Long bed vs short bed

Never made a living of it, just talking about towing 5er's through the mountains with short bed and long bed trucks andI was comparing a short bed Chevy (03) extended cab with an 8' bed crew cab, Chevy and Ram...seemed to tow better, I towed same 5er with both short and long bed truck. Again, thank goodness we don't all agree on a lot of things. it would be a very boring world if we did.

NC Hauler wrote:

Allworth wrote:
Keep in mind that a long bed will always ride better than a short bed, with or without the trailer.

From experience of towing with both, I have to agree with you on this...:)

This hasn't been my experience. I also have both and have made a living using several of both pulling all sizes of trailers.

Now years ago when a long bed truck had a 132-138"" wheel base and a short bed was 6' 6" with a 120" or so wheel base then yeah the long bed rode much better simply because it had a much longer wheel base.

A 158" wheel base F350 super cab long bed truck vs a 156" wheel base F350 crew cab short bed truck. No difference in ride quality.

Short bed vs long bed. Diesel vs gas. Get what fits your needs as each have their pros and cons depending on owners preference and needs.

Allworth wrote:
Keep in mind that a long bed will always ride better than a short bed, with or without the trailer.

From experience of towing with both, I have to agree with you on this...:)

Keep in mind that a long bed will always ride better than a short bed, with or without the trailer.

Long bed Dually as our only vehicle. Until you load up the garage of that TH'er, the pin is gonna be heavy. They generally need the toys to bring the Pin down to a reasonable level.
I know, there are those that pull 17K+ TH'ers with 250/2500 series, but if I see them coming, I get our of their way.

2014 Chevy 3500HD Specs for Cab-to-Axle Dimension:

Crew Cab, Standard (6.5') Bed: 42 inches
Regl Cab, Long (8.0') Bed: 56 inches
Crew Cab, Long (8.0') Bed: 56 inches

Extended (Double) Cab not offered for 2014 models; returns for 2015.
Short Bed (5.5') only offered in 1500 Crew Cab; 32" cab to axle

Let me see if I have this right. Basically you don't want a dually or longbox because of extra parking space needed but you have a big trailer that has "I want a longbox dually" written all over it.

I have that crewcab longbox dually. Yes, I have to park further out in the carpark, but the extra walk does me good. When towing I would not want anything else.

What does the daily driver do? Does it actually carry stuff regularly that the bed is needed for or does it only carry the driver? Ever considered getting an around town small car that gets 35-40mpg? Those little cars are a blast to drive & can park most anywhere. Take it even a step further, in the summer, & ride a 250cc big wheeled scooter type bike that has some underseat storage or box on the back. Get up to 80mpg out of that & park right outside of doors.

NC Hauler wrote:

romore wrote:
You won't necessarily 'need' a slider with a standard bed, it depends on the trailer design. Look for an indent on the lower corner of the trailer to provide extra clearance.
We have a standard box, it is fine with our current trailer. The previous one had a shorter nose with an east west bed, a long box would have required a slider to keep the bumper from hitting the trailer in turns.

Never saw a long bed or (standard bed) truck that needed a slider to keep the trailer from hitting the bumper:h...Guess anythings possible, but never heard of that.

My philosophy, it's better to have one and never need it, then to need it and not have it.
I hit my cab once when I opted to not use the slider, (only took one time:))...next truck, and since have been long bed trucks.

LOL!!:S

Our first 5er cleared the rear bumper by about 6" to 8" never did measure it, never had an issue with hitting the bumper!

The choice between Long bed, standard, and short, is a personal choice to a point. I am not sure if all of the Big three offer a standard, or short bed dually.
While many who have 6'- 6" beds tow fine without a slider, might be like 4X4 when you needed it you need it.
If the truck is a daily driver, and you have any driving skills at all, you will get use to the size and fit and be able to put in some small spaces.

abc40kids wrote:
Long bed, no other option in my mind...

x2

Javi1 wrote:
Just a quick note to those who think a long bed requires a slider to clear the bumper... the hitch is mounted in the exact same place in reference to the rear of the truck in 5.5', 6.5' and 8' beds... the LONG part is in front of the wheels... :D

Unless something has changed, you're exactly right...