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Long Bed TV as a Daily Driver???

bowler1
Explorer
Explorer
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 one way or the other.

For me I think the biggest consideration is going to come down to use as a daily driver. I currently drive a Tundra. Moving to a Ford F-350 will mean the truck is going to be longer even with the short bed. Adding a longer bed will make it that much longer still.

I have never driven a long bed truck, but anticipate that it could be a PIA for maneuvering in a parking lot. But I am not sure especially now with all the backup and side view cameras. I also have read posts where people say its not any harder to drive than a short bed.

So while part of me says not to limit my capacity and go with the long bed, the other part of me is a bit leery of that decision because 95% of my driving will be as a daily driver. So I am not sure whether the extra capacity is worth any daily driving headaches...or are there really any more headaches for driving with the long bed.

thanks for your help

Matt
54 REPLIES 54

mowermech
Explorer
Explorer
Hey, Marty, you would have loved a truck a friend of mine built many years ago.
He had to haul some very long stuff, and he had two 1946 Ford half tons, one a good runner, and one for parts. So, being a good weldor and a better than average machinist, with a well-equipped shop, he cut the two trucks and made one with a 12 foot bed. Yes, he custom built a L-O-N-G driveshaft for it. At first glance, it looked like a nice well-preserved old truck, but then that long box registered...
CM1, USN (RET)
2017 Jayco TT
Daily Driver: '14 Subaru Outback
1998 Dodge QC LWB, Cummins, 5 speed, 4X2
2 Kawasaki Brute Force 750 ATVs.
Pride Raptor 3 wheeled off-road capable mobility scooter
"When seconds count, help is only minutes away!"

blt2ski
Moderator
Moderator
Grit dog wrote:
blt2ski wrote:
8' std bed, 10+' is long bed
Leads than 8' short bed
I'll take long beds..

Marty


Because they make 10’ bed Pickups......lol

That was totally sarcastic, but I think there would be a market for longer than 8’ bed pickups.
Long bed work trucks get pretty short as soon as you put a slip tank and a big toolbox in the back. I think the construction and landscaping market would buy em. Pilot project with an ext cab 9’+ bed on a cclb chassis or reg cab 10’+ bed on a eclb chassis. Cheap easy pilot project for the 2 mfgs still making ext cabs. And maybe some business from recreational activities like truck campers and hauling toys.


My midget twuck has a short bed that is 14' long......well, its midget from a Navistar manufacture basis. Turn tighter and quicker, easier to drive than either of the CC 35 series trucks I've had. Turned tighter than the 12' bed and ext cab 8' bed on the same 155" WB too!

I suppose many ways to look at this. BUT YES!!!! I would buy a pickup with a 10' bed. I would then have 8' in the bed to work with AFTER adding the cross bed tool box etc into it. Plus, the lumber/ladder/pipe rack could hold them 20' sticks easier than the 8' bed versions do too! Even with the cab over extension!

Kinda like keeping your truck in a garage......last three times my rigs have been in garages, it cost me a B.O.A.T. buck or two per trip!

Marty
92 Navistar dump truck, 7.3L 7 sp, 4.33 gears with a Detroit no spin
2014 Chevy 1500 Dual cab 4x4
92 Red-e-haul 12K equipment trailer

mowermech
Explorer
Explorer
I drove a standard cab, 8 foot bed dually diesel as a daily driver for a couple of years.
No problem.
However, I did discover that it was useless for exploring skid trails back in the woods. The darn thing was just too big!
CM1, USN (RET)
2017 Jayco TT
Daily Driver: '14 Subaru Outback
1998 Dodge QC LWB, Cummins, 5 speed, 4X2
2 Kawasaki Brute Force 750 ATVs.
Pride Raptor 3 wheeled off-road capable mobility scooter
"When seconds count, help is only minutes away!"

JAC1982
Explorer
Explorer
The width of our truck is a bigger deal than the length. I'm a 5'3" female and can drive it without issue, so you can do it too 🙂

That being said, we don't take the truck to downtown Denver and try to park it in a garage or even in a lot. For that we take my Explorer, or the Fusion we bought recently because the truck is too big to take anywhere other than tootling around our area and the miles were racking up on the Explorer between my commute and everywhere we were driving it.
2020 Keystone Montana High Country 294RL
2017 Ford F350 DRW King Ranch
2021 Ford F350 SRW Lariat Tremor

Grit_dog
Nomad III
Nomad III
blt2ski wrote:
8' std bed, 10+' is long bed
Leads than 8' short bed
I'll take long beds..

