Short Bed vs Long Bed

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an RV or an interest in RVing!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

Delaware RV

Member
Joined
Sep 24, 2018
Posts
18
So I have read that a true 8ft (Long Bed) truck with a longer wheelbase is better for towing and helps with the stability.  Can someone help me understand how this actually works? Like the physics of this?  For my purpose, we will be bumper pulling a TT.

I ask because I am in the process of looking to buy a 3/4 or 1 ton truck and want to decide on the short vs long bed. There are a lot more short bed's available in the used market.
 
Not exactly sure on the "physics" of it all but can say for sure longer wheelbase does mean more stability. Especially in side wind situations when towing fifth wheel or travel trailer rigs. If you add dual rear wheels to the mix stability improves even more. 8)
 
It's about leverage - the longer wheelbase resists sideways movement when the trailer pushes on the truck. 

You need to be more specific than just long bed, though.  Truck wheel base varies with cab style as well as bed length.  A crew cab dastard bed may have a longer wheelbase than a regular cab long bed, for example.  There are three bed sizes - short (5.5 ft), standard (6.5ft), and long (8 ft) and they can be coupled with a regular cab, extended/king cab, or crew cab.

Longer is better, but that doesn't mean you have to have the longest available, or that a shorter wheelbase is unacceptable.  You would probably notice the difference between a short bed regular can and a long bed crew cab, though. The difference can be as much as 40" of wheelbase!
Also, a few of the more upscale models may use a longer wheelbase simply because a longer wheelbase rides better on uneven roads.
 
I already had this typed but Gary beat me to it...and was more concise. Figured I'd post it anyway.

A trailer can act as a lever pushing and pulling the tow vehicle (both side to side as well as up and down) so the longer wheelbase will basically absorb more of that lever motion making it more stable. If you are comparing the same type of cab on each truck, you're only adding maybe a foot to the wheelbase so I don't think it matters. If you are comparing a regular cab short box to a crew cab long box, there would probably be some noticeable difference.

I towed an 8,500 lb TT with a 2002 Chevy 2500 extended cab 6-1/2' box and a 2010 GMC 2500 extended cab 8' box and could not tell any difference as far as overall stability.
 
Specifically right now I am looking at 2017 or newer Chevy 2500/3500 in Crew Cab. So the choice is the 6'7" vs the 8' beds. I do prefer the SRW and not the dually.

Wheelbase is 153.7" vs 167.7" respectively. 
 
Either of those should be fine, but with longer/heavier trailer the 10" difference may be a benefit.  I would not make it a primary factor in bed selection, but there may be other reasons to like the 8 ft size.
 
Delaware RV said:
Specifically right now I am looking at 2017 or newer Chevy 2500/3500 in Crew Cab. So the choice is the 6'7" vs the 8' beds. I do prefer the SRW and not the dually.

Wheelbase is 153.7" vs 167.7" respectively.

I would personally get the standard bed.  The newer Chevy 3/4 tons will handle your bumper pull no problem and the extra 14? wheel base is probably gonna be hard to ever tell a difference.  Also because, as you?ve already noticed, unless you custom order or go stripped down work truck model, you will find very limited availability.  When I was searching a couple years ago I couldn?t find a single truck in the entire nation with the high country package, Duramax, and long bed but there were hundreds of options in the standard bed.

What WILL be easy to tell a difference is maneuverability when not towing.

Personally, I wish GM would offer a longer cab with standard bed drw like Ram does with their mega cab.
 
From a very technical perspective, the longer wheelbase, the more stable.  You are looking at a 9% longest wheelbase, and the stability advantage is not a linear function.  In other words, you will likely feel very little if any difference.

There are more important factors in your decision.  Get the trim level you want.  Get the engine / rear end you want. 2WD or 4WD.  All are more important than bed length if the only reason for the long bed is stability.

If you are even thinking about the possibility of a FW in the future, go for the 1 ton model.  You will be very glad you did.
 
Back
Top Bottom