Dual rear wheel or single rear wheel?

[fhedrickjr]

Hello all!! Brand new here to the forum. I have just purchased and brought home our new 5th wheel(with a buddies truck)and I am getting mixed reviews on which setup to get. Our 5th wheel is a Palomino Columbus 42" 7" 2,600 tongue weight,13,300 "dry", 16,600 +- laden. I have my eye on a '17 RAM 3500 4x4 with the 6' 4" box, SRW, with the Cummins 6.7. I have had several people tell me I NEED a Dually, it will ride better and be more stable, which makes sense but, is it really "necessary"? I am not ready for a DRW due to reasons of my own, however, if I am kidding myself, I would like to hear it from others who tow 5th wheels. Thanks!

[Wild_Card]

buc1980 wrote:

Cummins12V98 wrote:
" The tires on my SRW 3500 are rated to 3640 pounds each or 1110 more capacity on the front axle. I would worry more about the front tires on a dually than I would the rear tires on a SRW."

I tow heavier than most and my CAT Scale front axle is still below my FAWR of 6K and the tires capacity combined total of 6,170#. I don't see this being an issue.

That to much for SRW and then the axle is overload too.

The quotes are messed up. He has a dually

[buc1980]

Cummins12V98 wrote:
" The tires on my SRW 3500 are rated to 3640 pounds each or 1110 more capacity on the front axle. I would worry more about the front tires on a dually than I would the rear tires on a SRW."

I tow heavier than most and my CAT Scale front axle is still below my FAWR of 6K and the tires capacity combined total of 6,170#. I don't see this being an issue.

That to much for SRW and then the axle is overload too.

[Cummins12V98]

" The tires on my SRW 3500 are rated to 3640 pounds each or 1110 more capacity on the front axle. I would worry more about the front tires on a dually than I would the rear tires on a SRW."

I tow heavier than most and my CAT Scale front axle is still below my FAWR of 6K and the tires capacity combined total of 6,170#. I don't see this being an issue.

[Cummins12V98]

" It also allows sharper maneuvering."

ONLY DRW I am aware of that does that is some of the F450's.

[Wild_Card]

Let me throw this out. I was traveling a 16hr trip in the Appalachia . I had a belt break r front of truck. Put my spare on. 75 miles later L front blows a belt. Took a rear and moved to the front. Got me to my location. Truck only had 18k# hauler and 21k miles at the time, junk stock tires but at that time I was glad to know I had 3 spares, mounted on rims.

[Me_Again]

Passage0ftime wrote:
Opinion from another newbie? I never owned and RV before last Spring. Pulled my daughter horse trailer with an '05 1500 Silverado short bed, step side WT. Never comfortable. Kept it and bought a 2012 1500 crew cab with a 5L, also in a WT configuration, don't care for buttons and bells. Night and day difference.

Fast forward to last Spring, bought a Greywolf TT 30' and pulled it w/ the 1500, I traded in the fall for a 5'er. Pulled ok, right at the trucks limit weight wise, back to the days of the step-side. It was about 9500# wet. Bit of white knuckle, anxiety on hills and in the wind. Then I got a shot at a DRW 3500 Silverado with the 8.1 gasser engine and Allison 6 speed.. Way over powered for the trailer, sucks for daily driver, but towing is a breeze, and makes it all worthwhile. As the man said, there are times when having a bigger hammer just feels better.

What many here are glossing over is that modern 350/3500 SRW trucks have higher ratings and are more capable than the one pictured here.

The duallies that have 17" rims have tires on the front that are rate to only 3085 pounds at max inflation. The tires on my SRW 3500 are rated to 3640 pounds each or 1110 more capacity on the front axle. I would worry more about the front tires on a dually than I would the rear tires on a SRW. Failure of a front tire is a lot worst than the failure of a rear tire.

We have snowbirded for 10 years now and each year thousands of snowbirds show up in the South with SRW trucks. I have never heard of someone loosing their rig from a tire failure. Did have one guy that lost a rig on an icy road.

Some people just do not want a dually, that is why SRW 350/3500 manufacturers have stepped up their game. The 2013+ RAM, 2017 Ford and new GM all have frames that greatly improved the capabilities of these trucks. 18" and 20" tires are providing ratings that are much higher than 17" and 16" tires that were used for years on many models.

Safest thing a person can do is tow as a reasonable speed and keep ones tires reasonable fresh, using quality ones to begin with.

[Hammerboy]

I see you jumped from a half ton straight to a dually, a SRW 2500 or 3500 would have been about right for what you have unless you have plans for something bigger in the future. Sometimes a bigger hammer is nice except when you have to carry it around all day everywhere.

My next truck will be a SRW 3500 which is plenty for my unit, any future 5th's will be shorter and smaller than what I have now. Too many state park lots I can't fit on now.

Dan

[Passage0ftime]

Opinion from another newbie? I never owned and RV before last Spring. Pulled my daughter horse trailer with an '05 1500 Silverado short bed, step side WT. Never comfortable. Kept it and bought a 2012 1500 crew cab with a 5L, also in a WT configuration, don't care for buttons and bells. Night and day difference.

Fast forward to last Spring, bought a Greywolf TT 30' and pulled it w/ the 1500, I traded in the fall for a 5'er. Pulled ok, right at the trucks limit weight wise, back to the days of the step-side. It was about 9500# wet. Bit of white knuckle, anxiety on hills and in the wind. Then I got a shot at a DRW 3500 Silverado with the 8.1 gasser engine and Allison 6 speed.. Way over powered for the trailer, sucks for daily driver, but towing is a breeze, and makes it all worthwhile. As the man said, there are times when having a bigger hammer just feels better.

[Butch50]

I went another way and my 5er is only 12,000# GVWR. But I still wanted a dually (just have had duallies for years) but I wanted a SB so I went with a Mega cab dually. I don't drive it daily as I'm retired and have 2 other vehicles but there is still a dually in my garage. I wanted a bigger tank so replaced the original tank with a Titan 51 gallon tank.

I know I have way more truck than I need but better to much than to little.

[justme]

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[justme]

Welp after reading many posts on this and other threads, I think in many cases the 2011+ year dually and SRW dividing line is 16500 GVW trailer being pulled with grey and black tanks empty with the fresh water tank less 20 gallons. If one pulls with full water tanks then a 15500 GVW trailer is the dividing line. The 2017+ trucks will handle a little more weight. If I was pulling a 1800+ GVW trailer I would get the F450 or equivalent truck because is was designed to be a dually rather than an add on like the F350.

[Chad_Brooks]

There is as much difference between a SRW truck and a dually, as there is between a half ton and a 3/4 ton. There really is that much difference. The dually is way more capable and stable. It also allows sharper maneuvering. My wife and I drive mine daily with no issues.

[IdaD]

I don't like duallys for for several reasons but that's what I'd buy if I were planning on dragging a 42' fifth wheel around very often.

[larry_barnhart]

I didn't want to be on the edge of anything so a dually made the best common sense for towing the 2001 35 ft alpenlite. Things do change but we like how it handles our fifth.

chevman

[cummins2014]

Cummins12V98 wrote:
"2015 RAM 3500 CC SB SRW New 2017 Bighorn 3575el."

For the weight and length Chris' RV has a lower pin weight than many. He is right on the edge with his. His rig with a 25% pin would be a no go!

Hard to believe he is not over the edge, but we seem to justify what we do, for the sake of having the truck we want instead of the truck we need.

I towed for years with a SRW 350 short bed overweight, and did fine, didn't make right, but I did anyway. Pretty sure many do, Chris probably is no exception.

I hear dry weight, which is worthless, but not hearing any actual weight.