Need Advice

[LCaines]

Was wondering if some of you with fifth wheels could help me. I now have a 03 2500 with a SO diesel. Someone wants to buy my truck and I am going to upgrade to the new 600. I have a fifth wheel camper which weighs in around 9500. I never know when I will upgrade the camper so I want to plan for the right truck. I have been looking for a 3500 but can not decide between srw or drw. The next question is should I get a auto or manual. After reading many post I believe the majority would go with the manual, but I would like to comfirm with the people who pull fifth wheel campers. I am hoping that I will see a BIG differance between the SO engine and the HO engine when pulling.



Thanks for all your help!

 

[SEmerson]

keep the 03. Milage will be way down on a 600. Just add a box if you need power. Much cheaper, more power, and better milage. A freind of mine traded his 03 for a 4. 5 and hated it so bad he ended up selling the 4. 5.

 

[JThiessen]

First, have you considered bombing your SO to get the power you want? You can easily get as much power as an HO, and you'll still have better fuel mileage than the new 600's get. That aside, a dually probably wouldnt help the stability of a 5'er all that much - and you'll loose a little bit of you pin weight capacity (500 lbs?) compared to the SRW one ton (I believe the SRW actually has a higher GVW rating, due to the DRW actaully weighing more). I myself wish that I'd spent the extra 500 bucks and got a 3500, but its too late now..... I guess it gives me reason to upgrade in a few years. I like my automatic, and I havent really had any issues with towing yet (I only pull about 8500 lbs), so with it being a light load, I doubt I'll ever see situations that would really highlight the differences between a manual or auto.

 

[Radshooter]

With your trailer weight of only 9500 lbs, it may not be much of an issue regarding stability of SRW/DRW. My fiver weighs around 16580. I used to pull with a 2500 SRW V10. When I switched to my 3500 dually, not only did I get more power from the CTD, but switching from SRW to DRW made a BIG difference in stability. I am much more comfortable towing with the dually than I was with the SRW. It now feels like the truck is pulling the trailer, rather than the trailer pushing the truck around corners and such. If you plan on getting a bigger trailer, I would think about a dually, but remember also they are not quite as easy to get around town and in tight places with as the SRW. How often will you be pulling the trailer? Is it worth the hassle of a dually when not towing? I have gotten so used to my dually now I don't even notice it anymore, but those first few months involved quite a learning curve



Good luck with your decision... . Steve.

 

[ralbert]

I have a drw since I carry a 11'3" Lance as well as my 5th. I Would not think about putting a big truck camper on a srw truck. I spent last summer in Alaska and put on 13,000miles and never worried once. This past winter I purchased a 2002 32' 5th and pulled it to Fla without any box or after market intake. It did OK but while in Fla I added those two upgraded and man the truck now works like it should have when purchased new in 99. Have 65,000 miles and hope to keep it alot longer now that it does the job. It is also the best truck on the road since I own it. Rob

 

[Fireman]

I agree, if you think you may up grade to a larger trailer, you probably will. I did, and I haven't regreted getting the DRWs or the manual. Besides, Duallies are



Fireman

 

[MABurns]

(I believe the SRW actually has a higher GVW rating, due to the DRW actaully weighing more).

Not true, the 3500 DRW has a higher GVWR than the SRW, 11200 versus 9900.



If you plan on towing a fifth wheel with any more than 2500 pounds of hitch weight then you should opt for the DRW because you may exceed the GVW of the SRW. I tow a fifth wheel that weighs close to 12,000 and I am right at the limit for the amount of pin weight that my camper has. Pulling or braking wise there is no difference.



My opinion is the 6 speed manual is for towing.

 

[DPelletier]

I will echo MABurns,



- The DRW truck has WAY MORE GVWR! 12,000 vs. 9900lbs. Any large 5er will put the 3500 SRW over its GVWR.



- If you think you may buy a bigger trailer, you will. You can never have too much truck, only too little. Buy the DRW. Been there, done that and spent the $'s to prove it.



- The DRW stability is noticably superior, the GVWR advantage is just icing on the cake.



- My vote is for the manual. I made the mistake of getting the auto last time and regretted it for the whole 3 years I had the truck. The NV-5600 is the biggest, baddest, strongest transmission available in any pickup truck ever made.



