With a " TT" you will get sway with a SRW. My 2000 F-150 SRW pulling a 25' "TT " did sway when a BIG RIG went by me. My '03 3500 SRW pulling my new 34 ft 5er HIGH- PROFILE ( 12'6" ) has no " THATS NO " sway whats so-ever when a BIG RIG goes by. It's up to you, try not to loose to much sleep over it. I know what your going through it took me three months and I didn't know if I made the right choice until my first pull on the free-way. 70 mph

 

Pistol,
If I was worried about how much tires cost I wouldn't drive a dually. Parking never has worried me much either.
I was just curious if anyone truely believed a srw was better than a drw for his purpose? Were you trying to say a srw was better at towing a 12,000lb gooseneck on the highway and in the mountains because tires are cheaper and it is eaisier to park?
Now that I think about wouldn't he exceed his gvwr everytime he hooks his 12,000 lb gooseneck up to a srw?
Randy

 

"""""With a " TT" you will get sway with a SRW. My 2000 F-150 SRW pulling a 25' "TT " did sway when a BIG RIG went by me. My '03 3500 SRW pulling my new 34 ft 5er HIGH- PROFILE ( 12'6" ) has no " THATS NO " sway whats so-ever when a BIG RIG goes by. """""

My 1999 F-150 SRW pulling a 25' "TT " swayed when a BIG RIG went by me. "BUT" My '03 3500 SRW pulling the same "TT" has no " THATS NO " sway whats so-ever when a BIG RIG goes by "even when I forgot to connect the SWAY BAR.

Just to clear things up a bit.

 

Moss,
My appologies ... I got my people mixed up, misread the thread and thought you were defending the use of the SRW for this application. I should've waited until I finished my coffee and woke up before I started typing . You have a dually and therefore relate to my point of view.

PISTOL

 

[quote author=moss2904 link=board=11;threadid=20972;start=30#msg198953 date=1066677388]
Pistol,

Now that I think about wouldn't he exceed his gvwr everytime he hooks his 12,000 lb gooseneck up to a srw?
Randy
[/quote]

If you went by the chrysler info the gcwr is the same on a drw and a srw. The end result is Less payload with a drw! I for one think this is bull but thats the info the dot will use against you if they can. Drw means more ruber and should mean more payload but it doesn't if you listen to chrysler.
Going back to the guys that think with a slide-in on a drw you have a lower c/g, you do NOT. Same suspension, Same pivot points {springs-frame rail distance the same on a drw or a srw.} To gain a lower c/g you would need a wider frame and or pivot points. What is under the suspension means nothing in the eyes of stability. A properly aired up tire has little to no squirm, but 2 would cut it down a very small amount unless you are Very Heavy and a 12k rv is'nt that heavy. Welcome to the world of optical illusions!

 

Juicedcummins,
Actually the payload for the drw would be higher. The trailer capacity would be less.
I have towed a 12,000 lb fifth wheel with both a srw and a drw one ton. And your therory about one tire aired up properly and two aired up properly does not go along with my experience. I know I had the tires all aired up properly so I can only say I disagree with that statement. As a matter of fact with nothing in the back of the dually, it feels more stable than a srw one ton.
So are you trying to say the srw would be better for "My gooseneck fully loaded will weigh between 11-12000K max. This new truck will be almost entirely a hauling vehicle. I do lots of highway driving and occasionally do haul in the mountains."?
Randy

 

Pistol,
Apology accepted. I see a post like this and it always digresses on some tangent that has nothing to do with the original question. We got caught up in the digression from HaulinRoans question.

HaulinRoans,
I think a drw would be much better than a srw for your application. I have owned both a srw one ton and a dually. You mentioned you were worried about the width of the dually and clipping the fenders. Don't be whatever your drw wheels don't fit thru your trailer probably won't either.
I started out with a 3/4 ton srw then figured out that was not a good idea. Then I got a srw one ton, after loosing a rear tire on the interstate pulling my fifth wheel I really got to thinking. I went and bought a dually after that one. I would have been $$$ ahead if I would have just followed the guidelines the truck manufacturers list in the towing and hauling weight capacity's.
If you take people with you and haul anything in the bed of your truck I can't see how you would not exceed the gvwr of a srw one ton pulling a 12,000 lb gooseneck. And that does not even delve into how much more stable a drw would be versus a srw pulling that size trailer.
Whatever truck you choose the Cummins will not even break a sweat pulling that size load.
FWIW Randy

 

moss, you are right on the increased payload on the rear axle of the drw. That increase didn't come from any suspension changes though, just the extra rubber. If one was married to a heavy wagon all are most of the time the drw would be the choice.
My fiver is 13+k and I run very hard with my little 2500 without overloads and it doesn't even blink when it comes to power or being able to handle the weight. I also tow double for about 3k a year behind the same fiver [another 2k] when heading north to fish. I've been in the rockies several times loaded over 23k with another trailer of ours and had no problem straightening out the switch-backs or flattening out the 6% grades. My life is spent burning fuel running long haul @ 63000kg. When I'm not doing that fuel is being burnt in all types of heavy equip. In the winter months I head into the north on winter roads[ice and frozen muskeg].This is were you learn to adjust your Suspension for stabiity. Side hills and humoks are the norm.
The bottom line is run what makes you feel safe and make sure it has a cummins under the hood.

