Coast Resorts Open Roads Forum: Truck Campers: AF990 on F350 CC SRW

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Topic: AF990 on F350 CC SRW

Posted By: JD5150 on 01/12/18 10:50am

emcvay wrote:

I'm going with the 990 but am not opposed to trading in my F350 SRW for a F350 DRW if I can find the right deal [emoticon]

I've only got 42k miles on it and it's worth about $32k on trade in so I can probably get a decent deal moving into a DRW if I find the SRW just doesn't feel right going down the road.

I'm looking at options but will start with the SRW with all the upgrades I can put on it (within reason, I'm not putting 19.5" tires and wheels on it or I might as well spend the money and get a DRW).

I got the SRW because I drive offroad a fair bit and felt the DRW might be more trouble in the snow offroad etc

My 2017 F350 is the work truck. Stock each tire is rated at 3750. Rims are steel work truck look. Don't know what they are rated at.

My Chevy with 19.5 tires and rims without camper rides rough on pavement like a farmer driving through a pasture. My tires are good in the snow and mud but sand they are not very good. I do not like the unloaded ride with 14 ply tires. Tires howl riding on pavement. I've had some say they can here me coming from the howl they put out.

Posted By: Bedlam on 01/12/18 11:24am

On my SRW with traction tread 19.5" on front and rear I did get more tread noise from the open shoulder lug design. My DRW uses steer tread up front and traction tread in the rear resulting in a quieter ride. When unloaded, I will run 70 PSI in my 19.5" tires and use the load inflation tables to set pressure when carrying a load - They are not as comfortable as an LT tire, but I accept the harder unloaded ride for the additional load carrying, puncture resistance and longevity of these commercial tires.

Chevy Sonic 1.8-Honda Passport C70B-Host Mammoth 11.5-Interstate Car Carrier 20-Joyner SandViper 250-Kawasaki Concours ZG1000-Paros 8' flatbed-Pelican Decker DLX 8.75-Ram 5500 HD

Posted By: rider997 on 01/12/18 12:05pm

Keep in mind that Arctic Fox "dry weights" are simply a made-up fantastical number. My 2014 AF811 weighs in at 4,200 lbs wet (full tank of water) without generator, A/C, or microwave. A 990 is at least 300 lbs heavier. You're looking at an actual wet weight of no less than 4,600 lbs, and with the aforementioned options and some food and clothes, etc., you could easily hit 5,000 lbs on a 990, especially a new one which is even more massive with its domed ceiling, porcelain toilet, and other residential options.

Posted By: jimh406 on 01/12/18 12:15pm

I have an equivalent weight camper with a tag dry weight of 3571. I've had mine 11 1/2 years.

I carried it to Montana and back ... approximately 1000 miles with no issues on a 2006 Ford SRW SC 6.0 PSD on the maiden voyage. I upgraded to 19.5s within the first 6 months to give my tires room for error and drove it 8 1/2 years that way. That upgrade in price was essentially the same as probably trading for a DRW. Where I lived and worked, a DRW was not an option since the SRW was my daily driver.

When I no longer needed a SRW, I changed to a F450 because it turns way tighter, has 19.5s stock, and has better brakes than either a SRW or DRW. No doubt the F450 with 14500 GVWR handles the same TC better than the F350 with 11400 GVWR even though the SRW is obviously way lighter.

But, I still miss the SRW if the TC isn't on the truck. The DRW mpg and range unloaded is horrible in comparison to my previous SRW. On the other hand, I had no issues towing my wife's uncles TT behind us with TC loaded on our trip to Yellowstone and was even under GVWR. I wouldn't have even considered that combination with the previous SRW.

Things to keep in mind.

1)Salesmen and the people here can't tell you what you should do.
2)SRWs are dramatically better in larger cities than DRWs.
3)DRWs are generally better hauling any TC although there are exceptions.
4)All DRWs can't haul any TC and still stay under the GVWR. Most of the people here with DRWs are over GVWR, too. DRWs will generally stop the load better than a SRW.
5)Not all DRWs are equal. The vary dramatically in capability. There are SRWs that I'd prefer over some DRWs for carrying a TC.
6)19.5s are generally always better than any other tire for strength but ride rougher. You can have equivalent carrying capacity of many DRWs if you upgrade to 19.5 Gs in larger sizes. My F450 with 19.5s rides rougher than a F350 with conventional Es.
7)Your biggest danger of being over your tire ratings is a blowout. Several here have experienced that, and it isn't fun and is expensive.
8)Being near the GVWR makes it hard to justify bringing all of your stuff if you want to pay attention to that number.
9)Many people here who are offering advice are really just telling you what they did. To many of them, the only perfect answer is if you agree with them.

Have fun making your choice and keep in mind that most people change their RVs and tow/carrying vehicle over time. If you don't need a SRW, you'll be ahead biting the bullet and trading for a DRW. You'll also save the money to outfit the truck with airbags, stableloads, tires, tiedowns, shocks, etc. You'll also more than likely will have enough capability for your "next" rv or to tow mostly whatever you want.

One of the best comments you'll see here is "shop for the TC first and then pick the truck"

'10 Ford F-450, 6.4, 4.30, 4x4, 14,500 GVWR, '06 Host Rainer 950 DS, Torklift Talon tiedowns, Glow Steps, and Fastguns. Bilstein 4600s, Firestone Bags, Toyo M655 Gs, Curt front hitch, Energy Suspension bump stops.

