Shortbed, reg. bed or longbed

[kramperD]

Wow! You all have given me a lot to consider and think about....all of your replies are much appreciated....will be making the big decision this Spring. Anybody else with pluses or minuses, send'em my way! D

[mail2us]

Dino,

You have received great input from MOC members. Do your homework by looking at the specs and compare SB to LB models.

Not sure if its been stated but I believe some recommend that buyers select the 5th wheel first then the tow vehicle. As an example, some could state that while we have a Montana 3400 unit with a 3/4 diesel we are either marginal or have weight configuration issues. We had our truck first and while I am comfortable with the combination we currently have, I do respect the fact that a better option for us would have been to get the truck second. I would now prefer at least a 1 ton diesel with a LB but only as a personal choice. Good Luck. Dennis

[ols1932]

Short bed or long bed? It's a personal choice. I don't think anyone can "recommend" either one. I have a long bed simply because I prefer it since it can be used to carry plywood and other things that large without any problem. Personally, I don't like the idea of having to rely on a slider hitch. Just this morning, I met a gentleman who has a 2006 Montana, 4 slides, with a slider hitch. He couldn't get the pin in to lock the hitch in the traveling position. I asked him how he likes the slider hitch. He said "it works." He had a situation where he had a memory fog and forgot to set his slider hitch and put the rig through his back window.

I can't use a short box since the TrailerSaver air ride hitch doesn't make a slider type hitch. At least they didn't the last time I checked.

Orv

[YOPPER]

I just purh a 1ton long bed dually for a 34ft Monty. I prev had a 3/4 ton short bed and slider hitch. I would never go back to short bed. Ride is so much better. As far as parking, I need the exercise.

[ARJ]

Do you ever intend to put the truck in your garage? If so, what length will fit?

[exav8tr]

quote:Originally posted by ARJ

Do you ever intend to put the truck in your garage? If so, what length will fit?

Wouldn't that depend on how deep your garage was? I had a 36ft deep garage in Alaska that my Dodge dually fit in.

[Rondo]

Besides depth you better remember how wide your doors are! I have a HD 3/4 ton and my truck JUST FITS through the doors if I have my mirrors both out instead of folded in. I clear the door edge by about 1" or less on each side and these are regular stick width garage doors. That's not counting when I extending them to the length I tow with too.

[bear]

Dino,

You have gotten a lot of advise,do not know your neck of the woods but will you use the truck a lot when not pulling? Where will truck be stored? is length a problem.Are you going to get a four door, add a long bed you have as my DW calls them a land barge.We have a short bed with 4 doors and a Super glide 18K and love it,but I do use the truck all yr long .
Good Luck
David (bear) in beautiful Coeur D Alene,Idaho

Through Christ you will find Peace!

[sreigle]

As noted, you have lots of great information to help you with the decision. I just wanted to add one more comment. The above comment about ride being better in a longbed has the same shortcomings as the comment about more stability in a longbed. Neither stability nor ride are determined by length of the bed. Again, it's wheelbase that affects both. Along with other things, like shocks, etc. But bed length has absolutely nothing to do with it. It's wheelbase that matters.

It's also wheelbase (along with vehicle width) that affects parking/turning radius, not longbed or shortbed. Thus, our megacab shortbed parks exactly the same as the quadcab longbed and harder than the extended cab longbed or standard cab longbed.

[Fire1]

LONG BED is for me as I use the truck for hauling motorcycles and other thing longer than 6 feet. Also I carry an Onan 5500 watt RV generaor in the bed all the time as well and tons of other things when we hook the 5er to the companion hitch.
IF I were to do it all over again I would only change to a 1 ton truck as the 2500 Dodge has been great hauling darn near everything I can hook to it but I would like the extra margin of capacity.
Long bed, short bed its kinda like Ford,Chevy or Dodge its what works best for you both with and with out the 5er.

[CORattler]

Very good advice here...I have a short bed with a slider hitch (big $$$$) as you can see from my signature. This is my 1st 5ver. I'm happy with the setup that I have and the short bed is right for my lifestyle. Long bed = more hitch choices that cost less $$$. I believe the long bed would be a better ride due to the longer wheelbase ... better for full timers, IMHO. Good luck with whatever you decide. Welcome to a GREAT forum!

