Long bed vs short bed

[bgrdedf17]

Not only will you not have to buy a special hitch but the ride is much better afriend has a 3500 dodge dually short bed and it rides like a tank we got back in our F450 long bed and it felt like riding in a caddy

[Herk7769]

Originally Posted by DouglasReid

There I Was, agreeing with this guy until he made the above statement. I DO NOT agree with that!

I tow a 35' 5er, 12200 GVWT and drive an 08 Chevy 2500HD CCSB 2wd. After going through a CAT scale only last Thursday, Fully Loaded on our way camping this weekend I learned Im about 2000 lbs (1 ton) under GVWR and 2000 under GCVW.

Would a 1 ton truck provide a bit more "cushion"? Yes. Is it necessary, NO!

Really? With my 2008 2500HD CCSB 2wd (Duramax and Allison tranny) and a 9,300 pound 5th wheel, I max out my GVWR of 9200 pounds (pin weight of 1600 pounds) while at 7,000 pounds under GCWR.

I totally wish I had gotten a 3500HD.

Here is my worksheet from a trip to the Keys and you will see what I mean.

[BandJCarm]

I guess I've never gotten the "It's my daily driver" argument. Well, somewhat........if you are commuting long distances, I guess. And one thing that hits me on these discussions is the difference between those still working vs. retired. If you are working and trying to balance 9 things, I sort of get that. I remember that. LOL

But if you go camping for a week, whatever your truck is, it's your 'daily driver' for that week, isn't it? If it can be your daily driver for that week, why not every week? What is it about long beds and duallies and such that everyone can drive while towing but somehow can't otherwise? I haven't driven anything else but a dually since I left July 31......and won't till October. I park it anywhere I want, I park it in driveway, I go here, I go there. What is it I can't do??

I do know ONE thing! I have never, ever, EVER been towing this 15,000 lb behemoth and turned to DW and said "Boy, I wish I had a smaller truck".

[alsimmon11]

Thanks for all the input, a lot of valuable information.

[B and B]

Originally Posted by Herk7769

Really? With my 2008 2500HD CCSB 2wd (Duramax and Allison tranny) and a 9,300 pound 5th wheel, I max out my GVWR of 9200 pounds (pin weight of 1600 pounds) while at 7,000 pounds under GCWR.

I totally wish I had gotten a 3500HD.

Here is my worksheet from a trip to the Keys and you will see what I mean.

Herk, that payload is worse than my F 150 Ecoboost was.

[B and B]

Originally Posted by BandJCarm

I guess I've never gotten the "It's my daily driver" argument. Well, somewhat........if you are commuting long distances, I guess. And one thing that hits me on these discussions is the difference between those still working vs. retired. If you are working and trying to balance 9 things, I sort of get that. I remember that. LOL

But if you go camping for a week, whatever your truck is, it's your 'daily driver' for that week, isn't it? If it can be your daily driver for that week, why not every week? What is it about long beds and duallies and such that everyone can drive while towing but somehow can't otherwise? I haven't driven anything else but a dually since I left July 31......and won't till October. I park it anywhere I want, I park it in driveway, I go here, I go there. What is it I can't do??

I do know ONE thing! I have never, ever, EVER been towing this 15,000 lb behemoth and turned to DW and said "Boy, I wish I had a smaller truck".

How much do tires cost?
Dually cost for tire rotation.
Dually are not worth a crap in snow and slush and ice when they are loaded.

I have 16,000 lbs and am quit happy with my SRW and 3700 lbs of CCC with no air bags or compressor to fail with snow, ice and salt on the roads.

Daily Driver means different things to different people.

[Herk7769]

Originally Posted by B and B

Herk, that payload is worse than my F 150 Ecoboost was.

Remember remaining payload left for pin is GVWR minus truck "loaded for camping". The short bed's teeny tiny fuel tank is augmented by 12 gallons of diesel in cans. Then add family, hitch (that slider is heavy), generator and 2 1/2 gallon gas can, some shoring, that honking diesel engine and monster trans, and there you are.

[Andromeda74]

We have a Ram 2500 with Mega cab, which means a super short bed. We just purchased a fifth wheel that has the angles nose cone and installed a slide hitch. So far after 3 trips we haven't had to engage the slide at all and have quite a bit of clearance. We also made some pretty tight turns. We are really happy with the set up. I would post a pic, but not sure how. :/

[bgrdedf17]

I recently rode in a short bed 1 ton dually rode like a tank I got back into my F450 long bed and it felt like riding in a caddy. short bed bad!!!

