DRW vs. SRW for towing fivers

[Horizons28]

Has anyone towed fivers with both DRW and SRW pickups? I currently have a F350 diesel DRW, and I'm looking to get a new F350 but I'm debating on the rear wheel config. Ease of parking and maneuvering over stability.

[PA12DRVR]

I can't help with the OP's direct question since I haven't had duplicate towing experiences between DRW and SRW.

I would offer that for 3 years that I towed a big 5th wheel with my F350 dually, it was also my daily driver. Any parking/turning/fitting difficulties I had were due to the length (8' box + crew cab) NOT due to the "hips" of the dually.

If everything else is equal, I wouldn't let the "width" aspect of the dually carry a whole lot of weight in your decision. (pun intended)

[soling2003]

I have towed our 39'8" Grand Junction with both. Well, kind of. First had a 2010 6.4 F250 with airbags. As many will attest to in here, both salespeople said it would tow anything! Well, it towed it just fine, but couldn't carry it just fine. In all honesty though, it did seem to me to be fine. I didn't have a problem driving it over the mountain passes out here in the PNW. when I finally weighed the 5'er, found out we were about 1000lbs over the payload and 400lbs or so over the RAWR, plus over the GCVWR. Being over in one by a bit, maybe not too bad, but all three???????? And I hadn't added the extra batteries or W/D yet.

On our fourth trip out, coming home from CA back to WA, we stopped in Vegas and I traded it in for a 2011 F350 dually. Both were 4x4, LB, 4 door big trucks! Got a great deal there, so traded it in on the spot.

You could tell a difference just leaving the lot. Bit more "big truck" like feel. Even my wife could tell the difference out on the road sitting in the passenger seat. Cant say that the dogs cared one way or the other though....:)

I had thought that the 250 towed it just fine. Not till you try the same trailer, windy mountain roads, do you really feel much difference. It isn't like night and day, but it is there.

To me, the bottom line is if you need it for carrying capacity, you get a dually. If not, personal preference. Nothing wrong with having a bit of extra capacity.

It is my daily driver. Not an issue at all, but then the truck at work I drove for 24 years is a 40ft, 9 1/2ft wide straight frame fire truck....YMMV.

[JIMNLIN]

Horizons28 wrote:
Thanks everyone for the responses. I tow a 13k# fiver and may eventually tow as much as 18k. From what I've read, the DRW is the wise choice. I use the truck primarily for towing the fiver, so around town driving is not an issue.:D

Now you changed the question a bit from your OP and added a 18k trailer. Your in DRW country with a 18k trailer.

You either need the 9700-9800 RAWR/tire capacity of the DRW offers for carrying loads or you don't.

Or the smaller 7000-7050 RAWR/tire capacity of the one ton SRW will work.
Their two completley different trucks.

Lots of satisfied folks out here with both.

[MTPockets1]

My single reason for going DRW was according to the payload limit on door sticker showed I was over the limit with the SRW. We've all seen a lot of posts where people choose to ignore that limit, or argue using some vague statements like "I've done it for years with no problem" , etc. Well, reality is the limit is there for a reason, I believe it and I'm glad airline pilots believe the engineers limits as well. The only valid arguments are based in science fact. If your SRW is within the payload limit, you're probably also feeling more stable than an overloaded SRW.

[Veebyes]

Never towed with a SRW but a few weeks ago & got a little taste of what it might be like. During a short towing trip, 1 hour, I noticed the truck to be squirly in a left hand turn at a light. Noticed it again on another familiar left hander at a speed that the truck would be perfectly stable. Brushed it off as it had been awhile since towing. Discovered that the inner rear tire was flat. Other than noticing the difference, it is nice to have another tire to be riding on if one goes flat. With a SRW the spare is not already there & a sudden deflation could be catastrophic.

[NC_Hauler]

tnclays wrote:
I towed a 10,000# fiver for 4 years with a SRW 2500HD. Recently traded for a F450 dually, primarily to get a larger back seat area for 3 growing kids:) The first time I towed the same fiver, I noticed an immediate difference in stability. Although I never felt "on the edge" stability-wide in the SRW, the dually is definitely better. Of course now I'm eyeing bigger fivers........

