Single versus Dually

[skinnep]

We currently have a nice 28' TT and F150 ECO'boost that has taken us 40,000 miles over the last four years but are considering a more spacious 5er The big issue is single versus dually. After reading till my eyes are bloodshot I've reached the conclusion that the general consensus is that anything over about 15000 GVWR is definitely dually territory. What I'm confused about is that the new Ford spec says a properly equipped F350 SRW will handle 18-20,000# . I don't want to be right on the edge but does that not mean that for the most part I should be able to handle up to 16-16,500# quite comfortably?

Also when I bought my F150 I had it built to the 11,000 spec in the brochure and that's what showed up on the label on the door so I'm confident that I can order to spec again.
Also ,also, if the answer is simply that it is MUCH safer and Much more comfortable to run with a dually I am all ears. I just don't want to do a crazy overkill if I don't need to (and I'd really prefer SRW for a daily driver)

[cfowler55]

So the concern is not really the ability to tow the weight but how much your truck can carry. A 15k fifth wheel will have over 3000 lbs. of pin weight. Add in a hitch, tools, camping gear , and all the stuff that goes in the truck and pretty soon you will be over the trucks cargo carrying capacity.
Then there is over all stability. DRW wins hands down. They are definitely a handful in tight quarters, especially at first. You learn to park and walk, so there's a health benefit as well. LOL.

[tuffr2]

I had a 16,000lb 5th wheel and used a dually. I married a woman that use to have a husband that towed a 14,000lb 5th wheel with a SRW truck. Riding in the dually she said to me that the feel was different and she was at ease in the dually. Since I never used a SRW truck I asked her what she meant. She said the SRW truck felt squirrelly where the dually did not. Now that is from the passenger and not the driver.

I had a 2012 dually, since then all the trucks have been injected with more steroids. But you are probably still in dually territory.

[xrated]

Handling 18-20K lbs is MUCH different with a flat bed trailer (gooseneck) than it will be with a camping type trailer. On the flat bed, you can basically move whatever you have loaded on the trailer forward of the axles, directly over the axles, or even slightly behind the axles....and the result is varying pin weights on the tongue of the trailer. And, NO WHERE does the manufacturer state that you can handle a 18-20K lb camping trailer, they just state..TRAILER. With a camping type trailer, that weighs 18K lbs, at a minimum you are going to be looking at 3600 lbs of pin weight. Now add in your 5ver hitch (175-200 lbs), anything and everything that goes in or on the truck....passenger(s), tools and toolbox, extra fuel, firewood, etc. and you can easily see how you could be over 4000 lbs. Plus, there is usually a huge difference between towing a flatbed trailer and whatever is loaded in it, vs. a camping type trailer with a lot of frontal area that will affect the towing. The manufacturers usually talk about that also, and many times will give a recommendation about the total amount of front area is sq. ft. that should not be exceeded.

So hopefully you can see that there is a big difference between 18-20K it it's a flatbed trailer load vs. a camper trailer load behind you. In my opinion, the 16,000-16,5000 lb trailer should be pulled by a Dually of whatever brand you like. And I didn't even mention the stability differences between the two....Dually wins that one hands down.

[KD4UPL]

I agree with xrated. There are many types of trailers: boat, flatbed, stock, horse, dump, utility, etc. A hardside RV is probably the most difficult of them all to tow. Large frontal area, high percentage of tongue weight, inability to move weight around much, etc. all combine to make it a difficult trailer to tow. Assuming a tow rating is equally applicable to any and every trailer is a common mistake. There are many factors to consider other than just overall weight.
For example, I would suspect that a given truck might easily handle a 16,000 pound load of lumber on a flatbed but be poorly matched for a 14,000 pound fifth wheel RV.

[tuffr2]

Boats are a lot easier to tow than the same weight 5th wheel or travel trailer.

Even on Fast Lane Trucks they do not tow a camper. They tow lower frontal area cargo trailers.

