Thoughts: 6.5' bed v. 8' bed

How long are the loads & toys you'll be hauling? Motorcycles, ATVS, lots of plywood sheets? That should be the deciding factor.
I just got a 5.5' bed, but it's on a supercrew F150. This thing is still about 20" longer than the 1998 Expedition I owned, the longest vehicle I had previously owned. It's taking some getting used to, especially parking in town or at the mall. The only way it fits in my old garage is if I bump the back wall ;( So I'd go with the shorter option.

Our Supercrew has a 6.5 bed and it seems big enough for most chores. It fits in the garage, at least on one side.

Psh.... if you ain't got a 16 ft bed then you ain't got a truck, you got a grocery getter. :B

My previous truck was a 2004 Chevy 2500HD crew cab with 6.5' bed. I hauled a bunch of stuff in the bed, towed a travel trailer, and it did everything I needed. I once had a 20 sheets of 4'X8' 1/2" OSB slide out the back as a I left a stop light. I thought the weight of the boards would grip each other until I heard a huge crash and saw them sliding out the back.

My new truck is a Ram 2500 crew cab with 8' bed. It also does everything I need and then some.

6.5' bed pros
- shorter turning radius
- fairly easy to park
- lot's of accessories availble

6.5' bed cons
- everything must be tied down.
- can make longer loads difficult if excessive weight is on the tail gate

8' bed pros
- can fit long boards inside the tail gate
- no need for sliding hitch on 5th wheels (not an issue for the OP)
- can easily fit golf cart with tail gate closed for pulling TT

8' bed cons
- LAND YACHT. These things take a wide berth to turn and park.
- Much less common than short bed.

Honestly both bed lengths will fit the OP's needs just fine. Oh, and the ability to fit a board 8' long is not the be all, end all. If the OP is wanting to haul long stuff and tow a TT then an 8' bed is probably the better choice. If not, the 6.5' is perfectly fine.

I’ve had both and love the 8’ bed now. Just as easy to drive but better towing as it’s a bit smoother on the highway

I've always had a 6.5' bed but I'm going long bed next time just for the ride quality/wheelbase. But this one is my "forever" truck so I may change my mind. Hoping it can last me another 10+ years, and it's 14 years old already.

By the time I put in the 120 gal fuel tank and a Knak box, I don't know if there'd be anything left of 6.5' bed for me. On my new truck I'll probably put a 10' flat bed.

Bill

I'd buy a 10' bed if they made one. I can't fit everything I need in an 8' bed, I can't imagine trying to work with one shorter. If you're going to use the truck to haul, which is what they are for, I would get the longer bed. The longer wheel base will ride better. Usually long bed trucks have larger fuel tanks than their short bed counterpart.

KD4UPL wrote:
I'd buy a 10' bed if they made one. I can't fit everything I need in an 8' bed, I can't imagine trying to work with one shorter. If you're going to use the truck to haul, which is what they are for, I would get the longer bed. The longer wheel base will ride better. Usually long bed trucks have larger fuel tanks than their short bed counterpart.

Amen!

I have owned one 6.5' bed truck. After driving that for a couple of years I went back to an 8' bed. I will most likely never own another 6.5' bed truck.

I have had a number of occasions that a 10' or longer he'd would have been handy.

My TV is my daily driver/hauler. Tomorrow it may be hauling groceries or 3000lbs of railroad ties. Friday it will haul the 5er down to the river.

I was going to put a 10' flatbed on it until I talked to my insurance agent. If I put a flatbed on it they will only insure it as a commercial vehicle. Very expensive and to compound the issue, if I did switch to commercial insurance, I would loose my multi vehicle discount. Adding a flatbed would raise my monthly insurance bill by about $100 a month. I can't justify the cost but I sure would like to.

I've gone with short bed. Yes, there are times when a long bed would be nice. But more times when for us it would be a PITA. I can still put one motorcycle in the bed with the tailgate up and pull the 35ft trailer.

When I want longer stuff in the box and not pulling a trailer I have a bed extender. Lets me haul two motorcycles easily and keep other stuff from falling out.

The short box fits into the garage with plenty of room to spare, Long box would mean rearranging woodworking tools on one side.

And the short box crew cab usually can fit into parking spaces, while there are many parking areas where a 8' box and crew cab would need two end to end spots or stick way into the traffic.

and there are many camping spots we go to where with the short box I can jockey the truck just enough to fit truck and trailer in the pad. 8' box nope.

But in the end it boils down to what you need the box for. Only you can decide.

Interesting that now usually the short box is listed or referred to as the standard box, while the 8' is referred to as long box. Growing up it was the opposite. Std box was 8' the 6.5' was short box.