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Old 06-23-2018, 07:09 AM   #1
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Not as impressed with drw like I thought I would be.

I recently traded in our 2017 F250 SRW for a 2018 F350 DRW. The reason was due to being slightly over weight pulling my 5er with the 250. I debated whether to get a dually or not. After speaking to so many people, they said to definitely get the dually. So I did. After our second trip out, I wish I had purchased the F350 SRW. The dually did not seem that much more stable to me. It was no different when trucks would pass. I went from almost 13 miles per gallon while towing to under 10. And since this is my daily ride, it is pretty difficult to find a parking spot in the small parking lots that they make today. Has anyone else felt this way?
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Old 06-23-2018, 07:29 AM   #2
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Not as impressed with drw like I thought I would be.

Thanks for the info. I am sitting in WV with a dead F250 diesel. I may have to replace it this week and will move up to a 350. With your info I will not go to a dually.
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Old 06-23-2018, 07:43 AM   #3
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Thanks for the info. I am sitting in WV with a dead F250 diesel. I may have to replace it this week and will move up to a 350. With your info I will not go to a dually.


Tom, I have followed many of your posts. Your Wildcat is probably similar in weight to mine. You will get a lot of people saying that I am crazy but I just wanted to state my experience so far. A 350 short bed would have been perfect for me. I know that I will never be going to a larger camper.
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Old 06-23-2018, 08:10 AM   #4
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We have both drw and srw one tons on the farm that are used to pull very heavy goosenecks from farm to farm. The drw might provide slightly more traction in some cases. But for just going down the road, I notice very little difference.

Otherwise, the drw is just a PITA when it comes to parking and tire replacement/rotation, as well as higher maint expense.

So for my personal truck I will always have a srw. I just don't see the 'benefits' others speak of with drw trucks as compared to modern srw.
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Old 06-23-2018, 08:25 AM   #5
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My trailer weights 15,500 so between it, 55 extra gallons of diesel, 5th wheel hitch and firewood I notice a huge difference between srw and my dually. But as others have stated its a personal preference. I will say that mine is a daily driver and I park it the same as any other vehicle. The trick is the back into spots if you can.
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Old 06-23-2018, 09:18 AM   #6
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Thanks for the info. I am sitting in WV with a dead F250 diesel. I may have to replace it this week and will move up to a 350. With your info I will not go to a dually.


With the camper y’all have and y’all said you weren’t going to trade it I would get the SRW. If I was going to move up to a forty foot camper I would go with the dually. I have a Silverado SRW and when big trucks pass me the draft doesn’t move my rig over. I like a long bed as I put more stuff in the bed of truck. The only thing I would change about my truck is I would get a crew cab. Our little granddaughter rides with us some and there would be more room in the back seat for her and grandma. DW really doesn’t want to trade campers, I do. We hope to go back to Alaska next year so the camper and truck may be wore out by then. Ford makes some pretty trucks.
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Old 06-23-2018, 09:41 AM   #7
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Not as impressed with drw like I thought I would be.

I bought the dually for the payload capacity and so I can put a bigger fuel tank in at some point and still have payload for my other stuff. If I could get it all into a SRW truck I would have gone that route.

Driving the dually isn’t bad and I feel it’s more stable than my previous 1 ton SRW. Parking isn’t that bad, but some of these drive thru places are built for a Prius and not a long wide truck.
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Old 06-23-2018, 10:35 AM   #8
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I've had 2 duallies. The first was an F350 short bed and the current is a GMC long bed (GMC doesn't make a short bed dually). I thought the short bed Ford DRW was the perfect size, even though I needed a slider hitch. It had the advantages of a DRW but wasn't too inconvenient to drive and park. The long bed GMC really is a beast for a daily driver. It takes up 2 spaces in a parking lot and often requires a K-turn to back in to a spot. OTOH, sometimes that extra space in the bed is handy and the puck-mounted non-sliding hitch is nice.

We bought this truck because our F350 "6 leaker" died a few weeks before a scheduled big trip and we needed a truck "off the lot". This one was sitting on the GMC lot as a previous year leftover and had many of the things we wanted in a TV. The dealer's terms were very favorable. If we'd had the time and cash on hand to custom order another truck I probably would've ordered another Ford DRW short bed but this one was there when we needed it.

DRWs do have significant shortcomings, including the complete hassle of airing up the rear tires, the added weight of the DRW (subtracted from your tow rating), the added cost of the extra rubber and related rotations, and poorer snow performance. But the main reason I bought this one was that the GMC duallies sit 1" lower than their SRW siblings, so it was easier to tow our fifth wheel level. (Even so, we still had to add 1" drop shackles in the back. Why do they make these new trucks so tall?) I also appreciate the extra towing stability and having a "rolling spare" if I blow a rear tire.

On the whole, I miss the short bed DRW Ford, if not that crappy 6.0 diesel, and that's the body I'd order if I had the option.

