DRW really is better

[F350guy]

Originally Posted by Radar57

F350Guy, how do you equip a F350 just right to get the 12,400 GVWR. When I spec’d mine last year there was just the 11,400 GVWR upgrade. I wanted the dually for the increased payload and stability. The wife didn’t want anything to do with it for the usual reason. Then she found and wanted the current 5er we have. The truck is marginal at best. Do weekend camping close by so at present not a big concern. But I’ve told her before we retire in 3+ years and go on the road for longer periods with the 5er loaded we are getting a truck I feel comfort towing or we are downsizing. She’s not going to get rid of the 5er so I’m getting a new truck.

First, it has to be a 2020 long bed, crew cab, F350 with the 6.7 diesel. Then you have to go 4X4 with either 18" or 20" wheels and all terrain tires. If you go to the NADA guides website and use it to build one it will show the 12,400 GVWR if you do it correctly. Mine is a loaded Platinum but I did not get the sun roof.

I really wanted a short bed but I'm glad I got the long bed. It may be the same wheelbase as the dually but it drives much different since I don't have the wide rear end to consider. My ride towing is really great. We have a 2013 Excel Winslow 34 footer with a rear kitchen. They are pretty heavy and I have 3200 pounds of hitch weight and 16,300 total, loaded for a trip. It actually rides smoother than my previous 17 F350 dually, both towing and of course empty. The new 10 speed transmission is really smooth, no issues with it hunting for the right gear. I'm getting 20 plus mpg highway and 16 or so around town, empty. My only trip with the fifth wheel was 11.4.

I think the truck is a good "tweener" for those of us who really don't need a dually but may be a little on the heavy side for most single rear wheel trucks.

[Radar57]

That is a great point a dully does look pretty and it makes the driver feel preeety good. I’ve watched a Ytoube channel occasionally, bigtruckbigrv, and he makes the “argument” if TT is 30’ + it should probably be pulled by a dually for stability reasons. You could make the analogy of a little butted guy and a big butted guy. It’s pretty easy to push the little butted guy all over the place but (no pun intended) you would be hard pressed to nudge the big butted guy. That’s what a dually provide, even for pulling a TT. JMHO

[Radar57]

Originally Posted by F350guy

First, it has to be a 2020 long bed, crew cab, F350 with the 6.7 diesel. Then you have to go 4X4 with either 18" or 20" wheels and all terrain tires. If you go to the NADA guides website and use it to build one it will show the 12,400 GVWR if you do it correctly. Mine is a loaded Platinum but I did not get the sun roof.

I really wanted a short bed but I'm glad I got the long bed. It may be the same wheelbase as the dually but it drives much different since I don't have the wide rear end to consider. My ride towing is really great. We have a 2013 Excel Winslow 34 footer with a rear kitchen. They are pretty heavy and I have 3200 pounds of hitch weight and 16,300 total, loaded for a trip. It actually rides smoother than my previous 17 F350 dually, both towing and of course empty. The new 10 speed transmission is really smooth, no issues with it hunting for the right gear. I'm getting 20 plus mpg highway and 16 or so around town, empty. My only trip with the fifth wheel was 11.4.

I think the truck is a good "tweener" for those of us who really don't need a dually but may be a little on the heavy side for most single rear wheel trucks.

Thanks for the info. That’s good to know for future reference. I will probably still go with the dually on the next one. The wife doesn’t like a dually or a long bed so I’m getting a twofer in the deal. Thanks again.

[Screwby]

Originally Posted by SkyBound

Duallies are amazing tow vehicles and radiate badassery. I do really like them. But I am quite certain we are travel trailer people, not fifth wheel people. So that being said, I don't think I would ever buy a dually for the purpose of towing a travel trailer... In my mind they are made for fifth wheel and gooseneck trailers. Anyone out there pulling a bumper pull with a dually? Comments?

I pull my 23RB with my dually. Is pulling my 23RB with a one ton dually a bit overkill? Probably, but we bought the dually once we got the 5th wheel so we already designated the dually as the “tow rig”. That being said, when I pull the TT anywhere I have to keep reminding myself it’s back there. It is such an easy and laid back experience having so much power in the 6.7 diesel and the payload and stability of the dually it’s surreal. I set the cruise on 65mph in the hills of Tennessee and I’m not sure if i remember it ever shifting gears aside from slowing for traffic before I passed it. We went up into the mountains of South Dakota on gravel backroads full of 80 gallons of freshwater and weren’t worried in the least. I’m now spoiled and there’s no way I could go back to having “just enough truck”.

[LegalEagle]

Here is the new truck.

[Screwby]

Originally Posted by LegalEagle

Here is the new truck.

Did it come with the stick to knock the ladies off of the fenders as you drive around town? Nice rig!

[AKRUEBBE]

Originally Posted by LegalEagle

Here is the new truck.

What a beauty!! Congrats!!

[bill3kirk]

Very nice!

[Donna]

Nice!!

[Pickledill]

I don't believe anyone can make a serious argument that a dually is not the better choice while towing. The question is how much do you tow as a percentage of total miles driven. Both have their compromises, I will stick with the towing compromise of a srw based on % towing vs. not. I also have never felt unnerved towing with srw.

[mboy]

it's a preference. get either one and enjoy that's my thought.

[Big1]

Originally Posted by LegalEagle

Here is the new truck.

Nice setup.