Marty


Because they make 10’ bed Pickups......lol

That was totally sarcastic, but I think there would be a market for longer than 8’ bed pickups.
Long bed work trucks get pretty short as soon as you put a slip tank and a big toolbox in the back. I think the construction and landscaping market would buy em. Pilot project with an ext cab 9’+ bed on a cclb chassis or reg cab 10’+ bed on a eclb chassis. Cheap easy pilot project for the 2 mfgs still making ext cabs. And maybe some business from recreational activities like truck campers and hauling toys.
2016 Ram 2500, MotorOps.ca EFIlive tuned, 5” turbo back, 6" lift on 37s
2017 Heartland Torque T29 - Sold.
Couple of Arctic Fox TCs - Sold

lawrosa
Explorer
Explorer
Nice walk to walmart entrance.. I need the excercise says the spouse...lol..

It dont look that big way out there... But also to prevent dings in my doors I alway park on the edge where people dont park..






Had a heck of a snow storm here in NJ...

Hey long beds hold more snow... HA ha ha...

Mike L ... N.J.

2006 Silverado ext cab long bed. 3:42 rear. LM7 5.3 motor. 300 hp 350 ft lbs torgue @ 4000 rpms
2018 coachmen Catalina sbx 261bh

tatest
Explorer II
Explorer II
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.
Tom Test
Itasca Spirit 29B

transamz9
Explorer
Explorer
hotpepperkid wrote:
Daily driver or not short bed trucks are useless, may as well get a station wagon


I'll put my short bed up against your long bed any day of the week. Just have to be smarter than the truck to get the job done.
2016 Ram 3500 Mega Cab Limited/2013 Ram 3500 SRW Cummins(sold)/2005 RAM 2500 Cummins/2011 Sandpiper 345 RET (sold) 2015 Sanibel 3601/2008 Nitro Z9 Mercury 250 PRO XS the best motor made.

hotpepperkid
Explorer
Explorer
Daily driver or not short bed trucks are useless, may as well get a station wagon
2019 Ford F-350 long bed SRW 4X4 6.4 PSD Grand Designs Reflection 295RL 5th wheel

ppine
Explorer II
Explorer II
A friend of mine wrote a short cowboy poem about miniature horses that applies to short bed trucks.
"Why?"

1jeep
Explorer
Explorer
I owned a short bed once.....my wife will never let that happened again.
2016 Ford F350 crew cab dually 6.7 platinum with heavy tow and 4:30 gears
2015 Carbon 327 with a BMW k1600 and Canam 1k inside

blt2ski
Moderator
Moderator
8' std bed, 10+' is long bed
Leads than 8' short bed
I'll take long beds..

Marty
92 Navistar dump truck, 7.3L 7 sp, 4.33 gears with a Detroit no spin
2014 Chevy 1500 Dual cab 4x4
92 Red-e-haul 12K equipment trailer

Cummins12V98
Explorer III
Explorer III
transamz9 wrote:
Cummins12V98 wrote:
NO compromising with a standard LB truck! Dually LB daily driver since November 2011.


I can store stuff behind my back seat that you can't. In my book that's compromising just like I cant close my tailgate with a piece of plywood. Oh wait, you can't either. LOL


Yea no stinky stuff in the cab for me! Well except for some stuff from Costco that was left below back seat!
2015 RAM LongHorn 3500 Dually CrewCab 4X4 CUMMINS/AISIN RearAir 385HP/865TQ 4:10's
37,800# GCVWR "Towing Beast"

"HeavyWeight" B&W RVK3600

2016 MobileSuites 39TKSB3 highly "Elited" In the stable

2007.5 Mobile Suites 36 SB3 29,000# Combined SOLD

transamz9
Explorer
Explorer
Cummins12V98 wrote:
NO compromising with a standard LB truck! Dually LB daily driver since November 2011.


I can store stuff behind my back seat that you can't. In my book that's compromising just like I cant close my tailgate with a piece of plywood. Oh wait, you can't either. LOL
2016 Ram 3500 Mega Cab Limited/2013 Ram 3500 SRW Cummins(sold)/2005 RAM 2500 Cummins/2011 Sandpiper 345 RET (sold) 2015 Sanibel 3601/2008 Nitro Z9 Mercury 250 PRO XS the best motor made.