Jayco 355mbqb SRW or DRW 1 ton??

4 J's in a Jayco · 08-21-2018, 04:59 PM

Hey everyone! Just bought a used 2017 Jayco 355 MBQS. Its a 40' er with a GVWR of 14,250 and a pin weight of 2515 lbs. I currently have a 2500 duramax short bed and know for certain I want to upgrade to a 1 Ton long bed. I don't have any preference on truck brand. I'm new to towing a 5th wheel but have pulled a 30' cabin cruiser boat around for 5+ years. My wife and I are listing our house for sale this week and planning on full timing in the 5th wheel for at least a year. Staying 2-4 weeks at a time in different RV parks as we travel the country. My main question is...SRW or DRW truck? I'm leaning toward SRW just for the convenience of daily driving while unhooked. I'd love to hear some thoughts from owners that have rigs of at least 13k. Also please tell me what you tow your with.

Thanks,
Jason

NewBlackDak · 08-21-2018, 05:11 PM

How far will you be towing between stops? Towing will be much will be better with a DRW for a rig that size, but it’s within limits of a properly equipped SRW. What’s more import, the most comfortable tow or easier daily driving?

Ringneks · 08-21-2018, 05:17 PM

2018 North Point 315, towing with a 2016 Gmc 3500 srw. If I was full timing would get a drw, no problems so far no problems with my set up.

Bookemdanno · 08-21-2018, 05:20 PM

I started off towing my 377 with a 2500 and ultimately bit the bullet and bought the 3500 drw...my towing experience was GREATLY improved!

2naEagle · 08-21-2018, 05:39 PM

Just thinking out loud.
If you are going to full time you will be running heavy and put in a lot of miles seeing the country.
I'm thinking F450.
Extra turning radius.
Long bed for more room for the auxiliary fuel tank (I personally will not leave home without it) and other things.
Big back seat for even more things.
May want to get a generator, washer & dryer. (more weight).
You may even think this is so much fun I want a Pinnacle

But just thinking out loud. There is a lot to consider.

oldmanAZ · 08-21-2018, 06:46 PM

Welcome to the forum, Jason, and congratulations on the new-to-you 5th wheel.

4 J's in a Jayco · 08-21-2018, 06:57 PM

Driving between stops prob nothing more than can be done in a day. Maybe 700 miles at most is my plan. 2 kids in the back seat so gonna try to keep the towing drives shorter. That's why I'm struggling to decide. We will use the tow vehicle daily when at an RV resort...my wife is a busy body when it comes to new places. Auxiliary tank is definitely in the picture and we have 2 honda 3000 generators that will ride in the RV. Guess I've just never driven a dually but from everyone I talk to they are a pain in the ass when not towing.

NewBlackDak · 08-21-2018, 10:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 4 J's in a Jayco

Driving between stops prob nothing more than can be done in a day. Maybe 700 miles at most is my plan. 2 kids in the back seat so gonna try to keep the towing drives shorter. That's why I'm struggling to decide. We will use the tow vehicle daily when at an RV resort...my wife is a busy body when it comes to new places. Auxiliary tank is definitely in the picture and we have 2 honda 3000 generators that will ride in the RV. Guess I've just never driven a dually but from everyone I talk to they are a pain in the ass when not towing.

700 mile tow with kids in the back seat!? Sounds hideous. I can’t do more than 6 hours with the kids in the truck. Just the wife and I is fine up to 10 hours.

4 J's in a Jayco · 08-22-2018, 12:46 AM

These days they have things called DVD players...works wonders for keeping kids entertained. But that's not what I'm asking about...thanks for your input though.

oh355mbqs · 08-22-2018, 04:57 AM

Hi Jason,

We have a 2017 355MBQS, tow it with a 2016 3500 Silverado SRW. Couldn't be happier with the setup. First 5th wheel I have towed, have never owned a DRW so I don't have a comparison, but I'm very happy with what we have. I have towed it a lot, last year vacation was about 2700 miles, this year it was about 6500. We have done up to 16 hours or more of driving with kids (older kids, they were 10 and 14 when we started our big trips) in the back seat. I did add the air bags this year, they help to level the truck when towing, can't say I have noticed a huge difference with having them.

aggie camper · 08-22-2018, 06:35 AM

I am biased because I have driven large vehicles for many years. There is little difference between a LWB SRW and DRW. 07 Dodge DRW. Kids might appreciate a megacab if you're a dodge fan.

**norty1** · 08-22-2018, 07:25 AM

My LOADED tongue weight is 2860 and my truck does the job handily. A long bed CC is a long beast SRW or DRW as a daily driver but my SRW has done well for us.

It's very comfortable towing. see my sig.

I think the newer Fords have a shorter turning radius than mine.

oh355mbqs · 08-22-2018, 08:31 AM

Forgot to mention in my post, my 2016 Silverado crew cab long SRW Duramax is my daily driver. I don't any issues with it, but I have always driven trucks (this being my longest). I am in a small town / country setting so that does help. It also helps having the parking sensor both front and back when I parallel park. I have also driven thru many large cities with it while on vacation, parking garages can be a bit of a challenge, but again the sensors both front and back along with the backup camera help.

