towing the RW305 dodge 2500 srw

[szewczyk_john]

We saw the larger model at the Pittsburgh RV show and was very impressed. We are considering buying the 305 and I was wondering if anyone can comment on toying with a 2006 dodge mega cab 2500 cummins auto trans single rear wheel? I have heard that some 5th wheels tend to push srw trucks around. with the weight of the 305 plus my victory vision motorcycle (850 lbs), i would still have plenty of weight to be under my tow rating. Is there anyone out there that has experience with this combo? I also have a question about the hitch, the heartland rep stated that I would not need a sliding hitch with the RW, even though the mega cab is a short bed. would you use a 16k or 18 k hitch? The rep made one **** of a sales pitch to me and I really liked the demonstration that he did. Family of 4 and 2 boxers, i think we would like the fit and the oldest is 16, not sure how much longer he'll want to tag along anyway. Give me your thoughts.

 

[lwmcguir]

We tow with both SRW and DRW trucks and always have. If you have proper tires, springs, air bags or other overloads, and the axle/truck is rated for the pin weight you should be fine. We have never had any issues with these light loads (16000 campers) behind us with our SRW trucks (Gas or Diesel). Now with a 30 foot stock trailer loaded with 16 1650 pound cows that is a bit different story. Then you want a DRW truck as you get pushed around a bit.

 

[caissiel]

Here is my experience:

I pulled a 6000Lbs 5th wheel with a 1/4 ton Ranger and was getting some chucking and soft suspension problem and I added one leaf on the rear spring and that truck was very good and comfortable pulling the trailer.
Later I used a GM to pull the same trailer and it was the same thing soft and chucking but I never improved the ride because it realy did not bother me that much.
Later I got a 12K 5th wheel and towed it with a 2500 Gm and it drove like a cadilac, and great in the wind. The ride was so great with 2500 Lbs on the hitch.
I traded for a F250 and the ride was realy unbarable with the same trailer, but this truck had 2 extra leaf on each side and 1 helper spring. I left it that way untill we bought the 3500RL Big Country. The hitch weight is mostly the same so the ride again unbareble and stiff but solid in the wind.

I removed one long ply to take the jar off the rear and it was a smooth ride with the BC it was very comfortable but the trailer was handling the truck and very uncomfortable in the wind.
Then I removed the short additional leaf and reinstalled the long leaf and BINGO. The trailer feals great behind the truck, the truck handles the trailer and the ride is great loaded or unloaded.

What I observed is that without the long ply the main ply was holding all the load close to the pin and was looking like it was bending to much. Because I was told at the springshop that they were replacing a lot of the main plies on these Ford due to failure unloaded in riough roads I chose to use the longer leaf that goes all the way under the pins thus having 2 leafs holding the load and making the connection steadier.

With the added leaf I get 1300Lbs added spring capacity and now the helper spring barely touch the anchors, thus giving me extra support for rough roads and stability .

I see a lot of 5th wheels pulled with 1/2 tons and trucks with added air bags. Some with the rear higher then the front, it looks bad with a load and all that to keep the light aimed right. I feel that the springs have to be tight in order to prevent the housing to move causing vibrations that I is felt as chucking.
With my Ranger I felt the housing move that created the chucking and fixed it with additional ply to keep the housing solid. The Diesel GM though it held the load also give me some shucking and I isolated it to the housing mouving on it to. The 2500 with more leafs load was the answer to the problem. The F250 never had less than one additional leaf and I never experienced any chucking. All this experience was with the same 5th wheel hitch setup.

 

[Mike Aplin]

That is some very interesting information. We really enjoy all of the feedback here in the forum. Keep it coming. Take care, Mike

 

[Mike Aplin]

Thank you for your kinds words from the show regarding the 305RW. I really enjoyed showing you around the many features, benefits, and industry firsts of our RW product. I have had several current owners who pull with the Mega Cab Dodge without needing the slilder hitch. Will some of you care to chime in on this for us? Thanks, Mike

 

[Vtxkid]

We have a 2500 Duramax SRW that pulls our Cyclone 3010 with ease... I did choose to install air bags in the rear only to ensure it stays level front to rear since it is a toy hauler and the weight can change based on my VTX in the rear, etc. With the Firestone air bags installed, the ride is great! I would say that our truck is a perfect match for the 3010 (same floor plan as the 305). As far as the hitch. We had the 16K hitch slider installed and to be honest, have never used the slider portion of the hitch. And thats with a CC with the 6.5 bed too. You shouldn't have any problems pulling that RV with a non-slider hitch if thats what you decide.

 

[szewczyk_john]

We have decided to buy the 305. I want to install the firestone air bags as well. We decided on the slider hitch just to have the piece of mind. Cant wait for our first trip which will be to Martinsville VA first week of April.

 

[Vtxkid]

Congrats on the new purchase and hope you enjoy your new 305!!!

 

[BruteForce]

Air bags, auto-sliding hitch and SRW Ram, you'll do just fine! Congrats on the purchase. We love our RW395..but are really liking at the new 361 floor plan.

 

[Birchwood]

I had an 07 Dodge 2500 SRW 2WD long bed cummins with an added leaf .For a few months I used it
to haul my Landmark and it did the job quite well.Lots of power and the truck sit level (with the leaf added).
Stopping was the real problem as I had to rely on the braking systems .My Landmark has a pin weight
of 2300 lbs(unloaded) and that puts my Dodge over its GVWR .No sure of the consequences
if I caused an accident with the vehicle being overloaded so I sold the truck.

 

[Mike Aplin]

It was great meeting you at the Pittsburg show. I would like for some of our current owners who tow with the Mega Cab to chime in here as I have had several of you tell me in the past that the Mega Cab worked just fine without the slider hitch. Also, I would suggest going with the larger 18K hitch. That way you will always have the correct size hitch in case you ever decide to go with a larger size unit of mine in the future. Take care, Mike