Should I Convert To Drw???

[dragrcr1005]

i currently have a 2001 srw and i tow a enclosed car trailer(30ft. ) which weight about 10000lbs. i was considering upgrading trucks to a drw for the safety factor at highway speed. currently i have some sway and i really have to pay attention to trucks as they pass me so they dont suck me in. i have never towed with a dually and was wondering if it is worth the effort of converting mine with some arrowcraft fenders and spacers, or just sell it and get a new truck. not only that but, will a dually really make that much of a difference from my single?? thanks, please include any info you may have on arrowcraft kits.

 

[DPelletier]

Yes (despite any claims to the contrary by those that have never owned a dually), it really does make that much difference in sway.



I too had a 2001 srw truck, albeit with a slide-in camper and cargo trailer and the difference in sway was VERY noticeable. Keep in mind that the 2001 had custom overloads, sway bars and Rancho's, too.



Is it worth it to convert? Not for me it wasn't, plus the adaptors aren't quite as good as a factory dually and there is still the factory GVWR issue.



my 2 cents,

Dave

 

[Cummins724]

I do alot of heavy towing on/off highway. I tow with a 04. 5 drw truck & with a 99 srw. I own a excavating business & usually I am towing skid steers, mini excavators etc. weighing between 6-8 ton with trailer. I've noticed that when I load my skid steer further back on the trailer than my usual spot... . the thing sways like crazy. I don't mean a foot back either, but even 3-4 inches makes a big difference in the ride quality. I painted a line on my trailer & I make sure that my machine is on it every time that I haul. I now get no sway at all & it rides great every time. I would check into that before converting to a dually... . cause I get the same results on both trucks. Another cause of sway is low tire pressure too. Equalizer bars also help alot. Just trying to help.

 

[dragrcr1005]

i have almost 1500lbs. tounge weight with the way i currently load the trailer. with the layout with the cabinets it can not go any further forward. with 1500 on the tounge i would think that that is enough. that is over 10%. i also run a weight dist. hitch, a friction type sway control, and keep the trailer tires right at the max pressure if not alittle over but they still look low to the eye. thanks for the info... ... .

 

[PC12Driver]

I've pulled my parent's camper with my truck (DRW) and their truck (SRW) and there is an obvious difference in the stability between the trucks. And the situation that the difference is most noticable is the example you gave - catching the bow wave off big trucks. My dually doesn't wiggle a bit.

 

[macdaddy]

I cannot believe I am the 7th person without one SRW person chiming in.



Go big get the DUALLY and be done with it.



I'm on my second. !!!!!



Mac

 

[Okie-Go]

I have my first dually after two srw 2500's. Pulling the same trailer the difference is worth the cost of a new truck to me. The 01 had 190k on it. I got the 3500 for 400 more than the cost of a 3500 srw. For me the price was worth it. The fuel mileage has not hurt me enough to worry about it. Ther are more people that go from srw to a dually than the other way around.

 

[Dieselnerd]

I'll chime in since you are looking for opinions from SRW owners too. I only tow twice a year, once to go to AZ for the winter and then back again. My SRW tows just fine for that.



If I had a tow behind trailer and if I didn't drive my 4x4 off road, often in snow for hunting and if a DRW would fit in my garage, I would get a DRW too.



For your situation I would recommend a DRW for sure.



See... no SRW vs DRW war.

 

[dragrcr1005]

thanks for all the advice but now for a bigger question. my 01 srw has 102000 miles and looks and drives like it has 20000. should i sell my truck and buy a drw? i hate payments, my truck is payed for, and i dont think that for the $17k that i could get for mine i could buy a drw that is as nice with as low miles as mine. so with that i mind, i called arrowcraft today and priced a conversion kit. $1199 with rear wheels, fender kits, and adapters. i can have the fenders painted and installed for maybe 300 and tires might cost me 600 so with a total of around $2000 should i convert or sell and try with another truck?????????

 

[zstroken]

Ahh but I think you have a DANA 70 back there. One thing is the the duallys have Dana 80's. Probably nothing wrong using the 70, but an 80 would be nice.

 

[Cummins724]

thanks for all the advice but now for a bigger question. my 01 srw has 102000 miles and looks and drives like it has 20000. should i sell my truck and buy a drw? i hate payments, my truck is payed for, and i dont think that for the $17k that i could get for mine i could buy a drw that is as nice with as low miles as mine. so with that i mind, i called arrowcraft today and priced a conversion kit. $1199 with rear wheels, fender kits, and adapters. i can have the fenders painted and installed for maybe 300 and tires might cost me 600 so with a total of around $2000 should i convert or sell and try with another truck?????????

