I have just put an order in for a 2004.5 3500 SRW....problem is that I feel I will still be overweight when I load up my 1993 10.5' Lance Camper. Will a DRW help in the load situation? I really don't want a Fat butt truck, but I want to be safe while hauling my camper and pulling my boat on a 2' hitch extension which adds about 400# to the rear end of the truck.

The camper weight dry is 2750, but it also has A/C, Microwave, Side Awning, Stereo and the other standard stuff like pots/pans, clothes, food, and BEER and water........any guesses to the total weight? My guess is about 4K.

Boat weighs 4500# dry and the trailer weighs about 1800#.....tandem axle 26' galvanized.

Any of you guys daily drive a dually?

Any opinions about the DRW/SRW dilemma whould be very appreciated.

Thanks guys.

 

There is no comparison in the stability driving a dually compared to SRW. Even running solo you will corner flatter. I carried a large Amerigo (11'er) on my 1 ton Ford Crew SRW. It got downright scary at times. I have not driven the same rig on a dually, but my friend who now has the camper has a Chevy dually. I have ridden with him but not driven it. Totally different feeling. No sway. Just think about how much wider you are with the duallies, and you have four tires to support the load - - much less tire squish.

I drive my dually around town daily. The only time I wish for a SRW is when parking in a tight parking lot. I always park away from other cars even in my car, so it really is not a big deal. Oh, I do have to go in the bank rather than hit the drive thru. Hey, I can scarf a cup of java when I go in - - they rely on me letting them know if the coffee is OK. I really enjoy the dually on the road. It is sooooo stable, much more so than my 2500 SRW was. I would not have anything other than a DRW if I were loading up a camper on it.

 

Get the dually it will drive a lot better with the camper on it. It doesnt take long to learn where your big butt is . My wife's is one and its a daily driver for her.

 

Go with DRW if in doubt repeat this agan till the symptons passss

 

Think about this. Rainy night, going around a corner, and BANG you blow out a tire. Does that extra tire on the dually sound good now. I read on a RV board where this is what happened. It was a new F250 and new 5th wheel. Both were in the ditch and the 5th wheel was totaled. That was all it took for me to change my mind about the dually. I really like the much more stable feel when pulling the camper.
My $0.02 worth.

 

Think of it this way. It's pretty rare that someone says they bought too much truck, but you hear people complain all the time that they bought too little. If you're in doubt already, then you must feel that you're right at the limit of the SRW and you probably should get the dually.

 

Thanks guys......I changed my order last night. I now have a "fat butt" on order instead of a SRW. Now, my only complaint is that the Sport Appearance Group only comes in 4 colors......Black, White, Silver and Flame Red.........I guess I will not only have a big truck, but it will look like a fire engine!!

 

I think you made a wise decision. I looked at the Dodge SRW and Dooley. No comparison. The srw looked like a towing machine but did not look like a good hauler (compared to brandX and the older dodge's). However, the DRW looked tough nutz.

My buddy bought a 2500 srw and owns a 10-footer and I can't wait to watch his tires explode when he loads it up for the first time this spring. I just hope it doesn't happen tooling down the road.

 

Weatherbyman,
You will be A LOT happier when hauling the camper with the dually. Mine (see sig) is my daily driver, and I got used to the training wheels pretty quickly really. I tow a 28' 5er having a hitch pin wieght of 1800# when loaded, and that is much lighter than your camper. I will never tow a 5er with anything but a dually, and I would say the same about the nice campers they make these days. A tongue pull RV of 26' or less with an equalizer would be o.k. on a SRW truck as far as my own feeling of safety goes (and this is just personal opinion), but as time has progressed, I have become happier with the DRW everytime I tow the 5er. Enjoy the new ride, and congrats.

 

And what is wrong looking like a big RED fire truck people will move out of the way for ya. Put a big ol train horn on there and scare the devil out of them when you toot it.

 

Good point....I kinda like that idea. I am going to go into the dealer today to make sure the order is correct and see what the REAL difference is.....I'm thinking about $850 due to the added Dually and the trailer tow mirrors are more expensive on the Dually.....which I don't really understand.

 

Mine is my daily driver as well, putting an average of 120 miles daily on it. Only thing I hate about it is parking the beast in downtown Toronto. For some reason, it doesn't fit very well in those damned parking garages.