New Tow Vehicle Traction

[Blackrock]

That's way too much truck for that small of a trailer. Perfect setup for a jacknife situation when braking on wet roads.

[Bryson]

Originally Posted by Blackrock

That's way too much truck for that small of a trailer. Perfect setup for a jacknife situation when braking on wet roads.

Seems like a bit of a stretch to come to that conclusion...

[jasin1]

Originally Posted by Bryson

So I finally bit the bullet and upgraded my TV from an F150 to a new Ram 3500 DRW. I know its a bit of overkill given my current rig, but plan to upgrade the TT in a couple years. First let me say it is a night and day difference when towing. No more white knuckles at the end of a travel day, and the ride is so much nicer.

One thing I did notice on its maiden trip was the lack of traction in the dirt / snow. I never had to put my F150 in 4x4 to back into a slightly snowy / muddy spot, but the new Ram started spinning the wheels as soon as it left the asphalt. As this is my first dually, I wanted to ask if this is common, or should I look into different tires for it? Not sure if switching to an A/T tire would affect towing/handling either. Any input on the matter would be greatly appreciated.

The more I read about it I have to agree with the floating theory the other poster pointed out..it’s like wearing snow shoes to spread the weight..I would think you would need a lot more weight in the back compared to a srw to let the back end sink in and gain some traction.

[vampress_me]

To add my $0.02 to the conversation - yes, DRW handle like crap in snow/ wet. Well, handle worse in wet, handle like crap in snow, especially on grass under the snow.

We’ve had SRW diesel trucks for over 20 years. Our latest truck is a DRW. Last fall I took the camper in to get winterized on the worst day of the month (and couldn’t change the appt because they were full into December ). Drove down to camper dealer in a snowstorm and drove home in it. That part wasn’t too bad, other than breaking the rear end loose in 2wd on the highway when I was trying to keep my speed headed uphill towing the fiver, which was all of 40-45mph. But, put it in 4wd after that and had no problems on the roads. When I got home I had to back into the camper’s parking spot, which means driving forward onto a grassy area, and backing from there. I was in 4wd high already but could not back up on about 5”-6” of heavy wet snow on the grass. Put it in 4 low and still almost managed to stay stuck and darn near jack-knifed because the rear would break loose and scoot sideways. Luckily after about 15 minutes of some colorful language and small increments of movement back and forth I did get the camper backed into its spot. Now, to be fair, the factory tires from Ford (Michelin A/T?) are horrid anyways whether SRW or DRW on grass with a little wetness, but the DRW definitely makes it worse.

[CaptnJohn]

Snow is a dirty 4 letter word I avoid! If ever decide I want to see snow I'll turn on the Weather Channel. Never had a problem on wet roads but if I'm going into a slippery situation I keep the aux tank full. With that and hitch plus my emergency box well over 600# in the bed.

[travelin texans]

Originally Posted by Blackrock

That's way too much truck for that small of a trailer. Perfect setup for a jacknife situation when braking on wet roads.

This advice coming from someone with way too much 5th wheel & not enough truck! A 1/2 pickup hauling a 30' 10k lb 5th wheel???
Better to have too much truck than too little!

[CaptnJohn]

Originally Posted by travelin texans

This advice coming from someone with way too much 5th wheel & not enough truck! A 1/2 pickup hauling a 30' 10k lb 5th wheel???
Better to have too much truck than too little!

Right on! Can never have too much truck,,, on the other hand...!!!!!! Like having too much money.

[nidmaster]

So it really comes down to math. Say the weight on the rear of your truck is 2,000 lbs. Now with 2 wheels that’s 1,000 lbs per wheel. With a DWR truck, that ends up being 500 lbs per wheel. Airing down just distributes the weight across a bigger footprint - think psi - pounds per square inch.

Just need to add more weight!

[Sola123]

Had same problems with my 2008 f350 dually....ordered 2015 f 350 dually with positive traction in rear and limited slip in front....no more problems getting stuck anywhere so far...gives me peace of mind....crossing the hayfield about 200 yards to get to the highway....

[Bryson]

Originally Posted by travelin texans

This advice coming from someone with way too much 5th wheel & not enough truck! A 1/2 pickup hauling a 30' 10k lb 5th wheel???
Better to have too much truck than too little!

Couldn’t agree more. Much rather have too much truck than too little. Already know how it feels to have the trailer steer the truck. Won’t be going back again.

[jfk69]

Originally Posted by Bryson

Couldn’t agree more. Much rather have too much truck than too little. Already know how it feels to have the trailer steer the truck. Won’t be going back again.

Too much truck. Said no one EVER. Lol.

[SR71 Jet Mech]

I will say my 2021 does have a limited slip rear and I will also be curious to see how it performs.
On our fire dept we have two “weed trucks” or grass rigs for wild land fires. We have a SRW 3500 Chevy, and anF350 DRW. Both have 200gal. Skids, 1” hose reel extra hose , a couple five gal pales of foam, chain saws and other assorted tools and SCBA’s. The DRW will get stuck, in 4wheel drive, on damp corn stocks and husks. The SRW we use to pull it out. Other neighboring departments also tried to go the DRW way and had the same problem. I will say some of it is tires but man, not made for off road use.
I don’t plan on taking mine into those places however, we do boondocks regularly so it will see some grass.
We’ll see how it goes with the limited slip, air pressure etc. still have 4X4 if needed.
First trip out this Easter weekend!!

Scott

[flybouy]

When you look at large vehichles specifically designed to go off road they typically have have SRW. Think Unimog vs a bus chassis RV, one goes off road the other gats stuck within a 1/4 mile of sand.

As for too much truck causing a trailer to "jacknife" that doesn't compute. If the brakes ar correctly set and the trailer is tracking correctly I don't understand how that can happen. I have pulled my 8' utility trailer empty with my F250 without issue, I've pulled a small boat traile, a pop up, etc. with the truck without issue.

Saying that towing with "too much turck can cause the trailer to jacknife" is like saying that a deiseo locamotive with one car behind it is more likey to derail than one with 60 full coal cars behind it.

[notanlines]

Originally Posted by Blackrock

That's way too much truck for that small of a trailer. Perfect setup for a jacknife situation when braking on wet roads.

Blackrock, I’m all ears. We all would like to give you a chance to explain that statement. All BS aside, that really is an outlandish statement that could use a little support.