SRW vs DRW
Is there a general rule regarding how much weight is okay for SRW and how much is too much? We are thinking of a larger 5er and not sure how much larger will require a new truck too.
Forum Discussion
Having owned both SRW and DRW 1-ton diesel pickups, we'd say if you're pulling any substantial weight - go with the dually for safety, stability, and towing capacity.
Yes, as mentioned city parking is a pain. Yes you eventually have six not four tires to replace, Yes checking air pressure w/o extensions is a pain (so get some, tire pressure is critically important). Yes, as mentioned you can't use standard car washes... between hand washes, we just endure a slightly dirty truck.
OK - the story why we prefer dually's (now) for towing now after years of SRW towing - We were pulling a properly loaded wide-body, high capacity, 16-foot enclosed dual-axle trailer with a 1-ton SRW long bed, crew cab, diesel - a 2002 F-350 7.3L that we loved as original owners.
At freeway speed, the wife (driving) had a rear-wheel, full (60 degree) tread separation (tire carcass held) on the rear passenger-side BFG tire (Load Range E 80 PSI, properly inflated, not overloaded, not abused, 2-year old tire, nearly full tread) which was enough to throw the truck and trailer into a oscillation that almost caused us to leave the road surface (dual lane, separated freeway with shoulders) the safety chains held but the trailer tongue eventually decoupled from the ball, and the trailer ended up on its side on the road surface. The truck bed and tail pipe were severely damaged between the tire damage and trailer impacts to truck bed sides and tailgate. The trailer body and doors held, but one axle was bent.
Any way, several nice semi-truck drivers who saw the accident happening, pro-actively blocked the highway with their rigs to prevent secondary collisions. The wife was not cited by Arizona DPS's finest, who were only concerned about 1) our safety, 2) clearing the road, and 3) getting traffic moving again. If this had happened in the People's Republik to the west... well never mind...
Several friends with yes, fat-wide dually's - told us if this had happened with a dually, you'd calmly pull over to the shoulder and change a tire. Well as a result of the near-fatal incident, we now have a diesel dually as a tow vehicle, and personally comparing SRW and DRW, the increased stability is very noticeable, and no real change in ride quality/comfort (we're talking one-ton trucks right?!?! ;-) ). Ford's new "Sound Screen" acoustic glass on the higher-end rigs makes the cab much quieter at freeway speeds. If you ever crack a SS windshield or break a SS side window it's more expensive to replace however...
Can't say we love the DEF fluid, occasional city parking, and we're too wide for a standard car wash. But it tows GREAT and we're much safer if something goes wrong. We always say a safety prayer for the drivers/owners/families of large 5-ers and toy haulers with SRW tow vehicles, when they go by, or headed the other way, on the other side of the highway.
BTW, a body repair tip - if you ever get your truck bed severely damaged in an accident, look for a local "utility bed" company they usually have or know of, a yard full of new truck beds waiting for a new home.
We put a color-matching brand new 2016 steel take-off bed on our 2002 F-350 truck for 25% of what a body shop wanted. On the Ford Super Duty's, the bed bolt pattern/mounts and body lines matched from 1999-2016. The yard we patronized, had new Dodge, Chevy and Ford take-off beds stacked up ready to go. Always best to have a white truck too. Most work trucks are OEM white, hence most take-off beds are OEM white.
Yes, as mentioned city parking is a pain. Yes you eventually have six not four tires to replace, Yes checking air pressure w/o extensions is a pain (so get some, tire pressure is critically important). Yes, as mentioned you can't use standard car washes... between hand washes, we just endure a slightly dirty truck.
OK - the story why we prefer dually's (now) for towing now after years of SRW towing - We were pulling a properly loaded wide-body, high capacity, 16-foot enclosed dual-axle trailer with a 1-ton SRW long bed, crew cab, diesel - a 2002 F-350 7.3L that we loved as original owners.
At freeway speed, the wife (driving) had a rear-wheel, full (60 degree) tread separation (tire carcass held) on the rear passenger-side BFG tire (Load Range E 80 PSI, properly inflated, not overloaded, not abused, 2-year old tire, nearly full tread) which was enough to throw the truck and trailer into a oscillation that almost caused us to leave the road surface (dual lane, separated freeway with shoulders) the safety chains held but the trailer tongue eventually decoupled from the ball, and the trailer ended up on its side on the road surface. The truck bed and tail pipe were severely damaged between the tire damage and trailer impacts to truck bed sides and tailgate. The trailer body and doors held, but one axle was bent.
Any way, several nice semi-truck drivers who saw the accident happening, pro-actively blocked the highway with their rigs to prevent secondary collisions. The wife was not cited by Arizona DPS's finest, who were only concerned about 1) our safety, 2) clearing the road, and 3) getting traffic moving again. If this had happened in the People's Republik to the west... well never mind...
Several friends with yes, fat-wide dually's - told us if this had happened with a dually, you'd calmly pull over to the shoulder and change a tire. Well as a result of the near-fatal incident, we now have a diesel dually as a tow vehicle, and personally comparing SRW and DRW, the increased stability is very noticeable, and no real change in ride quality/comfort (we're talking one-ton trucks right?!?! ;-) ). Ford's new "Sound Screen" acoustic glass on the higher-end rigs makes the cab much quieter at freeway speeds. If you ever crack a SS windshield or break a SS side window it's more expensive to replace however...
Can't say we love the DEF fluid, occasional city parking, and we're too wide for a standard car wash. But it tows GREAT and we're much safer if something goes wrong. We always say a safety prayer for the drivers/owners/families of large 5-ers and toy haulers with SRW tow vehicles, when they go by, or headed the other way, on the other side of the highway.
BTW, a body repair tip - if you ever get your truck bed severely damaged in an accident, look for a local "utility bed" company they usually have or know of, a yard full of new truck beds waiting for a new home.
We put a color-matching brand new 2016 steel take-off bed on our 2002 F-350 truck for 25% of what a body shop wanted. On the Ford Super Duty's, the bed bolt pattern/mounts and body lines matched from 1999-2016. The yard we patronized, had new Dodge, Chevy and Ford take-off beds stacked up ready to go. Always best to have a white truck too. Most work trucks are OEM white, hence most take-off beds are OEM white.
