F350 Dually or SRW?

Z

zooracer

New member
I am getting ready to buy either a Dually or SRW. Both are powerdiesels, but the SRW has a taller 3.73 axle and tows 12,500lbs, while the dually has a 4.10 and tows 15,000.
I will be towing, eventually, an approx. 30 ft car/living quarters trailer, with total weight around 10 to 12K loaded.
I know the dually will not get as good of fuel mileage, and will be harder to park, but will definitely tow better.
Keep in mind, this will be a daily driver (although I also have a miata as a daily too)
Any recommendations?
I know it's late, but I am going to buy before tuesday, as the employee price deal ends.
Oh yeah, the dually is a 2005 and will cost me about 3 grand less then the single axle which is a 2006.
thanks
 
Spend some time on ford-trucks.com or dieselstop.com and you'll find many that have/had both (srw and drw) and report negligible mileage differences.

The 4.10 can be added for about $1000 incl labor. The towing capacity difference is primarily due to that.

What kind of trailer, tagalong or fiver? With a load of 12k+, I'd certainly prefer
the dually.

Since you have a Miata you can daily-drive, I suggest buying the best tool for the job, the dually, and taking some of that saved $3k to install the 4.10 rear end. You can probably flip the 3.73 to someone for $250-300.- GA
 
oh, maybe I messed up on my post, but the dually is the one with the 4.10 and the SRW has the 3.73. So, the dually is all set up for towing, right out the door.
If the mileage is not very different, and the only real disadvantage is parking, then maybe I'll just go with the dually. I am test driving it tomorrow. I drove the SRW today and it was great. I have heard that the dually's can be pretty rough driving on the road. This may be a deterrant, we will see how bad it is.
So, with the dually, I would be saving 3 grand.
So,
Dually= tows better
costs 3K less

SRW= easier to park
maybe drives more civilized?

thanks for the info
 
Go with the dually. It will have a better resale, also (assuming comparable equipment).

I've got an '02 F-550 with the 7.3L PSD, 4.88's and an empty weight of 10,500. It gets about 12 MPG empty, or 8 with the 16K 39' LQ trailer.

Also, unless you've already weighed the trailer, and know how much stuff you are going to put in it (fuel, water, etc.) it will probably be heavier than you think. My LQ was supposed to be about 13K loaded. WRONG!! More like 13K without the car, and tools, and tires, etc.
 
I've owned both. Other than parking and drive thrus the dually will be more expensive to buy tires for. In my experience there is no difference in fuel mileage. The upside is that if you're looking at a 3/4 ton SRW and 1 ton dually you may get larger brakes and axle in the deal.

If you're going to be pulling a tag trailer go with the dually. No contest. The added stability is a must. If you're going with a gooseneck you can use the SRW with no stability penalty. That's what I'm doing now. I get pulled all over the road with 28' tags and didn't with the dually. But there is absolutely no drama to speak of with my larger gooseneck and the SRW.
 
Ok, so tag trailers will move you around a lot without a dually, good to know.

With a gooseneck, does the bed have to be permanently modified/cut to fit the receiver? I dont really have any experience with these. I was always a little concerned they would ruin the practical aspect of having a pickup bed, you know, for loading stuff in and all.
 
With a gooseneck there is drilling cutting required. HOWEVER, you do not loose the practicality of the bed. There are many manufacturers of gooseneck kits where the ball is inverted or removed to stow out of the way when not in use. Much, much more convenient than having to remove the whole 5th wheel receiver when not in use.

You can see an example here:

http://www.ontheball.com/gooseneck_hide_a.htm
 
Originally posted by Daryl DeArman@Sep 5 2005, 01:06 PM
Found a better picture.  Actually installed (towards bottom of page)

http://www.etrailer.com/Merchant2/merchant...tegory_Code=GNH
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What Daryl said. In his pics the whole assembly goes under the bed. The only thing that is exposed is the ball. I have a similar setup. There are two actuating rods in the rear wheel well. Pull one and the ball pops up. Pull them both and the ball goes down and rests flush in the bed. Nothing exposed.

