DRW truck owner's mainly or other's....i have a question

[onetontruck]

hi,
I am buying a drw F-350, i need to know what it is like to own one.
no white wash, i have driven big truck's but never owned one. what is
life with a drw like parking,bad driver's, etc...up keep..repair's,
i do my own repair's do you ever wish you had got the srw.
thank you,
ron [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[Stephen in Colo]

I know you ask for DRW owners only, but. DRW's are only wider than the SRW's and a little stiffer. If you get a long bed with CC then you'll experience parking issues whether pulling nose in or parallel. But then again most of us are relagated to the outer parking areas anyway because of size. What I'm saying is that owning and driving a DRW will really be no different than owning a SRW. Repairs and Mods are the same too until you get to the suspension. Wish I hadn't let my friends talk me out of the DRW now that I have the 250. Their argument against was that I would get stuck in the pasture easier because the rear end has a lighter ground presure and doesn't dig down like a SRW will. Heck never take it into the muddy pastures, thats for the tractor and horses.

Stephen

[THEBUNDO]

I own 2 of each. Dually tows and handles better, but has less wiggle room backing up trailer through narrow areas. Sometimes I have to switch to back my trailer down my 100 ft. long side yard driveway through gate. Have to give a little more room wrapping around corners. DON'T go with shortbed. That's like getting a Ferrarri and putting tires on it rated for only 50 mph. Park way out & get your excercise. I've found out early that even if you can get into a close-up space at WalMart, people coming and going may make it impossible to get back out. I usually park so I can back or drive out regardless of what others do. Dually CC really requires 4 spaces if you know what I mean.

[lmaynard]

onetontruck,

It MIGHT ride a little rougher, but I don't think enough to really tell the difference. A little less MPG, again, not a significant amount. No difference in maintenance, although a trip to the tire dealer hurts a little bit more [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img].

The towing stability and extra bed load capability far outweigh the dis-advantages IMHO.

I've now had more duallys than SRWs, have had all duallies since the late 80s, see no difference in parking at all. A couple of disadvantages in Colorado though. Getting around on National Forest or pass roads can be a bit harder due to the width. In new snow on those roads pulling up hard hills, it can spin where a SRW might not. I've found that a flat bed and lack of concern for body panels lets you wheel a dually just as well as a SRW [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img], and a front locker fixes the hard uphill in new snow issue.

I don't think I'll ever have a SRW again really.

[tomshep]

My prior 2 trucks were SRW. Current is a dually. Unless I quit pulling a trailer, I won't go back. The extra stability and capacity is great when pulling. As far as parking, my prior were crew cab long bed trucks, so I was already parking way out in parking lots. That didn't change for me. As someone already pointed out, just because you can get in a spot doesn't mean you won't get blocked in by other parking around you. Just keep that in mind. And enjoy it!

Tom

[musicman]

DRW is the only way to go if you pull trailers regularly. The only time I owned a SRW I hated it so much I traded it in in less than a year. Maneuvering in traffic and parking just take patience and a little practice. I've found that backing into parking spaces usually helps keep the drivers next to you from dinging your paint and makes it easier for the other driver to pull out (with the reverse sensors this should be easier). Maybe our parking spaces are bigger down here but I can park pretty much anywhere in Austin or San Antonio without taking up more than one space and even parallel park downtown in most spaces. My garage is 32 ft wide and 60 ft long so I don't have any trouble parking at home (even with a 34 ft long boat trailer).
Practice, practice, practice.
Good Luck

[6speedstroke]

Just got my DRW on Oct 31....LOVE IT. I am a fanatic about door dings, so I have ALWAYS parked out away from others to prevent door dings, and this truck will be no exception. Forget about the bank drive through, won't fit. Have not tried fast food yet, but I do not see a problem there.

[THEBUNDO]

That brings back a funny memory (fast food drive-through). When I got my 1st dually (1999 PSD CC Long Bed) I went through a Jack In The Box drive-through that had a little twist after the window due to a narrow lot and them having their big sign straight ahead, and a bollard protecting the corner of the building. I was jammed in, and there were about 15 cars behind me. There was no shortcut available, like hopping a curb. A whole bunch of customers came out from inside and helped guide me out. The was less than half an inch on each side at the closest point, while turning. Whew!!! Never did it again. Just park, go in (usually smaller line in there, too), maybe take a squirt (water the horse for you Texans). I see by the size of that Texas garage that Super Duty's are probably mini-trucks in Texas. Do people pick on you?

[musicman]

Nope, pretty much get my share of the road. Drove my mother-in-laws car through Austin the other day (haven't driven a car in years) and couldn't believe the way other drivers would cut in front, behind...all around. After a while I guess you just take for granted the respect a truck gets on the road. My boss is from NYC originally and still hasn't gotten used to the size of my truck sitting out front. I have noticed the bank drive-thru's seem to be getting narrower, can only fit thru the commercial lane now.

[Ken Hatch]

Depending on which state you live in or register your truck in there can be some financial drawbacks to owning a dually. My 2001 F350 dually is my first DRW truck and in this area of the country (MA, NH, ME &VT) you'll pay double and sometimes triple fees at toll booths. My last truck was a 1997 F350 SRW and I was able to go through the Hampton NH toll booth for 50 cents using NH toll tokens, with my dually I have to pay $1.25 and tokens are not allowed on vehicles with more than 5 wheels. Also your registration costs are MUCH higher here in MA for a dually as compared to a SRW truck. If your traveling toll roads on a daily basis this can become a factor in your decision about which truck to buy. Parking has not been an issue for either me or my wife as far as the dually is concerned. The fuel mileage difference between my 1997 F350 PSD SRW and my 2001 F350 PSD DRW (equal trans and gears)was 1mpg less on the dually over the life of the trucks. I was going to order a 2003 King Ranch F350 CC DRW but because my slide in camper requires a long bed I decided the CC was just to long for my needs so yesterday I ordered a 2003 F350 SC DRW 6.0 auto Lariat loaded instead. For my needs a duallie's advantages far outweigh the disadvantages. I did not order ESOF on my new truck, I just feel bettter having a manual transfer system. Hope this helps. Ken

[Richard0227]

I agree with most of what has been said here. My only complaint about a dually is that there are no car washes that you can take them through! I'm pretty busy and never have the time to wash mine or do half as good a job as they do on my cars and SRW pickup.

[BILLS1]

Hmmmmmmmmmmmm,
Never thought about car washes!! It's too cold and crappy around here in the winter to do it myself.
Need to find a hand wash place for it!!
Mike

[Cat320]

I don't understand why they charge more for 4 wheels or 6 it's still a 2 axel vehical or that's what it has always been charged as per axel not wheels.

[THEBUNDO]

It's because it has a GVWR of over 10,000 lbs.