3500 srw 5th weight

[cpo223]

I,m starting to look at used 5th wheels&at thier gvwr #. Who has current experience pulling with a 3500 6spd 410 srw, & has found the ideal 5th wheel weight for the whole U. S. &Canada area,I guess I,m wondering what price I'll pay for having the srw setup. I,m looking at 27'-30' single, & double slide models. I know it will pull real heavy loads but what's comfortable?

 

[Barry]

Unless your bride is going to stack bricks inside the coach, the length you are looking at will be fine from a weight stand point. You can buy a nice 2 slide unit back of $20K.

 

[cpo223]

3500 srw 5th

Hey Barry,

Thank you for your response. I guess the price I was refering to,is the loss of stability in having a srw 3500 towing a 5th wheel & perhap's who has found a comfortable weight. My truck weighs 7350lbs with a full tank of fuel,wife & I,so I'm down to about 2600 lbs of pin weight or less. Most of the 5th I'm lookin at are showing a gvwr of around 12k. Having never towed this heavy ,they look real BIG. I guess my lack of using this truck for pulling has'nt let me become confident of it's abilities. Thank's Pat

 

[Barry]

I just noticed that you are in Tampa. My Florida scout/buyer is based in Naples. When you get ready, let me know and I'll get him to grab a like new trade in for you in the $$$$$$$! I got him driving a Cummins now... ... ... ... ... .

 

[TowPro]

Re: 3500 srw 5th

I have a 30' fleetwood 5er with hitch weight somewhere above 2000 lbs, and real weight of around 10,500 lbs. I had a 98 2500 with the 8800 lb option (would have been called a 3500 SRW if they made them in 98). It towed fine. Now I have the dual rear wheel and don't really notice that much difference.



Where I did notice a big difference between the single rear wheel and the duellly was with my 2000lb slidin camper installed.

Way less sway in the 3500 then the 2500, but again, the 5th wheel puts all the weight in the center of the bed, and truck role is never a problem on either truck

Originally posted by PCoakley

Hey Barry,

Thank you for your response. I guess the price I was refering to,is the loss of stability in having a srw 3500 towing a 5th wheel & perhap's who has found a comfortable weight. My truck weighs 7350lbs with a full tank of fuel,wife & I,so I'm down to about 2600 lbs of pin weight or less. Most of the 5th I'm lookin at are showing a gvwr of around 12k. Having never towed this heavy ,they look real BIG. I guess my lack of using this truck for pulling has'nt let me become confident of it's abilities. Thank's Pat

 

[Dean Upson]

I agree with tow pro about the stability of the srw vs. the dually. If you do not have a heavy pin weight you do not need the dual wheels. I noticed a huge difference between the srw and the drw when I had a pickup camper. I don't see that the drw would be a big advantage with a lighter weight 5ver.



Dean

 

[klenger]

I would think that the newer swivel (sp) hitches would eliminate most of the rolling from a 5er. The DRW probably helps with lateral sway in high wind, but I don't have DRW so I can't say for sure.

 

[Dean Upson]

I have never towed a fiver with a srw but I can say there is no lateral sway with the dually. The winds or passing trucks have no noticable effect on the track of the truck and trailer and I am at near max (23K) gcvw.



Dean

 

[TowPro]

Now that you mention this, in the 2500 I used to get a little "push" to the side when passing, or getting passed by a large truck, and the 3500 don't have it.

Originally posted by Dean Upson

I have never towed a fiver with a srw but I can say there is no lateral sway with the dually. The winds or passing trucks have no noticable effect on the track of the truck and trailer and I am at near max (23K) gcvw.



Dean

 

[cpo223]

3500 srw 5th

Thank all of you for you infomation. Pat

 

[GSykes]

[Pull a 27' single slide 5er with a GVWR of 11,460 hitch weight of 1,300. 96HD extended cab long bed, Claret Red/Driftwood, SRW 3. 54 LS gearing, four speed automatic with a Lil-Rocker hitch. Tires are Remington wide brute 10 ply, they wear well. Have added deeper pans on trans and diff with gauges. Have gone coast to coast numerous times and a few times to Montana and Washington state. Little or no sway, combo works well for me. Enjoy the ride. ]

 

[ldg]

I have been hauling RV's now for the past three winters all over the U. S. including Alaska and into Canada. Held up in blizzards more than a few times. Run both 5th Wheels and Tag Alongs from 26 to 36', (love those 5ers) no problems at all with the 3/4T listed below. I hauled mostly west from Indiana and those winter winds do howl, especially across S. D. WY. and MT.