I might also add since you haven't purchased a trailer...think gooseneck if the extra expense isn't a big deal. Besides towing better you have the added advantage of a MUCH tighter turning radius than a tag. I've pulled more than one u-turn in a cul-de-sac. With the ball in the bed lining everything up for hookup becomes a simple one-man job as well. Even in crew cabs you should be able to turn over your shoulder, look in to the bed, and see the ball as you back up to hookup. No more back up a foot get out and look, pull forward 3 inches, get out look, back up 2 inches, get out look....
 
as long as we are on the subject. what is the advantage of th e gooseneck vs the 5th wheel? why do both exist?
 
Fifth-wheel hitches have been around for a long time; it's the same basic design as used on "big rigs". The advantage of a fifth wheel is that it's easy to hook up; you back up to it and (within reason) it aligns itself. No safety chains, either. Unfortunately, it takes up half the bed and is a lot more expensive.

The gooseneck is a derivative of the tagalong, using a 2-5/16 ball mounted in the bed. It's less expensive and takes up much less space in the bed. However, you've got to align it perfectly then get out and lower the trailer, plus safety chains are needed.

Basically, Dick, they were designed for different markets, with the fiver designed for heavy duty use and the gooseneck for light duty. With the advance of trucks and trailers over the last two decades the light duty trucks have gotten heavier, to the point they overlap now.
 
Additionally, you can hook / unhook a gooseneck on un-level ground. With a 5th wheel, if the truck is even a few degrees off-axis with the trailer, it will not hook up - or even release. So, if you don't always park on level ground, stick with the gooseneck.

I'll agree, it is a much bigger PITA to hook up a gooseneck. Unhooking is about the same with either.

Gooseneck hitches, also, are about $100. A decent fifth-wheel, installed, is in the neighborhood of a grand.
 
i bought a '99 PSD F350 DRW last fall and love it. i tow a 30' tag Pace Shadow with no problems.

i am not really a ford fan as this is the very first ford ever for me but i have been impressed with this diesel (and likely any other of the current ones by Dodge or GM).

my friend has a 2001 PSD F250 and tows a 24' Pace Shadow GT and said that i would need an anti-sway device to prevent the trailer from causing the truck to "wiggle" but i have never noticed anything.

we both have the extended/supercab versions.

i get 16-17 when empty at 65 mph and about 9-10 with the trailer at ~62 mph. it will haul faster without any fuss but i try to not be in such a hurry with this much stuff.

good luck!
 
Originally posted by tom91ita@Sep 6 2005, 03:40 PM
i bought a '99 PSD F350 DRW last fall and love it.  i tow a 30' tag Pace Shadow with no problems. 

i am not really a ford fan as this is the very first ford ever for me but i have been impressed with this diesel (and likely any other of the current ones by Dodge or GM).

my friend has a 2001 PSD F250 and tows a 24' Pace Shadow GT and said that i would need an anti-sway device to prevent the trailer from causing the truck to "wiggle" but i have never noticed anything.

we both have the extended/supercab versions.

i get 16-17 when empty at 65 mph and about 9-10 with the trailer at ~62 mph.  it will haul faster without any fuss but i try to not be in such a hurry with this much stuff.

good luck!
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I used to own a 28' enclosed trailer when I had the dually.  I bought an anti-sway deal and quite honestly I never noticed a difference with it hooked up and un-hooked.  That was with the dually.  After having pulled a couple tag trailers with a SRW I'd highly consider it again!  Having the trailer trying to pass you at speed on the interstate is a bad feeling! :blink:
 
I'm gonna throw in my 2cents worth. There is no doubt the DWR truck is safer to tow with, simply because of the extra rubber on the road and weight distribution. You actually have a bit more "cargo" capacity with the SRW because of less weight of the single rear wheels and same capacity, but not enough to really consider.
If you are going with a bumper (frame) trailorhitch, by all means get the weight distribution bars and anti sway bar, for safety reasons and better, smoother towing. Make sure the hitch is rated for the 12000lbs or more. I just went out and looked at two F350's we have on our lot. One SRW and one DRW. The hitch rating tag has two different wheight ratings, one with "distribution", one "gross". Be safe.
If you are going 5th wheel, get the swivel type for smoother towing and maybe go with at least a 15000 lb rating, if you ever go with another trailor that is heavier, you won't have to buy a new hitch and the cost difference is minor. Norm says about $1000 installed, I can't duplicate that where I work, you are looking more at $1500. If you are looking at a short bed, which I don't think you are, you will need a slider and they can go up to about $2600........good luck, either truck is a winner!
 
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