 

HaulinRoans,
I used to pull a 19'TT with my SRW Chevy, and the wind from the big rigs blew me around a lot. The Chevy was a half ton gasser, and I wanted more torque (a diesel) to pull with. At the time the Dodge Cummins was the choice, but I couldn't find a 3500 SRW (Dodge didn't make them then in '99), all the 2500's I located were auto's, and I didn't really want a dually. The dealer had a manual 4x4 dually that he made me a really good deal on, so I got it; the more I drove it the more I liked it - it just grew on me. As I towed the TT, I realized without the weight distributing hitch the dually had no sway anyway. Later on I got the 5er (in sig below), and would not go back to an SRW for towing it (just my opinion and feeling). I have gotten used to the hips, and like others, I park further out in the parking lots which keeps idiots from dinging my doors and fenders with theirs anyway. The only thing I was not happy about with my '99 was that it was a 5sp, and it took longer to get back to highway speed after a fuel stop. My youngest son now owns and drives that one for his farm & farm equipment, and I have the '03 6sp as noted in my sig. I really love driving this truck, even with the hips. Like the other guys, there are a few situations where I pucker a bit in the narrow lanes, but remember that if the big rigs can keep theirs in their lanes, then your dually will fit also. Get what you really want, but you may be surprised at how much you end up liking the dually and its hauling characteristics. Hope this helps.

 

If you are really concerned about which truck to buy, get the dually. I towed a boat around with a '96 CTD SRW, the boat and trailer weighed about 17,000lbs, and swayed a lot. This truck had the auxillary springs and the sway bar, and "E" rated tires. Went to a '96 CTD DRW with the same options as far as suspension goes, and it made a HUGE difference in stability. I even traveled the same roads and speed to test this out. If you run heavy, buy the dually.

 

Thanks, guys, for all the continued input on this. I have decided to go for the dually.

It only makes sense that a wider footprint would add stability, and I know from many miles of hauling with my 250 & 2500 that passing semis (or loose horses shifting in a stock trailer) can cause some sway. Usually this is not a problem, but a time or two things seemed like they might get a little squirrelly.

Re the training wheels--I'm sure I'll get used to 'em pretty quick. I'm already in the habit of parking far away with trailers, and I don't attempt drive-thru's anyway. Good point about the big rigs having to go thru those narrow construction zones. too. If they can do it, so can I!

Thanks again for the comments.

 

A dually will feel an order of magnitude more stable than SRW with a big slide-in. The training wheels do add a lot. Tires really are part of your suspension, you can't count them out. Tread squirm and sidewall flex are very real and much more than most think. Tread squirm is a very real factor with agressive tires. Have you ever watched a chassis cam on NASCAR and seen how much the tires lean?

I could also show you the vector analysis for the DRW vs SRW. The suspension doesn't stop at the pivot points. Try moving the tires closer to or inside the pivot points and the horizontal component increases. The geometry IS improved substantially in addition to the reduced load per tire be it vertical or with a horizontal component (cornering).

BTW dually is rated for 11+K...SRW is 8600# GVWR.

 

When my wife or I need to run somewhere empty-(even with our choices in vehicles)- the duelly gets it's fair share of runs. Shes says she likes the way it "hugs" the road. We live on a canyon road.
I'm suprised no one mentioned the idea of running 19.5s on a SRW truck for added stabilaty.(he's only towing 6 ton)
I will say ,however, that towing heavy seams to be more relaxing with the duells.
db

 

dcwm, Thanks. The color is cool, especially when the sun hits it just right. It kind of looks blue and black at the same time. I miss my silver truck though. It didn't show the dirt as well.

Pistlowhipt,

What I meant was when a TT passes you going the same way as you on the highway. Not passing you from the other direction. I have never had a TT on the other side of the road push me around! Also, when I drive at or under 65 mph while towing my 30 enclosed car hauler, I don't get any kind of sway at all. Once I go over 65, then it starts. But, it did this with my 98 Dually too..
If you will be doing mostly towing with the truck then get the dually. They look coooooool.....

 

Rattletrap,

Let's get the numbers right. Per Dodge Towing Guide:

2003 Ram 3500 Long bed 6 speed, DRW--GVWR 12,000 #
2003 Ram 3500 Long bed 6 speed, SRW--GVWR 9900#

Another factor in this whole stability issue that is never addressed is the difference between long box and short box. The key factor here is the wheelbase. A longer wheelbase gives more stability just as a wider one does. My experience is that a 3500 Quad cab, long box gives very good stability. a DRW may offer slightly better handling but not much.

Additionally, tire size is a factor. The DRW has 235-80 tires while the SRW has 265-70. The shorter side walls will give better stability offseting the advantage of duals.

I pull a 32' triple slide 5vr with a GVWR of 14,400 lbs. I travel west of the Mississippi where speed limits are generally 75 and have towed this rig over the Rockies on I70 4 times. I'll stick with a SRW.