I'm trying to justify a dually for my next truck.... We have a Sandpiper 365 Saqb fifth wheel that weighs around 14000 lbs ready to camp give or take a few hundred pounds, the trailer is nearly 42 feet in length, there are five of us and a dog, plus bikes and kayaks, so at the moment Im thinking that Im on the limit of my current truck which is a Ram 3500 and has a payload of around 3700lbs.

Would a CC LB 6.7 Lariat have enough payload? I dont really want a 6'8" box because of the extra crap we take with us, or should we go dually??

 

OK, I had the same debate and ended up with a 450...

My last truck, already sold, was a short bed Ram. I told myself no matter what I was going with a long bed on my next truck. Our camper is about 500# less than yours and only 36'. My wife wanted "the truck to be able to handle any other trailer or anything we get", so I started looking into the dualles.

In side-by-side, test drives of a 350 dually and the 450 (only comes in dually) we didn't like the turning ratius of the 350 as compared to the 450 with wider front track and better turning radius. Actually although much longer than my Ram, the f-450 handled parking lot situations almost exactly the same, and didn't take much getting used to. The 350 on the other hand always needed a few back and forth K-turns to just get into a normal parking spot. I felt the 450 would handle getting my camper into campsites better too, just based on that.

So from my take, you should get a dually, and you should get a 450 and never worry if "it has enough" to handle anything.

 

Thanks for the quick response, a couple of questions... I would also be using this as a daily driver, so what is the mileage like with the bigger 4.30 rear axle, I read somewhere on here that the mileage was down about 4mpg compared to a SRW?

I have driven a 17' f350 dually with 3.55, it felt really refined and fast!

 

Unfortunately no. Ram has a 12300 GVWR package on SRW which gets their payload up to the 4000 range. Ford is still maxed at 11500. It kind of pisses me off to be honest. With all the frame and axle upgrades I expected the max gross to go up. If I were you I'd get a dually for your fiver. I traded an 11 F350 DRW for my 17 SRW long bed lariat. My payload is 3130. My fiver is 12000 and 2600 on the pin, just my wife and I but I figure were close to max. That said, it tows and rides awesome. It may ride better than my old dually. Just a touch of squat. Not enough to worry about air bags. You could probably get away with a SRW, it'll ride okay, but no way you'll be legal.

 

MPG's are a mixed review, honestly I have gotten tired of reading all the MPG threads since there are soooo many variables that can go into it. My truck is my daily driver too, and it sucks that I sold my Ram early, and am now truckless waiting. I was debating between the 4.10 rear in the 350 vs. the 4.30 in the 450, and between the 2 trucks and the slight difference in tire size, there isn't much of a difference, I think only about 200RPM more at 65. That being said there is a member on here TopSpeed1 (or something similar) who went with a 3.55 rear dually 350, and has participated in a lot of the fuel milage conversations and might be able to put more input into it.

 

If you get the DRW 350 with 4.10's, mileage is a wash because the taller 4.30 gears are equalized with taller 19.5" tires. If I was to go DRW, it would absolutely be a 450 due to the wide track mentioned above. That said, I have a much larger heavier RV and stayed SRW for 2017. Haven't weighed the combo yet. I was under everything but GCWR with my SRW 2012 and will be under GCWR with my 17. GVWR may be a push though as my new truck, despite it's aluminum weight loss, is heavier than my 2012. I likely traded being over in one category for another. The only weights that concern me are GAWR and tire ratings and I'll be well under both of those though so I'm happy with my choice.

 

I do not have a dually but have a friend who does and he hauls a large Lance double slide truck camper. He ordered an F350 with the wide stance front end. His is a 2016 KR and I don't know in the 2017's if you can do that or not but thought I would throw it out there.

 

The max-tow 350 (wide track front axle) is't available in the '17's, the only way to get that is the 450.

 

I went through the same thing. After much research, thought and prayer, I have an F450. You will be over your GVWR with a SRW in your situation. With my F450, I believe that I'll arrive at the campground more relaxed and will be able to safely handle more unexpected situations driving.

My mileage has been as high as 17 for a tank (800+ mile range) and as low as 15 (700+ mile range). The 4.30 feels great driving and the wide-track front axle is by far the nicest benefit of going with a F450. The bigger brakes aren't bad either!

BTW, I suggest that you don't worry about the complaints about the 19.5 tires. If you don't over-inflate them for the load you are carrying, they track dead-straight. Personally, I run 80-85 PSI front and 75 PSI back. The commercial tires have many benefits; I'm glad that I have them.

 

Thanks, I did not know that. My friend said his turning radius with that wide track front end is phenomenal.

 

Ok I will add my 2 cents here as well like all the others posts that say get the 450 I did this as well and do not regret it for a second
I had a daily driver 2014 regular cab diesel that after I started driving the 450 I no longer wanted to drive the 2014 anymore sold it and now my 450 is also my daily driver I have around 6,000miles on it now and my life time average mpg is 12.4 I'm happy with that my 2011 350 drw had a lifetime average of 13.5mpg not towing 35,000miles and 9.4mpg towing 22,000miles trailer is 21,000lbs 44ft cyclone
I have had many drw this is my 1st 450 and 1st wide trac as long as I have a drw it will be this combo

 

I've had mine a couple of months and enjoy driving it more and more each day. I was trying to figure out if I would drive it enough to justify the 8/125K warranty instead of the 8/100K. Now I'm trying to decide if the extra $1500 is worth bumping up to the 8/150K as I plan to drive it every day.

 

I'll chime in too. I have a 2017, F350, 6.7, DRW. 4x4, 3.55. My driving has it averaging 15 mpg. I am very happy with that. I picked the 350 over the 450 because of payload. I wanted the most bed payload I could get with my other options (It's sticker says 5326 Lbs). And I wanted the 3.55 axle because of how and where I drive.
Now if I was towing a 5th wheel, I would pick the 450 and enjoy tighter turning.
The 350 takes up a lot of room to turn. Most of the time for me, it is no big deal. There are times where, lets face it, it is a pain to park.
I moved from a SRW gas F350 because it was overloaded when my camper was on. It took the same effort to park, the DRW made little if any difference in that department.
So if your loading it, just go for the DRW and make the drive easier. Sounds like the real question is 350 or 450

 

Personally, I'd stay away from DRW, especially if you want to do any serious 4-wheeling. I was on some desert tracks today that both rear fenders would be trashed if I was in a DRW. Also, consider tire costs and problems with DRW tires.... just my humble opinion...

 

Just curious what this means; "problems with DRW tires"? What might you be referring to?