However, having had a camper of my own on a 3/4T Chev. I can tell you that okay but I would most certainly have dual's if I ever went that route again with a unit over 8. 5 to 9 Feet. But not with a 5th Wheel and a Tag Along can be squirrley with anything unless you want to spend many $$$$ for a specialized tag along hitch. If you look below you can see what I purchased just last week.



One other note to consider, with all the construction zones I seem to go through (especially around cities) finding places to park or pull off, sometimes that extra width can be a pain with the duals. Lets say it can cause a pucker factor , especially in bad weather and in tight camping areas. Not saying it can't be done, I know many drivers that love them and run with them, but it needs to be a point considered by the driver/owner. I have seen alot more sides dinged on DRW's than on the SRW's.



This is just my thoughts from my experiences and how I use mine. Thank God we don't all see everything the same or someone would be trying to make me drive a F--d. .

 

[CROW]

My truck is a 2003, 3500, HO, 6 speed, 3. 73, single rear axle, short bed with a Pull Rite automatic slider hitch. Pull a 32' 100 " wide dual slide fifth wheel and gross out at about 19,500 (weighed 19240 the last time I weighed it but have added some stuff). Pin weight is about 2400 lbs. Don't have the exact numbers with me but have about 550 lbs excess rear axle capacity. Have towed it about 4,000 miles so far. This combination does fine except in real high winds. I do get a little "push" when being passed by 18 wheelers. Have never towed with a dually, but I suspect from talking to a lot of folks that a dually would be better in a heavy wind. My opinion is that the 3. 73 rear axle is all you need with the six speed unless you tow real heavy (over GCWR) or are in the mountains all the time. Were I to purchase a tow truck again, I'd probably get a dually since I am hoping to use my trailer a lot and travel some fairly long distances. If I were just going to use it in the local area and tow shorter distances, SRW would be fine.

 

[CajunDieselMan]

I've towed a 30-ft Sunnybrook 5th wheel for 3 years with a 2000 Ram 2500 SLT, 3. 54, auto and, once it got rolling, everything was fine, even on Louisiana roads (I-10... offroading Louisiana style). I did notice a swaying when an 18-wheeler passed, but nothing I could not control. I just bought a 3500 4. 10 6 speed 4. 10 rear end with SRW for the reason being that I must park in a garage at work and don't think the DRW would fit. You've got to look at your complete situation and just try to buy the truck that fits it the closest--you'll never get a perfect fit.

 

[Dkevdog]

For me, the move to the DRW was for stability, not weight. I had the same trailer and hitch when I switched from the a SRW 2500, to a DRW 3500. The difference is very noticeable and for me, I don't think I'd go back to a 2500. THe truck is much more stable and has feels far more solid on mountain winding roads. I don't even notice semis now. I have a dual articulating hitch. Parking for me is not an issue, and I don't see it as that much more of a difference for driving and parking anyway.



Kev

 

[Dean Upson]

I needed the dually for the tongue weight, the extra stability is a plus. The wind and semi's do not have much effect on the tracking.



Dean

 

[Steve M]

Click on my reader's rigs pics to the left. Our 5th wheel weighs 10,400 lbs with a 1900 lb pin weight on the Cat scale. GVWR for the 5th wheel is 11,500. We're just under our truck's GVWR. Once I set the cruise on 68mph, it's real easy to forget the trailer is back there. I've only felt alittle push a couple of times on windy days when 18 wheelers pass. Not even close to an alarming situation. Just enough to feel it. I use a non-rocking hitch. I'm sure the 3500 SRW will do fine.

And yes, our 5th wheel seemed HUGE when I took it out for a test tow. A year later and a few thousand miles towing it, it doesn't even feel like a challenge anymore. Just remember to swing WIDE! When backing in, pull way ahead of your spot and make an arc. The front wheels won't change the direction of the 5th wheel like the pivot point of a tag along. But you probably already know this.