As I have stated previously the wife and I want to buy a 5th wheel and truck and start traveling. I have always intended on buying a dually, but I have noticed on the interstate and on the forumns that alot of people pull with single rear wheel. I have looked and these trucks are out there. We are looking for a 5er between 28-34ft so it wouldn't be huge, and I was just wondering is there any real advantage to a dually.

 

I have a 40' 5er that comes in at 14K. I have a srw.

They say that a DRW is more stable going down the road...and obviously will allow for a higher payload.

But the reality is with the newer trucks and their axle ratings you can put around 2800 lbs worth of payload in them. Have to pay attention to the axle ratings and the gross wt of the 5er...and then figure 20-25% of that for king pin wt.

When I bought mine it said king pin wt was just over 1900 lbs...with a 14K 5er. Not even close. I figured 20% and I was on the money.

So best to find the 5er you are set on and then get the truck to match it since you don't have either right now.

Also keep in mind what other uses you will have for the truck. Parking, commuting or whatever. For me a dually would be hard to park at work and at home.

Finally short bed vs long bed trucks. Don't let that bother you too much. I have a short bed. I bought a reese signatures series 18K slider that is a hidden hitch for mine. I rarely need to slider the hitch to the rear for turns or anything.

New model 5ers are coming out with curved fronts to improved wind resistance but also to allow for sharper turns. So a short bed in not out of the question, again consider all the uses for the truck and buy what you need.

 

One other thing to add. One reason I went with a 20% king figure vs a 25% is because of the 5er we picked out. I also has a rear bathroom and the fresh water tank location is closer to the axles...

Be sure to check the axle ratings to make sure they are matched to the 5ers capacity as well.

 

A dually will be abit more stable, but will decrease fuel economy for no real reason. You can safely tow a 28-34ft 5er no problem with a single rear wheel truck.

Just make sure you have Load range E tires.

 

I spent a lot of time fretting about this exact scenario right after we bought our 5er. I even had a trade lined up for an F450. Now that I have put many miles on my combination, I am glad that I kept my truck.

 

I have towed with both, and personally would never go back to a SRW.
The DRW is a much more stable platform. However, I tow a TT.
5'rs are alot easier to pull, so you may be fine with a SRW.
I sure see alot of em pulling very large 5'rs

 

Good question. I have towed small utility trailers, pop ups, travel trailers, car haulers, fivers, etc... I used to tow a 32'10" 2006 Wildcat quad-bunk house (13,500GVW) with my 2004 F350 SRW. I got rid of that truck and 5th wheel with the EX. My girlfriend and I picked up a used 36'5" 2003 Hitchhiker Champagne Edition (16,400GVW) quad glide last year, and due to the massive weight of the unit, we decided to pick up a used 2008 F350 DRW. I would recommend keeping in mind the possibility of a future upgrade to a different fiver. Whether a higher quality, or a toy hauler, most likely your weight will be heavier if/when you choose to move up. Remember, the weight distribution of 4 tires is less likely to have a failure than 2 tires. Just my thoughts. I hope it helps.

 

We have a 30', single slide 5th wheel with a GVWR of 13k. It weighs about 11k as we are using it right now. Our 2010 F-350 SRW handles it very well, with considerable reserve capacity on both axles and on the overall GCWR. That said, there are some multi-slide trailers in the upper end of your length range (34') that are quite heavy, and could start to push the ratings of the SRW.

I will say that I am glad on a nearly daily basis not to have a dually when parking at Wal-Mart, grocery stores, restaurants, etc. Most of those places are not exactly dually friendly when striping their lots. I have enough issues with my SRW longbed.

On the short bed vs. long bed, one important consideration (to us at least) is that with Ford trucks, the short bed gets you a 29 gallon fuel tank, while the long bed gets 38 gallons.

 

There are several advantages: Stability, braking, payload and towing capacity.

If your load is less than 10k, then you probably don't need a dually. If you are towing more than 10k, hands down the best "tool for the job" is a dually. The downside of a dually as a daily driver is about 10% lower fuel mpg and a big rear-end

The 6 wheel rule: If a trailer has 6 wheels (triple axle) in most cases the truck should have 6 wheels too

 

Very good point. Parking spots, drive thrus, drive up ATM machines are a thing of the past with a dually.

 

Hell of an easy way to force the extra exercise most of us really could use though.

 

I have had both and prefer the single rear wheel. I only tow a 10,000 lb travel trailer. I might change my mind if I had a 5th wheel. My 2001 SRW had no front end wander pulling the tt. My 2003 DRW does and I have never been able to correct this.

The CC DRW is a pain to park. If I ever buy another it will be a supercab, long bed, SRW F350. In my opinion they just look better.

 

Greetings, My wife and I are fulltimers. We have used both to drag our 30' 5ver. We love the 30' with one 13' slideout as it seems to be the right size to "get it in anywhere" parks, boondocking, etc...

When it come to the truck I will never use a single axle again. Why? More stability, safer, smoother ride, handles much better in high winds, more rubber on the ground....all this is debatable of course...But for us...if you have a rear blowout it is uncommon for more than one tire to go...give a chance to slow down and get over to the side of the road. Single axle...might lose control...

Yes it cost a little more but not much...Also I went to diesel engines...especially the older 6.9L IH in Fords...They are easy to work on, simple electronics, last a long time due to operating at low rpm's with good torque. Yes they are a little slow pulling over the mountains, but we generally never exceed 55 mph anyway, what's the rush...We never buy new trucks...We use a 6.9L diesel with a zf 5 speed tranny and 4.10 rear gears.

But like I said...It is a personal preference...but whatever you end up doing...never exceed the GCWR of the truck and pay attention to the weight rating of your tires as that is really your limiting factor. In other words if the truck is rated....as an example...for 6000 lbs at the reat axle and you only have tires rated at 4000 lbs at whatever PSI that is the limit along with GCWR...

Hope this helps...I know it's a brain strain, but if you do the math and take in all the weight factors....I set us up to where we are always 10 to 15 percent below or under all weight factors. It's safer, less wear and tear on all equipment etc...

Pete

 

My 5ers gross weight is 15700 lbs. Its 39ft long. As I pull it its under 13k. I have a 250 srw. It pulls that trailer great. Would a dually be nice, heck yeah but is it a great daily driver? No way mileage and practicality suck with a dually. As long as you are below you axle ratings and your combined weight you are safe as far as Im concerned.
Just my opinion. I think these trucks have come along way and are capable of mar more then 10 years ago. Just be smart and safe.
STM

 

To seanjackmc...yeah I know what you mean about a daily driver...especially if you do not travel fulltime like my wife and I do...If we wind up somewhere we really like and want to stay 6 to 8 months particularly down south I can usually find an old reliable beater for less than the price of my Navy retirement check and turn around and sell it before we leave to our next destination...I don't try to make a profit, I just try to get most if not all my money back...so far I have been pretty successful.

Pete