She didn't like the DRW.

[wgm2011]

After years of research and planning, 2014 is (was?) the year we get a nice 5th wheel and do some traveling.

The good news is the wife and I both really like the Heartland Big Horn and Big Country 5th wheels. We're looking at their smallest unit but even those at around 35' length loaded will come in at 14,000#.

I'm in this to travel for relaxation. I've no interest in any white knuckle driving. We will mostly travel the nice and flat Mid-Western USA but don't want to rule out a trip or three into the Rockies at some point. Just trying to be realistic, we need to buy a 1 ton DRW pickup at a minimum.

The bad news, we test drove a nice Chevy 3500HD crewcab 4X4 this past weekend. We barely made it around the block and my wife, the driver, pulled the truck over and said "NO, I'm not driving this thing."

She has no problem with a surburban, but those two extra wheels just don't sit well with her.

I still want the Heartland but now she wants me to find an RV that is 2500HD acceptable. I've not worked up the numbers recently, but last spring we were trying to find a fiver that would work with a 3/4 ton pickup. I don't know what others consider an acceptable pin and loaded trailer weight, but I don't think there is much out there that's really rated for a 3/4 ton truck.

So I've got three options. 1)Find a 5th wheel small enough to work well with the smaller truck (might be able to talk her into a 1 ton SRW, but that don't increase the ratings by much) or 2)keep trying to convince her the 1 ton DRW will grow on her in time (married 35 years and really don't see this happening) or 3) just blow it off and make some hotel reservations.

Any recommendations? Anyone out there that really hated those dual rear wheels but after a while just got used to them? Or am I being too critical on how much a 3/4 ton can carry? Those of you with 3/4 ton trucks, what do you consider acceptable?

I guess I'm just sort of burned out. Had it all figured out and that goes out the door with one little test drive. (Oh, and to all those truck salesmen that have a funny line to use in this situation, trust me. They will not think its nearly as funny as you do.)

Thanks.

Bill

[shooterdad]

Bill , a 1ton srw longbed would be a great choice for the 3010 you are considering and well within the limits of the truck. Great choice in trailers , this combination should serve you well.

The next issue and no doubt debate will be which hitch to buy . In my opinion there is only one way to go , and that is air ride . There are two companies to consider that both make nice products Air safe and Trailer Saver . Either of these will provide the best towing experience with minimal impact to the structure of the trailer as well as your truck . Yes they are more expensive than static hitches but the difference is night and day.

Once again I am not putting down those with static type hitches , however with all the debates and differences in opinions on a wide variety of things on this as well as other sites , a quick search will show that few if any debate the value of air ride hitches. The reason you dont see more of them is because of the initial expense , however long term there benefits far out weigh there cost.Scott

[wgm2011]

shooterdad wrote:
People need to look at there lifestyle as well as the weight of there trailer when trying to determine which truck will best suit there way of life. As an example , I like to hunt birds in the desert of Ca and Az and a drw is useless in the sand , and in the spring and fall we like to trout fish and often end up on narrow forest service roads where a dually doesnt fit , between that and the day to day driving in town a dually isnt ideal , in contrast if a guy is going to tow a trailer and spend alot of time traveling on the interstate , then a dually may be the best way to go .

My point is that the decision to get a drw or srw isnt black and white , and other things should factor into this decision.

You know, this one really hit home. I just thought about the things I do once we get to our destinations. There are a lot of things we both look forward to that is not DRW friendly. Our plans are to get to where we are going and take advantage of the weekly and sometimes monthly rates at the campgrounds.

I guess the scales have tipped slightly to the SRW side. And if there are some changes needed to make the TV ultra safe, then so be it.

Bill

[goducks10]

Stefonius wrote:

goducks10 wrote:

Stefonius wrote:
I'm sure it's technically possible to pull my fifth wheel with a SRW truck, but I wouldn't want to go barreling down the highway with a 36' long, 8' wide, 13' high box behind me without an extra set of tires on the road. If I get a flat or hit a crosswind, I'm not going to be spending the next few days in a hotel waiting to hear from my insurance adjuster.

It doesn't take that long to get used to the extra width and different handling characteristics of the dually, and when you're using it for towing, it's not any wider than your trailer. Unless the wife is planning to make you find a 6' wide trailer, I'm not sure her objection serves much purpose.

Just my 2¢.

With that logic I really doubt you would like this setup

I don't even have a spare for the MC.

I would love to camp like that if DW would let me.

Funny comment. We always did the motel/hotel/B&B thing. I could never talk my wife into camping either. I always wanted to get an MC tent trailer. The fact that she enjoyed riding on the back with me was enough. I didn't want to push it:)

[shooterdad]

People need to look at there lifestyle as well as the weight of there trailer when trying to determine which truck will best suit there way of life. As an example , I like to hunt birds in the desert of Ca and Az and a drw is useless in the sand , and in the spring and fall we like to trout fish and often end up on narrow forest service roads where a dually doesnt fit , between that and the day to day driving in town a dually isnt ideal , in contrast if a guy is going to tow a trailer and spend alot of time traveling on the interstate , then a dually may be the best way to go .