- You will definitely notice a HUGE difference in power between an SO auto to a 600 6-speed. Yes, you can bomb the SO and get the same power as the 600 after spending thousands of dollars on transmission upgrades and other goodies.



My opinion only,



Dave

 

[Casey Balvert]

Well I upgraded my fiver to a BIG one and all I can say is that it was a good thing I got the duals and six speed. Would not have it any other way. If you are looking at anything with a bedroom slide in the future, your going to see a fairly heavy pin weight and you will need the GVWR that duals have. Good luck



Casey

 

[klenger]

I have a 3500 SRW with a 6 speed. For me, the DRW were not an option as I needed to be able to garage the truck, and I don't even want to think about using a DRW as a daily driver. DRW owner's will most likely feel differently about this. My 10K 5er puts the truck about 500 lbs under GVWR. A 2WD will gain you about another 600 lbs of usefull load capacity. As far as the transmission, I never even considered an auto, ... never even drove one.

 

[ndurbin]

I'll stick with SRWs. I dont pull a large 5'er or any 5'er for that matter. But I do pull my stock trailer and farm equipment alot. I've used both duallies and SRW hauling similar loads and I caint tell a bit of difference between the two.



To me I havent justified having a DRW yet. And not having to spend an extra $200+ dollars when its time for tires puts more in the BOMB fund.



Just my . 02

Nathan

 

[LCaines]

Thanks for all of the responses. Something that I forgot to ask in the first post was that it seems like the drw with 4x4 sits very high in the rear. If I get a drw with 4x4 will I have any problems pulling my 5th wheel. With my 2500 I have the hitch set to the highest setting and the 5th wheel is set to the highest setting. Really I have been thinking about a 2wd because I have only used 4x4 only a couple of times.



Thanks again for all of your advice!!

 

[klenger]

I think you will find that all the 4WD models are about the same height. The 2WD's are about 3" lower than the 4WDs. You can lower the back end of the 4WD by removing (or restacking) the 1-1/4" spacers on the rear axle. Look at the link in my sig for info on lowering a 4WD. (My website is down right now, but I assume it will be back up soon).

 

[Radshooter]

When I switched from SRW to DRW, I had to drop my fiver hitch a couple inches to keep the trailer close to level. I still have about 6" clearance at the bed rails. It was tempting to lift the trailer, but I am OK for now. If I ever need more clearance for any reason, I will have to raise the trailer.



Steve

 

[wedmonds]

Was wondering if some of you with fifth wheels could help me. I now have a 03 2500 with a SO diesel. Someone wants to buy my truck and I am going to upgrade to the new 600. I have a fifth wheel camper which weighs in around 9500. I never know when I will upgrade the camper so I want to plan for the right truck. I have been looking for a 3500 but can not decide between srw or drw. The next question is should I get a auto or manual. After reading many post I believe the majority would go with the manual, but I would like to comfirm with the people who pull fifth wheel campers. I am hoping that I will see a BIG differance between the SO engine and the HO engine when pulling.



Thanks for all your help!

I have an 01 2500 with auto trany. I like it myself. I did upgrade to get the extra power I was looking for. I put on Edge Comp box. Typically leaving on setting 3. Gives the truck the extra power & torque to cross manny mountains without shifting from OD to 3. Towing a 30 ft 5'er (around 9500lbs). Been to FL Keys, FL Gulf Coast, Myrtle Beach 5 times, & many other trips within 250 miles each way. No trany problems. The Edge comp box can put more power in the trany than it can put to the rear wheels if not careful though. Just don't drag race without mods to the trany. The Edge EZ is a good way to go for what I am doing, but thought I will do more upgrades in time. Other modifications to the truck: Edge Comp, 4 in Exhaust, Mag Hy tech DD trany pan & diff cover, Autometer (Phantom) guages: Pyro, Fuel Pressure, Boost & Trany. The Mag Hy Tech DD trany pan holds around 8-9 quarts of fluid vs 4-5 for the stock pan. Helps keep trany cooler. I typically see trany temp around 150-165F when pulling camper. In Stop & go traffic the highest temp I have seen is 185F. Check out the web pages for Edge & Mag Hy Tech. Maybe you can get what you are looking for without purchasing a new truck. I do wish at time I had dually, but too late for me.