I know a guy [private individual] who is selling a 98 dually quad cab & it looks like a showroom truck. Rhino lined, Tan leather, white exterior. I swear that when I saw it... I couldn't believe that he said he is gonna sell it for around 17k. I know that it is a 98, but it seriously looks like a 2008. The guy is retired, in his 60's & just had a heart attack. His wife went out & bought him a new duramax truck. She said that the doctor told him no stick shift truck after the heart attack. I am doing a new house for this man & got to know them pretty well & they are good honest people. Just to let you know.

 

[Froadin]

I have both, and each have their own benefits.

I have towed the same trailers with each truck, and the drw is better, but it's a LOT newer as well! Tires are different, suspension is different. Apples and oranges here.



I still love the 2500 because it's a short bed, and I can drive around towns, park where I want, and I can manuever into TIGHT places that I just cannot do with the bigger drw(long bed as well).



And trust me, the $2k you might put into your truck would be nice, but the ride quality isn't the same. Get the 3rd gen drw at least. I love both my trucks, and don't want to get rid of either one!

 

[Mrudolph]

My old truck a 3/4 ton swayed so bad we concidered getting a smaller trailer, my wife convinced me to concider a dually. Same trailer different truck and no more sway. I'll never go back to a srw.

 

[Grizzly]

I have a DRW and I wouldn't have it any other way, having said that, what about going to super singles. Granted, super singles are not as good as a DRW, but they are much better then standard singles. Just maybe all the extra help you need and much cheaper then converting to DRW.

 

[Froadin]

Btw, my 37' rver tows AWESOME behind my 2500. Almost like it's not there!

A lot of how a trailer handles is how it's setup, simply put.

Like mentioned before, moving the weight around made all the difference.



Heck, I have thought about running 19. 5s on the 2500. They would last forever, and give me a better piece of mind. But I don't want to cough up that kind of $. Might be enough for him though, considering his position and all.



And tires on the truck have made a BIG difference for me in handling on the 2500. So don't overlook the simple things.

 

[BILLUA]

DRW and Don't look back. I was dreading and stressing over going to a DRW... It was the best decison I have made!





Cheers, BIll

 

[dragrcr1005]

sounds like a dually is the way to go... ... i still cant decide between converting mine or selling and buying a new truck... .

 

[PatrickCampbell]

Well one thing to consider if you already have Ricksons. I am not sure most people noticed that. How much pressure are you running? BTW I am selling my ArrowCraft dually conversion if you are interested. It's front/rear adapters and 6 new 16" steel wheels/235/85/16E tires.

 

[robertyoke]

well here ya go! I have two trucks 03 srw 3500 and a 04 drw 3500, I cant tell much diffrence with the same trailer as far a sway is concerned. I would not get rid of the truck just for that second tire back there. I think the biggest problem from sway is the trailer. Bumper pull trailers dont hold a candle to a gooseneck/fifth wheel trailer.

If you want an excuse to get a new truck the go for it.

If you want it to handle right after you get your new truck then buy a gooseneck type trailer.

I have a 29 foot wells cargo snowmobile trailer, bumper pull (gvw 10000 lbs) and it just doesn't feel as safe as even my big tex low boy gooseneck (gvw 25000 lbs). The big tex is always at capacity and the wells usually around 7500 lbs.

-robert

 

[MarkMiller]

Ahh but I think you have a DANA 70 back there. One thing is the the duallys have Dana 80's. Probably nothing wrong using the 70, but an 80 would be nice.

A 70 is a fine axle for towing and running as a dual. No, it is not as heavy as an 80 but ford ran them as dually axles for about 15 years.



If you are determined to go to a DRW go find a dually that is totaled and get the factory parts off of it. Look on ebay for the front hubs and rear hub setups. Jeep people swap them in all the time and a lot of the time end up with dually setups and swap them to single for offroad use.



I run a single rear and 37 in tires. I use mine offroad and on the beach quite often. I have considered a dually. I like my single though. I use a gooseneck trailer. By it's design a gooseneck doesn't sway likea tag along (bumper pull) type. If you like your truck, keep it and get a gooseneck or 5th wheel type trailer. They really are that much more stable and handle SO much better. that 10K load will seem like a 4k load. I tow all manner of things from 1000lb roundbales stacked 2 high on my gooseneck to skid steers and mini excavators, block, lumber, trees, etc. . Loads from 10-15K and it handles them pretty well if I keep the load balanced and keep the tires aired up.