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At last year's national rally, Ginnie and I toured a Solitude 310GK and decided to purchase a new one. At the time of purchase, I knew the pin weight of the new fiver would be pushing the rated capacity of our 2016 Ford F350 SRW. I installed airbags to minimize squat, and it seemed to tow okay. In March '24, we finally had the Solitude equipped the way we wanted it, so while we were attending the Quartzsite Arizona rally, we had a vendor perform a detailed weigh in. OMG. We weren't just pushing the capacity, we greatly exceeded it. I was so concerned, I double-checked the weights at a Cat Scale and they were within 1% of the vendor's weights.
Here are some of the critical measurements:
In addition, we were even over weight on one of the rear tires by 150 pounds.
Ginnie and I put on lots of miles every year as GDRV's Western USA Rally coordinators. If we were just slightly overweight, we'd try reducing weight to try and resolve the capacity concerns. But there's no way we could meet the specifications with even a modest load in the truck and trailer.
So, we decided to look into purchasing a DRW. New ones were way out of our desired price range. We found a 2020 Ford F350 DRW in Phoenix with only 31K miles for a very reasonable price. We bit the bullet and purchased it. We just finished our first tow with it, and had it weighed while we were on our way to the Waco Texas rally. It's a King Ranch version with all the whistles and bells. What a joy to tow with. But she sure has big hips... Here's a table with the weight measurements:
Now, I feel much more confident pulling the rig. I was really surprised that our F350 SRW did not have the rated capacity for the smallest Solitude that GDRV makes. But now with the dually, I should be able to handle any FW out there. And no, we're not getting a bigger one.
Jim
Here are some of the critical measurements:
| TRUCK - 2016 Ford F350 SRW | Specification (Pounds) | Actual (Pounds) | Difference (Pounds) |
| Gross Combined Weight Rating | 23,500 | 25,400 | -1,900 |
| Gross Vehicle Weight Rating | 11,500 | 12,800 | -1,300 |
| Gross Axle Weight Rating (Front) | 5,600 | 5,250 | 350 |
| Gross Axle Weight Rating (Rear) | 7,000 | 7,550 | -550 |
Ginnie and I put on lots of miles every year as GDRV's Western USA Rally coordinators. If we were just slightly overweight, we'd try reducing weight to try and resolve the capacity concerns. But there's no way we could meet the specifications with even a modest load in the truck and trailer.
So, we decided to look into purchasing a DRW. New ones were way out of our desired price range. We found a 2020 Ford F350 DRW in Phoenix with only 31K miles for a very reasonable price. We bit the bullet and purchased it. We just finished our first tow with it, and had it weighed while we were on our way to the Waco Texas rally. It's a King Ranch version with all the whistles and bells. What a joy to tow with. But she sure has big hips... Here's a table with the weight measurements:
| TRUCK - 2020 Ford F350 DRW | Specification (Pounds) | Actual (Pounds) | Difference (Pounds) |
| Gross Combined Weight Rating | 43,400 | 25,140 | 18,260 |
| Gross Vehicle Weight Rating | 14,000 | 12,860 | 1,140 |
| Gross Axle Weight Rating (Front) | 5,990 | 5,340 | 650 |
| Gross Axle Weight Rating (Rear) | 9,900 | 7,520 | 2,380 |
Now, I feel much more confident pulling the rig. I was really surprised that our F350 SRW did not have the rated capacity for the smallest Solitude that GDRV makes. But now with the dually, I should be able to handle any FW out there. And no, we're not getting a bigger one.
Jim
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-.... just kidding. I do like you color choice. Its Star white? Wonder where I have seen that combination before and it is a KR too?
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