More Truck talk, long vs. short bed

VincentVega · 03-02-2009, 05:47 PM

All this diesel talk has me ready to pull the trigger on another truck. My last one was a single cab long bed. I had a strange cab extension thing taking up some of the bed, but still had ~1' free below the thing. I use the truck to tow the car and make HD runs on the weekend. A couple times a year I'll get a load of firewood then it's just regular stuff. Mulch, shrubs, lumber....

My next truck will be an extended cab, no question. I assumed I would get a long bed, extended cab until I recently drove one. The extra ~18" in wheelbase makes it a bit of a pig, especially in parking lots.

Do I just man up and get used to it, or is a 6' bed enough? The extra 2' sure adds a lot of capacity, although I only need it once in a while. I guess it's a personal choice, just curious what guys w/ a 6' bed think.

Towing the 911 I assume it's the same, maybe the long wheelbase adds some stability but I doubt it's a big deal. Am I wrong?

Thanks

mossguy · 03-02-2009, 06:17 PM

Chris - If the extra 2' is a factor, get one of those flip-over bed extenders.

I have the short bed (6 1/2') and it works fine for me.

Best,
Tom

TimT · 03-02-2009, 06:22 PM

Quote:

The extra ~18" in wheelbase makes it a bit of a pig,

Yeap you have to plan where you want to park... My big diesel pickem up is a supercab with 8' bed... A crew cab with 8' bed is even longer...

Having lived with these sort of trucks for years... I'd say a 6' bed will be fine...you can haul all the plywood, sheetrock, firewood you want in a 6' bed.....

My current truck maybe the last I ever buy, so I'm sort of stuck with it

VincentVega · 03-02-2009, 07:35 PM

Thanks for the info. I've never owned an extended cab, so before this every 'real' truck had a 8' bed.

Hendog · Hendog's Garage

In my research so far I've found the extended cab with 8' bed is longer than the crew cab with short bed. In my situation, the 6.5' bed will do pretty much all I will need and I'll get more use out of the crew cab than the extended cab. So I'm looking for crew cab with short bed for the shorter wheel base along with the use of four doors with lots of cabin room.

pookie · 03-02-2009, 08:00 PM

I traded my Jeep for my first and only truck a little over a year ago. I have a Ford F150 Supercrew (4 full doors) 4x4. At first I worried the shortbed wouldn't suffice but it has handled everything I have thrown at it and more. For a house truck the four doors have been great. The shorter bed works great as well. We've done all the things you listed, mulch, shrubs, firewood, and it has been great. We even helped some friends move with this truck, a queen size bed will fit with the bed extender.

If I had a job where I had to have a truck and haul stuff I think a longer bed would be a necessity (sp), but for a house/hunting truck it has been great.

Evans, Marv · 03-02-2009, 08:11 PM

If the shorter bed will be OK for 90+% of the time, you can just rent a trailer for those few times you need the extra capacity.

Dantilla · 03-02-2009, 09:02 PM

I use all eight feet of my truck's bed on a regular basis. And I have a 16' trailer for when a long box is not enough.

Fortunately, since my entire family consists of one wife and one daughter, we fit fine in a regular cab. The only trucks I will consider are regular cab/long beds.

Anything bigger needs a pilot car front and rear in a parking lot. No thanks.

aigel · aigel's Garage

Shorter is better if you ever take it off pavement.

George

KFC911 · 03-02-2009, 09:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris Martin

Towing the 911 I assume it's the same, maybe the long wheelbase adds some stability but I doubt it's a big deal. Am I wrong?

Thanks

I don't tow my 911, but for towing a boat (backing & turning down tight boat ramps) and other trailers, I prefer shorter for manuverability and visibility purposes. Like a lot of things, there's pros & cons either way imo.

speeder · 03-02-2009, 09:57 PM

I'm a short bed extended cab guy or a long bed regular cab guy. The two are almost identical in length in a full-sized American truck, (unless it's a Dodge, they have a huge extended cab). The SB extended is the best compromise; good interior space, easy to park/fits in spaces, 6.5 bed is enough 98% of the time, etc...

The long bed/big cab trucks are a biatch in the city plus don't look as good, IMO.

speeder · 03-02-2009, 10:06 PM

Short bed crew is not a bad-looking truck, but that's the longest I'd ever want to go:

KFC911 · 03-02-2009, 10:17 PM

Something else to consider is whether you have a tool box in the back (I do), a short bed would then be midget size for hauling purposes. I don't carry more than one passenger in my truck (nor the 911, motorcycle, and boat). I've only got one vehicle that's suited for that, and I think I'll sell it

.

TWork · 03-02-2009, 10:29 PM

Unless your hauling lots of long material (lumber, electrical conduit, etc) or hay (and every bale counts) on a very regular basis, I think an 8' bed is just too much in a truck with a extended/crew cab. Even a short bed with an extended cab can be too much if it's your daily driver. Getting parked in your local mega-mall can be a real challenge and parking in a major metropolis like San Francisco in some cases is just impossible.

David · David's Garage

In my 8 years of truck ownership, I've only wanted an 8' bed a few times. The rest of the time it seems like it would be a big pain in the a$$.

My new truck has the under 6' bed. It's annoying when I need to pick up a few 8' boards since they don't fit the bed diagonally like they would in the 6.5' bed. I wish Chevy had a half ton, crew cab, 6.5' bed like Ford does.

ednj · 03-03-2009, 02:56 AM

Get yourself 1 of these.
6 doors and a 10' bed, you can tow what ever you want.

anything less than 8' is useless

lm6y · 03-03-2009, 04:30 AM

All of the shop trucks where I work are 4 door duallies. Once you get used to them you can put them just about anywhere you want. It takes a little more work, but like I said, you get used to it.

As far as towing, the extra length makes a huge difference in stability, but it does suck to back up in tight quarters.

legion · 03-03-2009, 04:39 AM

My truck is an extended cab short bed. I personally couldn't imagine trying to maneuver a longer vehicle in a crowded parking lot--especially one without angle parking.

Seahawk · 03-03-2009, 05:03 AM

I have a four door F150 with the short bed. The one compromise were were aware of, and worked around, it that many gooseneck trailers won't fit with the short bed.

I would have preferred the long bed but our desire for four doors won the day. All our trailers are bumper pull and tow just fine.

VINMAN · 03-03-2009, 05:41 AM

My trucks a beotch to park at times. Ext cab, 8' bed.

My last F250 was a short bed. It pretty much was good enough for everything I needed. But there was a lot of times that extra 2 ft would have been welcomed. If you are planning on sticking one of those toolboxes in it, dont even think about a short bed. They take up alot of room.