Of course:B

[tnclays]

I towed a 10,000# fiver for 4 years with a SRW 2500HD. Recently traded for a F450 dually, primarily to get a larger back seat area for 3 growing kids:) The first time I towed the same fiver, I noticed an immediate difference in stability. Although I never felt "on the edge" stability-wide in the SRW, the dually is definitely better. Of course now I'm eyeing bigger fivers........

[NC_Hauler]

fairhaven wrote:
Have had both. Current truck is a 2010 F350 SRW and the truck before it was a 2008 Ford F350 DRW. Current truck pulls a Columbus 365RL (39'7") and had a delivered weight of 12,370lbs. I don't know what the loaded weight is. Previous truck pulled a Montana 3400RL (40') and had a dry weight of about 12,700lbs. Did not know what its loaded weight was either. I can't tell a bit of difference between the towing aspects of either. I don't feel any less safe in my current truck pulling my current fiver and I have been in some pretty high winds crossing mountains and the Columbia River gorge. I personally think the whole thing (DRW vs SRW) is way over blown. Most who own a dually will tell you that is what to own for this and that reason. I say BS.

Nice to use the term "BS", maybe it means "Boy Scout"? I was one, an Eagle with 3 palms:)

You are in a minority if you can'tell a difference in the two trucks, especially cornering or towing on curvy mountainous roads, which I would think you've done a quite a bit of.

High winds..can't tell a difference? Again, you're in the minority

No one ever said one would or wouldn't "feel safert",never was a part of the original topic...in fact, all that was mentioned was the word, "stability", as in, "the dually would afford 'a little more of a stable towing experience' than a SRW truck"...nothing more, nothing less..."urban legend"? Ok, you got our attention and as you can tell my the majority of the post, most say the ride is more stable. Safer?
Probably to some of us...

oh, if I were you, though you also have no problems towing of course, I would, AT THE VERY LEAST, want to know what the GVW of my 5er is..If I looked it up correctly, it's 15,910#....something that one should know, "urban legend" or not:)

[Nutinelse2do]

tvfrfireman wrote:

Denny & Jami wrote:
I have towed with both and will never go back to a srw.

Denny

x 2

X 3!

[fairhaven]

Have had both. Current truck is a 2010 F350 SRW and the truck before it was a 2008 Ford F350 DRW. Current truck pulls a Columbus 365RL (39'7") and had a delivered weight of 12,370lbs. I don't know what the loaded weight is. Previous truck pulled a Montana 3400RL (40') and had a dry weight of about 12,700lbs. Did not know what its loaded weight was either. I can't tell a bit of difference between the towing aspects of either. I don't feel any less safe in my current truck pulling my current fiver and I have been in some pretty high winds crossing mountains and the Columbia River gorge. I personally think the whole thing (DRW vs SRW) is way over blown. Most who own a dually will tell you that is what to own for this and that reason. I say BS.

[stickdog]

Never having towed a fifth wheel but after years of following this and other forums on the subject of SRW or DRW I went with DRW for my first tow vehicle. I have no regrets and the hips don't bother me as much as the wheel base and the need of 2 1/2 parking spaces designed for mini coopers plus I enjoy the hike in from the hinterland.

[Veebyes]

Ya, ya, ya. So we have to park out in the fat a$$ parking section at Walmart. Big deal. We all need the walk. It is not that far. As far as the daily driver around town argument goes, get a car suitable for the job & dirt cheap to run. Get a Toyota Yaris, a Mazda 2 or something else that gives 30 plus mpg in the city & drives like a go cart i.e. fun.

[Dave_H_M]

Awww geese Horizins, that is like asking if you like wide or narrow butts.

That stability issue is an urban legend in my book.

I can run down the road with cruise on with the SRW with hands off the steering wheel.

Yaaa Yaaa we all have opinions, ya know how that is.

[MrVan]

lakeside013104 wrote:
Towing 14,000# 5er with 8 wheels on the ground. No issues and no regrets.

Lakeside

I'm assuming that includes 4 wheels on the 5th wheel?

[me1magoo]

My truck was a single wheel 3500. I made it a dual wheel 3500. I tow a 12,000 lbs 35' 5'er. I will not be making it a srw again, ever. Nuf said?