2017 f350 srw

[piper guy]

Michelle is correct. The 2013-14 F450 or 350 MaxTow both had 17" wheels. They went back to 19.5 late in '15 production. The advantage to either was/is the widetrack front axle for better turning radius and the much larger rear axle for strength. Gvwr is still 14k but in reality the truck is capable of much more. The rating stays at 14 so you don't have to pay medium duty reg rates in some states.

[piper guy]

Also, the GCWR on the 450 is about 3k higher than a 350. Even more on a '17-18

[mhs4771]

But if you figure the Pin weight on those super high GCWRs you would be way over the GVWR of the Truck well before reaching them. So it looks great on paper but doesn't do much in the real world except make folks think they can tow those New Horizons and Space Craft 25 - 30K units with there 350 Ford or 3500 Ram.

[piper guy]

Agreed Michelle. And a lot of people miss the fact that the New Horizons factory tow truck is a Ram 5500 with a custom bed. Beautiful truck and about $120k

[XCMARK]

Originally Posted by Garyl53

I would love to stay with a SRW but I am thinking that we are already at 3000# pin weight without a generator, washer/dryer, full fresh water or a full load of stuff for a 3 month or so trip. Makes me think the extra capacity of a DRW would make for a good insurance policy just in case we decide to add a W/D or generator. I think the length of a DRW vs. the short box SRW I have now may be more of an adjustment than the rear fenders! Not sure though...
Did you go to a long bed? What pressure in the air bags are you using when towing?

I run a GMC 3500 single rear wheel crew cab 4x4 , my RL38 puts my rear axel weight about 400 lbs over the rating. I have a washer /drier and a slide in a slide. The basement was about 50~60% full and 100 gallons of fresh water when I scaled it . I have since moved up to 19.5 tires and wheels on that truck so there is ZERO chance of a blow out but I am over weight by the door tag. I feel Air bags are a must and possible aftermarket sway bars would be a good idea. The stock shocks are marginal on these trucks empty so I think at a bare min RS9000 rancho or a Fox adjustable shock. With that much weight bouncing around on the crap roads we have up in the North East it takes two or three extra bounces after I cross a bridge. I know a high end shock with very firm dampening will cure that issue. Power wise the duramax with 3:73 pulls up hills good on any of the 2006 and newer trucks. in the hills it will often hold 6th gear all the way up the hill if you running 70 at the bottom. at 62 its going to down shift to 5th , the motor just lays down easy if its below 1700 rpm.

[5th_Time]

Air bags and extra firm shocks you’re describing will also give you that “cement mixer-like” ride when using it empty.

[Garyl53]

I estimated the loading using the specs for a (17+) F350 for both SRW and DRW configurations. I previously CAT scale weighed my 36RL as delivered to me which included full propane, about 40 gal. of water (fresh tank plus water heater tank), 2 batteries and about 50 gal. of grey/black tanks water. The 36RL has a king bed, 3rd AC in the bedroom, no gen, no W/D. From the CAT scale weights I estimated a lightly loaded weight (2-3 month trip, not full-time) and then estimated the loading on both a SRW and DRW trucks. For our purposes this clearly shows that a SRW would be marginal and a DRW would leave enough margin that if we elected to go full time in the future we would have the tow vehicle capacity to do so. I certainly understand that both the SRW and DRW F350s can handle the 36RL within ratings so the decision really comes down how each individual plans to use their vehicle and trailer.
Any feedback on my assumptions about weights or pointing out of mistakes is certainly appreciated!

[RWJSIM2003]

Just completed a 400 mile trip this weekend in the new 2018 F350 SRW pulling our 38RL. We were on both Interstate and two lane highways over mountains. Truck did amazing did not notice any difference in ride over the 2008 F450 we previously had. I will say I am running very light with only 3200 lbs pin weight since we are not FT. Overall very happy with the ride and towing of the RW. I had the airbags at 40PSI which kept the truck at the level point with the Trailer attached the added sway bars in back seemed to really help. If I were FT I would go with a Dually but for our use the SRW will work.

[piper guy]

Glad it's working well. I'm presuming there was a lot of thought that went into the decision. Swaybars were a good add on. I had Helwig Bigwig bars on my SRW F350 and loved it. Haven't put them on the Dually but am seriously considering it based on the way I remembered how it changed the SRW.

[RWJSIM2003]

Yes, took me a long time to make the change. Having the DW complain all the time about the Dually taking up the driveway helped though.