The people's voice of reason
The people's voice of reason
Dually pickup trucks are an icon of American might. They're one of the most capable heavy-duty trucks you can buy, designed and engineered to possess immense towing capacity. There isn't much you can't haul with one of these focused beasts. In fact, most wouldn't break a sweat fulfilling any weekend warrior's requirements, or demolishing a house, like in the hit 1989 action film "Lethal Weapon 2."
There is a serious game of brinksmanship among these truck-makers—it seems like every year or so there is a new class leader. Torque outputs have climbed into the four-figure range and reached unprecedented towing capacities, leading to quite a bit of oneupmanship among brands. Price ranges can vary quite a bit, too, as the category includes work trucks with vinyl seats and not much else, as well as high-end trucks with Bentley-level creature comforts. But which rig is right for your needs and budget? Read CarGurus' list below to find out. They're all quite powerful, and heavy, so keep in mind that EPA-rated fuel economy will hover in the mid-to-high teens.
The main feature of the dually truck type is four wheels connected to a rugged rear axle under widened rear fenders. So that's a pair of wheels at each rear corner of the truck, which in turn allows for jaw-dropping hauling capacities and tow ratings. Extra wheels means an increased ability to get torque to the ground, as well as a sizable increase in durability. Because of the fenders' wide widths, this kind of fitment makes any truck look more muscular.
Additionally, to ensure maximum tow capacity, duallys are commonly rear-wheel-drive trucks, as 4X4 drivetrains cut down on tow capacity.
For clarification's sake: While many duallys fit into the one-ton Heavy Duty (HD) category of trucks, there are single-rear wheel trucks there as well. In either case, HD pickup trucks aren't required to report on fuel efficiency.
If your towing needs exceed 20,000 pounds, then you most certainly should consider one. Towing multiple cars, a large fifth-wheel trailer, a gooseneck trailer, livestock, and other applications that slather on extra weight are where the duallys' heavy duty nature shines.
Typically, modern one-ton duallys can tow anywhere between 20,000 lbs and 38,000 lbs, depending on engine type and displacement, manufacturer, axle final drive ratio, and various drivetrain upgrade options.
The Chevrolet Silverado HD and GMC Sierra HD were pleasantly refreshed for the 2024 model year. They offer the same powertrains, body styles, and equipment. Though some packages and trims wear different names, you can get a Silverado outfitted with the same features and content as the Sierra; the packages and options just might have different names. So what's the difference? Well, they say art is subjective, and so is car design. While some said the old model looked like Optimus Prime midway through transformation, the 2024 version is nicely restyled. The Sierra, while still bold and imposing, looks more conventional. Looks aside, the Silverado 3500HD provides the tools to get work done. It comes standard with the helpful integrated bed steps and is available with the more complex Multi-Flex tailgate (GMC's Multi-Pro tailgate by a different name).
Chevy offers two 6.6-liter V8 engines, one gas-powered and one diesel-fueled. The Gas V8 makes 401 horsepower and 464 pound-feet of torque, routed through a new 10-speed automatic transmission. The Duramax turbodiesel V8 puts out 470 hp and 965 lb-ft of torque, and routes power through the same 10-speed automatic transmission. It allows the big diesel V8 to stay in the ideal power band, which makes for surprising acceleration. When properly equipped, a Chevy Silverado 3500HD with the Duramax diesel V8 can tow up to 36,000 pounds.
With its suite of parking cameras, the Silverado HD provides 14 different views of your trailer. Using an available accessory camera, you can see inside your trailer, and with another accessory camera, you can even see past the trailer to the road behind it. Chevy also provides a smartphone app that connects to the truck's infotainment system. Using the app, owners can input trailer specifics and adjust vehicle and trailer settings.
Trim levels for the Silverado HD include WT, LT, LTZ, and High Country. WT stands for Work Truck and comes with features such as vinyl or cloth seating, a six-speaker stereo, and a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. On the other end of the lineup, the range-topping High Country features leather upholstery, chrome step-ups, a power-sliding rear window, spray-on bed liner, leather upholstery, heated-and-ventilated seats, and a large 8-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
The most affordable dually setup is a rear-wheel-drive (RWD) WT trim with the long bed and gas V8. It clocks in at just under $50,000. A quad-cab four-wheel drive (4WD), High Country trim with the long bed and the Duramax V8 costs more than $85,000.
