She wants the Heartland Sundance 3400 5th wheel. It's GVWR is 14000 lbs. It's dry weight (I know - doesn't mean a whole lot) is around 10500 lbs. We are eyeing a 3500 SRW S/B. She is wary of the longer/wider vehicle.
2500 vs 3500 SRW
- Thread starter LanceR
- Start date
EPaulikonis
Well-known member
My spouse was the same way...until she sat behind the wheel of our 2015 Ram 3500 4X4 long-bed. Took ~1 week to get used to the hips, but it actually helped get us ready for towing. The trailer is that wide anyway, so now we're used to the width of the truck and it helped eliminate some of the stress of trailering. Also confident knowing my truck can safely handle my current rig and can handle up to 24K if we choose to look for a bigger 5er. Trucks are too expensive to make a decision that has you back at the dealership, either the truck or the trailer, paying out regrets.
Bohemian
Well-known member
//heartlandowners.org/showthread.ph...-Towing-Specifications?highlight=towing+specs
My own experience with owning a long bed dually since January is that the length of the long bed is more to deal with than the width of the dually. The greatest problem, more important than either of those, is driving a pickup rather than a car and not having the best rear view, even with a rear view camera. These are just things we need to adapt to in order to enjoy the traveling life of pulling a trailer. You are going to be most comfortable in the long run if you don't have too little truck and need to sweat the trips every time. My dually is easy to drive and very comfortable to drive. I had my doubts. Those are completely gone. I am extremely happy that I chose the long bed dually that is capable of pulling the 16,000 5th wheel trailer we will be pulling. I know we will be comfortable and safe.
My own experience with owning a long bed dually since January is that the length of the long bed is more to deal with than the width of the dually. The greatest problem, more important than either of those, is driving a pickup rather than a car and not having the best rear view, even with a rear view camera. These are just things we need to adapt to in order to enjoy the traveling life of pulling a trailer. You are going to be most comfortable in the long run if you don't have too little truck and need to sweat the trips every time. My dually is easy to drive and very comfortable to drive. I had my doubts. Those are completely gone. I am extremely happy that I chose the long bed dually that is capable of pulling the 16,000 5th wheel trailer we will be pulling. I know we will be comfortable and safe.
avvidclif
Well-known member
It shows the empty pin weight at 15.5% and if that follows out to a max load (13,800) you would have ~2150lbs on the rear axle. That's well within the capability of a 3500 SRW. It's a nice looking trailer but I have one comment. If you watch much TV you will have a sore neck, it's at a 90 deg angle to the seating. My 2 cents worth.
dieseldoug
Member
while extrapolating pin weight is certainly a reasonable "first cut" approximation (I've done it), it may not be a good indictor of loaded pin weight (as I have found out too). it would be best to understand where the water tanks and storage locations are (with respect to the axles). nothing beats a scale, but if you need to stay theoretical the next best is to just multiply the anticipated additional weight by the percentage of its location/distance from axle to pin. for example, suppose you have an 80 gallon water tank located just in front of the axle, centered (say) 20% of the distance from axle to pin:
75 lbs of water is 625 lbs, sitting 20% of the distance from axle to pin. This means 500 lbs sits on the axle and 125 lbs. on the pin
75 lbs of water is 625 lbs, sitting 20% of the distance from axle to pin. This means 500 lbs sits on the axle and 125 lbs. on the pin
Bohemian
Well-known member
You still need to add in the weight of the hitch, and anything else you put in the truck, in it's bed, or on it's roof. Plus, you are more likely to have a higher percentage of weight on the pin when loaded. A properly chosen 3500 SRW should do, but pay attention to the detailed specs of the truck you buy.
JohnD
Moved on to the next thing...
When I bought my 2500HD last fall, it was closer to a $6000 price difference between a 3500HD . . . then add another $8000 for diesel . . . . and even more to add duallies.
If I had gone 3500HD dually diesel (which I didn't need at the time, and still don't now) . . . it would have been roughly $25,000 more!
Bohemian
Well-known member
The price difference between two otherwise identical 2500 and 3500 is about $1000.00. Diesel is expensive and not worth it for only occasional trips. The advantage of diesel is that the power comes on at a lower RPM. More power available at low RPM. Lower RPM on the highway when towing. Which also means more engine braking power.
Bob&Patty
Founders of SoCal Chapter
John, I was refering to difference between a 3500HD D/A SRW and a DRW. The price depends on the goodies added to the base truck. Yes John, a D/A combo is 8K more than a gasser, but the pulling power is way more than a gas engine and you don't get the exhaust brake. The D/A adds a lot more GVWR to the truck.
BTW, whats wrong with your W/Shield and the radio?
BTW, whats wrong with your W/Shield and the radio?
JohnD
Moved on to the next thing...
Well . . . seems it doesn't take much to crack the windshield on these new GM trucks . . .
Just about every other 2015 Chevy truck I see on the road has a cracked windshield . . . including mine!
And the stereo . . . doesn't play MP3 files worth a diddly . . . good thing it was one of the last GM vehicles to actually still have a CD player in it (early 2015 model year is is the end of the line for them in all GM vehicles).
