Is Dually a must for Solitude 5th wheel

[geotex1]

Thank you Rob.

We don't do weekend trips anymore. We will use the 5th wheel to go up and down the west coast, Alaska etc for 6 months out of the year.

I can afford a dually but I don't want to have too much truck if I can help it and still be OK towing up and down hills.

I like the Dodge Dually better than Ford but I read that the tranny in the Ford is better and Dodge may be coming with an Allison soon. Idk for sure...

I appreciate your feedback.

MC

Do note the transmission is not better per se. More gears definitely. However, a RAM with an AISIN... Well you're breaking something else long before any trouble with the rough n ready AISIN. If your timetable isn't for a year or two, RAM HDs will be getting more gears too.

[FT4NOW]

I had a dually as a daily driver while I had my Momentum, it's not an issue at all. They look bigger, but the fact is the mirrors are actually the widest part of the truck and its no different than a SRW 1 ton. The only real downside to a dually is drive-thru's, need to park further out towards back of parking lot (free exercise), extra tires to maintain, poor handling in snow. The benefits when it comes to towing and load carrying far outweigh the downsides unless you live somewhere where it snows a majority of the year (that's the only reason we sold ours).

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[Bill & Jeri RV Travels]

Hi Bill,

What mpg are you getting with the Ford?

MC

Towing on the flatland our F-350 diesel gets around 11-11.5 mpg. Towing out West and in the mountains around 8-9 mpg. Not towing, around 18-20. I typically tow at around 62-65 mph. In the mountains 55-62 or less, depending on how steep the roads are. No shortage of raw power with the big diesels. [emoji16][emoji16]


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[Captcolour]

I get similar mpg with my 2017 F350 diesel dually. No trouble driving the dually around. Yes parking can be a little challenging but I just look for a space with enough room. If I have to walk a little, so be it. I'd test drive a F450 for the better turning radius versus the F350 to see how much of a difference there really is and whether it is worth it to you.

[Second Chance]

A 378MBS will put approximately 3,800 lbs. on the pin when loaded for travel (23% of the trailer's GVWR). You would need that plus the weight of a hitch, passengers, gear, etc., left over on the tow vehicle you choose. Personally, I would not tow that trailer with a single rear wheel truck.

Rob

[530_Josh]

Get the biggest truck you can afford. Nobody ever says they have to much truck when towing. A dually is far superior to a SRW pickup and a MDT or a HDT are amazing upgrades over a dually pickup.

[BobKilmer]

The 2021/2022 F-350 SRW with the long bed can actually have a payload of 4,580 pounds. That is much more than the short bed version, somewhere between 700-900 pounds additional payload capability. The only concern I would have is you may run into the rear axle rating of 7,230 pounds with this configuration.

I tow my 2019 Momentum 381M with a 2019 F-350 SRW short bed crew cab and have never had any issues. However, with the toy hauler, my pin weights tend to be lower due to the toys in the garage. I ended up having to move my toys forward to increase the pin weight, finally settling at about 3,400 pounds with an 18,900 pound trailer weight.

A dually will give you more payload and margin, but I would also give heavy consideration to the limitations. As mentioned above, many note major issues in the snow (and also mud). Also, if you intend to use your tow vehicle to go sightseeing, you have to consider what it is like to park a dually. We have had to park on a narrow street or a parking garage while sightseeing. My SRW short bed was hard enough to park under those conditions. I couldn't imagine parking a dually with the extra width and length. I know people will say "just walk farther" but I have been in situations where "farther" was many miles.

If you decide on the dually, I recommend you look at all three manufacturers to see what they offer in cab combinations and bed lengths. Length matters too, not just width (no smart comments please LOL).

As an aside, your decision may also be driven by what you can buy. I was considering trading in my truck and wanted to try a RAM 3500, both the SRW and DRW. I live near Orlando and their stock was in the single digits within a 50 mile radius. Ford was no better or maybe even worse.

[Corzo99]

Josh, you make some valid points.
My choices are to order an F350 and wait ot to buy a Ram 3500 SRW HO, which are in stock.

I have no knowledge of what the Ram HO Diesel is but it feel to my like an overclocked CPU. I am also not sure why there are so many of these left when inventory for everything else is gone. It feels like this 1000 torque trucks have a very narrowly defined clientele and may be hard to sell down the road.

An F350 Or Ram 3500 SRW feels like a better fit but at the same time I don't want to be unsafe driving down the road or underpower climbing hills.

It is starting to feel with my limited knowledge that the 1000 torque engines might have been designed for the over 15k fifth wheels due to some sort of feedback about the regular diesels or to claim king of the hill by a manufacturer. I am just guessing...

I appreciate everyone's feedback. This is very helpful and I am grateful for the wise responses.

MC

[alkbch]

I've driven sedans all my life up until buying the dually to tow. The dually is now my daily driver, and it's really not that bad. I generally can't use drive-throughs, and sometimes I park a bit further away in crowded parking lots, but that's about it for the cons.

[530_Josh]

Josh, you make some valid points.
My choices are to order an F350 and wait ot to buy a Ram 3500 SRW HO, which are in stock.
I appreciate everyone's feedback. This is very helpful and I am grateful for the wise responses.

MC

If I was in your position I would do as much research as possible. Talk to owners on both sides, I think you’ll find the Ford is the better truck. My wife and I have had GM Denali HD trucks since they started offering them. We drove a 2021 F250 Diesel Tremor just for fun and wound up driving it home. Some of the main reasons were creature comforts (one touch windows, fast connectivity, amazing headlights, and so on). I’ve owned DRW and SRW trucks that I’ve towed heavy with over the years. The dually really shins when the conditions get the worst. Heavy rain and severe cross winds were some of the most memorable times I LOVED having more rubber on the road. Dually aren’t for everyone but they have their place. Another thing I enjoyed with my dually were the 19.5” rims giving me bulletproof Michelin G rated tires.