Dually or single rear wheel?

[jornvango]

We have a Livin Lite Camplite truck camper (2000 Lbs weight) sitting on our 2008 Dodge RAM 3500 4X4 with the 6.7L Cummins diesel. We've driven up to Alaska and down to Panama. Here in the US, the dually is no issue, however, we've had some difficulties in colonial towns in Mexico and Central America. We are hoping to ship our setup to Europe to drive to Asia.

The truck is up to 240K miles so we are debating ...
- Sell the Dodge and buy one with lower miles? Is 240K "a lot" for the 6.7L Cummins (well maintained)?
- What fuel is recommended for Europe and Asia: gas or diesel? Our Dodge has the DPF delete (we actually bought it used like that and had no idea about "DPF delete") so that means we don't have to worry about finding the ULSD. We drove around Central America for 5 months and we had no issues. Not sure if DPF delete and ULSD are related ...
- If we do go that route; do we stick with dually or go with the single rear wheel? Our truck camper is a little wider than the dually so we won't be gaining any space at the camper's level, however, we will gain space at the wheels so narrow roads (with high sidewalks next to the road) will be less of a problem. And, we've had a rock stuck between the dual wheels which is a pain (and we defintely like to get off the beaten path and explore dirt roads). Not too mention having to buy the 2 extra tires when it comes time to buy new tires. Any big advantages/disadvantages to the dually?
- Any problem sticking with a truck and slide-in truck camper for Europe and Asia?

Thanks!

 

[IdaSHO]

With a 1-ton you don't need the dually, assuming you stick with the current camper or something of similar weight.

The dually will feel more stable, but thats where the benefits end.

 

[Buliwyf]

I'd stick with the dually.

-It's not wider
-It's handles better
-you have redundant wheels and tires. 2 flats aren't going to leave you stranded.
-the tires have less stress

The only reasons I ever avoid a dually
-less tire selection
-drinks a little bit more fuel

In the rain and wind, DRW's rule with campers. If I ever ditch my TT and go to a nice slide-in, trading my truck for a DRW would be my stop.

I'd recommend the Ford Superduty right now, and the Dodge second, if I was in the market. That is high mileage on your current turck, but you have all the new truck bugs worked out of it. I'd have to look in the engine and trans to determine if the truck is worth another big trip.

 

[SD-Diesel08]

240K is not a lot of miles for the 6.7L. Especially a well maintained one. No issues there.

Deleting the DPF has nothing to do with ULSD. All diesel fuel is ultra low sulfur. European diesel should be the same. I can't see any issues running diesel over there. Europeans have a higher percentage of diesel vehicles than we do here so finding diesel at gas stations shouldn't be an issue at all. Gas engines tend to be more picky with the various qualities of fuel that they get anyways so i would stick with the diesel.

I agree that if the camper is already wider than the dually, keep the dually. Extra spares. More stable.

 

[Darwin]

Deleting the DPF has nothing to do with ULSD. All diesel fuel is ultra low sulfur.

In places in Central America, where the OP's last trip took place, the diesel PPM sulfur content is sometimes over 5000! Definitely not ULSD.


I say stick with your current truck, if you go used on another one you are taking a risk on an unknown, at 240k I think it would be cheaper and make more sense to keep what you got and run with it. 240k is certainly not crazy high milage for that truck if it's in good shape and well taken care of, from the pictures you took of your MExico/Central Amrica trip, it looks like a good rig. Make sure the tranny is up to par would be my suggestion and the injectors good. Invest in a good code reader also.

 

[p nut]

I would keep your rig. You know it. Familiar with it. No USLD needed (yes, some parts still do not have ULSD. No, not all diesel is ULSD). If it breaks down? That's part of the adventure! Look at these folks driving a 30 year old rig, and their reasons why they like driving an old rig.

http://expeditionportal.com/2013-ov...-and-karin-marijke-of-landcruising-adventure/

 

[dlh62c]

Do your homework, having the DPF and related emissions hardware removed may restrict where you can drive in European countries, especially in metropolitan areas.

 

[RoyJ]

Do your homework, having the DPF and related emissions hardware removed may restrict where you can drive in European countries, especially in metropolitan areas.

Do they not cut any slack for foreign vehicles?

We (at least in Canada) will cut them slack for not meeting our emissions. Also, I'd think most European police officers don't exactly have North American emissions laws memorized.

 

[jornvango]

Thanks for the replies! Looks like the current truck may work, especially if we have the engine (cylinders) and transmission checked before the trip (to lower the risk of expensive repairs overseas).

That being said, the DPF delete does worry us. Living in the US, that means not being able to pass an emissions test (which is required depending on where you live; we bought our truck in Texas where there is no emissions testing) and the plane fact that apparently a DPF delete is illegal. Long term it may be a wise(r) choice to sell the current truck and buy a (potentially lower mileage) one-ton truck. Most one-tons with long bed seem to be dually.

If we go the route of selling and buying another one-ton, we are likely to stick with Dodge. Something about the Cummins being sold worldwide is comforting for repairs. Any obvious benefits of the older 5.9 versus the 6.7?

 

[RoyJ]

Any obvious benefits of the older 5.9 versus the 6.7?

Most obvious benefit would be the lack of DPF, and along with it, the heavy EGR cycle that early 6.7s (2007 - 2012) rely on to combat NOx. The 5.9s past 2003 still use EGR, but it's at a much lower ratio, and easy to delete.

If you choose not to delete a pre-DEF 6.7, the your DPF is pretty much a (very expensive) wear item. The heavy EGR will clog it, as well as heavy carbon buildup on the intake, exhaust, and turbo housing. This is not a good situation for a global overlander!

The post-2013 ISB with SCR and DEF a lot better. But, they're still expensive, and finding DEF globally is a challenge.

 

[jornvango]

If you choose not to delete a pre-DEF 6.7, the your DPF is pretty much a (very expensive) wear item. The heavy EGR will clog it, as well as heavy carbon buildup on the intake, exhaust, and turbo housing. This is not a good situation for a global overlander!
The post-2013 ISB with SCR and DEF a lot better. But, they're still expensive, and finding DEF globally is a challenge.

So basically the 2008 6.7L with DPF delete is actually pretty nice since it doesn't require DEF and doesn't have to deal with DPF related issues... ?

 

[RoyJ]

So basically the 2008 6.7L with DPF delete is actually pretty nice since it doesn't require DEF and doesn't have to deal with DPF related issues... ?

They are, as the basic engine itself is very well designed. As mentioned before, you can also run higher sulphur levels.

The only concern is legality - that's why I wanted to know just how much it is actually enforced in Europe.

 

[jornvango]

They are, as the basic engine itself is very well designed. As mentioned before, you can also run higher sulphur levels.

The only concern is legality - that's why I wanted to know just how much it is actually enforced in Europe.

Thanks! Unfortunately, I can't find a good answer to that. I doubt that police will check (or know what to check) when we're driving around in Europe but better safe than sorry of course.

Does anyone have any knowledge of their rig (which would be registered in the US or outside of Europe) actually being checked when traveling? Since emissions are handled "where the car is registered", I don't know why/when police would actually check.

 

[chilliwak]

Some of the larger German cities will not allow you to enter unless you have a green certified sticker showing that your vehicle meets local emision standards. Driving in without the sticker can give some hefty fines...:Wow1:

 

[Dalko43]

I'd stick with the dually.

-It's not wider

Aren't duallies wider than 2500/3500's with SRW?