Gatorinthenoog

Looking at getting a 1 ton SRW. I need a better tow vehicle for bumper pull, but want to have enough truck in case I get a 5th wheel I am looking at with 3050# hitch weight. Don’t want a dually.

currently looking at the 2021 GMC 3500 AT4 diesel. Any opinions on this or other 1 ton trucks?

thanks for any advice.

JExpedition07

All the 1 tons are strong, if you went with a big 5th wheel and tow often you may want a dually for the comfort towing. More control in my experience.

JThiessen

He’s likely correct that a dually will be be slightly more stable. If I recall correctly, a single actually has a slightly higher load capacity in the bed (which is what your 5’er will load as).
However, the downside is if you frequent snow and ice, a dually will be more of a hinderance due to the wider tread.
I’ve rarely run across anyone with a single that was overly concerned about it.

avalonandl

The GMC AT4 is a great truck. The Duramax is a powerhouse.

autobaun70

Personal or business registration?

Gatorinthenoog

I’m not sure yet… I’m looking to see if I could utilize the 6000 pound farm vehicle tax write off. Otherwise personal. Why do you ask? I’m in GA if that matters.

autobaun70

triggers cdl requirements in some cases.

brisboats

Love the duramax.
Everytime I smash one of the fenders on my dually I reconsider the SRW .
B

C Dave

I liked the SRW Chevy 3500HD I had towed much better than the 2500HD (weight wise ), both had the Dmax. It fit in the garage, and could run it through the car wash both were important when I lived in PA.

JThiessen

Its a fairly limited number states that do that

Supergumby5000

Pros of the SRW 1 ton over DRW 1 ton - It's smaller..... that's about it I guess. Easier to park and/or drive if you are not comfortable driving a bigger rig.

Pros of the DRW over SRW - More stable when towing, higher towing capacity, higher payload.

When looking at payload/tongue weight, the comment above in regards to payload being higher in the SRW is incorrect. A gasser SRW will have a higher payload than the diesel SRW. If we're talking same motorbase (diesel vs diesel or gas vs gas), the DRW will always have more payload and towing capacity. More times than not, the SRW's capacity is limited by the tire rating. DRW trucks gain payload by being limited by the drivetrain rather than the tire capacity.

I've heard mixed things about insurance issues with DRW vehicles. I had to switch my auto policy to a different insurer when I went DRW (I had my auto stacked with my homeowners insurance, but that insurer wont carry any DRWs).

I've owned both SRW and DRW 1-tons. They have their pluses and minuses. I drive a DRW right now, daily, in St Pete (home) and Sarasota (work). If you're seriously seriously considering a big arse 5'er, the DRW will feel so much better towing it. Absolutely nothing wrong with a SRW option, just watch your tongue weight, stay under payload, and she'll do just fine.

autobaun70

it’s not the truck by itself that’s an issue. It’s when you hook it up to trailers rated at over a certain weight (10k I think) and are hauling for hire or commerce that it is triggered.

been a while since I dug into it, but from memory it’s truck with over 10k gvwr and gcwr over 26k, hooked to a trailer rated at over 10k.

they do have 3500’s with an optionional down rated gvwr to get around such.

also unless something has changed, the only real mechanical difference in the 2500’s and 3500’s are the rear springs. Sometimes makes more sense to go 2500 with aftermarket bags.

just working from memory, just something to check out depending on what the OP’s overall situation is.

Supergumby5000

Just so we're not spreading bad info.... this is manufacturer and/or wheel configuration dependent. This is definitely true more times than not, but my 3500 does not have the same rear end (axle/diff) as the 2500 in the same year/make/model.

The_Cap

There are a number of differences between 3/4 and 1 ton trucks on the GM's I've owned over the years. I've had both and they definitely beef up the 3500's, it's not externally readily apparent but things like extra bracing between the engine and transmission, full floating rear axle instead of semifloating, heavier duty transfer case with pto provisions, hydroboost breaks instead of vacuum assist, bigger radiators, oil coolers etc.

ParkRanger

That was the case (and still is to a small extent) when you would buy maybe a small block vs a big v8 (I'd call them big blocks but those don't really exist anymore), or one of the old diesels.

The differences between a 3/4 and 1 ton diesels for the past 15 years plus have been minimal. Usually it's just a rear spring and block difference as AB mentioned. The rest of the truck and drivetrain are usually identical between the two. Ford in 2017 moved to a larger rear axle in the 1 ton, but before then it was just minor spring/block changes on the rear axle.

blackdawg

The difference may look minimal however at least for Ford, the 350 SRW has a heavier duty rear axle with higher capacity rating than the 250 version. Although you can order the heavier duty springs in a 250 you still don’t get the same heavier duty 350 SRW axle. That’s actually a HUGE thing considering the difference is the payload. My 2021 350 SRW is a fully loaded diesel Lariat CC 4x4 and door sticker is 4,140#. The same 250 would be at least 1k less and most likely 2k# less if you didn’t specifically get the HD rear springs which most don’t unless special ordered. In which case just get the 350 SRW considering the unloaded ride is exactly the same.

SRW 1 ton vs DRW 1 ton. The DRW is notably more stable with serious weight on the pin or in the bed. DRW is also a notably more of a pita to daily drive.

Salty Gator4

I drive a Ram 3500 megacab SRW with the 68RFE. If you are not using the truck for work and can sacrifice bed length, I’d give the megacab a look. There is a lot of space for the back passengers or storage. My payload is 4000 lbs with Laramie trim and 4x4. Interior on the 2019+ trucks is as good as it gets.

Denver Dave

I currently have a F350 SRW, though I've had multiple duallys. I'm very happy with it. If trying to decide SRW vs. DRW, in my opinion it really depends on how much around town driving versus long haul you plan on doing. I have the crew cab with long bed... finding parking spots in urban areas can be challenging sometimes.

JThiessen

Actually, the info is correct for gasser’s - @300 lbs higher fifth wheel and gooseneck weights.
for Diesels, you are correct

The_Cap

My Current truck is a srw 3500 with a small block, it has a lot of the same heavy duty stuff as a big block with 2/3rds the power. That makes the rest of the drive train virtually indestructible, though a dog to tow with 🤦‍♂️ I do wish it was a big block truck. Even among the big block trucks Ive owned the 1 ton trucks had things to make them more stout that even the heavy the 3/4 ton trucks didn't have. I can't speak to anything built in the last 15 years though as I've not owned any that new.

I don't tow a bunch, but when I do it's a heavy load, my boat is 14,000lbs on the trailer. My trucks are mostly work trucks for around the property as well as I daily drive it in the winter to spare my car from the salt. The daily part is what keeps me out of a DRW, I had one and it was a pain to drive around, park and it rode terrible.