The Ford F-350 Super Duty is a serious truck designed for serious work. At times this F-Series heavy hitter feels like a piece of worksite commercial machinery in all the right ways. But it's also surprisingly advanced, from the use of aluminum body panels to its spacious cabin, which is outfitted with the latest in-car technology. The Super Duty's signature "notch" window design helps with that construction-equipment persona. Ford's Super Duty lineup was completely redesigned for the 2023 model year and carries over with minor updates.
The Super Duty boasts four engine choices. The base engine is a new 6.8-liter gas V8 that makes 400 hp and 445 lb-ft of torque. There's also an available 7.3-liter V8 with 430 hp and 485 lb-ft of torque. Ford provides two Power Stroke 6.7-liter turbodiesel V8 engine options. The standard configuration makes 475 horsepower and 1,050 pound-feet of torque. The High-Output version of the turbodiesel engine makes 500 horsepower and an astounding 1,200 pound-feet of torque. Power is sent through a 10-speed automatic transmission to the rear wheels or available 4WD.
Ford has not stated the towing numbers for the F-350 Super Duty, but the automaker claims this truck is expected to deliver best-in-class maximum payload capacity and towing specs. Not all roads are meant for the heavy loads that these trucks can tow. The F-350 Super Duty is available with Trailering Navigation that outlines the optimal route for towing, avoiding potential hazards on the route.
The Super Duty is available with Pro Power Onboard which provides high-output power outlets inside the truck cab and in the truck bed. In addition to a suite of helpful software features, the Super Duty can be equipped with Ford Pro Upfit that helps with seamless integration of power equipment such as plows, cranes, and lights.
The new Super Duty features an attractive, functional cabin that's loaded with standard and available features for daily life and the work site. Trims include XL, XL Off-Road, XLT, Lariat, King Ranch, Platinum, Limited, and Tremor. The Super Duty comes with the latest SYNC 4 infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. An 8-inch touchscreen comes standard and most higher-level trims come with a large 12-inch touchscreen infotainment system. Other helpful features include a fully digital instrument panel, wireless device charging, four USB ports, a Bang & Olufsen premium sound system, and built-in Alexa integration. Buyers can also select the available Max Recline Seats that fold out nearly flat for relaxing in this big truck when you're parked.
The Ford F-350 Super Duty starts at a manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) of around $48,000 for the base XL, while the decked out F-350 Limited Super Duty with a Crew Cab and 8' box reaches over $100,000 before options.
The GMC Sierra 3500HD runs the gamut from true work truck to upscale pickup. All trims come with big style and helpful features like the standard integrated bed steps. Unlike the Ram's available steps, which are retractable, the Sierra's are built into the truck's exterior. They are located at the corners of the rear bumper and ahead of the rear wheels. These steps are a clever solution without any moving parts that can break.
The base engine in the Sierra HD is a 6.6-liter gas V8. It makes 401 hp and 464 lb-ft of torque sent through a 10-speed automatic transmission. The big workhorse engine is the 6.6-liter Duramax turbodiesel V8. It puts out 470 hp and 975 lb-ft of torque. The Duramax also routes power through a 10-speed automatic transmission.
The 10-speed automatic helps provide smooth acceleration. It's actually kind of wild that a truck this large can feel this quick when pressed.
GMC pairs this acceleration to surprisingly direct, responsive steering. The Ram might be smoother and more comfortable, but the Sierra defies logic by feeling agile. We're not saying you should autocross the Sierra HD, but compared to older dually trucks, it goes where you ask it to with more precision.
When properly equipped (single cab, dual-rear-wheel, diesel engine, and RWD), the Sierra 3500HD with the Duramax can tow up to 36,000 pounds. The Ram can tow more, but that's not the whole story. GMC provides plenty of helpful features for towing. The Sierra HD offers multiple cameras and provides up to 14 camera views for towing and parking. It is also available with a rear camera accessible through the rearview mirror, and it's possible to fit an accessory camera to the back of your trailer and view it through the central touchscreen. GMC also offers the ProGrade trailering system, which includes service interval status, tire pressure status, and wiring connection status. You can also customize vehicle and trailer settings with this system.
