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Looking at Duramax, SRW 2500 or DRW 3500?


TimbrSS

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I'm looking to up my towing game. Currently using my 05 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7L Hemi to tow my 247. It will move it in and out of the lake, to the gas station, etc, just fine, but is undersized for towing of any distance, and looks downright silly. Braking around corners or in traffic can get scary. It would be fine on flat highways, but up a mountain would be a good workout for sure. Since the boat lives on a lift on Lake Norman, it wont get towed that often, but I'd like to take it Norris or Cumberland for a trip once a year or so.

Also, in a few months, I plan on adding a camper to the family. Likely a 5th wheel or goose neck, just to make it nicer to pull. It will not likely be a super large camper, but I may like to have the option to upgrade if it seems right. So a 36' camper with a few slides. I'll probably use this 6-8 weekend trips a year, mostly under 300 mi.

I need a crew cab for my 3 labs to ride in, and I do a lot of projects on the house, so long bed comes in handy with supplies transportation.

So, I'm looking to at getting a diesel truck. Budget $25-$30k. I prefer Chevy/GMC Styling both interior and exterior. This puts me in a 06-07 truck. Duramax + 6 speed Allison. Must have 4WD, and be nicely loaded with leather seats and some good options (like LTZ, or SLE trim). I wish I like the Ford styling better, but just don't. It seems there are so many more HD Ford trucks available in my budget.

I'll be using this for a daily driver (only 30mi a day), and will split those duties with my Corvette (when iI finish it hopefully soon). I would like to get the dually, just to make it future proof. I usually just go for the biggest thing available (like the 247). I'm a little worried about parking convenience and a rough ride with a dually. I'm sure a SRW 2500 would more than cover my current needs, (and likely future), but I'm somehow drawn to the DRW. I haven't test driven anything yet, but just looking to hear from some of you with real life experience.

TLDR: Would you get DRW over SWR if you didn't need it?

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First advice is skip the 2500, and get a 3500. Even if you get SRW, it will have a higher rated tow capacity.

As far as DRW goes, the only way I would get one is if you need it to tow the RV. That said, a 36' 5er is probably right at the edge of capacity for a SRW.

I have a 3500 DRW. Mine is a 2012 Ram. Love the truck, and it pulls the boat like a dream, but there are a lot of disadvantages. Fitting in the garage, drive through car washes, even parking in a normal parking lot are all a challenge. Speaking from experience, a CC LB DRW is a BIG truck.

As for the Ford, the reason you find more trucks in your price range is because you are probably looking at 6.0 diesels. Do some research before you go any further down that road. That engine cost Ford literally BILLIONS of dollars in warranty repairs. The only Ford diesel I would consider would be the old 7.3 (which will now seem loud and under powered by today's standards) or a new 6.7 (which still have durability issues due to the fuel system). Go for Chevy or Dodge/Ram.

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I really wouldn't want a drw truck unless I needed it. I mean really and truly needed it. Especially as a daily driver. From my perspective, if you tow a 247 with a jeep, you can haul anything with a 2500!

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Can't help you as far as pulling something as large as a 36' camper but I had an 03 sierra 2500hd duramax and loved that truck, no have a 14 sierra denali hd with duramax. Both trucks pulled anything and everything I ever needed! The duramax is a beast. Not positive on the fifth wheel tow ratings of those years however my current truck is right around 18K lbs and the dually trucks are just over 23k lbs, maybe those numbers will help you as far as the camper goes. Those years of trucks your looking at also achieved some of the best fuel mileage because it was before all the federally mandated emissions crap. Drove my 03 to St. Louis from Kansas City and back (approx. 7 hours) all highway on one 26 gal. tank of fuel.

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Timbr- so $40k for a new diesel 4x4 crew is out of the question ?

Is that possible in a loaded out truck? Quick look was $50-60. I don't want cloth bench seats and crank em up windows.

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No... Not loaded out.

$40k gets you a Ram 2500 diesel Crewcab 4x4 with PW, PL, and backup camera, basic truck. $43k for the same F250, and $45 for the GM.

All the leather loaded 3/4ton 4x4 Crew diesels start at $48+ if you are willing to travel, or buy a new leftover 2015.

