Unofficial SRW vs DRW road survey

Towing 10500# 30ft bunkhouse fifth with my F350 SRW. No probs and well under the max weight rating.

OK as Golden HVAC has stated as well as mtofell1 the technology of these trucks have come a long way in recent years however to a laymans view of SRW vs DRW think of it as Point Of Contact x Surface Area x Payload...

SRW as stated only a single POC and a slightly smaller surface area yet the payload can be high depending on the suspension and tire and wheel combination as ordered and or modified also with a standard profile parking and manuvering will be easier.

DRW POC will be more spread out resulting an a larger surface area which will also result in the payload being more evenly distributed and greater stability from the wider stance of the DRW the payload will be higher also with or without modifications. The disadvantage to most DRW is something that can be overcome once you have adjusted your driving style and habits appropiatly and that is the hips on a DRW.

All said and done it is your choice dependent upon your Trailer,FW,TC or whatever so please do your research and seek the advice of people who have the experience but in the end it will be yours

Good Luck

Without knowing what you intend to tow it's tough to know if you need a DRW. I don't think people go get a DRW truck just to get one. Of course, they are a hassle to park live with so there isn't a reason to get one unless you need it. The payload ratings on a lot of the SRW trucks are getting up there pretty high these days. Unless you plan on packing the TV extra heavy you can tow a reasonably big 5th with a SRW truck. Like you say, about 80% of the 5ths you see out there are doing it.

Hi,

I have a dual rear wheel motorhome, and it towed my Honda CRV nicely, until I replaced the factory Michelin all steel tires with Goodyear Wranglers. They have a polyester sidewall, and are much more flexible. Going down a long grade that we had taken many times, the rear of the motorhome was wiggling due to the sidewall flex, it was sort of disconcerning. The tiny 3,200 pound CRV was pushing the rear of the 16,000 pound motorhome into the corners - a bit sideways. After changing to all steel sidewall Goodyear tires, the problem went away. So I basically replaced a set of tires with only about 500 miles on them, my expensive lesson that I have tried to pass on as much as possible to others.

So you can buy stable rear tires. You can also mistakenly buy unstable rear tires. I went to a FMCA RV show shortly after installing the Goodyear Wranglers and met with a Goodyear rep. He stated that the all steel tire was much firmer sidewalls, and would bring back the stability that I needed. He showed me a all steel Goodyear and polyester sidewall side by side, and you can tell by pushing on the steel sidewall it is much stiffer.

Back in the 70's tires where not as strong as today. In the 50's you could count on needing to change a tire if you planned a 500 - 1,000 mile trip, and the spare tire was a requirement, tire life over 20,000 miles was almost unheard of. But with radial tires, my dad stated he never had a flat after 1970, because he replaced the tires with still a lot of tread on them, and never wanted to change another tire ever on the side of the road. So if you wanted to carry a really large load, then a dually was a requirement. Tires where typically rated at less than 3,000 pounds each, and the skinny dually tires only about 2,200 pounds each.

In 2005, Ford came out with the higher weight rated trucks. They went to a 17" rim for the F-250 and 18" rim for the F-350 SRW. The DRW 17" tires where rated at 3,000 pounds each, while the 17" F-250 tires are rated at around 3,400 while the 18" rims are higher. So yes it is possible to load up a SRW F-350 with a larger trailer and have strong tires under the back. The 2005 and later F-350 SRW is rated to carry about 4,000 pounds. The DRW is even higher. Now Chevy and Dodge have increased their truck GVWR to keep up, and all RV'ers are the winners. We now have great trucks to pick from.

Have fun with your new truck, it should last a long time, no matter if you have a dually or not. You will have a much stronger truck than what was built as little as 20 years ago.

Fred.