Long bed vs Short bed

[bwright]

Anyone out there that moved from a short bed 1 ton to a long bed? I know it won’t fit in your garage, but overall, would you still prefer the short bed? Found a long bed with hitch capacity of about 4,200, thinking of moving to the long bed. The extra space in the bed is a plus.

[jeffba]

long bed Ford gets you a 48 Gallon tank

[JDDilly]

I went from a short box RAM 2500 SRW to a long box 3500 DRW. The difference is great and amazing.

[DQDick]

Don't let others talk you into a truck. You seem to understand the plusses and minuses. In our case we have to have a short bed since the Mega cab lets us have a large enough play pen in the back seat area so that three cats, beds, litterbox and food and water all fits. If it wasn't for the cats, I'd go for the long bed and a lighter hitch I could take in and out.

[bwright]

Totally agree!

[DutchmenSport]

Unless Devine Providence intervenes, I'll never have a short bed. I've had 3 different 3500 dualies, long bed, crew cab.... yes, all 3 were about 22-23 feet long. They take a corn field to make a U-turn in, but if you want the joy of towing, get use to grinning from ear to ear, because you'll never have a frown again.

FYI, our second run-around vehicle is a Chevy Colorado. it's actually short bed, I think it's less than 6 feet, but it's a crew cab. We have a cover over the bed and it's a fantastic grocery getter and run-around vehicle. It tows my utility trailer just fine. So, we have the best of both. I honestly think I will never go back to a convention car or mini-van, SUV ever again.

[mtlakejim]

Originally Posted by JDDilly

I went from a short box RAM 2500 SRW to a long box 3500 DRW. The difference is great and amazing.

Did the exact same thing myself.

The long bed allows me to more easily carry lumber (especially sheet goods) for my woodworking.

It doesn't hurt my feeling that it also totally eliminates the potential for the trailer to hit the side of the truck and need for a sliding hitch as well. I had a $400 opps (glass cost alone never mind the dent) with the short bed!!!

[1retired06]

Have always had a long bed

[432bartman]

I know some of these parks can get tight maneuvering, and even with a regular size bed it gets intimidating. Other than that, who wouldn't want more bed space.

[sourdough]

Well, I just have to throw in my opinion. Having owned many pickups (trucks) that were long beds, and always thinking "that was the way", I went to short bed trucks. Done that now for 19 years and would not have another LB truck....I see no benefit for the way I do "my thing". For others, it might be "the thing" but for others they are just a hindrance. Not to start LB vs SB conversation, but I've done this for decades as others have; one is not better than the other - it depends on the application and the individual.

[DutchmenSport]

Originally Posted by sourdough

...one is not better than the other - it depends on the application and the individual.

Well said, and completely agree!

(That's why I have 2 completely different trucks; each one has their own need and purpose, and no need any more for a conventional family vehicle).

Maybe the original poster (bwright) could get both!

[RMcNeal]

I have a long bed, never used a short bed to pull a 5er. I don't think I would be comfortable with a sliding hitch, even though they appear safe and proven. I wish I had the 48 gallon tank, mine has 38 gallons. I've considered adding an aux tank and toolbox, but I need the bed cover. I have the aluminum sliding cover that locks right now. Unfortunately, I've tried several different covers and they all seem to leak at some point.

[Montana Man]

I have a sb and prefer them since my truck is also a daily driver. I prefer them mainly for maneuverability whether towing or regular driving. I learned a lesson in that a mega cab though a short bed, is on a long bed frame. So in a sense I have a long bed. The mega cab pays off continually but the next one will be a crew cab sb.

[Tom N OH]

Had a short bed crew cab with an auto sliding hitch. Hated how heavy the hitch was. Had to use the loader on my tractor to lift the hitch in & out. Never had enough room in the bed. Gas tank was too small. Went to a long bed crew cab. Now I can lift the hitch in & out by hand any time, anywhere necessary. Have plenty of room in the bed & plenty of fuel capacity. I drove truck for 20+ years, the length & maneuverability isn’t an issue for me. Your mileage may vary.

[Fish]

6 ft 6 inch duramax crew cab to Ram Cummins 8 ft bed crew cab dually.

