I have an older one 1988 ford, 4 door dually, I only tow a 22 footer but we love the extra room in the cab and i can also do 85 mph towing and not even know its there. 9 mpg towing or not, and the next boat i get, i dont have to worry about not having a big enough truck!! I only have 2 wd but it doesnt snow here either. yes banks are fun and drive thru's usaully I go over a curb or two but who cares.

I drive a 2000 crewcab dually Ford 4x4, and have put 45000 miles on it. As a daily driver, the first thing you'll have to master is backing into parking spots. Diagonal parking is iffy, and parallel parking REAL fun. I find it awesome in the snow, as the extra width on the rear wheels actually helps keep it going straight when going over the humps that snowplows leave behind while changing lanes at 50mph.

I drive it to thru bank, Burger King, thru the parking structure at work, as long as I have 6'8" clearance.

Also, the 7.3L diesel package makes quite the tow vehicle. I have a slide-in camper that sits in the bed (2500lbs), and tow a 33' Fountain (8800lbs), plus the truck (6000lbs) and can use the cruise control most of the way down to Lake Cumberland! I get 16 or so mpg empty and 12mpg with a full load.

I hear that Ford has a new 6.0L diesel out this year that produces more HP and torque that the 7.3. Put a 6-speed manual tranny behind it and you can tow anything.

Good luck.
Brian

I even do that in a car, and no one cares, you have a better excuse than I do!!

I had a 96 chevy 4dr dually and drove it every day ,it was a rough riding truck.I had to have a 4x4 with the new boat . I just bought a 2003 chevy 4dr dually 4x4. it is 10 times better than the old truck, it rides like a 1/2 ton truck. i usually park away from every body any way . to stay away from door dings .You do have to watch the rear fenders.I usually need more room .Wish they made a 6 door truck.I all ways have a bunch of people going to poker runs or when we go drag racing.

I just went from a 2wd dually to a 4x4 not so I could get around in the snow or mud (That's what I have my old grey 1/2 4x4 for!) I got tired of getting stuck at the ramps!! Here in Kansas the lakes were down about 4ft last year and that exposed the alge on the ramp, then when it got wet again it was as slick as SNOT!!! (Same color too!) I had to get pulled out by eveything including "Tanned Fat" here on the board! He just put a tow strap from his empty trailer to my truck and pulled me out "No problem" 4x4 is worth it in the long run!!

And to answer your question "Yes, 2wd Dually suck in SNOW, MUD, WET GRASS & WET BOAT RAMPS!!!"

I had a 76 chevy with a built big block. I liked it but it would get stuck in wet grass!!

I use my F-450 dually as a daily driver. The duals make for tight spots at drive-through windows, but other that they are great. Besides, the benefits of the dual wheels while towing far outweigh the negatives associated with daily driving.

JJ, those roof clearance lights are mandated by Federal Law based on the the vehicle width if I remember correctly. Be careful not having them on there. I even know guys with phantom duallys that had to add five ugly lights to the top. A couple of the came up with a rope light at the top of the windshield channel, that had "break" in it to form five lights. Sorry, I do not have pics.

PS, you cannot buy a GM single rear wheel 1 ton (new). If they are 3500, they are dually.

This truck has been great. The bed came from Manning and was built to fit the F-450 chassis. It is a little longer than a standard 350, but at a glance you would never notice. I also added a second fuel tank from Transfer Flow for a total capacity of 74 gallons! I love this rig and it has handled every task that I have thrown at it.