RedHorse1 · 08-22-2018, 09:25 AM

We tow with an F350 SB and the 39’ 5th GVW was 12700# with 3020# on the pin the last time I scaled it. The points made about the extra “stuff” you will probably wind up carrying is good. With 4 people and gear in the bed your TV could be a bit overloaded with a SRW 350.
So you could find yourself in “dually country”. I’ve heard the 450 has a much tighter turning radius so that’d be worth investigating.

I avoided a dually for the same reasons you mention, I’ve seen too many going down the road with the dually fenders broken and flapping in the breeze, I just know that’d be me if I had one.

4 J's in a Jayco · 08-22-2018, 09:33 AM

Awesome! Thank you oh355mbqs for your response! This is exactly what I needed to know. I always try to get advise from people that have experience in like situations before making a decision. The guy I bought the Jayco from fulltimed in it for 9 months. Pulled it for 4 months with a 2500 duramax short bed then upgraded to a 3500 Cummins longbed dually. He said once he upgraded he couldn't even feel the 5th wheel behind him. I wouldn't mind buying a dually if I needed it because i want to be safe on the road...but would have to turn around and sell it after our excursion is over. How has your towing experience been with windy conditions or when passing/getting passed by semis? I know that driving in 20-30+ mph wind is not recommended and will look to avoid if I can.

AKRUEBBE · 08-22-2018, 11:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 4 J's in a Jayco

Hey everyone! Just bought a used 2017 Jayco 355 MBQS. Its a 40' er with a GVWR of 14,250 and a pin weight of 2515 lbs. I currently have a 2500 duramax short bed and know for certain I want to upgrade to a 1 Ton long bed. I don't have any preference on truck brand. I'm new to towing a 5th wheel but have pulled a 30' cabin cruiser boat around for 5+ years. My wife and I are listing our house for sale this week and planning on full timing in the 5th wheel for at least a year. Staying 2-4 weeks at a time in different RV parks as we travel the country. My main question is...SRW or DRW truck? I'm leaning toward SRW just for the convenience of daily driving while unhooked. I'd love to hear some thoughts from owners that have rigs of at least 13k. Also please tell me what you tow your with.

Thanks,
Jason

I bought a new 2017 RAM 3500 SRW in December of 2017 because 95% of the people we talked to said we didn't need a DRW. We took delivery on our 2018 NP 315 in April 2018. We hauled it from Salem, OR to Sequim, WA in a 20 mph cross wind the whole way. First time ever towing a 5th and I'm sure my hand impressions still show on that steering wheel

. Got home and sold the SRW and purchased a new 2017 RAM 3500 DRW. The difference is phenomenal! The extra stability is so much more comforting. A semi can blow by me and I don't even feel it. Having a rear axle rating of 9,750 pounds as opposed to 7,000 pounds gives you a hell of a lot more margin. The comfort both physically and mentally was worth every dollar I lost on the SRW. If you're going to pull a high profile 5th wheel please don't do what I did..............get a DRW right out of the gate. And yes, it's my day driver and I love it. Gives me more exercise when I need to park at the mall

4 J's in a Jayco · 08-22-2018, 11:31 AM

AKRUEBBE thanks for your reply. The specs on your rig are very comparable to mine. The extra payload and stability of a dually would be nice to have. I really dont wanna be strangling the wheel while driving the unknown all the time. Tough decision...being comfortable while towing might be outweighing convenience of parking and daily driving.

AKRUEBBE · 08-22-2018, 11:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 4 J's in a Jayco

AKRUEBBE thanks for your reply. The specs on your rig are very comparable to mine. The extra payload and stability of a dually would be nice to have. I really dont wanna be strangling the wheel while driving the unknown all the time. Tough decision...being comfortable while towing might be outweighing convenience of parking and daily driving.

4 J's, I forgot to mention one other thing. I feel way more comfortable knowing that if I should have the misfortune of a rear tire blowing, that I still have 3 left instead of 1. Daily driving is a joy. You see, I live in a very small town and they know my truck. When they see that white RAM 3500 DRW, crew cab, long bed coming they give me all the room I need

aggie camper · 08-22-2018, 11:43 AM

180000 miles (250000 odo) miles on my dually and no blowouts. Buy quality tires and monitor air pressure. Not saying "good" tires don't fail though. Take care of those tires too. The "extra expense" is mute as well. 78000 miles on Michelins, 40000 on Yokohama when they failed under warranty at 1/2 tread and working on 30000 on Cooper All-terrains with plenty of life left. Daily city driving and some sort of trailer almost weekly.

PlayersZ28 · 08-22-2018, 11:45 AM

Uhoh, SRW vs DRW again

I tow a 361REQS that runs 14900# loaded with 3100# on the pin. I towed the same trailer with a DRW LB for two winters and last winter with a SRW SB. The Ford F350 was my DD and now a Chev 3500 is. Personally I prefer the SB SRW over the DRW. For towing there is no significant difference and I only get a bit of rear tire squirm following dirty air trucks which is easy enough to avoid. I don't turn my rig much past 45deg so the SB isn't an issue. The DRW was a pain for on street parking and offroad driving.

Pick which you like but drive both before you decide if you haven't had a dually. They are a fat arse thing for getting around in.

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