Long bed vs short bed towing

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Back2PA

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As I consider trucks many out there have short beds which, after the fifth wheel hitch is installed, have very little bed space remaining. Plus it takes a slider in a short bed to get full maneuvering capability. Finally, I'm thinking a long bed is probably a more stable platform. Questions:
  • With a long bed and properly setup hitch, one should have full jacknife capability with no bed rail or bed tail clearance issues, correct?
  • I watched a fellow recently while he maneuvered into a spot with a big fiver hooked to a shortbed with a slider. He had an issue with the slider where the catch that kept the hitch in the slide (aft) position had worn, and a couple times slid back into the non-slide (forward) position while backing, creating a clearance issue - I found this very concerning
  • For those with long beds, what is the available bed space you have left remaining, measuring from the cab back to the hitch?
Thx
 
The hitch sits basically smack dab in the middle of the box over the axle so on a long box you have almost 4 ft enough for a tool box and a bunch of wood between the cab and the hitch behind the hitch is enough room for a spare tire for the trailer a 20 gallon gerry can and a 30 gallon jug of water for the dogs. Take out the tool box for a short box 6.5 ft.
A slider is not needed on most new trailer as the nose has convex corners and while its still possible for a cab strike its really hard to do unless your trying to turn around in a gas station parking lot really really tightly then its possible.


Basically a long box gives you an extra 18 inches over a short box and most of that if not all is behind the cab.

Ford and Gm only offer a dually in a long box. Ram offers both, a long box gives more cargo capacity than a short box and the ride is a lot more comfortable in a long box over a short box especially with a dually as they are so heavily sprung on the rear end
 
Be aware that the bed terminology has changed with the addition of the new ultra-short beds for short-wheelbase duallies.  What used to be a "short" bed (6.5 ft) is now called a "standard" bed and "short" has become 5.5 ft.  "Long" is still 8 ft.

As Steve stated, many, if not most, modern 5Ws have tapered noses so that cab clearance is not a concern with a 6.5 ft truck bed.  You have to measure to be sure, though. 

There is an alternative to a sliding hitch called a Sidewinder (the original example was the Fifth Airborne Sidewinder). Check out this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkL0CPmqx6U
 
My (upcoming) toolbox will be a toolbox/fuel tank combo that will have no problem with spacing; it will be below the bed rails, so it isn't an issue. I have a 6' bed, and don't use a slider; so far, I haven't noticed any issues with that, but then again, I haven't been RVing for long, either. I will say that I didn't particularly want an 8' bed; the crew cab makes the truck big enough already! I can already imagine what it's going to be like maneuvering about and parking in the big cities, and didn't want to make it any worse... but that's just me. 
 
I can't help but feel this whole slider hitch thing has been blown far out of proportion. Of course, the slider manufacturers encourage that to sell product!  I've towed a 5W with two different short (6.5 ft) bed trucks (GMC and Dodge) with never a problem maneuvering. The GMC had a Roll & Lock bed cover and the Dodge had a full toolbox behind the cab, and no concerns there either.  And this was with an old fashioned square nose trailer.  When I traded up to a Ford diesel truck, I got a long bed and noticed the longer wheel base helped trailering manners somewhat, but I also noticed that the extra 18" of truck made parking it (without the trailer) a more demanding task.
 
I won't deny that all of the above observations can be true. I have owned and towed two different 5vers, both with a long bed truck. I prefer the longer bed for a better ride, more storage, and no possibility of a cab strike. Yes it is longer and parking is the only drawback, but larger vehicles were never an issue for me.

At one point I owned a long bed dually 4X4 diesel in fire engine red. You talk about people moving out of your way when they saw me coming! But that was the most capable truck I ever owned.  I would agree with all of your observations. Your truck, your choice.
 
I almost never carry any passengers other than the two of us. So the Ford long bed extended (super) cab works out great for us and almost never a concern when parking.
 
I'm glad you asked, I've wondered about the numbers for our truck.
Length overall:  260"
Width  overall:    96"
Bed length:  98"
Bed width:  60," to wheelwells:  50"
**The number you asked for:  Rear of cab to front of hitch:  41"
Rear of cab to rear of hitch:  67"
Rear of hitch to end of bed:  32"
Highest point of hitch (actuator handle):  19"

Driving the truck (crew cab) takes getting used to, it's like we've grown wide hips.  We tend to park 'way out in the puckerbrush and walk to our destination.  It's just easier that way.  DW has volunteered to be the spotter on occasion.  Even though the driver sits high, there seems like acres of blind spots.  But, I gotta say, it tows without even breathing hard.
 
For a given cab and trim level, the long bed will have slightly less cargo weight capacity since the longer bed weighs more. This might matter if you are close on weights.
 
I have a Ram Mega Cab Dually 4X4. So it is the 6'4" bed length and I have no problem with cab to trailer but I also have a Reese Airborne Sidewinder pin box. This hitch sets the pivot point back 22" from the 5th wheel pin. I have a too l box in the front of the bed. I did have to raise my tool box up some because with the puck system I wouldn't have the room to release the front ones. 
 
I have a short bed crew cab Ford. I use a Pullrite slider hitch. Have no problems...........most likely could have got by without a sider but I thought.....lets do this once and not worry about 5ver hitting the cab.....kinda like insurance.
 
Sorry if I don't add much to the discussion here, not owning a 5th wheel, but a shorty bed (at 5.5 feet) is not where you want to be.

