up $3,000. I'm trying to decide if having 4x4 is really necessary on a street only tow rig. If I got the locking rear I think I'd be OK in the winter. Are the Dodge front 2wd suspensions as strong as a SFA? I know I'd probably get better fuel economy, which would help my decision even more since it's a main reason I'm wanting to switch to a CTD (currently barely getting 13mpg with my 6.0). What are you guys' thoughts on having a two-wheel wonder tow rig/DD?
If you get in any kind of slick conditions at all, like wet grass, gravel, snow ice mud, with a 2wd dually, you will be stuck, guaranteed. I have some pretty agressive Michelins on my truck, and in 2wd the thing will get stuck on a banana peel. Unless you plan on NEVER driving in snow, mud or wet grass go for the 2wd, if not go for the 4wd. The first time you yank it into 4wheel drive, and it pulls itself out of a slick spot, the 3k price tag will disappear from your mind.
Like mentioned, if you don't plan on getting off the pavement, or into slick conditions you should be fine. The biggest problem with a diesel powered (especially the heavy cummins) 2wd truck is that you have all that weight on the front end that likes to sink. I personally would never buy a 2wd diesel because I live on a ranch and snowmobile almost every weekend up in the mountains and have probably used 4wd over a half dozen times in just 8,000 miles. But.....if all I was ever going to do is tow stuff from point A to point B and never had to worry about being offroad I would probably trake a 2wd because of the better mileage and less mechanical parts. I'd go with the Cummins Dodge dually myself over a gas powered chevy.
Lets not turn this into another brand wars debate. There are plenty of active topics here for that. One point that wasnt addressed was the strength issue you asked about between the 2 front suspensions. I think that in either case, 2wd or 4wd you will have plenty of strength for the truck's intended purpose.
I really like having a 4x4 and it's come in handy. But that's because of how I use it. I've pulled other tow rigs out of "fields" where I went through without trouble and I drove 900 miles on ice and snow during what was billed as "the worst snow storm in the Mid-West in 30 years" a couple of years ago. I also towed my truggy up a VERY steep "road" (used loosely) on the way to a trail head down in Las Cruces a while back where only the 4WD tow rigs made it to the trail head, ALL the 2WD rigs had to unload and drive the trail vehicles the rest of the way. IMO, more than once 4x4 made the difference. With all that weight up front, and all that torque on tap, the back spins AWFULLY easily. But, I did fine for years using a 2WD tow rig, it just reduces your options. The only thing I can think of where I would have been SOL without the 4x4 was the cross country trip in that snow storm. As long as your luck does not put you in that position, you should be just fine as long as you don't go where you shouldn't.
I didn't. If you are refering to my last sentence, regardless of brand I would take a diesel 2wd over a gas version, even if it has 4wd. I wouldn't care what brand, I'd go with diesel regardless.
another thing to consider is the 4wd dodge trucks have a tighter turning raduis than the 2wd. even tho i dont like dodges CAD setup, i'd still get 4wd . .02
The 4wd's can turn sharper? Wow. Dodge doesn't use the CAD system anymore. Everything is connected now and the front shaft always spins. Personally, I like the CAD setup. It's worked flawlessly every time I've needed the last dozen times.
really? so it only disconnects at the Tcase? hmm i was reading the latest TDR on the new four door short bed truck coming out, said that the 4wd version has a(i think) 4ft tighter turning radius. not sure if this is the case with the older models.
My '95 2wd turns sharper than any fullsize truck I've ever driven. It still surprises me every once in awhile. As far as being 2wd, I love my truck, but really wish it was 4wd. I got it at the end of the winter months, so I haven't had to deal with snow yet, but it's inevitable. I'm prolly gonna have to get a 4wd rig before winter so I can get around. Like russ mentioned, I've heard of a place or two where the 2wd tow rigs get stuck most of the time. I think Willyswanter mentioned this in regards to the sand in Johnson Valley. The Hammers are on my list of to-do trails... No way I want to drive all the way down there and get stuck in my tow rig.
