What 2014 diesel truck and SRW or DRW ?

[thirdtimeround]

Ok Gang, I'm looking to buy a new Heartland Cyclone 3110 toy hauler. I'm wondering 2 things ,SRW or DRW. I'll be using the toy hauler about 2 months of the year and I hate to be driving a DRW the other 10 months. That said I'd appreciate some feedback from real users of same rigs. Now to open a hornets nest, GM , FORD , DODGE Diesel truck? Thanks for your input. Mike

 

[danemayer]

Hi thirdtimearound,

Welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum. This is a great place to get answers to questions like yours because there's a great bunch of friendly and helpful people hanging out here.

Looking at the Cyclone 3110 weights on the Heartlandrvs.com website, it shows a GVWR of 16,000 and a pin weight of 2,600. That's about the same as our Landmark which our 2011 GMC 3500 SRW longbed crewcab tows very nicely. The towing capacity of the GMC 3500 SRW goes up to about 16,700 and the payload is a little over 4,000 which will allow your pin weight to actually run in the low to mid 3000s without overloading the truck.

I'm sure a lot of people will recommend a duallie for better stability, increased margin on the rear axle, and increased towing capacity. Those are important considerations, especially if there's any possibility that you might move up to a larger toy hauler in the future.

As to which brand is best, the only thing I'd suggest is that you check the towing capacity and payload spec on the exact truck you're considering. Without mentioning any names, I'll just say that sometimes you can get skunked on a particular configuration.

 

[dbylinski]

Glad to see you got your question out there Mike. Nice emailing back and forth with you. Have fun on the forum!


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[thirdtimeround]

Hi Dan, What kind of fuel mileage towing? You using DEF and what ratio per miles towing? What gear ratio? I will not be going bigger as I have a 40' garage and like to store indoors when not in use. Thanks Mike

 

[danemayer]

Hi Dan, What kind of fuel mileage towing? You using DEF and what ratio per miles towing? What gear ratio? I will not be going bigger as I have a 40' garage and like to store indoors when not in use. Thanks Mike

Towing on relatively level routes I get a bit over 11mpg (U.S.). In the Colorado mountains it's 9 - 9.5. I typically drive 55 - 60 mph. DEF is about 1 Gallon/1000 miles. 3.73 rear axle. Duramax/Allison.

 

[dbbls59]

GM, Ford and Dodge are all nice trucks and any one of them will serve you well. Get the one that you like the best, not what someone else likes the best. I debated about whether to get a dually or not. The deciding factor for me was the rear of the dually was 2 inches lower than the SRW. I have not regretted getting a dually but it is not a daily driver as I am retired. It makes towing a dream as I never notice cross winds.

 

[MCTalley]

Pulling two months out of the year, I'd definitely go with a SRW. Though I'm a Ford guy, any of the big three would do you well. End of model year pricing is good right now, as well.

 

[mobilcastle]

I run a dually longbed extended cab and I like how it tows but it is not a daily driver. The SRW I am sure would do the job. Welcome to the forum-there are a great bunch of people here!!!!

 

[thirdtimeround]

Thanks to all of you, would like to hear more. Watched a You Tube segment of ''Fast Lane truck'' last night of a 2013 Dodge Diesel 3500 pulling a 17000k horse trailer up a 6% incline and it appeared to be struggling 42mph . At one point the MPG readout said 3 MPG and his right foot was to the floorboard ! I had a Itasca diesel pusher and got 10-13 MPG with a 300 Cat. I also had a Sprinter Winnebago that got 13-18 MPG. Both had plenty of power. Does it feel like your trucks struggle a bit when towing 16k ?

 

[danemayer]

Thanks to all of you, would like to hear more. Watched a You Tube segment of ''Fast Lane truck'' last night of a 2013 Dodge Diesel 3500 pulling a 17000k horse trailer up a 6% incline and it appeared to be struggling 42mph . At one point the MPG readout said 3 MPG and his right foot was to the floorboard ! I had a Itasca diesel pusher and got 10-13 MPG with a 300 Cat. I also had a Sprinter Winnebago that got 13-18 MPG. Both had plenty of power. Does it feel like your trucks struggle a bit when towing 16k ?

