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Suite Sweets · 06-01-2019, 04:33 PM

Gentlemen: I post this update not to start a verbal joust, but for the value to any others in the same quandary as I.

Notanlines - thanks for the lead to RVUSA. They had exactly the information I needed.

Porkchop - When I finally identified the unit to purchase, the original owner claimed not to know the pin weight. I found, trying to get the info from a dealer was an exercise in futility (not just for pin weight - for anything).

Wingnut - You were right. The tires were the weak link, and easily corrected. I run 20" tires and got two new ones for the rear, rated for 4050 per tire. Loaded and weighed at the scale, with wife, dog and me, we're at 8200 lbs. I'm comfortable with that.

Here are the specifics
Rated for Actual weight
Truck front axle 5600 5300
Truck rear axle 7000 8200
Towing 14,800 18,000 (this is with 2,000 lbs
on the hitch. Parked, trailer
weighs 20,000
Tires (2) on rear 8100 8200
Tires (2) on front 7500 5300
GVWR 11,500 13,500
GCVWR 26,300 31,500

OCB - I've read elsewhere (and can't remember where) that 3 axle trailers have a lower pin weight than 2 axle trailers of the same approximate lengths. Pin weight on my trailer is 3600 lbs.

My Redwood was a 2 axle with drum brakes. That was an obscenity on the road. It shows just how little the NHTSA does to protect our safety. Whatever stopping I did was thanks to the great brakes on the F-350. (And yes, I tried new trailer brakes and had the brakes checked by two knowledgeable and proven shops.) The 43' DRV, with 3 axles and disc brakes are f-a-n-t-a-s-t-i-c in comparison. When those brakes begin to clamp onto the disc, the driver knows it.

Handling - I drive at 55. When the wind is blowing, I drop my speed.
The truck has a 3.74 rear end. Lowest ratio on a DWR Ford is 4.10. I get 12 MPG on flat land (Louisiana), no wind. Typical driving is 9.6 MPG (Virginia to northern Maine, driving through mountains of Pennsylvania on 81, 84, and 95. I also have Timbrins, which keeps the bed level with the trailer, and the trailer pulls level.

Would I like DRW ? yes. But that's a big bullet to bite at the same time as a trailer. We all make our own cost/benefit calculations. We all choose to save someplace. I like the SRW we've got, and I'm comfortable with how it handles the 5th wheel. When it's time to replace the truck, if we still have the trailer, we'll decide then, what to do.

06-01-2019, 04:33 PM	#15
Suite Sweets Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2016 Posts: 107	Gentlemen: I post this update not to start a verbal joust, but for the value to any others in the same quandary as I. Notanlines - thanks for the lead to RVUSA. They had exactly the information I needed. Porkchop - When I finally identified the unit to purchase, the original owner claimed not to know the pin weight. I found, trying to get the info from a dealer was an exercise in futility (not just for pin weight - for anything). Wingnut - You were right. The tires were the weak link, and easily corrected. I run 20" tires and got two new ones for the rear, rated for 4050 per tire. Loaded and weighed at the scale, with wife, dog and me, we're at 8200 lbs. I'm comfortable with that. Here are the specifics Rated for Actual weight Truck front axle 5600 5300 Truck rear axle 7000 8200 Towing 14,800 18,000 (this is with 2,000 lbs on the hitch. Parked, trailer weighs 20,000 Tires (2) on rear 8100 8200 Tires (2) on front 7500 5300 GVWR 11,500 13,500 GCVWR 26,300 31,500 OCB - I've read elsewhere (and can't remember where) that 3 axle trailers have a lower pin weight than 2 axle trailers of the same approximate lengths. Pin weight on my trailer is 3600 lbs. My Redwood was a 2 axle with drum brakes. That was an obscenity on the road. It shows just how little the NHTSA does to protect our safety. Whatever stopping I did was thanks to the great brakes on the F-350. (And yes, I tried new trailer brakes and had the brakes checked by two knowledgeable and proven shops.) The 43' DRV, with 3 axles and disc brakes are f-a-n-t-a-s-t-i-c in comparison. When those brakes begin to clamp onto the disc, the driver knows it. Handling - I drive at 55. When the wind is blowing, I drop my speed. The truck has a 3.74 rear end. Lowest ratio on a DWR Ford is 4.10. I get 12 MPG on flat land (Louisiana), no wind. Typical driving is 9.6 MPG (Virginia to northern Maine, driving through mountains of Pennsylvania on 81, 84, and 95. I also have Timbrins, which keeps the bed level with the trailer, and the trailer pulls level. Would I like DRW ? yes. But that's a big bullet to bite at the same time as a trailer. We all make our own cost/benefit calculations. We all choose to save someplace. I like the SRW we've got, and I'm comfortable with how it handles the 5th wheel. When it's time to replace the truck, if we still have the trailer, we'll decide then, what to do.