Well Ran, I have had both single and dual wheels so I guess my opinions might count for something. Like you said, its an opinion. I know without a doubt it is a better towing situation with the four wheels outback. The one factor is daily driving such a large vehicle. It can be a chore sometimes, but growing up on a farm we learned to deal with large vehicles. Get the dually if for nothing else a Safe ride.
Navy Chief
2007 Dodge Ram 3500 Laramie w/6.7 CTD, 6 speed auto, Factory Exhaust Brake.
2007 KZ 41CKS3 Montego Bay Sportster
2006 Kaw KDX 200
2008 Can AM Outlander Max 650
2006 Yam R6
2007 Suz GSXR 600
Golf cart
Ran, I have had both. Experience with both and hands down there is a difference. If you aren't towing alot of weight there is no dif. With a long, heavy, tall TH there is a big difference. I also have an air ride pin box and that is a big difference also.
08 F-450 Red Lariat 08 KZ Inferno 3912 - 24k Superglide with under bed rails sitting in garage not going to be used, what a shame.
The diiference will be when you really need it. I went from single to dual for some of the same kinds of things mentioned above. I changed too soon to say what is like on a windy day but I can say that when you wander to the shoulder with a good groove there is a Big difference in how the truck feels. Also when a semi flies by and gets too close I still feel it but no correction is needed. Some will say these are small differences and they are, but when I really need some extra stability or suffer a blowout I will have the right equipment. I had seen a picture of a srw on another thread that showed what happened during a blow out while hauling a large 5th wheel. That was enough for me. I don't know where the weight cutoff would be in deciding srw or drw but I haul 14K plus loaded so I went drw. If your own toyhauler is light enough loaded then stick with srw. This is sort of like deciding when and if to switch from gas to diesel as the camper grows. At some point there is clearly only one option. Its when either would work that the decision gets tough.
I'm new here and have similar questions about single vs dual rear wheels. The thing that sticks in my mind is what about all these huge pickup campers on single rear wheel trucks? I would say 8 out of 10 are on single wheel trucks and many have dry weights of 3000lbs, some approaching 4000lbs dry. There are no trailer brakes to help you stop and no weight disbursement, it's all on the truck tires, axles, and springs. How is that safe? I know I would rather have a blowout towing a trailer than packing a camper? Duals are no doubt better just for the fact of more rubber and the safety factor of a blow out, but not at all practical for a truck that spends maybe 5% of it's time towing a heavy load. I just don't know?
2008 GMC 2500HD Duramax Allison 4x4 Crewcab
2008 Sandstorm F40SPTS 5er
2006 North River Seahawk 21'
I spoke yesterday at length with my wife's uncle who has been fifth wheeling for 10+ years. He is currently pulling a triple slide Travel Extreme with a GVW of 18,000#+. Last year, he upgraded from a 2500HD to a SRW 3500 CC.
He told me yesterday that he would not go to a dually for the following reasons: 1) Fuel mileage when not hooked up. 2) Can't take the dually thru most car washes. 3) Isn't convinced that a blow-out on a dually's rear would be much different than with a single (citing that with only a single -- and inferior -- tire left after the blow-out, the likelihood of the other one going almost immediately following the first is high?). 4) His SRW 3500 pulls the unit so well and stable.
At the risk of sounding like a smart aleck, I have found that those who have duallies say that you need a dually, and those who have a SRW say that you're good to go with that set-up. Heck, that's just plain natural....we all spend a significant amount of our time justifying our actions.....human nature
I know this: Everytime I come out from a wayside and look at my set-up, I shake my head in amazement that I can pull this behemoth with that truck, but then I get behind the wheel, set my cruise at about 63mph, and I am dumbfounded at the stability, power, and feeling of security that I get. I came to fifth wheel travel by way of motorhoming for 13 years, and while there is little question in my mind that the motorhome was a bit safer (huge dog with a tiny tail in lieu of the opposite), I'm extremely satisfied with my set-up.
Ran wrote: At the risk of sounding like a smart aleck, I have found that those who have duallies say that you need a dually, and those who have a SRW say that you're good to go with that set-up. Heck, that's just plain natural....we all spend a significant amount of our time justifying our actions.....human nature
This is not totally true. I had a SRW F-350 switched to a F-450 after tire blow outs and rims cracking. To each his own. Like I said before if someone ever got out of control running over loaded and could have helped it and hit my family God help them.
For me it was night & day difference when I went from a SWR to a DWR, when we bought the 3612DS Raptor, I knew I would upgrade to a DWR just for my peace of mind and not because people on this site said it would be safer. Most folks won't realize the significant difference between a SWR & a DWR until they experience it. Regarding the comment about the "Uncle" that said there wouldn't be much difference in a blow-out between a SWR & DWR, there's a huge difference, you have one spare tire to fall back to and be able to keep your rig in control and pull over safely. There's a topic on here with pics on what could happen if you have a blowout with a SWR and I believe he was pulling a Raptor just like mine.
I have yet to see a single rear axle truck have singles bet who knows they're probably out there. The only ones I have seen that have singles are double axles.
I have been following this topic for a bit now. The old SRW VS. DRW issue always seems to be trigger. I find that some here make really good arguments. But just for fun I thought I would add something:
A Dodge 3500 Mega Cab SRW Diesel has a GVWR of 10,100lb.
A Dodge 3500 Mega Cab SRW Diesel has a GVWR of 10,500lb.
A Ford F-350 Crew Cab SRW LB Diesel has a GVW of 11,200lb
So for the sake of argument the f-350 SRW is more stable and safer than a Dodge 3500 Mega SRW? Chew on that one.
Now I am not trying to start a F vs D or any other kind of argument. But this fact kinda puts a monkey wrench in the deal.
KaseyKahneFan and jasonlisan mention the trucking industry going single. This has been going on for some time now. Heavy haulers have had Supper Singles on the front axels for over 20 years now. In more recent times tire manufactures have made a better highway tire to fit the rear axel.
A 275/80R22.5 semi tire has a capacity of 5,675lb. (a typical dual tire)
A 245/50R22.5 has a capacity of 10,500lb. ( a super single)
So considering when you single out a semi you still have 4 tires x 10,500 = 42,000lb. Most semi trucks have an axle rating of 40,000 per tandem. Not to mention DOT only allows 34,000lb. They have a safety margin of 8,000lb. This math will not happen in the pick up truck application. If you remove 4 ea. tires from a pick up truck and each is rated at 2,600lb and you replace them with 2 tires and each is rated at 3860lb you still have a deficit of 2,680lb. And look surprise, surprise, if the difference is about the same as a dully that just had a blowout on one of its tires.
I think its cool that everyone shares experiences here. It helps people make the best decisions for their situation. I do tend to offer conservative advice. One of my trucks was involved in a fatal accident a few years ago. Now mind you my truck did not cause the accident nor did it cause the fatality. Three cars collided. One of the cars after hitting the K-rail slid into the side of my rig. Thus we where involved. You don’t want to ever know what kind of scrutiny comes down after an accident like that. I had CHP in my office before I could make it to the accident scene. My truck was weighed and inspected in site. CHP pulled all my files on the driver & the truck. The stress of having seen this accident made my driver quit. He no drives commercially. We where sued by all the families. Although we where found not liable nor where we cited for any infractions the whole deal cost me a pretty penny to defend. The company was still quite young and for a while there I wondered if this would make us fold. Although we all carry auto insurance, the coverage is a joke when compared to the amounts that people sue for
I think I just would hate for someone here to go through that kind of mess.
Tex
PS. Now having said all that, I like SRW trucks. DRW trucks get stuck in the sand. So don’t flame me…..lol
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