Another change on this truck is we went back to a gas engine. I'm sure I'm going to miss that diesel torque but the gas powerplant had some specific advantages for my particular daily-driver application, not to mention huge cost savings at time of purchase and ongoing maintenance. We're doing the same 2000 mile trip this summer we made last year with the diesel, so I'll report back on how much I really do miss that diesel power.
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Old 06-23-2018, 11:06 AM   #9
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We found the DRW was much more stable on curves and highways than SRW trucks. You need to give it more time.
I agree small parking lots suck, so we always park in the back and take two spots since we don’t fit in one.
To save miles on the DRW we purchased a cheep car for a daily driver . Now our maintenance cost have been cut in half for the DRW.
Maybe the brand is the issue. I’ve always heard positive results for the upgrade to DRW from SRW.
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Old 06-23-2018, 11:09 AM   #10
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I guess you'll find as many people in the SRW as the DRW. It depends a lot on how big a unit you ever plan on towing. I keep my vehicles forever and nothing would bother me more than buying a truck then a few years later finding out my truck isn't big enough to tow my pending new purchase. Admittedly parking can be a PITA but even when I drive my Jeep, I park away from other cars to avoid nicks. I've been towing a 44', 21,000 lb toyhauler the last 3 years with my diesel F-350 dually. Tows like a dream, no sway whatsoever, regardless of wind or trucks. I don't think (although I never checked) a SRW could legally tow it. Again, matter of opinion I guess.
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Old 06-23-2018, 01:47 PM   #11
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Wrong DRW! Ram rocks.
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Old 06-23-2018, 01:52 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by saus View Post
I recently traded in our 2017 F250 SRW for a 2018 F350 DRW. The reason was due to being slightly over weight pulling my 5er with the 250. I debated whether to get a dually or not. After speaking to so many people, they said to definitely get the dually. So I did. After our second trip out, I wish I had purchased the F350 SRW. The dually did not seem that much more stable to me. It was no different when trucks would pass. I went from almost 13 miles per gallon while towing to under 10. And since this is my daily ride, it is pretty difficult to find a parking spot in the small parking lots that they make today. Has anyone else felt this way?
Sorry, that you listen to all of the naysayers out there that you must have DRW truck to tow anything.

I will Never Never ever have a Dually truck. I may some day up grade to a 6.7L Cummins Ram 3500 Single wheel truck but never to a dually. I am pulling my 34RL Cedar Creek with a 2008, 2500 Ram 6.7L Mega Cab. I did change out the rims and tires on my truck to Nitto Dura Grapple tires and Mickey Thompson SideBiter II rims. The tires are LT285/70R/17 126R tires which will support a load of 3750 LBS at 80PSI. I run the rear tires at 70 PSI which supports a load of 3415 LBS.
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Old 06-23-2018, 02:03 PM   #13
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Everyone has a different experience and opinion I have a DRW Dodge and would never go back to a SRW to pull a camper. I have owned several F250s and 1/2 ton pickups over the years. ........ going to stir trouble would not go back to a Ford either......

And yes I do back into parking spaces and usually go ahead and fold in the mirrors.


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Old 06-23-2018, 02:04 PM   #14
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If I was going to buy a Cedar Creek 38FBD I would buy a dually but since DW likes the 32RL that we have I’ll keep the SRW Silverado 3500. We have spent $7,000.00 on upgrades on this camper. Everybody has a opinion about Dually or SRW. I could have got a dually when I got the SRW, I ordered the truck from the factory. I tell people to buy what you like, what you can afford. I wouldn’t turn down a new dually but I’m going to keep my deleted SRW for awhile. Best of all I want to see what no payments are like
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Old 06-23-2018, 02:07 PM   #15
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Those with the Ford 6.0 and 6.4 engines, they need to be bullet-proofed before they die on you. There is a whole industry dedicated to bullet-proofing them.
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Old 06-23-2018, 02:14 PM   #16
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I went from a short bed 2500 Ram to a long bed Ford F350. Ram payload was borderline and was in shop 22 times in 4 yrs. Had a bad one I guess. Got a Ford F350 long bed SRW because that was what I needed. If I would have needed a dually I would have bought one. Long bed allows more storage which I needed. Mileage is weaker. Interior of Ford was huge vs Ram. I'm 6'6". V8 doesn't push as far into foot area as I-6 Cummins. Buy what you need. Or buy what you want.
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Old 06-23-2018, 02:17 PM   #17
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Tastes Great.

Less filling.

Tastes Great.

Less filling.
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Old 06-23-2018, 03:00 PM   #18
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I bought a dually because I didn't want to be limited when we purchase a 5th wheel in about a year. Besides the extra payload you also have an extra tire in case of a flat or blow out. The stability is improved over a SRW towing a big 5th wheel, no doubt, it's physics. I enjoy driving mine and get 19-20 mpg @ 70 mph. Combined I get about 17, city I don't know probably 14. I have noticed other drivers get out of your way and don't pull out in front of you.
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Old 06-23-2018, 03:07 PM   #19
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Payload.

The rest is jibber jabber (remember Boston Legal?).........
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Old 06-23-2018, 03:10 PM   #20
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I pull 14,000# at 43' with an F350 SRW CC 6.7. I travel lots of mountains and interstates. I'm still waiting to feel any instability! Had a dually, affectionately named PIA. ONE and DONE. If you need they payload is the only reason I can see to torture yourself!
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