The Sierra 3500HD is available with GMC's Multi-Pro tailgate. It's a six-way multi-function tailgate that can operate as a bed extender or even a large step-up. Of course, we did just mention how the integrated steps are great because they have no moving parts, so we'll have to wait and see how the Multi-Pro tailgate holds up through the years.
The range-topping trim in the Sierra HD lineup is the Denali Ultimate trim. You can get it with the dually setup (4x4-only), and it includes full-grain leather seating, heated-and-ventilated seats, open-pore paldao wood trim, 16-way power front seats with massage, 12-speaker Bose audio system, as well as massive 13.4-inch color touchscreen.
The Ram 1500 is a standout among full-size pickups for its upscale cabin and comfortable on-road ride. Some of those attributes extend to the immensely powerful Ram 3500, but not at the expense of capability. The first "Ram" truck was the 1981 Dodge Ram. In 2010, the Ram brand was splintered off from Dodge at the same time the fourth generation was introduced. It was replaced with the current generation of the big truck, which arrived for the 2019 model year. Though Ram moved away from the telltale crosshair grille design, it still retained that big-rig styling.
Under the Peterbilt-looking hood, the Ram 3500 HD is available with either a 6.4-liter Hemi V8 or a 6.7-liter Cummins inline-six turbodiesel engine. The Hemi V8 puts out 410 hp and 429 lb-ft of torque. When properly equipped, this engine allows the 3500 to tow up to 18,210 pounds. That's impressive, but for extreme towing, look to the Cummins, which is available in two output levels. The standard 6.7-liter puts out 370 hp and 850 lb-ft of torque and can tow up to 22,660 pounds. The High-Output variant makes 420 horsepower and a stupendous 1,075 pound-feet of torque. When properly equipped, the High-Output Cummins endows the Ram 3500 HD with a maximum towing capacity of 37,090 pounds. Ram offers Trailer Reverse Steering Control that takes some of the guesswork out of backing up a trailer. You simply turn a dial in the dash and the system does all the steering inputs to put the trailer where you want it.
The Hemi V8 is paired to an eight-speed automatic, while the Cummins turbodiesel engine is mated to a six-speed automatic. Rival truck-makers utilize a more refined and advanced 10-speed automatic with their diesel engines. By comparison, Ram's six-speed holds its gears longer, yielding slower acceleration.
With this incredible power and towing capability, you'd think the Ram 3500HD would ride like a military truck, but it's surprisingly composed. The Ram HD also offers a number of high-end interiors. You can still get work-first trucks like the Tradesman trim, but none of the other HD trucks can match the cabin quality of the Limited trim. It comes with a massive 12-inch tablet-like touchscreen, leather upholstery, heated-and-cooled front seats, a 360-degree parking camera, and a 12-inch fully digital instrument panel that can be customized to present different information in various themes. Ram also offers an available digital rearview mirror that can switch between a conventional mirror and a real-time feed behind the vehicle.
Ram additionally offers a trailer monitoring system that can check the tire pressure and all the trailer lights from the comfort of the driver's seat. As the ultimate blend of quality and quantity, the Ram HD is also available with a spacious crew cab as well as the cavernous Mega Cab that feels like a living room on wheels.
The Ram 3500 Tradesman trim starts at around $50,000. Adding the dually setup increases the price by several thousand dollars. The High-Output Cummins engine is a $12,595 option. Adding these options to a Limited Mega Cab will bring the price to more than $95,000.
You may ask yourself, why does a mountain-moving dually pickup also need to be a lux-truck? There are plenty of well-heeled shoppers who regularly haul heavy loads in the form of horse trailers, 40-foot luxury campers, or luxury powerboats. All of the trucks on this list are capable of towing these things. But with the Ram 3500 HD, you can also do it in the lap of luxury.
This story was produced by CarGurus and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
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