DRW or SRW?

[wvpolekat]

I will keep that in mind, Chris. I don't want you to think I am blowing you off.

But, at the end of the day, it is going to come down to what I find that has the features I want for a price I like. Your input has allowed me to not automatically discount SRW trucks. When I first started looking, I was not even looking at them. But, the DRW trucks on the market outnumber the SRW trucks by at least 5 to 1.

 

[ModMech]

Unless you are carrying HEAVY loads or pulling a heavily loaded GN trailer frequently, SRW is the only way to go IMO.

DRWs will cost you 50% more in tires and with the cost of new tires no-a-days, that HURTS! You will also have a larger fuel bill, generally significantly so, with a DRW over the same truck in SRW. Those extra tires add rolling resistance (sidewalls) and the fender flares add areodynamic drag, plus they sit higher so you need to punch a larger (taller and wider) hole thru the air.

Those that I know with DRWs bought them to use them for WORK, heavy daily work.

Diesel vs gas....

GAS. Since you appear to be in the used market, you will pay a huge premium for a diesel over a gas truck like for like. Yes, the diesel will get better mileage but the fuel and maintenance cost more so it's almost a dead heat unless you drive like 30,000 miles every year.

Gas engines of today make about 30% more power than the biggest engines of even 15 years ago and will pull anything the truck can handle and do it faster with less fuel than those older trucks could as well.

If you just want a diesel, go for it, but don't expect to do it on any sort of budget unless you get lucky.

 

[Diamondpilot]

I will keep that in mind, Chris. I don't want you to think I am blowing you off.

But, at the end of the day, it is going to come down to what I find that has the features I want for a price I like. Your input has allowed me to not automatically discount SRW trucks. When I first started looking, I was not even looking at them. But, the DRW trucks on the market outnumber the SRW trucks by at least 5 to 1.

That is fuuny you say the DRW trucks out number the SRW trucks. I am sure that is true in your area but in my area there are tons of SRW F-350's and Dodge 3500's. There are some SRW GM 3500's but they are not a popular.

I am guess its regional. The dealers and customers have figured out what a great deal SRW 1 tons are over a 3/4 ton. The duallys that are available around here are run to the ground. Being from Norther Indiana boat and camper transport is a big industry. These guys love duallys and run them to the ground then trade them.

Chris

 

[wvpolekat]

The Ford gas options are the 5.4 and the 6.8. The 5.4 is way undersized for a one ton truck empty, let alone with 10,000+ lbs behind it. 6.8 (which I have now) works, but you pay for it at the pump and on the hills. With my camper and all associated stuff, I have been to the floor and down to <25 mph at the top of a long hill. One in PA in particular on the way to one of our favorite campgrounds. Mileage while towing is well into single digits. A 1 MPG difference is a 10% gain at those levels, doesn't take much to make up the difference in fuel costs and break even and even get ahead on that.

As for the price premium for diesel, I am going to have to disagree with you there. 1st, gas 1 ton trucks are like hens teeth, just aren't that many out there. The ones that are out there, are cheap because nobody wants them because they are dogs.

I don't know about gas offerings in the other lines.

Cost of tires is no big deal. Talking about adding $300-400 every 4-5 years to cost of ownership. At least at the rate I go through tires.

The only real pause that I am having about DRW is driving in snow. But, I suspect it will be better than my 2wd pig now at any rate.

I am not financing this, so the only difference in cost is upfront, no interest on the difference in cost. Which, by my math is a pretty significant difference.

The people I know in the RV world universally recommend DRW purely for stability when towing 5th wheels.

 

[flusher]

The Ford gas options are the 5.4 and the 6.8. The 5.4 is way undersized for a one ton truck empty, let alone with 10,000+ lbs behind it. 6.8 (which I have now) works, but you pay for it at the pump and on the hills. With my camper and all associated stuff, I have been to the floor and down to <25 mph at the top of a long hill. One in PA in particular on the way to one of our favorite campgrounds. Mileage while towing is well into single digits. A 1 MPG difference is a 10% gain at those levels, doesn't take much to make up the difference in fuel costs and break even and even get ahead on that.

As for the price premium for diesel, I am going to have to disagree with you there. 1st, gas 1 ton trucks are like hens teeth, just aren't that many out there. The ones that are out there, are cheap because nobody wants them because they are dogs.

I don't know about gas offerings in the other lines.

Cost of tires is no big deal. Talking about adding $300-400 every 4-5 years to cost of ownership. At least at the rate I go through tires.

The only real pause that I am having about DRW is driving in snow. But, I suspect it will be better than my 2wd pig now at any rate.

I am not financing this, so the only difference in cost is upfront, no interest on the difference in cost. Which, by my math is a pretty significant difference.

The people I know in the RV world universally recommend DRW purely for stability when towing 5th wheels.

Right now I'm looking at the 3-valve 5.4L Triton in an F250 3/4 ton.
300hp, 365 lb-ft torque with 80% below 2000 rpm, 10,500 lb towing.
Seems like a pretty strong engine to me.

 

[wvpolekat]

Right now I'm looking at the 3-valve 5.4L Triton in an F250 3/4 ton.
300hp, 365 lb-ft torque with 80% below 2000 rpm, 10,500 lb towing.
Seems like a pretty strong engine to me.

I drove one last year, and after driving my v-10 it was awful. Guess it depends on what your goals are. With 10,500 behind that motor, hills won't be any fun. Maybe in the flat lands it would be ok.

 

[Diamondpilot]

Right now I'm looking at the 3-valve 5.4L Triton in an F250 3/4 ton.
300hp, 365 lb-ft torque with 80% below 2000 rpm, 10,500 lb towing.
Seems like a pretty strong engine to me.

I agree with wvpolekat. While the 5.4 is a good motor it is no match for a 1 ton truck. The V-10 is a good fit but that 5.4 does not match up. It should have never seen a SuperDuty chassis and stayed in the 1/2 tons only.

Chris

 

[JCB]

Polecat,

I've got an 2wd dually flatbed work truck and its a beast. Someone had mentioned that DRW's don't make good daily drivers. Take that to heart. DRW's are fine as work trucks, but if 90% of my miles were daily driver, I'd much rather go with SRW and take it easy when towing a heavy load.

DRW's are lousy on slick surfaces. In the winter I usually chain up when on site off road. It's worth noting that chaining the only outside wheels works on flat surfaces. Off road once the wheels spin, the inner wheels can prevent the outers chains from sinking down and biting. If you take off a set of wheels and go to chains on a SRW you'll go just about anywhere. Extremely inconvenient, but you'll get home.

DRW is nice, but has some real daily drawbacks.

 

[Diamondpilot]

One other thing I remember after reading the last post on why I did not like driving the dually around was pot holes. Here in Indiana we have lots of them and on narrow county roads it made it about impossible to miss them. You have twice as wide of a track and with only so wide of a road you have very little room to maneuver left and right to avoid them. This lead to a ride that would beat you to death, especially empty. Put 2,000# in the bed and it was a little better.

Chris

 

[Skyco]

I have to discount the stability talk...I have an F350 SRW, well I spent big bucks on an Arrowcraft duallie kit. I had a 3000 lb slide in camper figured the DRW would be safer, realizing a blown rear tire on the SRW would likely mean a rollover.
Well guess what? I could tell no difference in stability between DRW and SRW. Most of the body roll is due to springs, not tires on the ground compressing, at least thats my theory. I eventually sold the camper and the DRW kit and would never own a DRW truck, unless the whole truck was as wide as the back to get the extra cubic ft capacity. That I'd go for but the current DRWs..not for me. YMMV yada yada...JMHO, my 2 cents etc..