Share Pics of People Hauling or Towing Something Wrong

[Grumpycat]

My truck is an F150 Supercab. I will admit there have been a few times I wish I had the crew cab but not very often. Some dealers don’t even stock the Supercab.View attachment 1472958

That is a funny looking Dodge.

 

[LHF2019]

I don't think the amount of "stuff" you can fit onto a standard 140 or 150 inch wheelbase was any different in 1990 than it is today. The only thing that has changed is the popularity of one configuration over the other, on that standard 140 inch wheelbase.

The anomaly, at least around here, is still anything over 140 inches wheelbase, such as crew cab + long bed. This has always been the case, at least here in the east, but I suspect those in ranch country may be more used to seeing longer configurations. It'd be interesting to check actual sales numbers on each, if you really cared enough to dig.


How so?


Crew cab with 8 ft bed is a crazy-long truck, not something you'll find around here too often. Damn thing must be two full parking spaces long!

Standard pickup truck wheelbase is 140". That allows for the following configurations:

1. Original std. cab + 8 ft. bed <-- the truck everyone claims to want on forums, but never actually buy
2. Exended or Quad cab + 6.5 ft. bed
3. Crew Cab + 5.5 ft. bed <-- probably 80%-90% of pickup trucks sold today

The next chassis size up is 150" wheelbase, which is much less common, but you see them around often enough:

1. Extended or Quad cab + 8 ft. bed
2. Crew cab + 6.5 ft bed

Some makers (e.g. RAM) make an oddball extra-long chassis at 160" wheelbase, and offers the following configurations, mostly used by landscape crews, etc.:

1. "Mega Cab" + 6.5 ft. bed

Then the crazy-long rigs that take up damn near two full parking spaces, at 170" wheelbase:

1. Crew cab + 8 ft. bed

So, you're saying you drive a Crew Cab with an 8 ft bed and a 170" wheelbase? That's a total Land Yacht, not something I'd want to try to use as a daily driver. Like driving around in a moving truck!

Note, all of these numbers vary a bit from one brand to the next. When I say 150", it may be 149" in one brand and 152" in another.


Same. My prior truck was Quad cab (4 forward-opening doors, but rear doors smaller) with 6.5 ft. bed. For me, that was the ideal compromise as a guy who has to haul kids here and there, but also needs a bed for regular errands. I've moved a lot of 8 and 12 ft. lumber in that configuration, and even occasionally 16' trim and moldings, but have a trailer whenever I need to haul more than the bed can easily take.

My newest truck is the Crew cab with 5.5' bed, not because I wanted it, but because it's all I could find in stock with the other options that were more important to me (3.93 posi rear, trailer brakes package, heavy rear springs). It works, and the kids are more comfortable, but I'd go back to Quad cab if more dealers stocked them.

It was with quad cab all opening forward. This truck just bought and is quad and suicide doors. Couldn’t pass up at $3500. Not a fan of a 6’ box though.

I will quote more when time. I would run crew cabs 8’ all day long. Love real trucks. I was disappointed when dodge came out with mega cab dually and that stupid reduced length box. That would have looked awesome with an 8’ box. You think my truck is long. I have a picture for you from a farm show I attended.

 

[masscity]

Back in the 1970's I was a crane operator for a poured concrete basement company and the crew leaders had Fords

with extended cabs and long beds 2wd. Once in a while they would ask me to go pick up coffee or something. Driving

that long wheelbase was nuts in a small parking lot. I said to myself that I would never have one of these. In 1999 I

bought a 1997 Dodge 2500 4x4 Diesel extended cab with a long bed and got used to it and loved it.

 

[dodge man]

I think most extended cabs and crew cabs have a longer wheelbase than 140 inches. More like 145 maybe? I think the overall length is the same as a regular cab long bed but I read if they didn’t lengthen the wheel base on extended and crew cabs they looked funny.

 

[Too many Kubotas]

I my opinion, Ford did the same thing with the Mustang - they got the original "retro" design right then kept messing with it.

Agree 100%. I don't like Fords, but do like the '69 Sportroof's design, and how closely the 2005 resembled it.

Camaro completely missed the mark, I think, which is why I bought a Challenger.

 

[Too many Kubotas]

So, you're saying you drive a Crew Cab with an 8 ft bed and a 170" wheelbase? That's a total Land Yacht, not something I'd want to try to use as a daily driver. Like driving around in a moving truck!

I don't drive one, but my girlfriend does. It's primarily for towing and the trips to Costco, which isn't exactly nearby.

And if something happens to my 3500 crew cab with a 9' bed, it'd likely get replaced with a 4500, have the 192.5" wheelbase, and be a 2-door.

Again, not to be a daily driver, but for towing.

 

[WinterDeere]

You think my truck is long. I have a picture for you from a farm show I attended.

The ranch and farm community is one of the few places these long wheelbases probably find a good home. No issues with turning around in town, or on a tight construction site. And that's an important part of the market, but probably a very, very, very small part of the market.

I think most extended cabs and crew cabs have a longer wheelbase than 140 inches. More like 145 maybe?

Yeah, Chevy splits the difference with a 147" wheelbase, whereas Ram delineates into separate 140" and 150" packages.

Again, not to be a daily driver, but for towing.

Probably superb, at that. Even just comparing my 140" wheelbase pickup to most 120" sedans, there's a noticeable improvement in highway ride quality. I can only imagine going up to 170" makes it that much better... as long as you never need to park the damn thing in town!

 

[ning]

My '97 F350 has a 168" wheelbase (CC LB).

U-turns require three lanes on the other side, assuming there's no stoplight right next to the curb and you start from the right edge of the left turn lane.
Alternately if there's snow on the road, put it in 2WD, start the turn and then step on the accelerator and you can do it with just two lanes on the other side. Don't warn passengers for the lolz.

I don't have problems in parking lots; it backs into fairly tight spaces pretty well, but I usually just park on the edge and enjoy the walk.

Having 200 & 210cm skis I prefer a long bed and it made carrying around 5 bicycles a lot easier too.

Truck was rarely a "daily driver" though; wife had a Suburban then an Excursion before heading back to wagons (two different Ford Freestyles - way underrated cars!) & "SUVs" (now she has a Toyota Highlander, I miss the Freestyle, which wasn't as powerful but definitely handled better even though it wasn't a "great handling car" but the toy sucks) and I haven't been a "daily driver" since the 90s.

 

[KennyG]

Once on a church mission trip we had two 15 passenger vans, one Chevy and one Ford. They were the same length but the Chevy had a significantly longer wheelbase. It rode better on the highway but turning it around in a tight spot was an adventure.

 

[Too many Kubotas]

Probably superb, at that. Even just comparing my 140" wheelbase pickup to most 120" sedans, there's a noticeable improvement in highway ride quality. I can only imagine going up to 170" makes it that much better... as long as you never need to park the damn thing in town!

In my case, a 192.5" wheelbase wouldn't make that much difference when in comes to parking. It's really the (up to) 38' trailer that does.

At many car dealerships they suggest that I park in the median, like the real car haulers do in cities, but so far I've managed getting in and out from their lots. Of course, there's one in Colorado that's interesting since I have to back out onto a busy road without being able to see any traffic.

And yes, wheelbase makes a huge difference in ride quality.