Dually vs single on a short (van) bus

[GoMel]

Dear skoolie peeps, besides the obvious having to buy more tires, what are the pros and cons of a 5 window dually? I live in NYS, and have heard there are roads I couldn't take it on (parkways), and that in some parts of the country I may have to pay more in tolls. Can anyone speak to this?

 

[wunderhut]

and that in some parts of the country I may have to pay more in tolls.

This is true in Illinois. Can be nearly double if you use I-PASS(EZ-Pass).

 

[cowlitzcoach]

The two biggest pro for duals is greater weight carrying capacity and much better stability.

SRW buses tend to get a bit tippy when you start to reach or exceed the GVWR of the chassis. The tippy feeling really presents itself when subjected to side winds or when being passed or passing by big rigs. If you do a roof raise the tippy feeling will become much greater.

As far as extra cost is concerned, we have very few toll roads/bridges to speak of out here on the left coast so I am not familiar with any extra costs associated with more than four wheels. License fees for RV's are based on empty weight and GVWR so license fees for SRW will be a bit lower than for those with DRW. But the amount is not that much in the grand scheme of things.

If you should purchase a SRW bus and determine it is too tippy for your liking it isn't that hard to update to a DRW configuration. The axles on E-350 or G3500 chassis are basically identical between SRW and DRW. Most of the Ford versions even have the longer wheel studs the DRW wheels need on SRW axles from the factory.

 

[Tango-SKO]

Never heard of any restrictions on dually axles (?). Weight..yes...number of axles...yes...length...yes...height...yes. Half the pickup trucks here in Texas are duallies and there are no state or Fed limits I have ever encountered.

But then there is Kalifornia who does things weirder than anywhere else.