Long Bed TV as a Daily Driver???
I am getting a 5th wheel camper in the near future and will need a new truck to tow it. I am still debating over long bed or short. I see the advantages and disadvantages of both and am not biased o...
Forum Discussion
From an Oklahoma viewpoint, long-bed, even with a crew cab, is not a problem. Everyone's truck is at least 20 feet long. But in urban areas with more traffic density, tighter turning radii and smaller parking spaces, smaller is better.
Everybody wants four door crew cab trucks these days. But a long-bed standard cab is usually shorter than the shortest of short-bed crew cabs. So you still have choices. Three to four cab lengths, at least two bed lengths, most combinations available from most manufacturers.
If I had to use the truck to carry around 4-5 people most of the time, I would go for crew-cab with a 6-foot bed, and struggle with the quirks of a slider fifth wheel hitch. If carrying passengers only occasionally, I might consider an extended cab (Ford's Super Cab) with a longer bed. Just myself (my reality) it would be a "standard" cab with at least 7-foot bed, to stay away from the slider hitch problems, although I know folks who have knocked out a truck rear window backing a fiver with an eight foot bed and standard hitch.
It is a matter of matching size to your needs, but for convenience, no larger than necessary. My current truck is a one-ton van, built as 12-passenger. I didn't need the 15 passenger capacity that adds another 20 inches of length, just under 18 feet is long enough.
But seriously, I do not treat my trucks as daily drivers, although trucks fill that role for almost half the population here. I keep a subcompact hatchback as a daily driver, the truck is a special needs vehicle, more expensive to operate but what is needed when it is needed.
Everybody wants four door crew cab trucks these days. But a long-bed standard cab is usually shorter than the shortest of short-bed crew cabs. So you still have choices. Three to four cab lengths, at least two bed lengths, most combinations available from most manufacturers.
If I had to use the truck to carry around 4-5 people most of the time, I would go for crew-cab with a 6-foot bed, and struggle with the quirks of a slider fifth wheel hitch. If carrying passengers only occasionally, I might consider an extended cab (Ford's Super Cab) with a longer bed. Just myself (my reality) it would be a "standard" cab with at least 7-foot bed, to stay away from the slider hitch problems, although I know folks who have knocked out a truck rear window backing a fiver with an eight foot bed and standard hitch.
It is a matter of matching size to your needs, but for convenience, no larger than necessary. My current truck is a one-ton van, built as 12-passenger. I didn't need the 15 passenger capacity that adds another 20 inches of length, just under 18 feet is long enough.
But seriously, I do not treat my trucks as daily drivers, although trucks fill that role for almost half the population here. I keep a subcompact hatchback as a daily driver, the truck is a special needs vehicle, more expensive to operate but what is needed when it is needed.
