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

[Veebyes]

transamz9 wrote:
Just think, if you have a drw this wouldn't happen.......

Can't figure it out. What is Bubba trying to do? Ramps are up. Was the ball stuck?

[RAS43]

Stefonius wrote:

I think that picture and comment were tongue-in-cheek.

But we can't be sure due to the "must have a dually" mentality here.;)

[Stefonius]

wgm2011 wrote:

transamz9 wrote:
Just think, if you have a drw this wouldn't happen.......

How would DRW have stopped this. It would seem that if you put enough weight at the rear of the trailer, you could raise the rear end of any truck.

Are you saying that an extra set of wheels would weigh that much more?

I think that picture and comment were tongue-in-cheek.

[transamz9]

mudmaker wrote:
Yes it would still happen. DRW will never stop stupid people from driving off road equipment. Obviously amateur.

Exactly 😉

[mudmaker]

Yes it would still happen. DRW will never stop stupid people from driving off road equipment. Obviously amateur.

[wgm2011]

transamz9 wrote:
Just think, if you have a drw this wouldn't happen.......

How would DRW have stopped this. It would seem that if you put enough weight at the rear of the trailer, you could raise the rear end of any truck.

Are you saying that an extra set of wheels would weigh that much more?

[transamz9]

Just think, if you have a drw this wouldn't happen.......

[bigdon68]

Picture is worth a 1,000 words. We've been towing this for 7 years with our F350 SRW. It does a great job.

Good luck,

bigdon68

[transamz9]

larry barnhart wrote:
My wife probably would be unhappy if we had a srw pickup. She feels safer in a truck. Chevman

HAHA! TOO funny. So when you going to get a truck?

[blkdodge]

in our 20+ years together I have had 5 vehicles 1/2 short bed, she never drove. 1/2 4x4 suburban, she never drove. 3/4 4x4 suburban she never drove. Dodge 2500 she drove 2 times once around the block and once to the store because I was working on her car. Now the Dodge 3500 DRW so she wont even drive it around the block. OK by me. It sure pulls the 5vr nice though. JUST SAYIN.

[wgm2011]

butchfuzion wrote:
If she is freaked out with the dual wheels what will she do with the 35 foot trailer dragging behind?

Not a problem since she will not be driving while we are towing. That's part of the agreement we have on getting an RV versus staying in hotel rooms.

And that's not much of a change. On vacations, I usually do 99%+ of the driving.

I have a small utility trailer and she has never been willing to tow it. And that will not change.

But since the new truck will be only be used as a tow vehicle occasionally, I would prefer it be one both of us can use.

Bill

[Cummins12V98]

larry barnhart wrote:
My wife probably would be unhappy if we had a srw pickup. She feels safer in a truck. Chevman

Same here Larry.

So much more relaxing with more truck than you need.

[john_bet]

rtazz17 wrote:

john&bet wrote:
Food for thought. Four years ago I saw a Ford 3/4T with what looked like a 32'+ TT in south bound lanes of I-65 south of US-50 that had jack-knifed with its rear up on a guard rail and trailer partly over same and still hitched. road was dry and it was daylight. I don't know what happened. So was it to much tail for dog, careless driver, someone got in his way and drove on, I have no idea. Bad stuff happens to nice people.

Honestly I dont think this has anything to do with anything.Yes bad things happen to nice people but what does that have to do with subject at hand.The truck you saw in ditch may have been totally within weight limits and safe.Accidents still happen no matter what.Like you said too many variables of what may have happened and no facts of what did happen.Are you trying to say a dually could have prevented this? If so that is a far stretch of the imagination without any facts.

Probably about as much as most of the rest of the opinions expressed here.

[larry_barnhart]

My wife probably would be unhappy if we had a srw pickup. She feels safer in a truck. Chevman

[Cummins12V98]

butchfuzion wrote:
If she is freaked out with the dual wheels what will she do with the 35 foot trailer dragging behind?

Zactly!

Our MS is almost 8'6" wide. I would guess the Dually hips are close to that.