Salesperson at 5th wheel shop says to get a long bed?

Wow! I am a member of several forums, but NEVER have I posted a question, waited a few days, and come back to SIX PAGES of answers!!!

AWESOME!!!

I prefer a short bed, and currently drive a 4-door, not a megacab, dodge ram 1500. I will likely keep it, as it parks in regular parking spots. But we need to trade in the wife's convertible mustang, regardless of how fun it is to drive, for a tow vehicle. We won't be needing the bed space for "stuff", because we are downgrading our lives, and if it won't fit in the 5th wheel, we don't need it. The truck is just to get us to point B, and for daily driving afterwards.

So, it sounds like the longer beds allow better maneuverability, but in the long run, if we find a pull thru space, drop the trailer, and get a job, the short bed should be fine.

Thanks for all of your comments!!! :B

A DRW truck is overkill for our needs. It would make sense with a 11' camper with a dry weight of 4,000 lbs. but that is a lot bigger camper than we need.

Adding 20 gallons of diesel adds an additional 140 lbs. of weight which is trivial. An extra passenger in the cab can add a lot more weight than that.

If DRW trucks were without serious drawbacks everyone would be driving one, but instead I see a tiny fraction of the pickups on the highway with DRW. Even with 5th-wheel travel trailers there are 4 people pulling them with a SRW truck for every 1 person I see using a DRW truck.

The ONLY place I see DRW trucks used in numbers is when pulling large and very heavy 5th-wheel horse trailers.

45Ricochet wrote:

spoon059 wrote:

Cummins12V98 wrote:
A real truck has a 8' bed anything shorter is a grocery getter.

Yes I had a shorty ONCE and never again.

I am SO thankful that I don't have to make up for any "deficiencies" with my own anatomy by buying an oversized truck...

LOL
I believe his pin weight is like 4500 lbs and 28k combo. Don't think he bought a "oversized truck" :B

Wouldn't a shortbed truck handle that payload just as well as a longbed? The argument isn't whether or not he needs a 1 ton truck, the argument is about his derogatory comment that a 6.5' bed is essentially worthless...

webslave wrote:

john&bet wrote:

The Mad Norsky wrote:
A partial quote from webslave's post: Quote: One thing that the long bed advocates don't mention is that the payload for a long is usually a hundred or better pounds lighter than the short bed. That extra weight of the 1' 6" of steel has to come off the load.


:h

I've always thought it was the other way around????????? Guess I just don't get out often enough anymore.

I wonder what cab configuration he is refering to, Reg./ext./quad./crew/mega.

From the 2011 Dodge tow book...a couple of examples, and it doesn't really matter whether crew, quad, mega; SLT or Laramie or baseline as long as the equipment and drive-train are identical (apples to apples);

Both trucks, Crew Cab 2WD short bed, Cummins with auto 6 spd 3.73 gears - Payload 2160 Same truck, but, long bed - Payload 2090

In the Laramie version, identical trucks, same engines, same drive, same gears, engines and transmissions; Short bed 2090 Long bed 1940

Those were the 2500's

The 3500's (SRW), identical trucks (running gear and badges):

Laramie 3500 short bed: payload 3190 Laramie 3500 long bed: payload 3030.

The fact of the matter is that weight that you carry has to come off the payload (that's also why a 2 WD will have a higher payload than the 4 WD version of the identical truck; payload is reduced because of the weight of the 4 WD components). The short bed and the long bed, on the same identically equipped truck, the difference will always favor the short bed since it isn't carrying the longer frame and longer bed; weight saved on rolling stock means weight gained on payload. The longer bed doesn't increase payload, it just gives you more space to put the payload in and the additional weight of the "bigger box" actually means you have more room to carry less. Physics 101.

Yes you are right to a point. But in your examples the wheel base was also shorter. Put a mega cab on my wheel base and see what happens. Granted payload is payload no mater what it is, cab/bed combos on any given frame length.

wintersun wrote:
I bought a 2011 GM diesel truck with the short bed as I wanted the shorter wheelbase and tighter turning radius. A drawback that I have discovered that is never mentioned on forum posts is the availability and capacity of auxilary or replacement fuel tanks.

For the long bed trucks the replacement fuel tanks will provide as much as 65 gallons of fuel compared to 52 gallons for the short bed and the tanks are the same cost to buy and install. For 2011 and later GM trucks neither Titan or Aero tank manufacturers have tanks that will fit a short bed truck. These companies have to sell a minimum number of units to recover the cost of making the mold and if they don't think they can sell that number they will not invest in the mold. A little shortsighted as they are excluding 2011-2014 trucks at a minimum but it is what it is.

With the stock tank of 36 gallons I figure 30-32 as usable in terms of my driving range and with a heavy load or tow that becomes 300-320 miles before I have to find a station that sells diesel and is open for business. Currently that means doing route planning so I can find a truck stop and spending a lot more time on interstate highways than I like.

Had I realized the problem in getting a larger tank for the truck I would have gone with the longbed version instead. For maximum flexibility a gas engine (with 4.10 gears) with a longbed is optimum.

