looking at trucks

[dennyida]

Good morning, I know I`m going to open a can of worms here but here it goes. We have a 2015 Keystone Outback 296FRS that we really love and next spring we will be looking to buy a new truck to tow with. This will be our last new truck so I will want every bell and whistle on it. The weight on the 5ER is 9600 lbs. I`m thinking about a diesel and would like the option of the engine brake or something like that. I don`t care if it be a dodge , ford , GMC . I currently have a dodge ram that is 10 years old and still love it. Also some thoughts on the dual tires, I would like to stay away from that but I have been told it`s much safer . We will be traveling down south next spring and then out west next summer. Again I now this is quite a large and wide open subject but I would like to see what others are using . Thank you, Denny and Ida

[alboy]

The new SRW 350/3500 Diesel series IN any flavour will easily handle a 15/15500 GVWR fiver so easily that you will be shocked, I Was.

[blofgren]

Michelle.S wrote:

edbehnke wrote:
my only input is do not go with duallys.

From someone with one of the heavier Montanas that should have a 350/3500 SRW at minimum and probably a Dually at best.

Exactly what I was thinking.

[Cummins12V98]

IdaD wrote:

Cummins12V98 wrote:

edbehnke wrote:
my only input is do not go with duallys.

What is your reason?

In my world:

- Daily driver that I have in tight parking lots and garages, DRW would be a big hassle.

- I regularly travel on "roads" where a DRW wouldn't work while camping and hunting. Too wide for some tight roads and not as good in certain conditions such as deep snow.

- SRW is better in snow/ice on pavement, which I encounter a lot on family trips during the holidays and ski trips.

- A trailer big enough to require DRW is too big to get into a lot of the places I like to camp. I don't go camping so I can have neighbors in a campground.

Completely understand! If your personal TV is a SRW then a person should stay within it's limits.

I had a personal limit of the Avion Platinum I had that was 32.5' and combined weight of 20,500# with my 98 RAM 2500 4X4. Once we started talking larger RV's I told the wife we need a new truck and it will be a Dually.

[laknox]

IdaD wrote:

Cummins12V98 wrote:

edbehnke wrote:
my only input is do not go with duallys.

What is your reason?

In my world:

- Daily driver that I have in tight parking lots and garages, DRW would be a big hassle.

- I regularly travel on "roads" where a DRW wouldn't work while camping and hunting. Too wide for some tight roads and not as good in certain conditions such as deep snow.

- SRW is better in snow/ice on pavement, which I encounter a lot on family trips during the holidays and ski trips.

- A trailer big enough to require DRW is too big to get into a lot of the places I like to camp. I don't go camping so I can have neighbors in a campground.

AMEN! 🙂

Lyle

[IdaD]

Cummins12V98 wrote:

edbehnke wrote:
my only input is do not go with duallys.

What is your reason?

In my world:

- Daily driver that I have in tight parking lots and garages, DRW would be a big hassle.

- I regularly travel on "roads" where a DRW wouldn't work while camping and hunting. Too wide for some tight roads and not as good in certain conditions such as deep snow.

- SRW is better in snow/ice on pavement, which I encounter a lot on family trips during the holidays and ski trips.

- A trailer big enough to require DRW is too big to get into a lot of the places I like to camp. I don't go camping so I can have neighbors in a campground.

[RustyJC]

edbehnke wrote:
my only input is do not go with duallys.

Strange position since I've towed 5th wheels exclusively with duallies since 1996. I wouldn't have anything else, especially towing our current 19,000 lb GVWR 5th wheel.

Rusty

[Michelle_S]

edbehnke wrote:
my only input is do not go with duallys.

From someone with one of the heavier Montanas that should have a 350/3500 SRW at minimum and probably a Dually at best.

[mtofell1]

3500SRW is a nice fit for that 5th. I'm in a new-ish 2500 and am amazed at how fast I run out of weight. And mine's a gasser with a 3000# payload. Same truck with a diesel has about 800# less. So, starting from scratch there is no reason to push it. Just get the 3500 and be done with it.

As for dually vs SRW you don't need the dually but it would tow better. I'm pretty firmly in the anti-dually crowd just because of the parking, bank drive thru lanes and things like that. But, those who own them love them so it's really just a personal preference.

[Cummins12V98]

edbehnke wrote:
my only input is do not go with duallys.

What is your reason?

[Coach-man]

I guess you have some questions to answer. If you ever plan on upgrading your 5th wheel, look at 350/3500 DRW, If not eith a 250/2500 or SRW 350/3500 will be a better choice. As for engine / exhaust brakes, you need to be looking at diesels, Ford, GM, and Dodge all offer the. Traveling out west in hills or mountians? You will want those. Good Luck!

[edbehnke]

my only input is do not go with duallys.

[debraindi]

I pull with 2013 duramax LTZ, 4x4 Z71 3/4 ton . I looked at vehicle height and comfort. The Allison transmission is hard to beat.

[JIMNLIN]

For a 9xxx/10xxx trailer a 250/2500 Gas or diesel will work fine.
If you choose the diesel option your good up to the 12k-14k gross weight range before going over rear axle and OEM 17" E tire load ratings.

You sure don't need a one ton DRW to pull that size trailer. Now if your planing on towing a trailer above 15k-15.5k then the DRW may make more sense.

Engine brake ?? The Ford or GM or Ram diesel doesn't offer a engine brake.
I think you mean a exhaust brake.

All three use a VGT or VVT systems for exhaust braking power through the turbo now. Its OEM on all three and is a Great feature and no need for a conventional exhaust brake.

[Cummins12V98]

One of these in a 3500SRW and Aisin will put you in the Luxury section with all the bells and whistles. If going over 13-14K you can't go wrong with exactly the one in the pic. The Factory rear air ride is awesome!

I pull 32,500# all over the West with no issues.

[IdaD]

MPI_Mallard wrote:
If your certain this is as big as your going to want then a SRW 2500 shorty will do the job,,,marginally

I have a little different take on it. If he's not planning on up-sizing later on, a 2500 would haul this trailer fine and it wouldn't be marginal at all. The only rating that would be even close is GVWR, but that number is meaningless because it's capped at 10k lbs for reasons other than the truck's capability.

Aside from the coils, a 2500 Ram is identical to a SRW 3500, so you're getting the same frame, axles, brakes, tires, etc. The RAWR on those trucks is 6500 and this trailer wouldn't get even close to that. The coils ride and handle a lot better than the leafs on the 3500s, so there is actually a tangible advantage to the 2500 on Ram trucks. Real world performance with this size trailer would be identical between a 2500 and SRW 3500.

If there's a possible up-sizing in the future, I'd agree that the 3500 may make more sense. OP said he was really happy with his current 2015 model, however.