I think one of the main considerations of having a fifth wheel is the redunancy of the DRW. In other words, if you have a flat on the rear, you have one more tire still up so you can get to the side of the road. My fiver has a pin weight of 2200#s and I tow with a SRW, but the next one will be a DRW if I still have a fiver. With 2200# directly over the rear axle, I want to have an extra tire on the each side in case I have a flat.
Beautiful wife of 28 years
21 year old son, college student
100 lb lap dog (Black Labrador & Rhodesian Ridgeback)
2002 F250 4 door, 8 foot bed, 7.3 PSD with Hypertech software, timbrens, 3.73 rear axle
2006 Montana Mountaineer 344RET
My 5er grosses at 12K. I have not towed with it in the snow, but have used the 4x4. A) in the snow. B) A couple of times to maneuver the trailer. Don't have to use it often, but I'm glad I have it.
I get 10-12mpg towing depenging on the terrain...As high as 19 non-towing hwy driving.
I think Duallys look great and will definitely consider one when it comes time to look for another truck, but for now the SRW does just fine. I have "E"-rated tires so load capability isn't a problem.
My Mrs., 2 Yorkies & Me in our "Rollin' Hotel II"
2007 Legends 31RE3SLF-5 by Pilgrim International
2001 F350 7.3L PSD SuperDuty CrewCab Long Bed 4x4
Prodigy BC & Reese 15K 5'er Hitch
I have a SRW Dodge (2001) and a DRW Dodge (2006) and there is really no comparison in towing.
The dually is the hands down winner. Extremely stable and that whole flat tire thing as mentioned in a previous post is a big bonus. I had a right rear go flat on me (picked up a giant screw) and sure was glad I had the dually.
Both my trucks have Cummins turbo diesels in them. A friend of mine has a 2005 dually with the v-10 gasser in it and there is no comparison in tourqe to the diesel motors.
was_butnotnow wrote: The 4WD weights more so you have to take that from what your 5er pin weight can be. Less you can carry. I a 2WD dully and like it and i knwo it has poor traction. Even on wet grass. And I do not EVER plan on driving it in snow.
I have an 08 F/350 srw 4x4 and a Jayco 35 RLSA that has an empty weight of 12,244 pounds. The listed pin weight is 2400 something. I believe the manufactures number are conservative and my pin weight is closer to 3000 pounds. Our truck has bottomed out when we hit a dip on the freeway that wasn't marked, in fact this has happened a couple of times. For mileage we have seen a low of 9.9 to a high of 12 miles per gallon pulling in the Midwest. My truck has the 373 rear end and is available with DRW which would give you your best gas mileage. At my house a DWR truck would not go into my pole barn which may be a consideration for you. Having never pulled with DRW I guess I don't know what I'm missing and it's not like I have to be anywhere anyways.
Have an 06 Chevy 2500HD Vortec 8.1 gasser and SRW, just broke 11,000 miles on odometer after 1 1/2 years. Made my first tow of my 93 Nomad 30 ft from north central Florida to the Cincinnati, OH area a few weeks ago. Got between 7 and 9.5 MPG, depending on with or without Ethanol in the gas. Truck towed with no trouble on the hills in TN and KY, but had thought of looking for something more powerful and more room. Checked a Chevy/Ford dealer in Indiana that had an 03 Ford FL-550 in the lot. Dealer asking $54K with 23,000 miles. Salesman was ready to get an estimate on my truck when the sales manager asked if I had a CDL. Said there is no financing unless potential owner has a CDL. How is the FL-550 on fuel and size of tank and why would a CDL be needed? Just me and my old 4 legged dog.
VintageRacer wrote: A 12K fifth wheel will have a pin weight of about 3K, more or less. Add full fuel, a couple of passengers, some stuff in the bed along with the weight of the hitch, and you're looking at 3.75K, maybe 4k total payload. That's why you want a dually - no single rear wheel truck made comes close to carrying that.
F350 SRW has 3740 to 4230 payload rating. F250/350 specs
2001 F150 SuperCrew 5.4 Lariat Offroad 4x4 Tow Package 4.10 Truetrac
2006 Keystone Springdale 249FWBHLS
12K SuperGlide, KGE3000Ti 2.3kw rated 2.6kw max
Frank's voltage booster, Prosine 1800 powered by 4 GC2 batteries
Get the dually and make sure you get the 4wd. Its nice to have 4wd when on gravel and pulling a large fiver up onto blocks. Keeps you from spinning the rear tires and sliding sideways. As for stability, it is great. We tow a 42 foot camper with a heavy pin weight. Its nice having a big foot print. As for fuel MPG. You don't buy a one ton diesel truck for fuel mileage. If you do get good mileage, its a bonus. You buy it to work. I get 15 mpg with my 6.7 Cummins in town and 10 when towing. When loaded with our quad and dirt bike and fuel, we tip the scales at 25200 lbs. total weight. Happy camping.
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
I currently drive an F250 PSD 4x4. This is my first diesel, 'though I've had it since new in 2000. I've owned 4x4 and 2x4 and would never consider anything other than 4x4 in a pickup. If I could back up 8 years and pick out my truck over again, I'd get an F350 dually. I don't drive much, so the truck still has low mileage and is in almost new condition, but I'm in a situation where we want a larger 5er now, so I really need a dually, but trading isn't cheap.
I mention this because you might very well find yourself in the same predicament in a year or two. Most people trade campers every few years, at least with that first one -- wanting something bigger or different. So even if you start out with a camper light enough for a SRW truck, you may regret the SRW next year. Stick with a one-ton dually with a crew cab and you won't have to trade trucks for anything but the largest, heaviest 5ers. As for 4-wheel drive, trucks get squirrelly unloaded, and dual wheels make it much more so. You'll be kicking yourself repeatedly if you don't get a 4x4. Digging out is a *****; being towed out is expensive.
IMHO, diesel vs. gas would be the most difficult decision, as either option will let you tow safely. If it was me, I'd go with the diesel engine again, but the initial savings with the gas engine could be tempting. The extra power and torque is really nice when towing against the wind, and also comes in handy on the long, steep grades. Mileage is considerably better with diesel. I get about 12 mpg towing and 18 mpg empty driving at 70-75 mph. My previous gasser (F250 w/460) got about 7 and 11, and it was a struggle towing against the wind and/or up hills.
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