[emorris548]

I have a Dodge short bed truck, I bought the truck when I lived in snow country and needed it to fit in my garage. Now I no longer live in snow country have the garage and am on my 3rd unit (all bigger). I had a slider hitch which worked great when I could and remembered to use it. Now I have a Pull Rite Super Glide, which I would highly recommned, except for the price. Well with all that said, my next truck will be a long bed, extra storage and no expensive hitch.
Good Travels,

Lee

[CamillaMichael]

We like our long bed: extra space and no need for a special hitch.

[Bill-N-Donna]

quote:Originally posted by sreigle

As noted, you have lots of great information to help you with the decision. I just wanted to add one more comment. The above comment about ride being better in a longbed has the same shortcomings as the comment about more stability in a longbed. Neither stability nor ride are determined by length of the bed. Again, it's wheelbase that affects both. Along with other things, like shocks, etc. But bed length has absolutely nothing to do with it. It's wheelbase that matters.

It's also wheelbase (along with vehicle width) that affects parking/turning radius, not longbed or shortbed. Thus, our megacab shortbed parks exactly the same as the quadcab longbed and harder than the extended cab longbed or standard cab longbed.

Wow, how do you add a comment after so many great responses?

I will say that I agree with Steve about the length of the wheel base in reference to a better ride and not the length of the bed itself. Perhaps people assume that a long bed has a longer wheel base which isn’t necessarily the case. As for myself, I prefer using the long bed. There are so many times when it gets used for other things rather than just hauling the Monty. I do like a quicker turning radius than what I have now but I will sacrifice that for the benefits of a longer wheel base & long bed.

I have gotten used to having the truck as big as it is and there aren’t very many places that it won’t go. However, I am always cautious about tight places and trying to park. I sometimes take two places for parking. Sometimes that’s all you can do if you want to get out of a parking lot after other vehicles move in around your truck while you are in a store. These parking lots today seem to be designed for only very small cars and are too restricting on space for our size trucks. I often park away from the crowd in larger parking lots to avoid what I call the courtesy dents as well.

[sreigle]

D, there are 4 pages of replies and I've not read many of them so I may duplicate what others have said. I just want to add our experiences to those of everyone else.

I've been towing fifthwheels with shortbed trucks since 1995. We have been fulltiming with fulltime trucks since March 2003 and have covered in the neighborhood of 150,000 towing miles, maybe more.

If anyone has said that the shortbed will have a bad ride, that's wrong. It's not bed length that affects ride, it's wheelbase. My particular shortbed has the exact same wheelbase as it's sister quadcab longbed and more wheelbase than the standard cab longbed. So ignore those arguments unless you plan to buy a standard cab shortbed. That I would not recommend for towing. Oh, and stability has nothing to do with shortbed vs. longbed. I'd be willing to bet my shortbed has a longer wheelbase, and thus MORE stability, than does Dave's longbed. No offense to Dave, he's a friend.

Slider hitch. Would I do it without a slider hitch? No. But many, including some here, have towed successfully for years with a shortbed without a slider. You just have to be very careful about sharp turns and be prepared to back out if you have to.

Manual or automatic slider. If the $$$ is not a deterrent I recommend the automatic slider. For years and years I used a manual slider. I only used the slider (manually slide it back) four times. I should have used it a fifth time, though. Fortunately I did not pop a window. I just dimpled a little sheet metal next to the rear window and put a tiny, tiny scratch in the Montana. Had Vicki not seen it coming and yelled for me to stop, it would have been worse, though. Within a few months we went to the automatic slider. Now I make any turn a longbed can make and don't even bother to watch the clearance. No need. I have the same turn radius the longbed does. It's really sweet.

So, longbed or shortbed? Either one. Take your pick. Just be aware of the limitations and let other factors make the decision for you. Good luck and enjoy.

[Parrothead]

We like our long bed dually. I (Sue) drive it so don't let that deter you. On the GMC we have a larger fuel tank with the long bed and do not need a sliding hitch.
Happy trails.............

[exav8tr]

Long Bed, more room for trailer, more room for tools and other junk...Tool box fits really nice and still have extra room....

[RRman]

My prior to RV purchase research led to the conclusion that the best TOWING solution TV for a relatively heavy RV was a 1 Ton Long Bed Dually.
Others will work of course as many attest, and there may be other considerations (for instance,in my case my DW won't voluntarily drive the Dually as its so big). But I have no regrets and enjoy the easy towing and backing with the Dually and don't mind using it as a daily driver too. Its even fit in some Parking Garages!

As it turned out, our trailer is not loaded so much that its weight requires the dually. But those extra tires provide some assurance and stability down the road.