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.

[NC_Hauler]

justme wrote:
I pull a 16,000 gvw trailer with a Ford F350 diesel SRW and the truck does not know that a trailer is in tow. A dually is a pain in the butt if you really don't need one. The SRW trucks these days are a big improvement of the past. Duallys are needed for trailer with High GVW and then I would go for a 450 which is built to be a dually rather than an add on like the 250/350 would be.

I'd worry about that...do you tow in the mountains any? Just curious...I got to get an F350 SRW if you can tow a 16,000# trailer and not even know you're towing a trailer....that is fantastic...I will admit, though I hate to....having towed 5er's with Chevy SRW trucks and Chevy DRW trucks with D/A's as well as the Ram's I've owned....on some of the mountains I've towed, I knew 16,000# was "back there"

Didn't really understand your last statement, "If I would go for a 450 which is built to be a dually rather than an "add on" like the 250/350 would be:h..WOW.....heck, I'm an engineer and didn't understand that....so an F350 or 3500 Chevy or Ram just have "an add on"??????:h

[Infinityrver]

Dual tires on the rear gives you the confidence of stability and extra tires on the axle. For a camper trailer its fine. We've all seen people overload one ton duallies, also.

My camper trailer has a tongue weight of approx. 2500lbs loaded with my stuff. My tires are light truck tires and can take 3640 lbs @ 80psi per tire. The tires can take a lot more tongue weight than what my one ton truck SRW is actually rated for. So, I wouldn't get too excited about a camper trailer overloading the tires on a one ton SRW.

Honestly, I've yet to see a lot of one ton SRW trucks towing a fifth wheel camper with blown tires and broken springs stranded on the side of the highways. Usually a blown tire will be from not enough air or warn out.

I own commercial trucks that we have to watch weights over bridges and on highways. I'm up close and personal with weights and heights on our commercial trucks.

I haul my camper from Maine to Florida and back again, problem free.

[Ric_Flair]

Just get a doolie. That way you won't have to hear about it anymore from the good folks at RV.net.

That's what I did and it finally gave me the piece of mind knowing that I would finally fit in and be accepted.

Worth every penny of the $60k I spent.

"....and the crowd began to chant, DOO-LEE!...DOO-LEE"....DOO-LEE.."

[MTPockets1]

justme wrote:
I pull a 16,000 gvw trailer with a Ford F350 diesel SRW and the truck does not know that a trailer is in tow. A dually is a pain in the butt if you really don't need one. The SRW trucks these days are a big improvement of the past. Duallys are needed for trailer with High GVW and then I would go for a 450 which is built to be a dually rather than an add on like the 250/350 would be.

Lots of people pull their trailers just fine, including those with 16,000 GVWR. I would ask, what is your payload limit as indicated on your door post label? And, do you know your actual pin weight? Add that pin weight to your passenger weight, hitch weight, any other cargo or tools/boxes and most SRW will be beyond that label limit. Tows fine but overloaded. What one chooses to do about it is personal, but doesn't change the numbers.

[justme]

I pull a 16,000 gvw trailer with a Ford F350 diesel SRW and the truck does not know that a trailer is in tow. A dually is a pain in the butt if you really don't need one. The SRW trucks these days are a big improvement of the past. Duallys are needed for trailer with High GVW and then I would go for a 450 which is built to be a dually rather than an add on like the 250/350 would be.

[LostinAZ]

lar5camping wrote:
This is getting monotonous, crazy boring.
Some people like SRW, others DRW.
It's like toothpaste, Crest or Colgate.
To each his own.
I like Crest ....because:
"Crest has been shown to be an effective decay-preventing dentifrice that can be of significant value when used in a conscientiously applied program of oral hygiene and regular professional care."

As a world famous person recently said.
"What difference does it make?" :S

Some heavier RV owners absolutely need to have a dually to stay within the recommended weight ratings of their truck. Lighter RV owners may have a choice and then it is based on personal preference. And that s/b ok with everyone including you.

[Atom_Ant]

I've always towed with an F350 SRW SB, until I just couldn't do it anymore with this trailer because I was overloading the axle on the F350 SRW.

I'm getting used to the dually. I can get it in the airport parking, it does actually fit in the garage, and it does turn much sharper than the older front leaf spring type, however the long bed is a waste of space to me, and it is hard to park.

If you don't need the dually for what you are towing, I wouldn't get it if it were me.

[lar5camping]

This is getting monotonous, crazy boring.
Some people like SRW, others DRW.
It's like toothpaste, Crest or Colgate.
To each his own.
I like Crest ....because:
"Crest has been shown to be an effective decay-preventing dentifrice that can be of significant value when used in a conscientiously applied program of oral hygiene and regular professional care."

As a world famous person recently said.
"What difference does it make?" :S

[GlenStMary]

I've only towed with a dually, but I have had a couple of issues that would lead me to only tow large trailers using a DRW vehicle. I've had tires blow out on my dually while towing and I was able to move out of traffic or drive to a tire dealer for a replacement on the remaining tires. Without duals, I would have had to limp over to the shoulder of the road and change the tire before proceeding. I'm sold on the duals.

[Georgew48]

ol Bombero-JC wrote:

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

Denny

Also had both - and will never go back to a drw - or a long bed.

Caveat - depends on the weight you will be towing.
(I'll go along with the 14K cutoff weight)

Caveat #2 - *if* I were to purchase a long (heavy) trailer, the
only dually (for me) would be an HDT.

~

Wouldn't have anything but a DRW CC long bed.

[ol_Bombero-JC]

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

Denny

Also had both - and will never go back to a drw - or a long bed.

Caveat - depends on the weight you will be towing.
(I'll go along with the 14K cutoff weight)

Caveat #2 - *if* I were to purchase a long (heavy) trailer, the
only dually (for me) would be an HDT.

~

[MrVan]

TXiceman wrote:
The GCWR dies not tell the whole story. You also have to be under the GVWR and the GAWR. With a 5er, you will be carrying somewhere near 20% of the trailer GVWR on the pin where on a bumper pull, typically the tongue weight will be in the 10 to 12% range.

A SRW truck will reach the GVWR and/or GAWR befor a DRW hits the limits.

So a SRW can do fine pulling a 5er, provided you do not exceed GCWR, GVWR AND GAWR. For a larger trailer you will need to step up to a DRW.

Ken

No argument at all referring to pulling a 5th wheel. But when pulling a large travel trailer or equipment trailer using a receiver hitch the situation changes quite a bit.

[TXiceman]

The GCWR dies not tell the whole story. You also have to be under the GVWR and the GAWR. With a 5er, you will be carrying somewhere near 20% of the trailer GVWR on the pin where on a bumper pull, typically the tongue weight will be in the 10 to 12% range.

A SRW truck will reach the GVWR and/or GAWR befor a DRW hits the limits.

So a SRW can do fine pulling a 5er, provided you do not exceed GCWR, GVWR AND GAWR. For a larger trailer you will need to step up to a DRW.

Ken

[MrVan]

Lets discuss how ratings can be confusing. For example lets reference a GCVWR of 22,000 lbs. Some of the older trucks had the same GCVWR whether they had SRW or DRW's. Therefore, a SRW truck could possibly tow more weight and still stay under the GCVWR versus a DRW truck because the SRW truck itself weighed less than a DRW truck. This really becomes evident on receiver hitch trailers.

[NC_Hauler]

larry barnhart wrote:
When it comes to rocket science or common sense I feel common sense will win on this debate.

chevman

Yep:)