[CaptnJohn]

Originally Posted by bgrdedf17

I recently rode in a short bed 1 ton dually rode like a tank I got back into my F450 long bed and it felt like riding in a caddy. short bed

Actually a dually short bed is nothing I see a reason for. As I got older I swore off both a dually and long bed. I simply keep my 5ers within spec of an F350 short bed. Still need a step stool to put the lock 🔐 on the 5er hitch and rarely use a boat hook to reach something in the bed. Older with a bad back and paratrooper knees means a little change in a few areas.

[Matt_Lewis]

I have recently done a lot of research on this and like everyone is saying, it really depends on preference and how careful you are. That being said, it is also very dependent on your truck, pin box, and nose cap of your fiver.

I have a F250 CC SB with out the factory puck system. I installed custom rails and bought a slider hitch which I have/will use whenever I am going to be in tight situations.

The Ford short beds are 6.5ft whereas Chevy and Dodge are 5'7"; that 10inches makes a huge difference.

With more modern fifth wheel caps the corners are set back from the pin box/kingpin in such a way to provide more clearance.

So it really all depends. I bought the slider and will use it because the 2 minute it takes to slide it back is a lot cheaper than replacing the back window or cap. And I am in no hurry with something this big!
matt

[NMWildcat]

Originally Posted by Matt_Lewis

I have recently done a lot of research on this.....

The Ford short beds are 6.5ft whereas Chevy and Dodge are 5'7"; that 10inches makes a huge difference.

Incorrect/misleading statement. You need to do some more research

[aceinspp]

Originally Posted by Matt_Lewis

I have recently done a lot of research on this and like everyone is saying, it really depends on preference and how careful you are. That being said, it is also very dependent on your truck, pin box, and nose cap of your fiver.

I have a F250 CC SB with out the factory puck system. I installed custom rails and bought a slider hitch which I have/will use whenever I am going to be in tight situations.

The Ford short beds are 6.5ft whereas Chevy and Dodge are 5'7"; that 10inches makes a huge difference.

With more modern fifth wheel caps the corners are set back from the pin box/kingpin in such a way to provide more clearance.

So it really all depends. I bought the slider and will use it because the 2 minute it takes to slide it back is a lot cheaper than replacing the back window or cap. And I am in no hurry with something this big!
matt

Seeing how you not a chevy guy here are the correct bed lengths for Chevy. Chevy box sizes are 6.5ft and 8.0ft. Later RJD

[Matt_Lewis]

Originally Posted by NMWildcat

Incorrect/misleading statement. You need to do some more research

I did google 'chevy short bed length' and according to wikipedia:

Chevrolet_Silverado#Bed_Lengths

Silverado/ Sierra has 3 bed lengths. Short Bed= 69.3"/5.775', Standard Bed= 78.7"/6.5583', and Long Bed= 97.6"/ 8.1333'

Thank you for clarifying though.
matt

[Nascon]

The 6' 5" bed is termed a standard bed for the Silverado.

[Matt_Lewis]

Originally Posted by Nascon

The 6' 5" bed is termed a standard bed for the Silverado.

After doing a little more research, I agree...though admittedly not a truck guy period, even on the GM fleet website it is confirmed there are 3 different bed offerings.



SB = Short bed, which is what I was referring to in my original post is indeed 5.7ft.

Maybe I wasn't the one who needed the extra research after all!

matt

[Mr. Dan]

Originally Posted by Nascon

The 6' 5" bed is termed a standard bed for the Silverado.

This is why I ALWAYS suggest people use lengths in feet/inches instead of words such as Short, Standard, Long, etc.

[DouglasReid]

Originally Posted by Matt_Lewis

The Ford short beds are 6.5ft whereas Chevy and Dodge are 5'7"; that 10inches makes a huge difference.
matt

I was going to tell you how wrong you were, I see others have already done so, no need piling on!

[CaptnJohn]

Wrong on Ford too. SB is 6 3/4' not 6 1/2'. 4" make a difference?

[Oaklevel]

Sorry to be an #$% but anything less than a long bed is not a truck and useless.......... (to me and for my use) It would be a cold day if I ever own anything less than an eight foot bed.

On a more serious note it depends on your needs........................