Cyclone 4000
- Thread starter Brandi
- Start date
jimtoo
Moderator
Hi Brandi,
Welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum and hopefully to the family. We have a great bunch of folks here with lots of information and all willing to share their knowledge when needed.
Lots of folks pull with a single wheel 350. You will probably be close to weight limits.
I'm sure we will get some more opinions from our other members also.
Enjoy the forum and think of all the great Heartlanders you could meet at a rally.
Jim M
Welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum and hopefully to the family. We have a great bunch of folks here with lots of information and all willing to share their knowledge when needed.
Lots of folks pull with a single wheel 350. You will probably be close to weight limits.
I'm sure we will get some more opinions from our other members also.
Enjoy the forum and think of all the great Heartlanders you could meet at a rally.
Jim M
alex00
Well-known member
The 4000 is the same trailer I am looking at. Since my current truck (2005 Dodge 3500 DRW) is about 2000 pounds shy of the 4000's 18K GVWR, we are shopping for a new 3500. I can't quote Ford of GM's specs, but I know to be within limits I'll need the dually Ram 3500. The single rear wheel 2500 and 3500 top out in the high 17Ks for trailer GVWR. Reading the forum, plenty of people are towing with single rear wheel trucks. I would rather be way over the limit of my truck, than a shade below. Will a single rear wheel tow the 4000? Yes. Will it do it safely? Probably. Just be aware that all 2500s (or 3500s) are not created equal. Engine, transmission, rear end, cab and bed length all add or subtract from the towing capability. The numbers can swing by 10,000 pounds with some manufacturers based on the selected options.
It's a very loaded question with many variables. We found out the hard way after we bought our truck. At least you are asking these questions beforehand. Keep asking and learning, because this is vitally important.
To find the answer to that, you need to find out what the towing specs and gross combined vehicle weight rating are for your truck. That info depends on the year, model, any tow packages, and the rear axle ratio of the truck, plus having a dually may increase tow capacity. Having a dually primarily provides more stability.
Find the max gross combined vehicle weight rating for the truck, and the pin weight capacity specs. More than likely, the 4000 is too heavy for an SRW 350, but you won't know for sure until you find out the truck's specs. Also, is this truck gas or diesel? Gas can't compare to the power of a diesel for climbing hills. And many people will tell you that an SRW doesn't offer enough braking capacity to stop a 14,000+ lb. rig.
Once you find out what the specs are for your truck's year, make, model, and any tow package, take the truck and weigh it with you and anyone/anything that will go camping - hubby, coolers, pets, kids, etc. Subtract that number from the gross combined vehicle weight rating. This is what's left for tow capacity, but remember to check pin weight also.
We have a 2003 F-350, SRW, turbo diesel 6.4L with 20,000 GCVW,. The 4000 would be way too heavy for our truck. We are considering the Torque models instead as they lighter.
oscar
Well-known member
Someone said it above: Even if within weight limits, a dually provides stability, which means a more comfortable and less fatiguing drive. Our dually with Cyclone 4100 runs like a train on rails. When trucks pass me or vice versa I don't have to steer in or away. I just keep on straight.
Then there is the redundancy of having four tires. Lose one, you have 75% left, and at least one on each corner. Lose a drive tire on a single and your truck is a poorly balanced tricycle.
There are disadvantages. Buying tires is 50% more expensive. And, when not towing parking that fat rear is a little more cumbersome.
Me, I will never go back to single.
Then there is the redundancy of having four tires. Lose one, you have 75% left, and at least one on each corner. Lose a drive tire on a single and your truck is a poorly balanced tricycle.
There are disadvantages. Buying tires is 50% more expensive. And, when not towing parking that fat rear is a little more cumbersome.
Me, I will never go back to single.
I'm pulling my 3914 cyclone with an older Dodge 3500 diesel dually and it's definitely over the trucks GCVW, the weak link is the transmission so i take it easy and watch my temps. I had a disconnect between the truck and trailer brakes once but didn't have any trouble bringing it to a normal stop. I think the thing to remember is no matter what you can't bring that much weight to a stop on a dime and expect 9 cents change. Even my dump truck with air brakes requires a little planning ahead if I need to stop. As far as the DRW vs the SRW I prefer the DRW, I have pulled with both and I like the stability of the duals, not as much tire roll under load. I'm looking at different truck specs now with the intent of replacing my current truck in the near future but I'm not in any big rush.
I've driven a 1 ton dually without computer stability control. My Ford F-150 with factory equipped trailer tow package and computer controlled stability gives just as stable a ride.
That's just my experience. Others may find different.
I would only recommend a dually when required for rear axle max. load capacity.