Longer wheelbase is better for stability, you are right assuming that.

Crew cabs are the volume seller and might give you a few extra buck upon resale. Some trucks, like the Tundra, arent made with BOTH crew cab and 6.5 foot box on the same truck.
Some longer wheelbase trucks are made a little stronger, having a sticker frame. I don't know if its just enough to compensate for the lenght, or if its a little more robust overall tho...

Of course Im a 1/2 ton owner, so I can't comment on real trucks! I would love an HD/SD, but that would be throwing money away with my usage...
 
I can't help but feel this whole slider hitch thing has been blown far out of proportion.
It is.
  The OP seams to assume too much from  one observations in his quest for a new tow truck. He's making it way to hard and can lead to not getting the best truck for the job.

We can't lump all short bed trucks in the same pot just because one see's someone with a short bed having maneuvering issues.
I used short and long bed trucks in my hauling business.  I've found one wasn't better than the other in all aspects of towing a trailer.
My son has had three 2500 short bed GM trucks with two different 5th wheel trailers and has no need for a slider. One reason being GM has a longer CA dim (cab to the trucks rear axle) than Dodge/Ram or Ford. Plus his trailers had the rounded front corners plus the hitch is set up zero over the trucks rear axle.

Now my Dodge short bed pulling my old '97 30' 5er with a very flat profile with square corners needs a slider if I want to make a full 90 degree maneuver.  In this case I prefer a manual slider as it moves my trailers pin 13" behind the trucks rear axle while backing. This allows much less steering input mostly while backing in tight places.

 
Without a trailer in mind, that question can only be answered in vague ways. After you imagine all the worst case scenarios, you end up deciding you need an F450 diesel crew cab dually with a "RV toter" body.  Or you can accept that there may be some trailer, some where, that you cannot tow with aplomb and get on with your life by choosing a truck that works for you.  Longer wheelbase, bigger cab, longer bed, bigger engine, heftier ales and suspension,  all of those have potential advantages (as well as a few drawbacks).

You've educated yourself on trucks pros and cons, so its probably time to go trailer shopping and try to put some bounds around what that truck actually needs to do. Then revisit the truck decision with some better parameters in mind.
 
All wise advice Gary. The timing of this transition will be a little tricky because I'm fulltime, and because I don't have either a tow vehicle or a specific trailer in mind (i.e., one where I might know if there are clearance issues).

With the incredible help and knowledge of everyone here, and some thoughts of my own, I have pretty well determined:
  • I want a long bed for ride and storage. As a bonus, the whole clearance/sliding hitch issue is off the table (even if it wasn't really an issue, one less thing to think about)
  • I want a crew cab as I have now.
  • I've had a dually in the past (with 12' cabover, plus hauled many tons of firewood with it) and they're fine and capable trucks, my preference on this use was a SRW. However, with the yellow sticker education I'm getting some of the SRW LB CC I've found are coming up marginal in the CCC area if I end up with a heavier trailer
  • I'm looking at FWs that could gross 16K or less.
  • Ford 6.0 and 6.4 are off the table, and 6.7 is probably out of the budget.
  • I've seen some potential GM and Dodge, with the exception of SRW that may not have the CCC, virtually all decent ones are pushing the budget. The duallies typically have high to very high mileage, 250-300K (one has 800K! :eek: )
  • With the search seemingly narrowing I've looked at early 2000s gas Ford duallies. Found a few nice looking ones with fairly low mileage. Haven't heard anything except good about the V10, and knowing weight isn't an issue, this is seeming like a sweet spot for a nice but budget friendly tow vehicle that will spend 95+% of its life unhooked.
I'm weighing the best order of events and it seems like getting the truck first makes the most sense. Rather than finding a trailer first and suddenly scrambling if I find one I like, buying the truck first means I'm ready to go get something, and with a longbed dually, even an older gas one, weights and clearances aren't an issue. I really do think there are SRW 1 tons, and even possibly some 3/4 ton, that would probably legitimately do the job if I ended up in the 12-14K weight range, but I've run across too many with insufficent capacity, and on the earlier ones the yellow sticker isn't even available making cargo capacity hard to come by. (While I see 3/4 tons everywhere pulling big fivers, I don't wanna be 'that guy' that's doing it 1500# overweight!) Plus there's a couple trailers I've liked that are in the 16K range and that eliminates all but the very new 3/4 ton which are well outside my budget.

It's still very early, probably 6-9 months before trailer time, but that's kinda where I am. Lots of time to be convinced otherwise  ::) I couldn't have gotten even this far without the kind knowledge sharing of everyone here  :))
 
Thanks for your current position statement!  You are certainly headed the right direction.

Since many of the trucks in your scope will NOT have a yellow sticker, require that they are weighed (or you can get them weighed) before a final decision.  Remember to correct for fuel level and driver weight. Example:  1/4 tank of fuel = 3/4 empty.  25 gal tank = 18 gal X 7 lb/gal = 126 lb of fuel.  200 lb driver.    IF GVWR = 11,300#, weight = 7600#, then 11,300 - 7600 = 3700#, MINUS 126# fuel = 3575#, PLUS 200# driver = 3775# CCC.

I bought my SRW truck first.  With a yellow sticker of 3453#, I knew my limit for a FW was 15,500#.  That is 3100# pin wt plus 350# passengers.  I just eliminated from consideration any FW with GVWR above 15,500.
 

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