She didn't like the DRW.

jmtandem wrote:

I'm in this to travel for relaxation. I've no interest in any white knuckle driving. We will mostly travel the nice and flat Mid-Western USA but don't want to rule out a trip or three into the Rockies at some point. Just trying to be realistic, we need to buy a one ton DRW pickup at a minimum.

How did this become a SRW vs Dually thread? The OP clearly states that the minimum truck needed is a dually. Why the SRW comments when the OP is trying to get some advice on how to get the wife on board with the dually? The OP says he is planning to purchase the smallest RV from that manufacturer, so why share that he needs a smaller RV? There is no smaller RV from Heartland.

Who cares about somebody's 90 percent rule? Why share about what others use for hauling toy haulers to the dunes. The OP is past that, he stated that the dually is the minimum truck needed. Why not try to help the OP with some good suggestions on how to get the wife comfortable in the dually instead of debating the SRW vs DRW thing all over again. I have yet to see where the OP asked anything about SRW trucks.

Everything else the OP states in his opening paragraph is a compromise that he really does not want to make. So, why are we helping him compromise instead of helping him get what he really wants and most likely after 300 miles of driving the wife will be comfortable with the training wheels. I have 130,000 on a crew dually and it has gone everywhere I ever wanted to go with it including some tight dirt roads. There are two places it does have limitations-- drive thrus and parking garages. Other than that it can go anywhere a SRW truck will go with the possible exception of very narrow jeep trails. But, the advantages when towing more than offset parking garages and drive thrus for me.

Have the wife drive a dually in a big city and after a couple hours she will be a pro at it. She will wonder what the initial fuss was all about. And then when she is driving it while towing the heavy and big Heartland that you really want the whole windshield will be radiant with her smiles. She will thank all of us on this thread that encouraged her to at least give the dually a real try. And we will say 'you are welcome'.

Thank you everyone.

Lots of good information and suggestions (except for the poster that recommend I ditch the wife. I can't cook and I'd starve within a few weeks so that is not an option).

We thought about a 1 ton SRW truck but the dealership had none on the lot and the salesman felt it would not be much better than a 2500HD.

I have a call into the fleet manager (bought several vehicles from him in the past) requesting some information including when or where could I try a 1 ton SRW.

The fiver we are looking at is a Big Horn 3010RE. Dry weight is 11,915# and GVWR is 14,000#. Hitch wt is 2340# and length is 34' 10". When we travel, we travel light. We currently use a Chevy 1500 with short bed and a fiberglass tonneau cover. Using Rubbermaid plastic containers to keep it organized, we are able to stay on the road for six weeks without problems. So I feel we will be able to stay a good bit below the 14,000# number.

Some have indicated this should not be a problem with the 1 ton SRW.

Special thanks to JIMNLIN for the link. Through it I was able to get info I wanted and the salesman was never able to supply. Now I can do the math.

The wife and I had a nice conversation. Given a choice between a smaller RV and a dually, she chooses the smaller RV.

Since they are getting ready to bring in the 2015 model line and I want to take advantage of the 2014 model liquidation prices, I need to get moving.

Again, thanks to everyone.

Bill

You know, this one really hit home. I just thought about the things I do once we get to our destinations. There are a lot of things we both look forward to that is not DRW friendly. Our plans are to get to where we are going and take advantage of the weekly and sometimes monthly rates at the campgrounds.

I guess the scales have tipped slightly to the SRW side. And if there are some changes needed to make the TV ultra safe, then so be it.

Bill