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My experience

03 Ford Supercab 2wd 7.3 Dealer traded it in at 30k because of suspension issues.

04 Ford CC SRW LB 4WD 3500 6.0. Only lasted 60k (transmission, Brakes, electronics, 2 Turbos)

06 Ford CC SRW LB 3500 4WD 6.0, Only lasted 58k (transmission, electronics, Turbo at 7500 miles)

08 Dodge CC SRW LB 3500 4WD 6.7. 253k only one transmission at 92k and an ac compressor.

I then put 160k on the replacement transmission, as I changed the way I drove it. It was still gong strong when I traded it in.

All trucks were towing 3k lbs 80% of the time up to 26k very few miles but on a regular basis.

I now have a 14 Dodge CC SRW LB with 45K. has not seen the shop except for recalls (1-day)

As I am not in the field as much, This truck has towed the Bu more than anything.(However does get hooked up at 27k+ on a regular basis.

When you say camper. Do you mean cab over or trailer?

When I bought the 14. I could not find what I wanted in a 3500 SRW so i looked at the 2500. The towing capacity is the same!!

The difference is the load capacity. On the 2500 it was in the 2k range. On the 3500 it jumps to 4k.

However this makes for a rough ride. As I carry almost 1K in tools at ALL times, I opted for the 3500..

If this is your daily driver a 3500 will be a rough ride. The DRW rated for more and will be rougher. .

I will not own a 3500 DRW for a daily driver. It would not have fenders left on it.

The 3500 SRW CC LB will barely go through a drive through. Some it will not go through.

I have Dodge, Chevy and Ford utility beds in my shop. The Dodges have out lasted ford and chevy.

I would think you could find a Dodge CC LB 2500 07 or older in your price range.

The 5.9 is a great engine. However. Not as quite as the new ones. Also the transmissions are not that great.

The way you are describing driving it I would not recommend the 6.7 liter that does not require DEF.

The DPF plugs up easy if not driven hard(UNLESS YOU CAN DELETE DPF AND EGR) Then it is a great truck.

Also I believe in 2012 they changed the interior. Before this the Dodge interior suffers compared to Ford/Chevy

GOOD LUCK!!!

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I had an 08 f350 drw long bed. That truck towed awesome and I loved the interior (lariat). Currently have a srw ram 2500. If you're going to tow a 36' trailer, I'd be looking at a 3500 drw and increasing your budget a little. If you aren't going to get a trailer that big, go srw.

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Tim, '07 is the change over to the new body style on the GM trucks. The exception was the 2500/3500 trucks could be the old body style or new body style. Most of the 3500's were the old body style, probably a more 50/50 split with the 2500. You should be paying significantly less for the old body style (which should also open your year range down to '03, as they are all the same). Make sure to check for rust on the fuel and brake lines on the old body style, as they were known to have rotting issues, with talks of a class action against GM that never happened. I've had to replace both on my Avalanche as a result.

The Fords are cheap because of the 6.0 in them. They can be bullet proofed but it will cost a bit to do so. I had my '06 company truck as a F150 and it's hard to me to recommend that year range after the experience I had with it.

Cummins is nice, interior isn't as good as the Ford/GM trucks. If you find a loaded out one you may find it tolerable. From what you really will use the truck for, I think a SRW/short bed would probably work fine. I'd hate to daily a DRW truck - too damn big.

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My Also I believe in 2012 they changed the interior. Before this the Dodge interior suffers compared to Ford/Chevy

GOOD LUCK!!!

2010 should be the interior/exterior change for the dodge 2500/3500. (4th gen). 1500 got the changes in 2009

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06-07 classic body style with an LBZ Duramax are great trucks. They are getting up there in years so you will see a lot of the in the $20-25K range with 100K miles or so. They are very reliable trucks so don't be afraid of the miles. My current LLY has 210K and pulls my Enzo with no problems. I would own another one in a heartbeat.

The 07.5+ LMM trucks are the newer body style which I really like. They have basically the same powertrain as the previous year models but have the newer body and interior. Only drawback is they have added emissions which kills the fuel mileage. This is very easily fixed with a good EFILive tune and exhaust.