Oscar - we have close to the same setup. 2014 4100 and 2013 Duramax Dually. Awesome ride.
DesertThumper
Well-known member
Hi Brandi. My wife and I went through many days and nights thinking about your questions you have listed too recently. Everyone seems to be in line with the concerns we all have about weight = safety. I had a RAM 2500 SRW 2012 Mega Cab until last week when we finally came to a decision to trade it in for a DRW RAM 3500. Even though my Sales Guy at the RV Dealer said it is fine I just felt not right and kept looking at the trailer we just bought and the current Ram 2500 SRW. I would rather have more weight ratings available for safety and additional load in the truck if needed then be over the limit = always worrying when towing. We purchased a Road Warrior 400W 43Ft, 3000LBS hitch weight, 18,000LBS max, plus the external tank, hitch, items, humans in the truck weight to add to the total weight. Cyclone is the same as the Road Warrior. the difference is the bells and whistles inside. Lots of weight going down the highway. We did the shuffle and buying within the last two weeks. Hope this helps you and your family.
Nitehawk79
Member
You can also check this website out: http://www.automatedsafetyhitch.com/ this was in the latest Heartland news letter.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
scottyb
Well-known member
Brandi, I pulled my 4100 for 4500 mi with a SRW 3500 Chevy. Now I have pulled it for about 3500 mi with my F350 dually. I can tell you that the difference in stability is astounding. It is like night and day, not to mention the safety factor and redundancy of having 4 tires in back. The SRW pulled it fine, but it was down right scary in any amount of a cross wind.
I am in the same situation right now, I feel in love with the 4000 and am now on a quest for an affordable vehicle to tow it. What I have found so far is that not all vehicles and makes are created equal and that finding a truck that can tow the 4000 legally and responsibly is hard. I found a 2006 F-450 that can tow 21,500. You would think your set. But once I found out it weighed 16,000 fully loaded I was disappointed (had a hauler bed). Of the 30,000 GCVW 16000 of that was the truck leaving only 14000 of the 21,500 available to tow a trailer. Could it pull the 4000? Yes. If an accident happened would I be found liable to not being in compliance with the specs? You betcha. I value my family and others lives more than brushing it off and saying that it will work because others do it.
Just some food for thought.
Just some food for thought.
jimtoo
Moderator
Hi ArmyGuy,
Welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum and hopefully to the family. We have a great bunch of folks here with lots of information and all willing to share their knowledge when needed.
I'm sure some of our other members will jump in soon with opinions to hopefully help out.
Enjoy the forum.
Jim M
Welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum and hopefully to the family. We have a great bunch of folks here with lots of information and all willing to share their knowledge when needed.
I'm sure some of our other members will jump in soon with opinions to hopefully help out.
Enjoy the forum.
Jim M
Yes, you are right. And this is precisely why we have decided not to go with any of the the big, heavy rigs. It's just getting into too much money to buy a medium-duty truck, plus the cost of the RV. Instead we are looking at the Torque toy haulers and other lighter, but still well insulated, fifth wheels.
SRW or DRW wouldn't make any difference in the RAMs. The brakes are the same.
Legally? How so? By the door sticker? That's not necissarily a condition for recreational vehicles to be "legal". Many states, if not most actually, don't have a door sticker law unless you are commercial. The FEDS leave it to the states. That's why you never see or hear of an RV pulled over at a weigh station.
Liability doesn't come down to compliance with the manufactures specs. It's about negligence. Will it contribute to a case IF a lawsuit is brought? It MAY sure, but there's far more to it than that simple matter, and to suggest otherwise is passing misinformation. Being underweight doesn’t exclude you from the lawsuit. A lawsuit is every bit as likely to come about, and negligence (on many fronts) will be the main argument. Lawsuits can be brought for any reason.
DesertThumper
Well-known member
Hi everyone. New members here. This is our third trailer and truck setup we owned for the last 20 years not including tandom utility trailers as well. I read everyone's threads, replies etc on a daily basis. Great information and topics here. What I see quite a bit are threads that I read here is just common sense and diligence. We have never had any issues including tires since day one. Setup your complete rig for longevity and don't cut corners in general terms. If your going to invest into something your passionate with and enioy, do it right and get what you need. It is an investment. I see a lack of confidence when pulling the trigger, safety parameters = proper setup. Do your walk around process around the entire vehicle and go the speed limit at 55 mph. I see fellow fvers on the highway all the time rushing around and thinking to myself why are they in such a rush to get to their destination while the seasoned rvers are keeping it safe and in a single file line just like most 18 wheeler rigs... You can reduce your worries and concerns. Just wanted to put my two cents out there.