[Rgruber]

I pulled a 355MBQS across the country and back during the summer of 2018 with my 2012 chevy 2500 Duramax. It is a crew cab and I had my wife and three kids. The truck pulled the rig fine, and I kept the speed at 60 MPH on the highways, but I wished for a dually about every other day. Not fun looking in the side view mirror knowing that you are about to get sucked into the left hand lane when the big truck blows by you!.

[rkelly]

I love my dually and the long bed! Never once have regretted it and man its a machine towing in the mountains.

[Bookemdanno]

Originally Posted by Rgruber

I pulled a 355MBQS across the country and back during the summer of 2018 with my 2012 chevy 2500 Duramax. It is a crew cab and I had my wife and three kids. The truck pulled the rig fine, and I kept the speed at 60 MPH on the highways, but I wished for a dually about every other day. Not fun looking in the side view mirror knowing that you are about to get sucked into the left hand lane when the big truck blows by you!.

I had near identical experience as you...I started towing our NP 377 with Ram 2500. That lasted about a year, as I continued to look for a DRW at a reasonable price. I ended up with my '16 Ram in Feb of '17, as it was the last '16 they had on the lot and wanted it gone...Good for me, not so much for them!



The 2500 pulled fine, but breaking and big rigs passing were no fun!

[RoninAZ]

Originally Posted by legaleagle

i've had rv's for over 25 years. Started with a 22 ft. Wilderness in the 1990's, pulled with a 1/2 ton suburban. Then upgraded through the years to a 3/4 suburban (we had 4 kids, so i had to have the seating capacity) with a 30, then 34 ft. Tt's. Got my first diesel in 2009, a ford f250 7.3. Then finally a gmc 3500 srw last year, pulling a 2015 jayco eagle 323lkts, 13,000 gvw fifth wheel. Both of those had air bags to help stable the load. I had an issue with the gmc truck, and last week purchased a chevrolet 3500 ltz drw. First trip this past weekend. Wow. No comparison between the gmc 3500 srw and the chevrolet 3500 drw. Never having owned one before, i always heard of how much better they were. But not sure i really believed it. After just one trip, i am certain i will never go back to srw tow vehicle again. And my fifth wheel is not a monster, at least not as heavy and long (37 ft.) as some. If you are shopping for a new truck, do yourself a favor. Get the drw, hands down. Ready to hit the road with much better confidence in stability and safety.

[tjndsa]

Originally Posted by Radar57

Thanks for the info. That’s good to know for future reference. I will probably still go with the dually on the next one. The wife doesn’t like a dually or a long bed so I’m getting a twofer in the deal. Thanks again.

Lol. DH wanted the dually. I didn't want a dually or long bed either. But now that we have it, I love it. I am the one who put the first 500 miles on it while he was at work. It will grow on her once you get it.

[Mikayles]

Timely thread for me. I almost pulled the trigger on a 2020 Silverado 3500 SRW short bed this week. Car shopping in So Ca during this covid is nuts. I'm trying to do it all online. The sales guy said the truck had a payload capacity of 4400 and CGVWR of 29000 and some change. Had the deal ready but I kept pressing the show me the sticker question. Truck was only rated for 3789 which isn't bad if we keep our 319 MLOK, but wife is allready talking a bigger trailer with gross hitch weights over 3000 Ilbs. Backed out of the deal. I think I'm going to go overkill and look at a Ford F450 DRW just so when she asks can our truck tow this I can say "No problem" Hon.
Duallys look huge until hooked to a big fifth wheel lol. Ronin...which was your favorite truck of the fleet?

[Screwby]

Originally Posted by Mikayles

Timely thread for me. I almost pulled the trigger on a 2020 Silverado 3500 SRW short bed this week. Car shopping in So Ca during this covid is nuts. I'm trying to do it all online. The sales guy said the truck had a payload capacity of 4400 and CGVWR of 29000 and some change. Had the deal ready but I kept pressing the show me the sticker question. Truck was only rated for 3789 which isn't bad if we keep our 319 MLOK, but wife is allready talking a bigger trailer with gross hitch weights over 3000 Ilbs. Backed out of the deal. I think I'm going to go overkill and look at a Ford F450 DRW just so when she asks can our truck tow this I can say "No problem" Hon.
Duallys look huge until hooked to a big fifth wheel lol. Ronin...which was your favorite truck of the fleet?

Yeah, I drive around most days feeling like the big dog in the yard with an F350 dually. When you can pull 16,000 pounds at the bumper and 21,600 pounds from the 5th wheel hitch with a 6520 lb payload there is not much that worries you. Then there are the days I spot an F450 dually and I just have to give them a nod and settle for 2nd seat at the table.
The new F350 dually pulls over 37,000 lbs, that’s nuts.
It’s all love in the dually world lol.

[Tuckerbug]

Originally Posted by Screwby

Yeah, I drive around most days feeling like the big dog in the yard with an F350 dually. When you can pull 16,000 pounds at the bumper and 21,600 pounds from the 5th wheel hitch with a 6520 lb payload there is not much that worries you. Then there are the days I spot an F450 dually and I just have to give them a nod and settle for 2nd seat at the table.
The new F350 dually pulls over 37,000 lbs, that’s nuts.
It’s all love in the dually world lol.

The big difference with the F450 Vs F350 is the turning radius. My 450 will turn at 45 degrees. Also has larger springs, and axles. This extra weight reduces the tow capacity.

Talk about stable! I upgraded from F250 to F450.