3455rl or 3570rs & srw vs drw

[Scorekeeper]

We plan to buy a 5er sometime between winter to spring so we can start full timing next Nov. (1.125 years from now, not that we're counting ). We are having trouble deciding which Bighorn (3455 or 3570) to choose since we can't find either one in our area (northern Ohio). They both look great on paper but we can't get the "feel" on paper like we can in person. Any comments from current owners of either model? Also are you pulling with srw or drw? My figures say drw would be best although srw would work, but my heart says a srw would be easiest to sightsee in especially in national parks. Insights? All comments, opinions and especially experiences are appreciated.

 

[jimtoo]

Hi Scorekeeper,

Welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum and hopefully to the family. We have a great bunch of people here with lots of information and willing to share their knowledge when needed.

Personally I would go with the drw. I have one and have never regretted the purchase. I have never found any place that I could not access with my truck, now you may need to park out a little ways and walk. But you will be able to tow just about anything you want.

Enjoy the forum.

Jim M

 

[MTPockets]

We've been travelling 6 months towing with SRW Ford F350, the 3055RL with GVWR less than the units you are interested in. Fully loaded for extended travel, our weight at CAT scale leaves us with only a couple hundred pounds wiggle room. In other words, for full timing, my opinion would be to go for the DRW, otherwise you may end up with too little capacity.

 

[jayc]

I went from a GMC 2500 SRW to my Dodge 3500 DRW and have not regretted it at all. As Jim said, you may have to walk a little bit more at the grocery store or mall, but the extra stability when pulling more than makes up for it.

Good luck with your choice.

 

[NWILSON]

My theory is that the first trailer you buy is the one you want while the second is the one you actually need.
You can pull a smaller trailer with a DRW but you can't pull a larger one with a SRW.

 

[rene_terry]

Morning, Scorekeeper

We researched 5ers for over 2 years before finally deciding which would fit our needs best. We picked up our rig in August and my DH has already begun "re-designing" so when we go F/T in the spring it will be just what we want in our rolling home. We actually found our rig before we had the truck to pick it up. Best piece of advice we received was to have a little more than what would be needed to pull it. So we settled on the drw. DH wasn't 100% excited about that until we hooked up. We live in Oregon, picked up our 5er in Texas and headed for Florida. We were on the road for a little over a month. DH says the drw was the best decision he ever made. We experienced high winds, massive rain storms, narrow streets, major mountains, serious city traffic, even a presidential procession/blockade in Orlando (while we were hooked up). While we may need 2 parking spaces running to the store, I wouldn't trade it for a minute. The only major addition since was installing the Banks Speedbrake system. Having 16M lbs pushing you downhill on a 7% grade was more than a little daunting. He had that braking system installed as soon as we got home. (Now momma's happy.)

Good luck and enjoy the journey...