SRW pulling experience!

[hailwiz]

Finally taking the 38RL this upcoming weekend and would like to hear from 38 & 39 model owners who pull their redwood with SRW. I have a 2016 Silverado 3500 HD High Country long box. I have had DRW vehicles in the past and get tired of the close parking even backing in parking spaces. I have read in other forums that the SRW is no problem with 40Fter's in the long box 1 ton models up to 20K towing. I'm looking for experience with the SRW towing the 38&39 models and not about I should have bought a DRW truck. Also what hitch are you using in your truck and what made you buy the hitch you have!

Thanks and happy towing!

Darryl

[Uramillionaire]

Originally Posted by hailwiz

Finally taking the 38RL this upcoming weekend and would like to hear from 38 & 39 model owners who pull their redwood with SRW. I have a 2016 Silverado 3500 HD High Country long box. I have had DRW vehicles in the past and get tired of the close parking even backing in parking spaces. I have read in other forums that the SRW is no problem with 40Fter's in the long box 1 ton models up to 20K towing. I'm looking for experience with the SRW towing the 38&39 models and not about I should have bought a DRW truck. Also what hitch are you using in your truck and what made you buy the hitch you have!

Thanks and happy towing!

Darryl

Darryl,

Good post. I have debated close to a year and have towed everything from gooseneck, to flatbeds, boats big and small ,and v nose cross country.
I like to look at it like this. Worst case, traveling down a steep hill in a corner you loose a rear tire. What do you do? Sometimes it's better to have too much than just enough.
Lots of people do it. But that doesn't mean it's a good thing. If I hurt someone's family trying to "Just get by" I would never live it down.
A dually handles so much safer in so many situations.
Happy travels!!

[Rick and Mindy]

Originally Posted by hailwiz

Finally taking the 38RL this upcoming weekend and would like to hear from 38 & 39 model owners who pull their redwood with SRW. I have a 2016 Silverado 3500 HD High Country long box. I have had DRW vehicles in the past and get tired of the close parking even backing in parking spaces. I have read in other forums that the SRW is no problem with 40Fter's in the long box 1 ton models up to 20K towing. I'm looking for experience with the SRW towing the 38&39 models and not about I should have bought a DRW truck. Also what hitch are you using in your truck and what made you buy the hitch you have!

Thanks and happy towing!

Darryl

There are a lot of variables that determine if your truck will pull a 20K fiver. Since you don't want to hear about all that, I will tell you that just about any newer diesel will pull a house off its foundation if you could get a chain around it. Is it safe and under what the maximum the truck is rated for? Only you can determine that by having your truck and fifth wheel weighed. I can tell you that I have the lightest fifth wheel Redwood makes (31SL) and I pull with a 2011 Ford F350 Longbed SRW and I am under the maximums allowed for that truck, but not by a great amount. My total fifth wheel weight is 14,400 lbs and my pin weight is 2,450 lbs. 500 more lbs on the pin weight and I would max out my rear tire ratings on the truck. If you watch where you put your weight and travel lightly it is possible that your truck is fine but again, you will have to weigh everything to know for sure.

[Dan]

Boy Oh Boy this is a beaten horse!! do some searching for other posts. Never ever tow with a SRW!!!! Check the tire ratings!!!


!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Rick and Mindy]

Originally Posted by Uramillionaire

Darryl,

Good post. I have debated close to a year and have towed everything from gooseneck, to flatbeds, boats big and small ,and v nose cross country.
I like to look at it like this. Worst case, traveling down a steep hill in a corner you loose a rear tire. What do you do? Sometimes it's better to have too much than just enough.
Lots of people do it. But that doesn't mean it's a good thing. If I hurt someone's family trying to "Just get by" I would never live it down.
A dually handles so much safer in so many situations.
Happy travels!!

I like your scenario, what do you do if you lose a rear tire. Let me take it a step further, even with a Dually, what do you do if you lose a front tire? Maybe trucks should come with 4 front tires also.................just thinking out loud.

[Ford truck guy]

Well,,,,

I have always been the odd man out, my 2015 F350 SRW does a great job with my 16 38rl.. We are weekend warriors , so we have more empty cabinets then 1/2 full ones. The empty trailer weighs in at 14,200#,ready to camp we are 15,320.. . We are at capacity as it is , if we start going farther and longer we will get a DRW. We also upgraded the trailer brakes to Titan Guys disc brake kit...

[Rick and Mindy]

Originally Posted by Ford truck guy

Well,,,,

I have always been the odd man out, my 2015 F350 SRW does a great job with my 16 38rl.. We are weekend warriors , so we have more empty cabinets then 1/2 full ones. The empty trailer weighs in at 14,200#,ready to camp we are 15,320.. . We are at capacity as it is , if we start going farther and longer we will get a DRW. We also upgraded the trailer brakes to Titan Guys disc brake kit...