I thought of getting additional fuel carrying capacity but realized I was already pushing my tire ratings for weight. If you are buying a truck for long distance heavy hauling you might just as well sacrifice the nimbleness of the shortbox and get a long box dually. If its going to be largely a run around truck you just have to put up with the smaller fuel capacity.

I bought a 2011 GM diesel truck with the short bed as I wanted the shorter wheelbase and tighter turning radius. A drawback that I have discovered that is never mentioned on forum posts is the availability and capacity of auxilary or replacement fuel tanks.

For the long bed trucks the replacement fuel tanks will provide as much as 65 gallons of fuel compared to 52 gallons for the short bed and the tanks are the same cost to buy and install. For 2011 and later GM trucks neither Titan or Aero tank manufacturers have tanks that will fit a short bed truck. These companies have to sell a minimum number of units to recover the cost of making the mold and if they don't think they can sell that number they will not invest in the mold. A little shortsighted as they are excluding 2011-2014 trucks at a minimum but it is what it is.

With the stock tank of 36 gallons I figure 30-32 as usable in terms of my driving range and with a heavy load or tow that becomes 300-320 miles before I have to find a station that sells diesel and is open for business. Currently that means doing route planning so I can find a truck stop and spending a lot more time on interstate highways than I like.

Had I realized the problem in getting a larger tank for the truck I would have gone with the longbed version instead. For maximum flexibility a gas engine (with 4.10 gears) with a longbed is optimum.

Vulcaneer wrote:
Hey...What happened to the post that claimed the hitch makers know that 16 to 20% of the pin weight must go to the front axle? An interesting point of view. And can change the whole weight thing.

Example...My pin weight is about 3000#. So 20% of that is 600 pounds going to the front axle. Then that makes rear axle weight 2400 pounds. Could maybe carry that weight with a F150 Tow Max or 1500HD. The truck makers can just beef up the front springs a little bit, and we all can carry a whole lot more payload. Or the same payload with a smaller truck. How far forward would they need to move the hitch to accomplish that?

This could change everything. Hey...if a Tundra can tow 292,000 pounds through Los Angeles.......

If your hitch is mounted 35:h" in front of your rear axle...

Hey...What happened to the post that claimed the hitch makers know that 16 to 20% of the pin weight must go to the front axle? An interesting point of view. And can change the whole weight thing.

Example...My pin weight is about 3000#. So 20% of that is 600 pounds going to the front axle. Then that makes rear axle weight 2400 pounds. Could maybe carry that weight with a F150 Tow Max or 1500HD. The truck makers can just beef up the front springs a little bit, and we all can carry a whole lot more payload. Or the same payload with a smaller truck. How far forward would they need to move the hitch to accomplish that?

This could change everything. Hey...if a Tundra can tow 292,000 pounds through Los Angeles.......

john&bet wrote:

The Mad Norsky wrote:
A partial quote from webslave's post: Quote: One thing that the long bed advocates don't mention is that the payload for a long is usually a hundred or better pounds lighter than the short bed. That extra weight of the 1' 6" of steel has to come off the load.


:h

I've always thought it was the other way around????????? Guess I just don't get out often enough anymore.

I wonder what cab configuration he is refering to, Reg./ext./quad./crew/mega.

From the 2011 Dodge tow book...a couple of examples, and it doesn't really matter whether crew, quad, mega; SLT or Laramie or baseline as long as the equipment and drive-train are identical (apples to apples);

Both trucks, Crew Cab 2WD short bed, Cummins with auto 6 spd 3.73 gears - Payload 2160 Same truck, but, long bed - Payload 2090

In the Laramie version, identical trucks, same engines, same drive, same gears, engines and transmissions; Short bed 2090 Long bed 1940

Those were the 2500's

The 3500's (SRW), identical trucks (running gear and badges):

Laramie 3500 short bed: payload 3190 Laramie 3500 long bed: payload 3030.

The fact of the matter is that weight that you carry has to come off the payload (that's also why a 2 WD will have a higher payload than the 4 WD version of the identical truck; payload is reduced because of the weight of the 4 WD components). The short bed and the long bed, on the same identically equipped truck, the difference will always favor the short bed since it isn't carrying the longer frame and longer bed; weight saved on rolling stock means weight gained on payload. The longer bed doesn't increase payload, it just gives you more space to put the payload in and the additional weight of the "bigger box" actually means you have more room to carry less. Physics 101.

Vulcaneer wrote:

Perrysburg Dodgeboy wrote:
When it comes to towing the LWB will tow 100X better then a SWB truck. Not an opinion a fact.

100 times better? Really? That is a fact? 100 times better? What if it's a dually? Must be 1000 times better. Then if it's a diesel add another 1000 times better. Are those facts too?

So if you have a LWB dually diesel, you probably don't even need to drive it. Just drop the truck and trailer into the FAX machine and punch in the number. Just be sure to get into the truck before you hit the enter key. You'll be at your destination at the speed of light.

Of course maybe if those facts are not really accurate, maybe that won't really work.

Thanks for the humor.:)

I was thinking someone else was going to bite :W :B

Don

BTW A DRW would be 200X 100X per wheel come on you knew that right :@