Not wanting to start a war. Last summer I drove my son from NorCal to Denver to his school. On the way across Utah, Wyoming, Colorado I saw a ton of 5th wheels, and my unofficial guest is that 85% were being towed with SRWToday I drove from Nor Cal to just above San Luis Obispo, officially counting this time I came across 14 SRW towing 5th wheels of all sizes and only 2 that were DRWI know it makes plain common sense to me that 4 wheels on the rear end would have to give you more stabilityBut it just seems a lot of folks either put up with, get by, or don't seem to have a problem with SRWAs some of you know I am looking for a truck this fall at the end of the model year and it will be my last as I will be retiring in 4 years. I would prefer a short bed 1 ton CC so I am limited to the RAM in either Std CC, Mega CC in SRW or Mega in DRWThe only draw back with the DRW is parking etcto those of you who towed both ways, is it really that big of a difference. Certainly the numbers I see on the road are overwhelmingly SRW

Hi,I have a dual rear wheel motorhome, and it towed my Honda CRV nicely, until I replaced the factory Michelin all steel tires with Goodyear Wranglers. They have a polyester sidewall, and are much more flexible. Going down a long grade that we had taken many times, the rear of the motorhome was wiggling due to the sidewall flex, it was sort of disconcerning. The tiny 3,200 pound CRV was pushing the rear of the 16,000 pound motorhome into the corners - a bit sideways. After changing to all steel sidewall Goodyear tires, the problem went away. So I basically replaced a set of tires with only about 500 miles on them, my expensive lesson that I have tried to pass on as much as possible to others. So you can buy stable rear tires. You can also mistakenly buy unstable rear tires. I went to a FMCA RV show shortly after installing the Goodyear Wranglers and met with a Goodyear rep. He stated that the all steel tire was much firmer sidewalls, and would bring back the stability that I needed. He showed me a all steel Goodyear and polyester sidewall side by side, and you can tell by pushing on the steel sidewall it is much stiffer. Back in the 70's tires where not as strong as today. In the 50's you could count on needing to change a tire if you planned a 500 - 1,000 mile trip, and the spare tire was a requirement, tire life over 20,000 miles was almost unheard of. But with radial tires, my dad stated he never had a flat after 1970, because he replaced the tires with still a lot of tread on them, and never wanted to change another tire ever on the side of the road. So if you wanted to carry a really large load, then a dually was a requirement. Tires where typically rated at less than 3,000 pounds each, and the skinny dually tires only about 2,200 pounds each. In 2005, Ford came out with the higher weight rated trucks. They went to a 17" rim for the F-250 and 18" rim for the F-350 SRW. The DRW 17" tires where rated at 3,000 pounds each, while the 17" F-250 tires are rated at around 3,400 while the 18" rims are higher. So yes it is possible to load up a SRW F-350 with a larger trailer and have strong tires under the back. The 2005 and later F-350 SRW is rated to carry about 4,000 pounds. The DRW is even higher. Now Chevy and Dodge have increased their truck GVWR to keep up, and all RV'ers are the winners. We now have great trucks to pick from. Have fun with your new truck, it should last a long time, no matter if you have a dually or not. You will have a much stronger truck than what was built as little as 20 years ago. Fred.

Without knowing what you intend to tow it's tough to know if you need a DRW. I don't think people go get a DRW truck just to get one. Of course, they are a hassle to park live with so there isn't a reason to get one unless you need it. The payload ratings on a lot of the SRW trucks are getting up there pretty high these days. Unless you plan on packing the TV extra heavy you can tow a reasonably big 5th with a SRW truck. Like you say, about 80% of the 5ths you see out there are doing it.

OK as Golden HVAC has stated as well as mtofell1 the technology of these trucks have come a long way in recent years however to a laymans view of SRW vs DRW think of it as Point Of Contact x Surface Area x Payload... SRW as stated only a single POC and a slightly smaller surface area yet the payload can be high depending on the suspension and tire and wheel combination as ordered and or modified also with a standard profile parking and manuvering will be easier. DRW POC will be more spread out resulting an a larger surface area which will also result in the payload being more evenly distributed and greater stability from the wider stance of the DRW the payload will be higher also with or without modifications. The disadvantage to most DRW is something that can be overcome once you have adjusted your driving style and habits appropiatly and that is the hips on a DRW. All said and done it is your choice dependent upon your Trailer,FW,TC or whatever so please do your research and seek the advice of people who have the experience but in the end it will be yours Good Luck

Towing 10500# 30ft bunkhouse fifth with my F350 SRW. No probs and well under the max weight rating.