I've towed boats, campers, and trailers with SRW and DRW trucks with little to no noticeable difference. Powertrain, braking and suspensions will be the same or be close to the same, the DRW just feels a little more stable at highway speeds when loaded heavy.

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I would think you could find a Dodge CC LB 2500 07 or older in your price range.

The 5.9 is a great engine. However. Not as quite as the new ones. Also the transmissions are not that great.

The way you are describing driving it I would not recommend the 6.7 liter that does not require DEF.

The DPF plugs up easy if not driven hard(UNLESS YOU CAN DELETE DPF AND EGR) Then it is a great truck.

Also I believe in 2012 they changed the interior. Before this the Dodge interior suffers compared to Ford/Chevy

GOOD LUCK!!!

You can delete any of the 6.7 trucks. It can be pricey (especially 2010+), but it can be done. They changed the interior in 2010 on the Rams and in 2013 they started using DEF. The 4th gen interiors are light years beyond the previous years. Sooo much nicer and the longhorns are even better.

The 5.9 is a great engine that suffers from being backed by a weaker stock transmission and they are known to have injector failures. The 6.7 gets a better stock trans and I've had great results with just adding some trans tuning to them. 6.7's have better injector life but are prone to head gasket failures which can be prevented.

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My parents had an '11 Chevy 3500 CC DRW LTZ. I took it out when I was visiting. On the open road, it's awesome. Get it in town or a parking lot, fugedaboutit. Swinging wide is an understatement. The length alone is a pain, but add in that extra width and you need to really watch how you turn it.

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I have a 2013 Ram 3500 dually and its my daily as well. When pulling enclosed trailers and campers the added stability is nice. After driving one for a week or two little things like parking ect become a non issue. There are very few drive-throughs that my truck wont fit, but then again I live in Texas.

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I've had my DRW since 2012. You may get used to it, but it is never ideal. Love my truck, but one of the reasons I bought another vehicle was because the DRW is such a PITA to park. Sometimes it just means a little extra walking, which is ok. But it isn't ok when you have to park downtown, or go to the airport.

Edited by RyanB
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Seems like a 1ton SRW shortbed crewcab would be ideal for Your needs. Keep it at 55-60mph Max when towing the big 36ft trailer to trade for convienince of a short SRW the other 98% of the time.

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I pull a 43' toy hauler with a SRW, my hauler has 3 axles and that seems to help. People I have talked to that have SRW and 2 axle 5th wheels say they get pushed around by the wind and sway too much. The only issue I have is the factory tires get hot real fast when towing in the warm months, new set of Toyo's took care of that. As for brand dependability, I work for a major oil company and our contractors have all brands in the field. If you are going to haul heavy loads frequently don't get a 6.7 Powerstroke unless you plan to get rid of it before 100k miles. There might be 2 out of 12 F250's at work that haven't had a new turbo right after 100k.

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I'm pretty sure your are gonna want to looke at 06+ if going duramax. 06 was when they changed engines right (to the lly or lbz)? I can't remember anymore, but pretty sure when I was looking at an older Chevy I wanted 06 and newer to avoid the notorious injector issues.

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I'm pretty sure your are gonna want to looke at 06+ if going duramax. 06 was when they changed engines right (to the lly or lbz)? I can't remember anymore, but pretty sure when I was looking at an older Chevy I wanted 06 and newer to avoid the notorious injector issues.

I'm seeing some of these that have had the injectors replaced. Are they good to go after that?

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I'm seeing some of these that have had the injectors replaced. Are they good to go after that?

I will preface this by saying all my research on dmax's was done 5 years ago when I bought my current diesel. Alcohol is trying real hard to ruin my memory so take this with a grain of salt.

The Bosch injectors were a big problem from 01-05. So much so that Chevy extended the warranty on the injectors. They claimed it was an injector issue. Some of the forums claim it was more of a design flaw. Some people have had good luck after injectors were replaced while others have not. If you get a new body style (model change halfway thru 07) you should be fine as far as injectors go.

My .02, spend a little less on your 5th wheel and a little more on your tow vehicle. Hard for the trailer to move with a broken down tow rig...

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