Which Truck?

[BriarPatch]

Just purchased a new Grand Design Solitude 377 MBS with a max GVW of 16800# & a pin weight of around 3000#.

I have previously run Chevy with Duramax & Allison but changed to a Ram with the Aisin, power wise & transmission it is good but headlights are a joke and the mirrors not much better.

I test drove a ford and really liked it but just wondered about the power through the mountains.

I often work in a city so I am looking at short wheelbase 3500 SRW, crew cabs that are fairly loaded.

What are your thoughts & experience with the various trucks.

Thanks

[450Donn]

Well, with that much fiver you will definitely want a dually. Go drive them all and pick what you like best.

[Itchytoe]

You are definitely in dually territory with that 5er. I currently have a 2014 F350 dually with the 6.7l diesel. I've only had it for a few months, but it's been a dream to drive. It tows my camper through mountains very easily at 60 mph+. I've done 8% grades for a few miles before and it just laughs at it. Granted, my camper is only about half the weight of yours, so take that for what it's worth. My truck is completely stock, but I did hear a funny noise coming from the DPF earlier today. It might fall off soon...



I had a short bed SRW, just like what you're talking about. The turning radius is nice, but not worth the short bed and smaller fuel tank IMO. Yes, the short SRW is easier to drive around town, but not by much. Drive-throughs are a little easier to navigate, but they are very unhealthy so you should avoid them anyway. You very quickly get used to the longer dually. The width and turning radius are much less of an issue than I thought they would be. I honestly don't even think about my wider hips anymore. The towing, however, is significantly better.



Hopefully, you'll find something interesting in my mindless ramblings.

[JDT]

The only thing that puts you in possibly a dually is your payload on the truck itself. Your other numbers should be fine for most one ton single rear wheel trucks. At 3K hitch weight plus you and your passengers, your hitch, bed cover, if there is one, and any other extra stuff will push it up but that is something you can figure. When I bought my dually most F350 King Ranch or Platinum srw's had around 3300 lbs payload on the sticker on the driver's door frame. That was not quite enough for my also 3000 pound hitch weight plus the other stuff.

The 6.7 will handle your load in the mountains without much effort. We are Rocky Mountain frequenters and have no problem navigating the climbs.

Something to consider is the recently released 2020 GM heavy duties and the upcoming 2020 Fords. The new GM 3500 went from 11,500 GVWR to 12,100 for the singles. They are now hitting the dealers. I've seen pictures of some of the stickers on crew cab 3500 Denali Duramax which were in the 3700 pound range. They also increased the wheelbase from 154" to 159" which should help with the ride. The Ford's will be out around November but no figures are out yet. The 6.7 diesel has supposedly been redesigned somewhat for increased efficiency and power and they will probably meet or beat the GM trucks capacity wise. I will look hard at both before next spring and maybe even downsize our fifth wheel. To each his own, but I am on my second dually and it really is not something I enjoy driving around town.

[Rhagfo]

Originally Posted by BriarPatch

Just purchased a new Grand Design Solitude 377 MBS with a max GVW of 16800# & a pin weight of around 3000#.

I have previously run Chevy with Duramax & Allison but changed to a Ram with the Aisin, power wise & transmission it is good but headlights are a joke and the mirrors not much better.

I test drove a ford and really liked it but just wondered about the power through the mountains.

I often work in a city so I am looking at short wheelbase 3500 SRW, crew cabs that are fairly loaded.

What are your thoughts & experience with the various trucks.

Thanks

No issues with power on any of them. Keep in mind it isn't just pin weight that eats into your payload/rear axle rating.
That 5er will tow a lot better with a DRW no mater which brand.

[bradufault]

Just looking st the numbers I would says your pin weight is closer to 3400 pds or higher. I always use 20 to 25 % of GVW. I currently have a 2015 3500HD SRW Diesel and the pin weight of your rig would exceed my rear axles and total weight. I always hedge on the side of safety, why take chances.