My point is that the decision to get a drw or srw isnt black and white , and other things should factor into this decision.

[Stefonius]

rtazz17 wrote:

Stefonius wrote:
I'm sure it's technically possible to pull my fifth wheel with a SRW truck, but I wouldn't want to go barreling down the highway with a 36' long, 8' wide, 13' high box behind me without an extra set of tires on the road. If I get a flat or hit a crosswind, I'm not going to be spending the next few days in a hotel waiting to hear from my insurance adjuster.

It doesn't take that long to get used to the extra width and different handling characteristics of the dually, and when you're using it for towing, it's not any wider than your trailer. Unless the wife is planning to make you find a 6' wide trailer, I'm not sure her objection serves much purpose.

Just my 2¢.

omg! I must be missing all the trailers being pulled by srw in the ditch.

I'm sure that millions of people tow just fine with SRW trucks and big trailers (although I do notice how many of them in these forums talk about how they have had to modify their suspensions to do it).

I'm also sure that millions of people drive around without a seatbelt on. And I see people every day on motorcycles with no helmet.

More power to all of those folks. May they do as they please without injury or penalty, even if they want to tow heavy with an SRW. I'm not going to do it, but I certainly won't tell them they can't.

[wgm2011]

Thank you everyone.

Lots of good information and suggestions (except for the poster that recommend I ditch the wife. I can't cook and I'd starve within a few weeks so that is not an option).

We thought about a 1 ton SRW truck but the dealership had none on the lot and the salesman felt it would not be much better than a 2500HD.

I have a call into the fleet manager (bought several vehicles from him in the past) requesting some information including when or where could I try a 1 ton SRW.

The fiver we are looking at is a Big Horn 3010RE. Dry weight is 11,915# and GVWR is 14,000#. Hitch wt is 2340# and length is 34' 10". When we travel, we travel light. We currently use a Chevy 1500 with short bed and a fiberglass tonneau cover. Using Rubbermaid plastic containers to keep it organized, we are able to stay on the road for six weeks without problems. So I feel we will be able to stay a good bit below the 14,000# number.

Some have indicated this should not be a problem with the 1 ton SRW.

Special thanks to JIMNLIN for the link. Through it I was able to get info I wanted and the salesman was never able to supply. Now I can do the math.

The wife and I had a nice conversation. Given a choice between a smaller RV and a dually, she chooses the smaller RV.

Since they are getting ready to bring in the 2015 model line and I want to take advantage of the 2014 model liquidation prices, I need to get moving.

Again, thanks to everyone.

Bill

[Stefonius]

goducks10 wrote:

Stefonius wrote:
I'm sure it's technically possible to pull my fifth wheel with a SRW truck, but I wouldn't want to go barreling down the highway with a 36' long, 8' wide, 13' high box behind me without an extra set of tires on the road. If I get a flat or hit a crosswind, I'm not going to be spending the next few days in a hotel waiting to hear from my insurance adjuster.

It doesn't take that long to get used to the extra width and different handling characteristics of the dually, and when you're using it for towing, it's not any wider than your trailer. Unless the wife is planning to make you find a 6' wide trailer, I'm not sure her objection serves much purpose.

Just my 2¢.

With that logic I really doubt you would like this setup

I don't even have a spare for the MC.

I would love to camp like that if DW would let me.

[rkortes]

shooterdad wrote:
I dont often reply to any post however this Dually/srw debate has prompted my two cents . Let me first say , I am not trying to offend anyone or promote one over the other .

I live in the foothills east of San Diego right on interstate 8 where on every weekend from October through March , approximately 100,000 ,and sometimes more travel to the Glamis sand dunes,and at least 75% of them are towing some kind of trailer , and the greatest percentage are towing large Toyhaulers . I would say by observation that at least 80% of them are towed by srw trucks .I am talking trailers that are loaded to the gills and over 40 foot long , add this to the equation they have to go up and over one of the nastiest grades in this part of the country (6 to 7 percent)for 15 miles each way.Another thing to consider is this is a major trucking route to San Diego , so there is lots of semi traffic.

Just wanted to paint you all a picture of what goes on ....now as a result of all these illegal,irresponsible , life threatening individuals ...you rarely here or see any accidents,does this make right ? NO , I am not advocating that anyone tow with one truck over the other , what I am saying is that with a little common sense you can easily tow more than you think with an srw .My dad always told me to buy the truck for how you will use it 90% of the time, and he is right . If I were retired and was full time a dually might well be the way to go , short of that the new srw trucks are very capable . I have towed with both and in less than ideal conditions and both did the job well , and I felt no more worried in one over the other . In the wind the drw was more stable . In the end I guess it boils down to driving and towing experience . Have a great day

Love this post. I was at Glamis over New Years and was thinking the same thing. SRW's certainly dominate this TH crowd. I'm guessing way more accidents from folks playing with their smartphones than overloading.... not that I condone either of these behaviors.

