Jwebb Posted March 7, 2016 Report Share Posted March 7, 2016 I'm currently looking to buy a truck to tow my 5th wheeler I hope to purchase in the future. I'm really new the rv world and trucking world. I want to purchase an rv that can sleep 6-8 people. I really like the open ranges. I think the ones I liked like the 3x roamed weighs around 12k, I'm just going off by memory so I could be wrong. I'm currently was shopping for either ford f250 or f350 diesel so my question is drw required or is srw doable? And what are the pro and cons? Oh and I live in northern California so I would mostly be traveling California and tahoe/reno Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alie&Jim's Carrilite Posted March 7, 2016 Report Share Posted March 7, 2016 A dually would be the best way to go. More stability, more cargo capacity, and would leave room for a different RV later. The weights listed on brochures are not exactly accurate. They are completely dry weights, no propane, sometimes no battery, no water, and depends on options etc. Add 1500-2000lbs in stuff that you'll acquire. Alie & Jim + 8 paws 2017 DRV Memphis BART- 1998 Volvo 610 Lil'ole 6cyl Cummins Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GlennWest Posted March 7, 2016 Report Share Posted March 7, 2016 I agree the dually is the best tow vehicle. Is it your daily drive? They really wear on you for this. Is 12k empty or full capacity? If empty it could go 15k easily. Dually territory. I hated my dually and it was not adequate for my Teton either. I would dare say most are towed with a single rear wheel. Dually is more stable. Hard choice and only you can decide this. 2003 Teton Grand Freedom towed with 2006 Freightliner Century 120 across the beautiful USA welding pipe.https://photos.app.goo.gl/O32ZjgzSzgK7LAyt1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jwebb Posted March 7, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 7, 2016 It would not be my daily, just for towing, thanks for the replies too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Greg Posted March 7, 2016 Report Share Posted March 7, 2016 If you don't know the exact fifth wheel your going to get and considering the number of people your talking about a F350 dually is the safest bet giving you flexibility. You will limit yourself much more with a F250 or a F350 SRW truck. The dually gives you a much larger payload for the fifth wheel pin weight and anything you'll carry in the truck cab and bed. With that many people you will be carrying lots of stuff. Greg Greg & Judy Bahnmiller Class of 2007 2014 F350 2007 HitchHiker Champagne Both sold 2/19, settled in Foley, AL after 12 years on the road http://bahnmilleradventure.blogspot.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billr Posted March 7, 2016 Report Share Posted March 7, 2016 Dually. You would not believe how many people I run into that want to upgrade their fiver and struggle with truck to light issue with a SRW and are stuck towing overloaded or swap trucks at a high loss of $$. Bill and Joan and 3 Collie pups 2001 Volvo VNL 770 "The Doghouse" Singled short, "ET" hItch VED12 465HP Gen 1 Autoshift 3.58 ratio 2005 Mobile Suite 38RL3 2011 Smart Passion loaded piggybacK Weigh-It Portable RV Scales http://www.weighitrv.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trailertraveler Posted March 7, 2016 Report Share Posted March 7, 2016 Welcome to the Escapees Forum!!! For planning purposes use the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) of the trailer and 25% of that as the pin weight. Compare the GVWR of the truck plus the GVWR of the trailer to the Gross Combined Weight Rating (GCWR) of the truck. Look at the payload capacity of the truck. It must be able to handle the pin weight of the trailer and all cargo that will be carried in the truck in excess of a 150# driver. Here is a calculator that may help. Again, Welcome to the Escapees Forum!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richfaa Posted March 7, 2016 Report Share Posted March 7, 2016 We have had two Dually's.We got them because at the time we need the needed it for the pin weight of our 5th wheels as for the stability issue I really do not know it makes sense that the dually should be more stable Helen and I are long timers ..08 F-350 Ford,LB,CC,6.4L,4X4, Dually,4:10 diff dragging around a 2013 Montana 3402 Big Sky SKP 100137. North Ridgeville, Ohio in the summer, sort of and where ever it is warm in the winter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alie&Jim's Carrilite Posted March 7, 2016 Report Share Posted March 7, 2016 We have had two Dually's.We got them because at the time we need the needed it for the pin weight of our 5th wheels as for the stability issue I really do not know it makes sense that the dually should be more stable I had the opportunity to pull our Carrilite home from the dealer with at the time our Dodge 2500. I started looking that night for a dually. What I ended up doing was converting ours to a dually. Swapped axles and springs from a 3500 under ours. Fabricated a set of MegaCab fenders and put it all together. It towed the Carrilite well. But ultimately the 18500lb Carrilite with a 4800lb pin moved us to the HDT. The rear stability that the extra set of tires gives is huge when you get near the towing limits. Alie & Jim + 8 paws 2017 DRV Memphis BART- 1998 Volvo 610 Lil'ole 6cyl Cummins Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GlennWest Posted March 8, 2016 Report Share Posted March 8, 2016 Open Range tends to be lightweights. 2500 may be all you need. Check ratings as see. Again the dually is more stable. Also for just towing ideal 2003 Teton Grand Freedom towed with 2006 Freightliner Century 120 across the beautiful USA welding pipe.https://photos.app.goo.gl/O32ZjgzSzgK7LAyt1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chalkie Posted March 8, 2016 Report Share Posted March 8, 2016 One thing not mentioned is when you are traveling and you do need to use that dually as a "daily" driver you need to think about the difficulties in negotiating traffic and parking. Not saying you should not consider a dually (in fact, I want one) but it is also another thing to consider. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trailertraveler Posted March 8, 2016 Report Share Posted March 8, 2016 ,,,Open Range tends to be lightweights. 2500 may be all you need. Check ratings as see... According to the specifications, the Open Range 3X 5th wheels have GVWR of 14.300-16,470#. A piin weight of 25% would be 3575-4117#. I believe this is well above the payload capacity of any 2500/250 truck and likely above a 3500/350 SRW if much of anything other than the driver will be carried in the truck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