[imjustdave]

Originally Posted by Rhagfo

No issues with power on any of them. Keep in mind it isn't just pin weight that eats into your payload/rear axle rating.
That 5er will tow a lot better with a DRW no mater which brand.

So true. Buddy had a srw pulling a 40+ 4 slide 5th. Bragged at how well it pulled 2 years later picked up a DRW. That's when he said he honestly knew the SRW just wasn't enough, said it pulled way better. Ultimately they were going to get a slide in camper so that was the real reason for the DRW. But the few trips they did with the old trailer was much nicer.

Will SRW it do it sure, just be nicer with the stability of DRW

[BriarPatch]

I hear what you are saying about the dually but it really is a problem for parking downtown.

I actually prefer driving the dually long wheel base but it creates issues for me so that is my reason for the SRW.

I was looking at the new trucks & all seem to have the pin weight capacity, the dodge has the most and I know the engine & Aisin trans are good as I have one but I have been disappointed with other aspects of the truck mainly lights (not an easy upgrade) and mirrors + there have been many smaller annoying issues created by using cheaply made plastic parts that are not cheap to replace once out of warranty.

Thanks

[tuffr2]

I used a 2012 Ford dually that I bought new to tow a 16,000lb 5th wheel. I could accelerate up mountains with the 4:30 gears of the F-450. The 4:30 gears were not so good driving solo on the highway with the 6 speed tranny.

Ram, Ford, GM diesel engines are all close in power.

Right now the best truck is the 2020 GM trucks. It is true they expanded the wheel base to 159". My 2017 F-250 short bed has a wheelbase of 160".

If you can wait 3 or 4 months you can pick from all new redesigned 2020 trucks or pick a left over 2019 truck that will not be a slouch either.

The 2020 Ford 6.7 diesel power numbers are not out yet but they are improving many parts of the engine to boost the power. They are making many of the engine parts stronger to allow for more power.

[n0mad]

Originally Posted by BriarPatch

Just purchased a new Grand Design Solitude 377 MBS with a max GVW of 16800# & a pin weight of around 3000#.

I have previously run Chevy with Duramax & Allison but changed to a Ram with the Aisin, power wise & transmission it is good but headlights are a joke and the mirrors not much better.

I test drove a ford and really liked it but just wondered about the power through the mountains.

I often work in a city so I am looking at short wheelbase 3500 SRW, crew cabs that are fairly loaded.

What are your thoughts & experience with the various trucks.

Thanks

My last truck was a '15 Duramax, where the factory headlights really were a joke.

The headlights on the 2019 Ram Longhorn and Limiteds are the best headlights I have ever seen in any factory vehicle. I used to make fun of these mirrors, but find they work better than those on my Chevrolet when properly adjusted. Might take another look at the 2019s. I didn't pay close attention to the '18 I test drove, and can't recall the specifics of the mirrors, but the rest of the '19 is miles ahead of the '18. It's a good year for Ram.

Get a DRW whatever you go with. Don't be like me and chase good money after bad with mods to make an undersized truck do an oversized job. Just deal with the wider and longer profile for a while and it will become second nature.

[Rhagfo]

Got to ask what “Town” most parking lots and garages aren’t an issue except for height.
You would be surprised how a DRW shrinks the more you drive it.

[tuffr2]

And just an FYI:

My F-450 was easier to drive in town than my F-250 that does not turn as sharp. I could park the F-450 with 1 move. The F-250 takes three moves with a pull in, back out and pull in straight.

[Jshopes81]

Its been awhile since ive seen one so i dont know if theyre still made. Ive seen some trucks with drw but no flares. All 4 wheels were under the bed. Maybe it was a narrow axle c&c truck? Idk but might be worth looking into.

[Rhagfo]

As stated before DRW shrinks the more you drive it. Just picked up DD from airport, parked in the parking garage at PDX in the DRW, next row was another, we are talking CC longbed.