[CWSWine]

They come by those ratings using a low optioned truck and 15% pin weight. If you figure a 15% pin weight at 17,000 pounds that would be about 2550 pounds and that is within the payload of a 1-ton SRW. In real life, the pin weight loaded and ready to camp is going to be around 22 to 23 percent. So 22.5 percent of 17,000 pounds is 3825 now added that hitch and people and stuff in the truck you up well over 4000 pounds of payload required. Here is SAE 2807

Quote:
“5.4 GVWR/Rear GAWR and Tongue Weight/Kingpin Weight Considerations
The tow vehicle shall be able to accommodate appropriate trailer tongue and/or kingpin weight to attain a particular TWR without exceeding Rear GAWR and/or GVWR. Required minimum conventional trailer tongue weight shall be 10% of TWR and required minimum fifth wheel or gooseneck trailer kingpin weight shall be 15% of TWR.”
TWR = Trailer Weight Rating

http://fifthwheelst.com/documents/to...ds-2016-02.pdf

[JIMNLIN]

What I'm confused about is that the new Ford spec says a properly equipped F350 SRW will handle 18-20,000# . I don't want to be right on the edge but does that not mean that for the most part I should be able to handle up to 16-16,500# quite comfortably?

As mentioned tow ratings include all types of trailers which include tandem....triaxle....tandem dual axle trailers.
My 21k GN triaxle trailer would be a good example. With 3 axles we don't need a 20-25 percent hitch weight. I can load the deck and get any hitch weight I need unlike a fixed hitch weight from a RV trailer.
So yeah this type trailer is a good match up for the F350 SRW.

Also the SRW has the same engine tranny as the DRW so we know it won't struggle pulling 20k lbs.

The biggest issue with the SRW is its 7230 RAWR that will be carrying all the hitch load and other gear in the bed. Number can go like this example;
These trucks rear axle can weigh in the 3300-3500 lb range depending on selections. This leaves the SRW with around 3500-3700 lbs for a in the bed payload.
Some members report their F350 SRW has over 4000 lb payload. There is no F350 SRW that can carry all 4000 lb in the bed. That 4k+ lb payload is a GVWR based payload. Thats why always run the numbers on the trucks rear axle. That way you won't overload the lessor of the rear axle/wheels/tires or rear spring pack (rwar).

[skinnep]

Seems unanimous that Dually is the way to go if I'm in that 15000+ range. Thanks for all the input. It's supposed to be fun now that the work years are done so I think I'll stay on the safe side of the equation. Thanks again.

[grindstone01]

The DRW axle has a beefier braking system vs the SRW.

[Jshopes81]

Originally Posted by grindstone01

The DRW axle has a beefier braking system vs the SRW.

Depends on what your buying.

To the op, buying a truck just get a dually. Not much difference vs a single wheel and youll have room to grow should you decide to.

[grindstone01]

Originally Posted by Jshopes81

Depends on what your buying.

To the op, buying a truck just get a dually. Not much difference vs a single wheel and youll have room to grow should you decide to.

For my Chevy 18 DRW, the rear rotor is 40mm thick vs the SRW rotor 34mm. The DRW has twice the rubber contact on the ground and needs the heavier brakes to stop.

[JIMNLIN]

Brakes are a function of the gawrs.
example;
A F350 SRW with a 6000 lb fawr and 7230 rwar = 13230 lb of braking performance.

A F350 DRW with the same 6000 lb fawr and a 9900 rawr = 15900 lbs of braking performance.
These are a minimum braking numbers.

Now add 14000 lbs from a tandem axle trailer with 7k axles. One reason we don't see braking issues like we had on the older gen trucks.

[Jshopes81]

Originally Posted by JIMNLIN

Brakes are a function of the gawrs.
example;
A F350 SRW with a 6000 lb fawr and 7230 rwar = 13230 lb of braking performance.

A F350 DRW with the same 6000 lb fawr and a 9900 rawr = 15900 lbs of braking performance.
These are a minimum braking numbers.

Now add 14000 lbs from a tandem axle trailer with 7k axles. One reason we don't see braking issues like we had on the older gen trucks.

Im just trying to figure out what these numbers are even relevant to.