Srw or drw for towing 5th wheeler

[GlennWest]

Might need to put a battery charger on it. That what we do with the hdts. Solar is sweet

[VallAndMo]

Howdy Jwebb,

 

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

 

Lots of good advice here already. I post because we're on the same boat (me and DW are also between a SRW and a DRW). Some considerations:

 

1) Don't waste your time with the 2500; the difference in price is very small, and the 3500 has 2-3k pounds more of payload.

2) DRW does indeed add a *lot* of additional capacity for very little (~$1200 MSRP) extra cost, but it also adds: (a) 2 more tires to replace, take care of, worry about, etc. And those two tires are in a damned inconvenient position... ( about 2 ft (?) of lateral excess: this means, among other things (larger parking spaces, etc), that you will no longer be able to take it to a normal car wash and will have to use one capable of handling truck/bus.

 

We're trying to stay with a 3500 and SRW; this is being greatly helped by the upgraded weight capacities those trucks are gaining with every new year's model, but we're not sure yet whether we will be able to avoid the DRW.

 

Cheers,

--

Vall

[gjhunter01]

In answer to the OP post.

In the GM series the dually 3500 has a much beefier brake system that the 2500/3500 srw chassie.

The 6 tires on the ground are more stable than a vehicle with 4 tires on the ground.

If you really wanted to go crazy, you could eliminate carrying the spare tire as you can run the truck with 5 or even 4 tires for a emergency.

The dually is not that much harder to get use to as far as driving, just like going from a compact car to a full size car. The point being, the driver will need to pay attention no matter what they are driving.

Greg

[nana25k]

We towed our first rig with a Dodge Dually

Using it for a daily driver never ever presented a problem in 7 years Right down to parallel parking it went every where a car would. Oh wait, except in Key West, then we couldnt street park. But heck a few block walk didn't kill us

Two extra tires in the grand scheme of thing was not an issue

What I know. We did not get pushed around by wind or big trucks

When we needed to stop in a hurry we STOPPED. No pushing from the 5th wheel

[mel1953]

We towed our first rig with a Dodge Dually

Using it for a daily driver never ever presented a problem in 7 years Right down to parallel parking it went every where a car would. Oh wait, except in Key West, then we couldnt street park. But heck a few block walk didn't kill us

Two extra tires in the grand scheme of thing was not an issue

What I know. We did not get pushed around by wind or big trucks

When we needed to stop in a hurry we STOPPED. No pushing from the 5th wheel

 

Like Jwebb, I'm trying to figure out what I'll need to tow a 5th wheel travel trailer for the 1st time. I've been studying, for the past 3 weeks, the weights of the trailers 1st, then looking for what truck can safely tow that weight. And I've came to the same conclusion that nana25k presents. I'm now looking for the 1ton DRW's that will tow the most weight. I don't want to spend a bunch on a truck only to find that it's not enough to pull an upgrade I may wish to get later that weighs a lot. And I'm buying a truck with driving-in-the-mountains in mind. To me, that makes a lot of difference: the type of terrain you'll be traveling through. Just because you can pull the weight doesn't mean you can stop it. And one thing I've noticed in my studies: be sure you know the axle ratio of the truck before you buy.

[jerryneal]

Week or so ago, we ran into some 30 to 40 mph winds on I40. While we felt the wind on the side of the fifth wheel, the back end of the F350 dually was very stable. I enjoy the extra towing capacity and not worrying about the rear end on bumpy highways or climbing mountian roads.

[richardmacdonald2001]

I pull a 2013 Montana with a dry weight of just over #12k. Fully loaded I am just about, or slightly above, the #15k point. When I first bought the Montana I had a 2008 F350 SRW and I pulled the Montana for almost 2 years with the SRW. However, last year I traded the F350 for a 2015 F450. LOTS more truck. And all I can say is this was the best move I have done to date.

 

I always have been a firm believer that you should have at least 25% more truck than trailer. Not so much for pulling capacity or weight capacity, but more for stability and STOPPING ability. I have had everything from motor bikes pulling small little trailers that could hold 2 sleeping bags and a tent and stove, to cars with tent trailers, SUV's and tent trailer, 1/2 ton pickups with 20 and 22 foot tow trailers, a 27 foot fiver and my F350 and now what we have today.

 

Price wise, I think I paid about a $800 premium for the F450 over an F350 here in Canada, and I am guessing it would be about the same in the USA. Im my mind, the DRW is king and the more truck you can get now will do you much better in the long run.

 

Sales people will almost always spin a yarn that "oh hell yah, this truck that has a rated capacity of XXX pulling pounds will handle that 5er just fine" but don't let them marginalize your purchase. Tell them you want a larger SAFETY margin in your capacity and don't let them sway your judgement.

 

When it comes to trucks, for any purpose at all, remember, BIGGER is always BETTER... AND SAFER.

 

Just my thoughts....

[rynosback]

I pull a 2013 Montana with a dry weight of just over #12k. Fully loaded I am just about, or slightly above, the #15k point. When I first bought the Montana I had a 2008 F350 SRW and I pulled the Montana for almost 2 years with the SRW. However, last year I traded the F350 for a 2015 F450. LOTS more truck. And all I can say is this was the best move I have done to date.

 

I always have been a firm believer that you should have at least 25% more truck than trailer. Not so much for pulling capacity or weight capacity, but more for stability and STOPPING ability. I have had everything from motor bikes pulling small little trailers that could hold 2 sleeping bags and a tent and stove, to cars with tent trailers, SUV's and tent trailer, 1/2 ton pickups with 20 and 22 foot tow trailers, a 27 foot fiver and my F350 and now what we have today.

 

Price wise, I think I paid about a $800 premium for the F450 over an F350 here in Canada, and I am guessing it would be about the same in the USA. Im my mind, the DRW is king and the more truck you can get now will do you much better in the long run.

 

Sales people will almost always spin a yarn that "oh hell yah, this truck that has a rated capacity of XXX pulling pounds will handle that 5er just fine" but don't let them marginalize your purchase. Tell them you want a larger SAFETY margin in your capacity and don't let them sway your judgement.

 

When it comes to trucks, for any purpose at all, remember, BIGGER is always BETTER... AND SAFER.

 

Just my thoughts....

Or just buy a Ram 3500 vs a Ford f450.

[Ray,IN]

This online 5th wheel weight calculator will accurately match a tow vehicle and 5er, if you obtain the actual weights and capacities of one of the two involved.

It even offers the user the opportunity to select the 20% safety factor used by many full-timers. Of course towing safety is a major reason many choose to tow with a HDT or MDT.