Walter Edmonds

Berea, KY

 

[MABurns]

Wedmonds,

What kind of EGTs hae you seen with the EZ when towing?





TIA



Mark

 

[JRMora]

I have a 3500 SRW with a 6 speed. For me, the DRW were not an option as I needed to be able to garage the truck, and I don't even want to think about using a DRW as a daily driver. DRW owner's will most likely feel differently about this. My 10K 5er puts the truck about 500 lbs under GVWR. A 2WD will gain you about another 600 lbs of usefull load capacity. As far as the transmission, I never even considered an auto, ... never even drove one.

I value Ken's opinions - anybody who has taken as much time as he has to get info to the dweebs like me is OK in my book.



I do use a dually as a daily driver, and after a week, it was no different to drive (to me) than a SRW. My wife does OK, too.



Anything much above 10K will push the SRW over GVWR (once you add passengers, fuel, tools, hitches, and stuff). I won't get into the "I have a friend who pulls a 65K trailer with his 1/2 ton!" argument. For me, knowing I was going to move up to a large three slide fifth wheel, DRW made sense.



It's a year later, I have over 25k miles, and I still haven't bought my trailer yet. I still love the dually and know I'll have maximized my choices when I finally score on that trailer.



Ken:



What's a garage? Oh, you mean the storage shed with the big door on the front! Oh, never mind...



Juan

 

[RMcCulloch]

I think you will find that all the 4WD models are about the same height. The 2WD's are about 3" lower than the 4WDs. You can lower the back end of the 4WD by removing (or restacking) the 1-1/4" spacers on the rear axle. QUOTE]



Before making the decision to lower the tail, it's a good idea to see just how much "levelling" is needed with the trailer hitched.



Thanks to the pin weight, mine rides ~1" down at the tail when the trailer is hitched up.



FWIW, I didn't need anything done to the trailer to get ~7" bedrail clearance and a level towing "posture": it came that way from the factory.

 

[DPelletier]

Juan,

I agree and I also value Ken's opinion. He made a choice to get a SRW 3500 knowing the weight of his 5er and all the particulars. The original poster indicated that he has a 9500 lb 5er and was considering going larger and the DRW just gives him way more latitude when it comes to buying another trailer. Nothing wrong with Ken's set up. I, like you, use my DRW as a daily driver and am happy with it, but to each thier own. My wifes TJ gets the garage, so that's not an issue for me.

On another note, the thread on the Death Wobble got me thinking about the effect of heavy loads on the caster settings of our trucks. Seems to me we may want to be careful about how much rear-end sag we have because it would have the same effect as lifting the front end. Maybe airbags are a better idea than I've been giving them credit for in the past.



Dave

 

[JohnnyH]

I have a 3500 SRW with a 6 speed. For me, the DRW were not an option as I needed to be able to garage the truck, and I don't even want to think about using a DRW as a daily driver. DRW owner's will most likely feel differently about this. My 10K 5er puts the truck about 500 lbs under GVWR. A 2WD will gain you about another 600 lbs of usefull load capacity. As far as the transmission, I never even considered an auto, ... never even drove one.

It dosent take too much weight to put you over GVW on a 3500 SRW. My truck is equipped almost identical to kens(except my running boards weigh 220 lbs) On my first trip with my new fiver I pulled into a cat scale. The results were Steer axle... 4900lbs Drive axle... . 5160lbs and trailer axle 7320lbs. That puts me 160 lbs over GVW and 3620 lbs under GCWR.



This was with me, my wife, and 2 kids in the cab. Firewood and bicycles and BBQ in the bed and 1/2 tank of fuel.



My fifth is a 28' Cruiser by Crossroads. Not very large compared to some.



You can see it dosent take much get you overweight with a SRW truck. I dont regret not buying the Dually, but it definetly has a considerable advantage over a SRW as far as GVW goes.



What dosent make sense is I was just barely touching the overloads on the truck at this weight. I may try filling my fresh water tank prior to the next trip to see if I can keep some weight off the pin.



John