Doc GTO

LOL, the car wash thing came up with mine but I have a guy that cleans it at the office every week.

I just found out yesterday that it wont fit thru the bank drive thru. Strange enough, it will fit thru the drive up ATM though.

M758

Duals are needed for extra load capacity. Simply put once you approach the load limit of a tire you need more tire capaclity. That is what duals bring. More load capacity. Semi trucks have mutltiple sets of duals as a way to carry the big loads. They are all gooseneck/5th wheel types rather than bumper pulls. The duals carry more load than singles. However there is a new trend of "super singles" where michelin has come out with a new wide single that I guess has been designed to carry the load of a dual.

In the order of pay load

3/4 ton trucks are lightest. In many cases the have similar tow ratings as bigger trucks when bumper pull. However they always have the lowest payload. Most of the time the axles are pretty strong and rear spring are the limiting factor.

1 ton - Single rear wheel. These have more payload han 3/4 tons due mostly to stiffer rear springs. Otherwise they are often the same.

1 ton - dual rear wheels. These have the most payload and are a significant jump from the SRW 1 ton. The rear axles is different due to the dual design and often the front end is different too. Towing limits are sometimes not much higher than 1 ton SRW especially with bumper pull. Of course in goosneck they can tow alot, but a big reason is the high payload allowed by the duals.

Now this does not mean duals do not also help large bumper pulls. They will. However the purpose for duals is to allow for larger payloads. Once you get over 30 feet most people would recommend gooseneck anyway for extra control.

winders

M758,

Your information is not correct, at least not with Ford:

http://www.ford.com/trucks/superduty...ations/towing/

With gas powered trucks, the DRW doesn't buy you much. Only with diesel and 5th wheel towing.

Scott

M758

4x2 Crew cab 8 Ft beds Diesel trucks
F250 SRW 10000 GVWR, 23500 GCWR (max) = Payload 3170, Bumper tow 14,000, 5th wheel 16,100
F350 SRW 11500 GVWR, 23500 GCWR (Max) = Payload = 4260 , bumper tow 14,000, 5th wheel 16,100
F350 DRW 13300 GVWR, 30000 GCWR (max) = Payload = 6410 , bumper tow 17500, 5th wheel 21,900

With gas powered truck towing is limited by motor more than anything. Payload is not.

Point is what the duals get you is ALOT more payload. That when combined with a big motor allows you to pull a really massive trailer or 5th/goose. The 5th/goose needs large payload to carry the 25% pin load.

winders

That's correct, but do the same worksheet for gas or diesel with a 6.5" bed and see what you get.

With Ford, dual rear wheels WITH diesel AND 8' bed get you a lot more payload. Otherwise, DRW don't buy you much, if anything, in regards to vehicle ratings.

My point is there is more to this equation than DRW.....

Scott

M758

Ummm you can't get an F350 DRW without an 8ft bed so why compare to 6.5's.

As for diesel.... diesel have the superior torque needed to pull heavy trailers. There is no big gas motor any more since they dropped the V10. Even then there is a big difference in what you can tow with 450ftlbs vs 800 ftbs. Payload is often more with a gas engine due to ligther weight, but this can be offset when rated GWR goes up as it does with DRW. A gas powered F350 DRW will be limited by the motor. A diesel F350 DRW is limited by chassis.

DRW is a big step up in payload and combined with a diesel motor and a low rear end ration brings really big tow ratings.


Point is the original poster wanted to know the difference between DRW and SRW in diesel trucks. Point is an SRW will do just fine in bumper pull to about 10,000lbs and 28-30 feet. Beyond that some guys still like them for a gooseneck. DRW's are fine trucks but really overkill for 24ft trailer. Some guys like over kill and that is fine. The DRW gets alot more payload, but are you really going to need it?

winders

You're right....I actually should have written:

"That's correct, but do the same worksheet for gas or diesel with a Super Cab or Regular Cab and see what you get."

My point all all along has been there is more to the equation than DRW. You keep ignoring that. DRW is not always a big step up in payload. Whatever....

Scott

Doc GTO

My response was for the towing question, not payload. We all know that the DRW has a higher payload capacity. Also, I was referring to the increased stability of the DRW over the SRW with a large/heavy bumper pull.

My SRW max towing was 19K and my DRW is 21,700. Not much more but enough.

M758

The DRW is big set-up in payload for a given cab configuration. The reason is it bumps the GVWR due to great rear axle load capacity. Of course a reg cab 2wd could have pretty good payload as compared to a crewcab 4x4 due to vehicle weight. That is why if you look really close you will often see a 6.5bed truck with more payload than a 8foot bed. Shorter truck = lighter base weight and more room to GVWR.

There are lots of factors to understand any given truck's payload, but generally speaking DRW = more payload for a similar truck. The reason is rear axle load capacity.

Now if you want big payload numbers in a SRW body you can do it if you check you numbers and are willing to give up a big cab and fancy options. Heck i can get a F150 witha 3000lbs payload if I play around with options and configurations. Not sure what that proves.

M758

I never said nor meant to imply a DRW was not more stable bumper towing. However the purpose of the DRW is to carry more payload. That could be weight in the bed, pin load from a fiver, or tongue weight and that allows for a heavier trailer. No doubt the extra tires help stability as well

paradisenb

Almost a 50% bump in payload from SRW to DRW. That is significate, but probably not needed in my case since I will not be pulling 40ft or 2 cars. Part of my thinking about DRW was maybe getting a gooseneck because I thought they would tow better and be less likely to get stolen.
Do 5th wheels tow better?

I'm surprised Dan J pulls a 40 ft, 2 car, gooseneck trailer with a 3/4 ton. I saw it last year at RA, but didn't pay attention.

Last night my wife says, "be sure to get the 4 doors". We are selling the A6 and she will only have the communter. She want to be able to load 4+ kids at a time. Knowing her intention to use the truck for trips to museums, puppet shows and amusement parks, I don't think a dually is going to work real well. -wink-

Will a crew cab - short bed work as well as the long bed even though is has a shorter wheelbase?

winders

Work as well for what? Towing No. Hauling kids around? Yes. Parking? I don't think it makes much difference.

It sure is nice having an 8' bed......

Scott

Dan Jacobs

My 40" gooseneck is an Exiss all aluminum so pretty light but I just towed 2 cup cars with 16 spare wheels, big tool box generator lots o' spares 255 miles today (we're at NJMP for the hurricane race) through New York and down the NJTP at 80 mph no problem in fact I couldn't tell it was back there. My trucks a crew cab short bed and I'd buy another one tomorrow I've owned and towed with at least 10 Chevy pickups in all configurations and this one works the best so far

Julian Allen

I have towed my 24 ft Featherlight enclosed trailer with a 1500 series Blazer (lots of sway, used the friction type antisway but it was still uncomfortable), 2500 series Suburban (better, with the cam style antisway, had a gas 454 with awful gas mileage when towing), and now with a 3500 4 door LWB DRW diesel (perfectly made as a tow vehicle, IMHO). I don't notice any push from trucks coming along side, I have much bigger brakes on the truck, and I get decent mileage when towing. It is looonnnnngg, but you quickly learn how to manage that, just like you learn to manage the trailer behind you. When towing, you modify what parking situation you let yourself get into, and the same thing happens when you're in the truck alone. It is wide, but no wider than the trailer. It won't fit in most garages, and you do have to wash by hand. But on the road it's terrific, and if that's your primary vehicle use, I'd recommend the "Big Dooley" anytime.

Doc GTO

Gotcha!