[goducks10]

Stefonius wrote:
I'm sure it's technically possible to pull my fifth wheel with a SRW truck, but I wouldn't want to go barreling down the highway with a 36' long, 8' wide, 13' high box behind me without an extra set of tires on the road. If I get a flat or hit a crosswind, I'm not going to be spending the next few days in a hotel waiting to hear from my insurance adjuster.

It doesn't take that long to get used to the extra width and different handling characteristics of the dually, and when you're using it for towing, it's not any wider than your trailer. Unless the wife is planning to make you find a 6' wide trailer, I'm not sure her objection serves much purpose.

Just my 2¢.

With that logic I really doubt you would like this setup

I don't even have a spare for the MC.

[Aridon]

Your wife will likely get used to it if she isn't the type to just clam up and refuse to drive out of some passive aggressive spat. After that long you should know her enough to see if that would be the case.

[shooterdad]

I dont often reply to any post however this Dually/srw debate has prompted my two cents . Let me first say , I am not trying to offend anyone or promote one over the other .

I live in the foothills east of San Diego right on interstate 8 where on every weekend from October through March , approximately 100,000 ,and sometimes more travel to the Glamis sand dunes,and at least 75% of them are towing some kind of trailer , and the greatest percentage are towing large Toyhaulers . I would say by observation that at least 80% of them are towed by srw trucks .I am talking trailers that are loaded to the gills and over 40 foot long , add this to the equation they have to go up and over one of the nastiest grades in this part of the country (6 to 7 percent)for 15 miles each way.Another thing to consider is this is a major trucking route to San Diego , so there is lots of semi traffic.

Just wanted to paint you all a picture of what goes on ....now as a result of all these illegal,irresponsible , life threatening individuals ...you rarely here or see any accidents,does this make right ? NO , I am not advocating that anyone tow with one truck over the other , what I am saying is that with a little common sense you can easily tow more than you think with an srw .My dad always told me to buy the truck for how you will use it 90% of the time, and he is right . If I were retired and was full time a dually might well be the way to go , short of that the new srw trucks are very capable . I have towed with both and in less than ideal conditions and both did the job well , and I felt no more worried in one over the other . In the wind the drw was more stable . In the end I guess it boils down to driving and towing experience . Have a great day

[kaydeejay]

wgm2011 wrote:
.......
Any recommendations? Anyone out there that really hated those dual rear wheels but after a while just got used to them? Or am I being too critical on how much a 3/4 ton can carry? Those of you with 3/4 ton trucks, what do you consider acceptable?

Bill

Bill, you don't have to go 3/4 ton to get single rear wheels.
Look at some of the new 1-ton SRW trucks, they have pretty impressive payloads, over 4000# in some cases.
You do need to do the math (PIN WEIGHT) on any fiver you looks at as you will be more limited than with a dually, but there are lots of good sized fivers out there that a SRW 1-ton can cope with. Yes, even that 14K Big-Horn if the pin weight is a typical 20%.

[rtazz17]

Stefonius wrote:
I'm sure it's technically possible to pull my fifth wheel with a SRW truck, but I wouldn't want to go barreling down the highway with a 36' long, 8' wide, 13' high box behind me without an extra set of tires on the road. If I get a flat or hit a crosswind, I'm not going to be spending the next few days in a hotel waiting to hear from my insurance adjuster.

It doesn't take that long to get used to the extra width and different handling characteristics of the dually, and when you're using it for towing, it's not any wider than your trailer. Unless the wife is planning to make you find a 6' wide trailer, I'm not sure her objection serves much purpose.

Just my 2¢.

omg! I must be missing all the trailers being pulled by srw in the ditch.

[rtazz17]

A new srw 3500 or 350 will work..I didnt want the dually either because its my daily driver and where I live it just wouldnt work.You will be quite fine with an srw and dont let the people w duallys scare you with white knuckle comments.It can handle the job easily without white knuckles.Run the numbers first but im sure your good.

[cummins2014]

jerem0621 wrote:
I had a Dually, said all the same things, it's as wide as the mirrors, swing wide, drive past etc etc.

Busted the back of a Dually fender with a utility trailer I could not see the trailer and I turned too tight. Then there was the time that we took the truck to the movies. I parked in the boonies with nothing around me.

I came out of the movies to find my truck had been swarmed by commuter cars. It took me several minutes to wiggle my way out of that pickle (not for the faint of heart btw)

Eventually, I sold the Dually. I hated it, it didn't work for 98% of my life.

My next HD Truxk will be a short bed SRW much much happier.

Ymmv. I agree with your wife.

Thanks

Jeremiah

Been around enough, and rode in a few duallies to know I will never own one. Like you short bed SRW is the only one I will own. If I can't tow it with SRW then I won't own it.