Plus, to make matters worse, all four speakers are blown . . . and I haven't had a chance to crank them up as they started sounding bad a couple of weeks after I got the truck!
They already 'fixed' the stereo once by downloading a firmware update . . . which did nothing.
When I take it in to get the hail dings fixed next month, they are supposed to replace the stereo and speakers.
I'll let you know!
dieseldoug
Member
Some good sense here - if the question is about 3500 SRW vs DRW for a 14,000 lb. trailer, there's just no beating the stability built into the dually, even though a 3500 SRW will be within its weight limits. Some folks have limitations and need a SRW truck -- and the new ones especially are impressive in terms of hauling and towing capacity. Not many years ago you would simply not find a 7,000 lb axle on a SRW truck, but now you can. Today's 3500 DRWs are extraordinary in their pin weight capacity and GCWR -- competition especially between Ford and Dodge has resulted in some crazy awesome capability out there, unheard of 10 years ago.
All that aside, what amuses me is when folks take the "you can never have too much truck" too far and end up with a semi tractor, when a 3500 DRW is plenty.
Bones
Well-known member
Your last line made me chuckle
JohnD
Moved on to the next thing...
My wife is planning on removing the TVs.
Why???
That would be like me telling Cathy that I was going to take out the stove . . .
I could take out the stove, too. She's gonna wanna cook outside anyway. If hotel rooms didn't come with a TV, she'd be ecstatic. I really think that my wife perceives the RV to be a hotel room on wheels. We will get to travel the country and share its beauty with our three girls.
Why???
That would be like me telling Cathy that I was going to take out the stove . . .
Randor
Active Member
Depending on the price difference, you may want to go with either. Not knowing what I didn't know, I bought a 37' TT to pull behind my F150 a year ago. By my calculations it was the biggest my truck would pull and stop safely. After a week, I realized the truck was really at its limit and since I was headed for the hills of Colorado I should probably upgrade. Sooooo - I purchased a F250 and it handled the 37' TT like it wasn't even attached. 6 months later and life changes, I purchased a 45' Cyclone 5'er. It grosses out at 20,000#. The truck will certainly pull it, but by my calculations it won't safely stop it, and there are stability issues with the weight transfer when braking. That left me with a couple of options - buy a F350 after only 6 months with the 250, or some research led me to the Automated Safety Hitch. I decided to go with the Safety Hitch, even though it runs about $12,000. JohnD did some calculations a couple of posts up, and I came up with about the same numbers except I already had the diesel. Knowing what I know now up front, I probably would have gotten a F350 to start off with. However, the Safety Hitch has some benefits and I would consider getting one (keeping this one) if I did have a F350:
1 - Weight doesn't transfer to the TV when braking which makes for a very stable TV under adverse conditions. The nose of the TV doesn't get light and handling doesn't change.
2 - There is no sway on the TV since the load is on a separate axle.
3 - The bed of the truck is free for stuff. I am considering putting on a shell since I don't need the bed open for the hitch.
4 - I love that the wheels on the hitch steer to the outside of the turn at slow speeds giving more clearance on the inside of the turn.
5 - Great support from the company and enjoyed my visit with Joe and his crew.
Lots of options for you, all of which have a price tag attached to them. The one thing I wouldn't do though, is compromise on safety and get a TV or setup that will just "get by" like I did initially.
1 - Weight doesn't transfer to the TV when braking which makes for a very stable TV under adverse conditions. The nose of the TV doesn't get light and handling doesn't change.
2 - There is no sway on the TV since the load is on a separate axle.
3 - The bed of the truck is free for stuff. I am considering putting on a shell since I don't need the bed open for the hitch.
4 - I love that the wheels on the hitch steer to the outside of the turn at slow speeds giving more clearance on the inside of the turn.
5 - Great support from the company and enjoyed my visit with Joe and his crew.
Lots of options for you, all of which have a price tag attached to them. The one thing I wouldn't do though, is compromise on safety and get a TV or setup that will just "get by" like I did initially.
avvidclif
Well-known member
My thoughts exactly. If I wanted to sit in a recliner and watch TV I could have stayed home and saved money. But it does make a decent babysitter on rainy days.
avvidclif
Well-known member
I like the idea of the safety hitch however I am curious about the over all length, truck, hitch, and rv as some states max out at 65'. My setup with a 38' RV is 53' with just the TV and RV.
Randor
Active Member
That is a great question, and one that concerned me as well. With a F250, 45' RV and the Safety Hitch adding about 3 feet to the overall length, I am running about 66' - 67' in total length. I mentioned my concerns to Joe Jamison, the inventor and owner of the Safety Hitch Company, and he pulled a letter out of the packet of stuff he gave me. That letter goes into detail about how the hitch is a safety device and by both U.S. and Canadian law, any device used for the purpose of safety and stability of the vehicle is not counted toward any over all length of the vehicle. He said to keep it in the glove box and present it if questioned about length. He has only had a couple of reports of people getting questioned and those were all in certain Provinces in Canada - all were allowed to go on their way after showing the letter. I will try to scan the letter and post it here when I get home tonight.
