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Towing with a dually or single?need help please

loverving45
Explorer
Explorer
Hello,
I have a 39’ fifth wheel 4 slides, , 14000 pound, and am about to buy a pick up to tow it. Everyone tells me to buy regular pickup , not a dually. They say the regular single rear wheel is enough for towing this fifth wheel and no need for dually. I’ve heard that dually is a must have for such big trailers due to the steadiness it provides. My question is for those of you who own similar size of rig, do you suggest me buying a dually or a single rear wheel? Also, which if the companies is the best for this purpose, ram, gmc or Ford? Any suggestion would be greatly appreciated and helpful. Thank you
57 REPLIES 57

Fstmvrerik
Explorer
Explorer
I have pulled heavy fifth wheel campers and trailers for pleasure and work. The percentage of having a trailer hooked up to the truck has gone down to towing a trailer 3 or 4 times a month. I switched from DRW to a SRW one ton truck, the only time I miss the DRW is in high wind towing. I did worry about the safety factor of drive tire loss while towing, but got over that over the years.
IMO the convenience and cost reduction of the SRW (when not full time towing) make it the best choice for me.

ReneeG
Explorer
Explorer
Our current FW was originally towed with an F250 V10 short box, SRW. We traded in for a diesel dually long bed F350 and so glad we did. More stable, more power for towing up AND down grades. Our FW is 13k fully loaded too.
2011 Bighorn 3055RL, 2011 F350 DRW 6.7L 4x4 Diesel Lariat and Hensley TrailerSaver BD3, 1992 Jeep ZJ and 1978 Coleman Concord Pop-Up for remote camping
Dave & Renee plus (Champ, Molly, Paris, Missy, and Maggie in spirit), Mica, Mabel, and Melton

rhagfo
Explorer III
Explorer III
Well there is a lot to be said about towing with a DRW, personally with our 32’ 5er running close to 13,000# and. 2,800# pin with the 1,400# of hitch, in bed tool box and DW and I we would have been within a couple hundred pounds of GVWR.
So much of it has to do with pin weight and what you carry in your truck.
To the many that I tow 16,000# with a SB SRW don’t know what they don’t know. They are likely well over weight, and as I have stated before The best feature of a 5er is it’s worst, that is their natural stability.
Russ & Paula the Beagle Belle.
2016 Ram Laramie 3500 Aisin DRW 4X4 Long bed.
2005 Copper Canyon 293 FWSLS, 32' GVWR 12,360#

"Visit and Enjoy Oregon State Parks"

azdryheat
Explorer
Explorer
39 feet and it's only 14000 pounds, really? Mine is 40 feet and 19,000 pounds. 16,500 empty.
2013 Chevy 3500HD CC dually
2014 Voltage 3600 toy hauler
2019 RZR 1000XP TRE

MitchF150
Explorer III
Explorer III
Hope you get the answer you are looking for.. 🙂

Mitch
2013 F150 XLT 4x4 SuperCab Max Tow Egoboost 3.73 gears #7700 GVWR #1920 payload. 2019 Rockwood Mini Lite 2511S.

Grit_dog
Navigator
Navigator
What was said above.
Although I’ll add, the way you asked the question leads one to believe that you don’t have a lot of towing experience. And with that a dually will be better.....if it’s not a city daily driver the rest of the time.
2016 Ram 2500, MotorOps.ca EFIlive tuned, 5” turbo back, 6" lift on 37s
2017 Heartland Torque T29 - Sold.
Couple of Arctic Fox TCs - Sold

Lwiddis
Explorer II
Explorer II
Driving a SRW without the 5er is much more pleasurable.
Winnebago 2101DS TT & 2022 Chevy Silverado 1500 LTZ Z71, WindyNation 300 watt solar-Lossigy 200 AH Lithium battery. Prefer boondocking, USFS, COE, BLM, NPS, TVA, state camps. Bicyclist. 14 yr. Army -11B40 then 11A - (MOS 1542 & 1560) IOBC & IOAC grad

Walaby
Explorer II
Explorer II
My 5er is 13880 lbs and nearly 41ft length. Have no problems towing it with a 1 ton SRW. That said, I know many people who have towed large 5ers with both would tell you hands down the best towing experience will be with the DRW, and they are likely correct. But, Im happy with my setup, have never had any issues. Have experienced one panic stop in wet weather and never felt out of control in the slightest.

As others have said, brand is what you like best, but for a 5er in the 14K territory, IMHO, diesel is the only way to go.

Mike
Im Mike Willoughby, and I approve this message.
2017 Ram 3500 CTD (aka FRAM)
2019 GrandDesign Reflection 367BHS

BB_TX
Nomad
Nomad
The tow and payload ratings of the trucks keep going up almost yearly. New trucks, SRW and DRW, are far more capable than just a few years ago. A newer single rear wheel (SRW) will be fine for that trailer. But check the ratings for the truck you are looking at. Depending on configuration the ratings can vary a lot for the same year, same model truck depending on cab, bed, engine, drive train, etc.

As far as brand, what YOU like best. All three are great, dependable, and capable trucks.

Second_Chance
Explorer II
Explorer II
Is 14,000 lbs. the empty weight or GVWR?

Rob
U.S. Army retired
2020 Solitude 310GK-R
MORryde IS, disc brakes, solar, DP windows
(Previously in a Reflection 337RLS)
2012 F350 CC DRW Lariat 6.7
Full-time since 8/2015

Jack_Diane_Free
Explorer
Explorer
I recently towed a 40ft, 14000lb Mobile Suites for thousands of miles with a F350 short box singe rear wheel. Did not ever experience a problem with stability, sway or anything else. Truck was V-10 gasser and more than up to the task. Just let it rev, that is where it works best.

My TT is only 32' and half the weight of your rig, but I love the extra stability the dually offers. Even in southern Alberta winds, which can be brutal at times, I find it very stable. 14,000 pounds is a lot of weight and my opinion is for the dually.

Brand? Doesn't matter, all the big 3 are up to the task. Pick the one that you like best. But I would definitely go diesel, not gas.
2007 GMC 3500 dually ext. cab 4X4 LBZ Dmax/Allison - 2007 Pacific Coachworks Tango 306RLSS
RV Rebuild Website - Site launched Aug 22, 2021 - www.rv-rebuild.com