remoandiris Posted March 8, 2016 Report Share Posted March 8, 2016 If I knew then what I know now, I would have bought an HDT. An HDT is not for everyone though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamtracy Posted March 8, 2016 Report Share Posted March 8, 2016 I'm currently looking to buy a truck to tow my 5th wheeler I hope to purchase in the future. I'm really new the rv world and trucking world. I want to purchase an rv that can sleep 6-8 people. I really like the open ranges. I think the ones I liked like the 3x roamed weighs around 12k, I'm just going off by memory so I could be wrong. I'm currently was shopping for either ford f250 or f350 diesel so my question is drw required or is srw doable? And what are the pro and cons? Oh and I live in northern California so I would mostly be traveling California and tahoe/reno Thanks Hey Jwebb. I have a Open Range Roamer 367bhs. 11K dry. I tow with a SRW Chevy 3500 LB. It tows fine. But I've looked at the 3X and they are monsters. Definitely a dually if that was the rig I was getting. We started out with a 2500 GMC Duramax. It did ok but it was a standard bed. These trucks can pull a house off it's foundation but can you stop safely. I feel much better with the 3500 than I did with the 2500. We use it for more than towing our rig so we opted against the dually. James To much truck should never be an issue. 2024 GMC 3500HD DRW Denali Diesel 2019 Keystone Avalanche 396BH USN Retired Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rynosback Posted March 8, 2016 Report Share Posted March 8, 2016 A dually would be the best way to go. More stability, more cargo capacity, and would leave room for a different RV later. The weights listed on brochures are not exactly accurate. They are completely dry weights, no propane, sometimes no battery, no water, and depends on options etc. Add 1500-2000lbs in stuff that you'll acquire. I agree. Better to have to much truck. I bought a DRW to tow my DRV MS. 2015 Ram 3500 RC DRW CTD AISIN 410 rear 2016 Mobile Suites 38RSB3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trailertraveler Posted March 8, 2016 Report Share Posted March 8, 2016 ...I'm currently was shopping for either ford f250 or f350 diesel so my question is drw required or is srw doable?... You really need to look at the specifications for the Ford trucks. The payload capacity varies a significant amount depending on the model and configuration. An F250 ranges from 2880-4040#. A SRW F350 ranges from 3310-4760#. A DRW F350 ranges from 5310-7050#. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chirakawa Posted March 8, 2016 Report Share Posted March 8, 2016 These trucks can pull a house off it's foundation but can you stop safely. I feel much better with the 3500 than I did with the 2500. Unless GM has changed recently, the 3500 has the exact same braking system as the 2500. Everybody wanna hear the truth, but everybody tell a lie. Everybody wanna go to Heaven, but nobody want to die. Albert King Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retiredin1993 Posted March 8, 2016 Report Share Posted March 8, 2016 Rarely happens, but if you have a rear blow out on your truck you will wish you had a dually. RonUS Army retired2010 Tiffin Phaeton 40QTH2016 Ford F150 XLT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronmon Posted March 8, 2016 Report Share Posted March 8, 2016 Since 2001 the dually 3500's heavy duty brakes are larger than those on 2500. I got 250,000 miles out of my OEM brake pads - towing a 17,000# 5er (that had elec/hyd discs). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GR "Scott" Cundiff Posted March 8, 2016 Report Share Posted March 8, 2016 This discussion is an oldie and a goodie. A 3/4 ton SRW is more stable than a F150 A 1 ton SRW is more stable than a 3/4 ton SRW A DRW is more stable than a 1 ton SRW A MDT is more stable than a DRW A HDT is more stable than a MDT And I guess a Caterpiller dozer is more stable than a HDT (just not very practical.) So, there's always something more stable - however, that doesn't necessarily make the truck one class smaller "unstable." We have to move the discussion to actual weights and truck ratings. If the truck specs are enough to tow the camper in question, then getting more truck is a matter of personal preference. Are you a belt and suspenders kind of guy, get one class bigger than the engineers who built the truck say is good enough. If you are a two belts and double suspenders kind of guy, maybe you want a Caterpiller to be sure you have enough tow vehicle! And if you plan on hauling everything you can ever imagine wanting on the road, then go big-bigger-biggest! Our "Here and There" Blog 2005 Safari Cheetah Motorhome Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chirakawa Posted March 8, 2016 Report Share Posted March 8, 2016 Since 2001 the dually 3500's heavy duty brakes are larger than those on 2500. I got 250,000 miles out of my OEM brake pads - towing a 17,000# 5er (that had elec/hyd discs). You're right. The post which I quoted was referencing a srw 3500 compared to a 2500. Those srw trucks use the same brakes. Everybody wanna hear the truth, but everybody tell a lie. Everybody wanna go to Heaven, but nobody want to die. Albert King Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jwebb Posted March 8, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 8, 2016 How much of a mpg difference is there between srw and drw? Appreciate all the responses Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GlennWest Posted March 8, 2016 Report Share Posted March 8, 2016 DRW vs SRW the extra tires will use more fuel. Does it matter? You stated non daily ride. Just towing it is not important. 2003 Teton Grand Freedom towed with 2006 Freightliner Century 120 across the beautiful USA welding pipe.https://photos.app.goo.gl/O32ZjgzSzgK7LAyt1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jwebb Posted March 8, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 8, 2016 Ok thanks for the advice. It is just for towing but should I still drive it every once in a while right or is diesel different? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
remoandiris Posted March 8, 2016 Report Share Posted March 8, 2016 How much of a mpg difference is there between srw and drw? Appreciate all the responses IMO, negligible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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