I can't speak to Dodge, but our GMC goes through the Colorado mountains towing 16,150 without struggling.

Btw, most people worry about going up. Going down those long steep grades can be more challenging than going up. You need to control speed without a lot of braking. The Duramax/Allison/Engine Brake combination does a very nice job.

 

[Willym]

Here's a recent test of some HD trucks for your reading pleasure.

http://http://news.pickuptrucks.com/2013/10/the-king-of-beasts-tow-test-is-live.html.

 

[jmgratz]

I have a F350 dually FX4 (4 wheel drive). I don't mind driving it as a daily driver but we also have a Ford Fiesta (40 mpg) and we use that as our daily driver more often than not. If we are traveling close to the house (250 miles or less) the DW follows me with her in the Fiesta and me pulling the 5er with the F350. We communicate on the road with Family Radio walkie-talkies. Works great.

 

[thirdtimeround]

I agree, going down hill can be scary. I went over a mountain pass to get into Idaho with the diesel pusher. When I got to my destination, people were asking you came over that mountain with the RV??? hey it was short cut! I hear Fords exhaust brake is useless. But early release 2015 Ford has many updates like turbo,exhaust brake, no wastegate, stronger block etc. Power is up also 850-900 lbs tq. Appreciate the feedback,Mike

 

[dbbls59]

I hear Fords exhaust brake is useless. Mike

I can assure you from first hand experience that Fords exhaust brake is not useless. It works great on 7% mountain grades.

 

[scottyb]

I can assure you from first hand experience that Fords exhaust brake is not useless. It works great on 7% mountain grades.

I just returned from AZ and found some 7%+ grades. I find my exhaust braking pretty useless on my F350 DRW. I may actually feel a little braking (very little) after the engine hits 3000 RPM, but other than that, only normal engine braking due to compression and downshifting. I drove the same route in my 07 Chevy last year w/o exhaust braking. The new GM's and Dodges truly have exhaust braking that works like they are supposed to. This was not a deal killer for me since my previous trucks never had exhaust braking and I am accustomed to down shifting and using the engines compression to maintain speed. I still love my new Ford, but my previous Duramax / Allison gave me a flawless 186K as well.

 

[mobilcastle]

I have no problem pulling my rig with my Chevy. Exhaust brake works well also.

 

[codycarver]

I can assure you from first hand experience that Fords exhaust brake is not useless. It works great on 7% mountain grades.

Agreed. As long as the tow/haul mode is engaged ours works great.

 

[Ladiver]

I was looking at the CY3110 and opted for the CY3100. I am pulling with a 2013 GMC 3500 LB SRW. Pulls like a dream! (and slows/stops like a dream) This is also my daily driver. In the city I get around 15. When I get on the freeway I get about 19. When I am towing the 3100, I get around 11-12.

Once I get on the freeway, I choose my lane, set my cruise control at 60 and never touch any pedals. The engine brake and cruise work so well together.

As for DEF, it sucks but I have only filled my tank twice in a year. Hardly worth worrying about. It surprises me when someone spends $60K+ on a truck and another $60K+ on a trailer, they complain about 10-11 mpg and $30-45/YEAR for DEF.

Get the truck and trailer and enjoy them.

 

[thirdtimeround]

Appreciating the feedback, keep it coming. With regards to the DEF cost/usage ,just trying to get some real numbers on what is used. Everybody seems to have a different answer. A lot of people I ask on the street have no clue, they just fill it when low! As for the cost, well I remember pulling up to the pumps with a 100 gallon tank and diesel was $5.25 gallon. When I purchased it in 2000 fuel was $1.15. My perspective is, that gets old faster than a heart attack. Thanks Guys,Mike

 

[travis_g]

Ford also has an optional hill decent controller. I didn't get it on my DRW but it might help. I pull a RW415 @ almost 18K and the F350 is a dream from DFW to Durango. It is also my daily driver. Unloaded I get 15-17mpg w/5er 9-11mpg. DEF depends on how you drive her, but I usually run through about a gallon per 1000miles.


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