Proof that it can be done but you need to know your weights.

[slideone]

Amen, enough said!

[mhs4771]

Might also depend on exactly how you RW is equiped. Our '16 39MB left the factory at 15.5K empty. Haven't got a chance to take it across the scales, but since we travel long term, I estimate were're pushing 17.5 to 18K.
Just go back and read some of the early post on the Forum and see the number of owners that traded their SRW for a Dually after their first tow of any distance.
You have to make the final decision, but remember just because your neighbor pulls that triple axle 45' Toy Hauler loaded with two or three ATVs with a total weight of 21K with his 250/2500 Series TV, doesn't make it right or safe.

[superduty glampers]

Originally Posted by mhs4771

Might also depend on exactly how you RW is equiped. Our '16 39MB left the factory at 15.5K empty. Haven't got a chance to take it across the scales, but since we travel long term, I estimate were're pushing 17.5 to 18K.
Just go back and read some of the early post on the Forum and see the number of owners that traded their SRW for a Dually after their first tow of any distance.
You have to make the final decision, but remember just because your neighbor pulls that triple axle 45' Toy Hauler loaded with two or three ATVs with a total weight of 21K with his 250/2500 Series TV, doesn't make it right or safe.

I would have to agree with how it's equiped, your '16 MB leaving the factory was almost 2300 lbs more then our '14 FL.

[Rick and Mindy]

Originally Posted by superduty glampers

I would have to agree with how it's equiped, your '16 MB leaving the factory was almost 2300 lbs more then our '14 FL.

3300 lbs more than my 31SL. Wow, no way I would pull that with my SRW!

[Char & Steve]

Weekend Warriors SRW
Long trips or full time DRW

Since we purchased our RW we actually only own a 2012 GMC 4500 and 2015 GMC 3500 both are DRW. I like feeling safe on the HWY's.

Once again... just my opinion.

Steve

[sinder]

I've been towing our 31sl with a SRW for almost 3.5 years full-time, but note our weights are within specifications for our setup. The 31sl is the only member of the family that I would consider pulling with a SRW full-time. Starting with the 36rl on up you will easily go over tire and axle specifications on a SRW if you have options such as generator, washer/dryer dishwasher etc and you pack for full-time living. Our rig does not have any of the options I mentioned and we make an effort to pack light as possible.

[Ford truck guy]

I cant wait for 15 years... then maybe I can go fulltime and get my DRW.. can you imagine the technology it will have ! !
My new 2030 F-350 will have a push button ,self tow feature !

[Shane Wood]

I sold a perfectly good SRW and got A DRW because with 4280 pin weight and 16 200 gvrw on my RL I was overloading the rear tires. The truck pulled it fine but was overweight

[piper guy]

Same as Shane only a couple of years earlier. Someone got a very nice 8 month old SRW F350.

[atom ant]

We brought our Redwood home from Texas with a SRW SB F350 2006. It actually did pretty well empty. When I loaded it down, the air bags got pumped up on the Ford and there were times I felt like the trailer was driving the truck. Ultimately to be able to haul water, which we needed, we had to go to a dually to keep from over-running the max load on the rear tires.

[RV4us2]

We have had our 38GK and '15 GMC 3500 DRW for 6 months now and have towed about 3K miles. I cannot compare driving with a SRW / 5'er, but I did notice how little strong cross winds affected my rig. Also how little correction needed from the suction when a 18-wheeler zooms past. Can only account for these with the Dually. Due to these threads across the year, I did not even consider a SRW when planning our purchase of the TV & RW. But I hate parking the DRW. 6 months old, and I already have dents in both rear fenders from parking lots by others.

[Grizzby]

Originally Posted by RV4us2

We have had our 38GK and '15 GMC 3500 DRW for 6 months now and have towed about 3K miles. I cannot compare driving with a SRW / 5'er, but I did notice how little strong cross winds affected my rig. Also how little correction needed from the suction when a 18-wheeler zooms past. Can only account for these with the Dually. Due to these threads across the year, I did not even consider a SRW when planning our purchase of the TV & RW. But I hate parking the DRW. 6 months old, and I already have dents in both rear fenders from parking lots by others.

We always park in the "lower 40" when shopping. Less chance for damage to the truck, and the walk does us good. However, on a windy Texas day, had a shopping cart (that someone was too lazy to put in the corral) fly across the parking lot and put a nice dent in one of the rear fenders. Then had a youngster put a matching dent on the other side when he crashed his bicycle into the truck. I think those big fenders must act like big magnets.

Bob

[rob_fla]

I agree Bob, those big "Hips" do get in the way.
Getting around in some of the larger cities can be exiciting and parking is always a challenge.
Not only the width of my Dually is not for the timid, the length of a 4 Door Crew Cab with a 8 Foot Bed presents its own challenges.