Love the 8 ft bed. Lots of room for my 60 gallon aux. fuel tank/tool box, no need for a sliding hitch.

[steiny93]

Our evolution of the box topic

Grew up with cab and chassis pickups fitted with flatbeds pulling stock trailers; that's my frame of reference. All long wheel bases, no sliders, no daily drivers, all easy.

For the rv, started out with a short box; slider hitch. Worked ok for us, definitely a mix between drivability and tow ability. The first rv required the hitch to be slid a lot; but it was ok as this was also a daily driver.

Then went to an HDT; 14ft deck, fixed air hitch. Worked really well for the big hauls (awesome cab space); but drivability when not pulling really suffered. Doing tourist 'stuff' with a 26ft semi isn't great. The turning radius was pretty painful. Not a daily driver.

Now we have a mega cab; 6.4ft box. Still have a slider hitch but it hasn't been slid yet, later trailers seemed to have more room. For us, the cab space is a big win; it would be really hard to give up the space. Drivability (parking especially) does suffer quite a bit. The ride is better with the mega due to the longer wheelbase. It isn't a daily driver, but it wouldn't be horrible to be a daily, the bigger issue is the height of the pickup (I'm 6'4" and I need to jump up onto the seat as example).

For us a mega cab with a 6.4ft box seems to be the best mix between cab space, drivability and tow-ability (tow and drive). If towing was the only use then back to HDT. For daily, the 5.5ft boxed 1/2 tons are really nice to park.

[kingdaddy]

I've owned two Ram MegaCabs (short beds)...an '06 SRW 2500 and now my '15 DRW 3500.

After the first one, I was so happy with the interior room that when I decided to upgrade to a 1 ton dually, I was happy to be able to get another MegaCab.

Obviously, just depends on what else you do with the truck besides tow a 5th wheel. For ME, the extra bed length didn't matter.

I do like the longer wheelbase of the MegaCab over the CrewCab (with short bed). The long bed CC has a bit longer wheelbase still (MC 160" vs. CC 169").

I had a Superglide auto slider hitch in the first truck and it performed flawlessly for 9 years with two different Montys (both with MorRyde pinbox).
NO worries about contact while turning tight...although I always avoided super tight turns when possible. Still do.

As many have mentioned, it's no fun taking the hitch in (or out) of the truck however! You can take the Superglide out in two parts which helps. In my younger days, I could manage it alone, but not anymore!

HOWEVER, with this truck I went a different (better) route with the Reese 20k Goosebox and B&W offset gooseball. No more giant hitch in the bed of the truck (especially nice while out on the road) and it tows very nicely (airbags and twin shocks help a lot).
The offset ball is rated at 20k with 5k vertical (pin weight) and it gives me the clearance I need while turning.
A little bit more challenging to hook it up especially if I'm by myself, but I'm getting better at it!

Also, my 40 gal. fuel/tool box combo take up some bed room, so I'm not hauling a lot of really big stuff in the bed!

[Last2Die]

Originally Posted by jeffba

long bed Ford gets you a 48 Gallon tank

Dang wish I had that. Mine is only 36. Adding a 50gal transfer tank to make sure when the time comes I can get out of California as fast as I can lmao just kidding...maybe....

Tony

[kingdaddy]

Originally Posted by Last2Die

Dang wish I had that. Mine is only 36. Adding a 50gal transfer tank to make sure when the time comes I can get out of California as fast as I can lmao just kidding...maybe....

Tony

The dually MegaCab Ram3500 gets you a tiny 31 gallon tank!
Hence, the 40 gallon tool/fuel combo. SOOO nice to have the extra range!

[twindman]

Originally Posted by kingdaddy

The dually MegaCab Ram3500 gets you a tiny 31 gallon tank!
Hence, the 40 gallon tool/fuel combo. SOOO nice to have the extra range!

31 is tiny?? My first Silverado only had 25 gallons!

First trip (17 days) I was going to fill up on the way in Wyoming, but the town consisted of 1 restaurant and 6 houses! Ulp! I pulled in to Rawlings and added 24.5 gallons. Yep, 1/2 gallon left.