How Wide Is A Dually Pickup Truck + How To Measure Yours
Dually Pickup Trucks have four rear wheels instead of two, with a total of 6 wheels on the truck.
The reason for this is that Dually trucks are used for towing and the extra wheels allow them to haul more cargo and increase payload capacity.
Due to the extra wheels, Dually trucks are wider than the average vehicle.
How Wide is a Dually Pickup Truck?
Dually pickup trucks are 8 feet wide on average. This depends on the size of the truck bed, the size of the wheels, and the size of the mirrors. It also depends on how the truck is measured. Dually pickup trucks are supposed to be measured mirror to mirror and the maximum width is 8.5 feet.
Continue reading to learn how wide Dually pickup trucks are.
How to Measure
Of course, the width of your Dually pickup truck will be different depending on how you choose to measure it.
Dually pickup trucks have 2 wheels on each rear axel instead of one, so they are usually 4 inches wider than a regular pickup truck.
Some truck owners like to measure their trucks by the outside of the wheels or the outside of the fenders on their cab.
However, the correct way to measure your Dually trucks is from the outside of the side mirrors.
Mirrors on towing vehicles are often wider than the mirrors on normal vehicles so the driver can see more on each side of the car and see what you’re towing.
It’s important to include the mirrors in the measurement of a Dually truck because they often add 15 to 18 inches to the width.
Even if you pull the mirrors in, they are still adding on extra inches, increasing the width of your pickup truck.
Some truck owners measure by the wheels or fenders if they are getting a custom bed.
Oftentimes, Duallys are used for extra safety when towing, so if someone does a lot of towing with their Dually they may invest in a custom truck bed that can further provide for their business or towing needs.
Dually pickup trucks can be the heart and soul of a company due to how much they can tow, so it’s worth it to get a custom truck that can further the success of the business.
How Wide are Dually Trucks?
The width of a Dually trucks changes depending on the brand, model, purpose, year, and design of the truck.
Some are smaller and some reach the max-width allowed on the road.
The average Dually pickup truck has a width of 8 feet.
The smallest Dually trucks have a width of fewer than 7 feet wide and the largest Dually trucks have a width of 8.5 feet unless they have a special permit to be on the road.
There are road regulations by states and by the country, for safety purposes.
If a vehicle is too wide for the lanes it may need special assistance for travel.
The width of the Dually trucks does not always determine how much they can tow, but the internal parts of the truck.
State Regulations
There are state regulations for the width, length, and height of a vehicle. 102 inches is the max-width, which translates to 8.5 feet.
Duallys usually never go over the legal width of 8.5 feet, but if they do they will require a special permit.
The length of most lanes on highways or freeways is 12 feet, so 8.5 feet still gives you plenty of room to travel comfortably.
On average they are 80-84 inches wide, without the mirrors.
Dually trucks have special towing mirrors that are much bigger and wider. Mirrors add about 15-18 extra inches to the total width of the truck.
This adds up to an average of 98 inches, about 8 feet wide.
Many states could have different regulations, so make sure to double check the rules and regulations for each state you are driving through with your Dually.
Benefits of Dually Trucks
Dually pickup trucks are used mostly for towing for the reason that they can tow more than other cars.
They usually don’t fit in normal parking spaces easily, can’t go through a car wash or drive-thru, can not always fit in the garage, and are overall hard to drive around town.
They are not used for daily tasks, but for special towing purposes.
Their one flaw would be that they are extremely wide, making it harder to maneuver and run daily errands, but they are great for towing.
Dually pickup trucks are also used for camping! Trailers and Campers cannot be towed by just any car, they will need a larger car that can pull more.
A great way to know that your car is not too wide is to see how its width compares to your trailer.
If your car is not wider than the trailer, then you are good to go.
Trailer companies comply with state road regulations when designing trailers.
Dually trucks are also great for towing because of the increased traction from the two extra wheels.
Having more traction reduces the chances of swaying in high winds.
Swaying is a huge concern when it comes to towing something, so this is a huge plus of towing with Duallys, besides its ability to pull more weight than the average truck
Besides the benefit of being able to tow more, Dually pickup trucks are much safer to travel in. They are a great investment even if you don’t need the truck for towing purposes.
Dually pickup trucks are a great investment for your business if it requires moving materials and items often, but even if it is just a personal vehicle there are still many great uses for them.
You could even help a friend out on the weekend if they don’t have their own truck.
Now you know why Dually pickup trucks are so wide and have extra wheels.
They may stand out and look weird against cars with four wheels, but Duallys can tow a lot more than regular cars.
On average, Dually pickup trucks are 8 feet wide.