SWD wrote:Towing 10500# 30ft bunkhouse fifth with my F350 SRW. No probs and well under the max weight rating.Same here, but I just picked up a nice 99 f350 drw and will start towing this year with it and compare both. I am keeping both as I picked up the drw at great price

Unofficial SRW vs DRW road survey | Good Sam Community

Winged_One
Explorer
Apr 28, 2014
larry barnhart wrote:
Maybe a tread about how many fifths are pulled with pickups that are too small would be interesting.

chevman

From what I have read on here, none of them are.
afishinado
Explorer II
Apr 28, 2014
I have decided to go with a dually for the added stability I am expecting, and a little more secure should we blow a tire. It took me a long time to make the decision. I weighed my trailer and found 3480lbs pin weight, I could do it with a SRW which I would really prefer, but I've sold myself on it being safer and that comes first. We towed it 240 miles behind a dually last weekend and I think that sold me, you definitely knew there was 16,420lbs back there at take off, but it was solid every inch of the way. Search is now down to what I can get with $20k +/-
larry_barnhart
Explorer
Apr 28, 2014
Maybe a tread about how many fifths are pulled with pickups that are too small would be interesting.

chevman
Cummins12V98
Explorer III
Apr 28, 2014
Superduty123 wrote:
Hey, whoaaaaa on the man card stuff :o

That Prius has saved me a ton of money commuting to either work or the airport. It is the most reliable car I have owned, and yes, after selling my truck and before I bought my wife's 2012 GC I took the Prius flyfishing a couple of times. Put the seats down and it is like a small wagon and I can sleep back there (plus, leave the heater on, engine comes on a few times a night for about 20 minutes and then goes off while the heater draws from the battery, it was freakin great)

As an update on the way back this morning I came across 4 5th's and all were SRW

I know some of the people are probably clueless, but out of 20 that I saw 18 were being towed by SRW, you got to figure some of those guys actually care about weight limits, tire ratings, safety etc etcc.

BTW, happy to race the Prius past the gas station with any of you :)

All sounds good but don't ever run head on into me, it won't be purdy!
Dog_Folks
Explorer
Apr 28, 2014
Superduty123: Relax, we are just joshing ya. Note the the smiling faces on the posts?

Drive whatever is best for you and your use.
ksss
Explorer
Apr 28, 2014
I have been looking at the new GM HD's and am considering going to a 3500 SRW. I like towing with my DRW, but may consolidate my 2500HD and 3500 DRW into a 3500HD SRW if the SRW can handle a triaxle Fuzion and stay somewhat close to spec, I will consider going that route.
Superduty123
Explorer
Apr 27, 2014
Hey, whoaaaaa on the man card stuff :o

That Prius has saved me a ton of money commuting to either work or the airport. It is the most reliable car I have owned, and yes, after selling my truck and before I bought my wife's 2012 GC I took the Prius flyfishing a couple of times. Put the seats down and it is like a small wagon and I can sleep back there (plus, leave the heater on, engine comes on a few times a night for about 20 minutes and then goes off while the heater draws from the battery, it was freakin great)

As an update on the way back this morning I came across 4 5th's and all were SRW

I know some of the people are probably clueless, but out of 20 that I saw 18 were being towed by SRW, you got to figure some of those guys actually care about weight limits, tire ratings, safety etc etcc.

BTW, happy to race the Prius past the gas station with any of you :)
carlw32
Explorer
Apr 27, 2014
I just recently moved from SRW 2500 to DRW 3500 Dodge. I have seen posts on here where some say there is no difference in the stability and how it feels towing vs the two. However I disagree I feel the DRW is more stable and I like that I have extra tires in the rear in case one blows out kind of like extra insurance you know. My wife defiantly noticed the difference and loves it and the DRW is my daily driver. Parking is harder but the advantage is you have to walk farther so more exercise. In my sig in my old setup I will update when we pick up the the 5er next month.
Cummins12V98
Explorer III
Apr 27, 2014
I put 300K on a 81 VW Diesel PU trying to save the mighty dollar over my own safety. Finally woke up one day when I started my family and decided they needed a Dad more then a couple other luxuries. Went full size and have never looked back.
Dog_Folks
Explorer
Apr 27, 2014
bucky wrote:
Please check the back of your man card. #4 specifically states that owners of
F350s may not and shall not also own, drive, or be seen anywhere near a Prius. :)

Don't worry. Once truck owners find out about the Prius, they will revoke his man card! :B:B:B

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