NRA Life Member, CCA Life Member

Posted By: plock40 on 01/12/18 07:56pm

we had a 2004 f250 srw, with airbags, sway bar, stabilizer, and 4x4 crew cab, long bed, every corner scared me, side wind scare me. had 6.o diesel, tons of engine trouble, found a 2013 ram 3500 diesel drw 4x4,crew cab,long bed, brand new, put our 990 on it, what a sweet ride. cross wind still scare me. truck was a little over $39,000. no chrome, no cd player, no electric seat, who cares

3500 Ram 4x4 Dually Crew Cab Longbed
990 Artic Fox Camper
2005 Cardinal 5th Wheel

Posted By: emcvay on 01/12/18 10:54pm

plock40 wrote:

My experience is that the F250 is NOT an F350 so I wouldn't compare the two. F350 SRW to DRW sure, but moving from a 3/4 ton that was WAY WAY over cap to a 1 ton DRW will be like night and day.

Kinda like me moving from an F150 to an F350 SRW really. Sure, I see a BIG difference. It's amazing.

At least the F350 is still a 1 ton. Just my opinion for what it's worth.

2019 F350 Lariat FX4 DRW PS6.7
2019 AF990

Posted By: LamboDesigns on 01/13/18 09:26am

Yeah... that difference between a 2004 F250 and F350 was HUGE...

I tried to put in a link to an article from Ford Trucks but the forum didn't like it. Below is the text from it comparing the F250 to the F350 for the 2003/2004 model year. Now looking at physical differences between a say a 2004 and 2005 F250/F350 would produce a much bigger list than any F250/F350 comparison within a model year from everything I've looked at and options on a truck have far more delta on actual capacities than the badge on the side of the truck. 2wd vs 4wd, gas vs diesel, srw vs drw, camper option (add overloads and sway bar) vs no camper option, etc.

There are 3 differences between the SRW 250/350…
1) F-250 vs F-350 badges
2) 2" rear spacer block in 250 vs 4" in the 350
3) *most important* GVWR for F350 SRW is 9900 in most states and the F250
8800 in most states.

From 99 to mid 2001 the srw trucks came with a Dana 50, Ford started using
the Dana 60’s on all F250/350’s from mid 01 to present ,the front axle is
identical on both trucks, including springs.

Springs in the Source Book are EXACTLY the same:
Front Leaf 250/350

3600lb 1.12"(thickness) 55.63"(length) 3.00"(width) 350(deflection)
4000lb 1.18"(thickness) 55.63"(length) 3.00"(width) 370(deflection)
4400lb 1.18"(thickness) 55.63"(length) 3.00"(width) 390(deflection)
4800lb 1.18"(thickness) 55.63"(length) 3.00"(width) 410(deflection)
5200lb 1.18"(thickness) 55.63"(length) 3.00"(width) 430(deflection)
6000lb 1.25"(thickness) 55.63"(length) 3.00"(width) 470(deflection)

Rear Leaf 250/350

6830lb 6(leaves) 3.86(thickness @ pad) 58.1"(length) 3.00"(width)
320/670/1209(deflection lbs/sq") 3603(rating@pad lbs/spring)

Rear leaf DRW
8250lb 6(leaves) 3.95(thickness @ pad) 58.1"(length) 3.00"(width)
350/730/0(deflection lbs/sq") 4187(rating@pad lbs/spring)

2013 Lance 855S with most options
2016 Ford F250 4x4 gas, 3.73, airbags, bigwig, homemade stableloads, 20" wheels with toyo open country II
Sold - 1989 Fleetwood Jamboree Class C

Posted By: SidecarFlip on 01/13/18 03:29pm

emcvay wrote:

Decided to do more math and added FULL water and propane to see what that would do:
Water and Propane 746
Camper 3010
Options 565
Me 250
Wife 145
Total 4716
Truck 7910
Gross 12626
Axles 13000
Tires 14480
GVRW 11500
Overlimit 1126

So, no food, clothes, tools etc and I'm 1126lbs overweight by the above....add another couple hundred pounds of vitals and clothes, gear etc and I'd be pushing the max on the axles but not the tires and over the GVRW by some 1300-1500lbs

I'm guess this isn't anything unusual for SRW guys since I've seen TONS of pics of people with F350 SRW's like mine loaded with these campers, the 811's which aren't much lighter and the bigger campers too.

Hmmmmm

Don't be trying that 'up to the cabin' trip in the winter with that rig...Could be ugly.... [emoticon]

2015 Backpack SS1500
1997 Ford 7.3 OBS 4x4 CC LB

Posted By: emcvay on 01/13/18 06:28pm

Not gonna happen [emoticon]

Have some local folks that are happy with less suspension mods but I may switch to DRW in the new few years depending on how it feels overall.

For now, I'll give it a whirl

Posted By: whizbang on 01/14/18 05:01pm

This is our experience:

Here's 11,400 pounds on a SRW F350
[image]

Here's 11,100 pounds on a DRW E350
[image]

Hands down, the Dually is a way better ride --- and I did every mod to the F350, air bags, rancho adjustable shocks, 19.5 tires, etc.

Personally, I would not put a AF990 on a SRW truck. Can you do it? Yup. Good idea? Not so much.

Whizbang
2002 Winnebago Minnie
http://www.raincityhome.com/RAWH/index.htm

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