To Buy or Not to Buy A Short Bed Pick-Up?

[mundamanu]

A cousin of mine is selling his 1996 Dodge Ram 2500 4x4 quad cab gasser for a good price because he wants to get a diesel. The truck has 86k miles, but soon after my cousin purchased it he noticed an oil leak and took it back to the dealer (he had a 3 mo warranty). They poked around (a lot) and could not figure it out so they replaced the motor, so the motor only has ~10k on it. Also, he beefed up the suspension and upgraded the axles so that it is effectively a HD. Anyway, that is just a little background.

The real issue is that it is a short bed (6'). My wife and I will be using the truck to trailer horses, make trips to the lumber yard, the feed store, etc.

The question: Will we regret getting a short bed pick up? Will we miss those two feet?

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

[LarryRB]

the quad cab short bed is actually a foot longer than a regular cab with 8 ft bed.. I haul around some pretty heavy tractors with an 18 ft equipment trailer and for me, I wouldn't have it any other way..

 

[MikePA]

I have an Extended Cab PU with a 6 foot bed and have the same uses you mention.

<font color="blue"> My wife and I will be using the truck to trailer horses...</font>
What kind of trailer will you be using, BP or GN? The pickup bed length doesn't matter with a BP, it can with a GN. We got a GN trailer with a tapered nose to avoid having the trailer hit the cab during sharp turns.

<font color="blue">...make trips to the lumber yard...</font>
This is where I wish I had the 8 foot bed since most lumber I use is 8' long. With a 6' bed it rests on the tailgate.

<font color="blue">...make trips to the feed store...</font>
Feed isn't a problem, we just stack the bags. I can already overload my 6' bed when getting hay so 2 more feet would only make things worse /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif .

The net of it for me is, there are times when I wish I had an 8' bed, but it's not often enough to deal with that long a truck all the time. The truck you're considering is probably longer than my truck since it's a 4 door and not just an extended cab. If the number of times I needed the 8' bed increase, I'd consider getting a truck with an 8' bed.

 

[JDgreen227]

I have owned three Ford F150 pickups and every one was a standard cab with a long box, as I carried building materials I really needed the 8 foot length and for longer loads the tailgate could be folded down to provide another 2 feet. As for now I drive a Yukon XL and when the seats are folded in back I still have an 8 foot cargo area.

If you are not going to carry building materials very often, I think you will be happy with the short bed...there are some aftermarket accessories that fit into a receiver hitch to help support long cargo. I never had one, but I carried a sheet of 3/4 plywood in the cargo box to use when I had to transport 12-16 foot long lengths of lumber. It was stiff enough to support items sticking four feet out past the lowered tailgate.

I'm not sure if your horse trailer is the fifth wheel type but for some types of 5th wheel trailers a short bed would require a special hitch.

 

[Yankee]

I've had both long and short beds. I like the short ones better for my use. 90% of the time I just need to haul whatever and only 10% involves lumber and ply. For that 10%, leaving the tailgate open is no big deal, though you might have to figure out how to secure the load. You do have to be more careful when dumping loose material (especially gravel) into a short bed so as not to hit the cab or dump material down the back of the tailgate.

Towing? Depends. I wouldn't have anything but a long bed for a 5th wheel hitch (or gooseneck). The short bed sliding hitches are too expensive and problematic for my taste. With a tagalong, weight matters. The heavier the trailer generally, and the heavier the tongue weight, the longer you want the wheelbase. With a single or tandem horse trailer I wouldn't give it two second's thought. With a large stock trailer, I'd go with the long wheelbase (bed).

Bill

 

[Gary_in_Indiana]

I've had both and prefer the short bed with an extended or quad cab. With those and an 8' bed I feel like I'm driving a school bus. The ride is great but trying to park in town is a challenge at best.

Someone else noted the lumber issue. That's the biggest thing I notice but it's no different than running an 8' bed and hauling 10' siding (which I've done many times). The right one for you is really a matter of your use and comfort level. If you're hauling plywood every day, get a long box. If you're doing a lot of errands in town, the short box is sure more convenient.

Good luck with whatever you decide. I hope this helps. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[mundamanu]

Thank you, everybody, for the responses. It sounds like the shorter bed is not a problem.

MikePA, we will be pulling a no-frills two-horse BP for the time being. We may move up to a bigger gooseneck in the future, depending on what course we take (frequent showing, breeding, etc.), but by then, we'd be ready to get a new truck anyway.

Thanks again.

 

[lonesome]

They also make a device called an "extend-a-bed" that incerts into the reciever hitch and is about 3 or 4 foot long with a riser that is level with the bed for hauling outsized lumber when needed. I haven't priced one so not sure of the cost.

Steve

 

[Kelvin]

Regarding hauling lumber, I have three questions:
(1) how often do you haul the lumber such that you would want the longer bed?
(2) comparing with question #1, how often would the longer bed be a disadvantage in daily driving & parking?
(3) do you own, plan to buy, or have easy access to a long trailer that could haul the lumber?

I personally would prefer the short bed truck because I use my current short-bed extended-cab truck as a daily driver more often than I use it to haul stuff. I have a 16' open bed trailer that I haul my tractor on that I have used on occasion when picking up long pieces of lumber. Now, if I didn't have the trailer, or didn't have access to one, or wasn't planning on buying one soon, then the longer bed truck would be more important to me.

Kelvin

 

[RobertN]

I find the long bed xcab to be the way to go. I like being able to have the whole 8' bed, and almost 10' with the tailgate down. Hauling stuff, it is just easier.

I put a cross-bed toolbox in mine; it took a good chunk out of the longbed, although there is room for lumber ect to slide under the box.

I like being able to stack things shorted in height, but longer; ie hauling hay. It is nice to have the load lower, especially in the taller 4x4. The longbed gives us room to spread it out a little.

I don't find that I have problems manuevering. There's times it takes a couple shots at a parking space.

 

[fishman]

I have a trailer, so a short bed really isn't a negative when considering buying lumber, etc.

If you're getting a good price on the truck, perhaps you could use the savings to buy a nice tandem axle trailer.

 

[Gatorboy]

I have a Chevy K3500 Crew Cab with a long bed. I also have a 20' trailer -- and if I can avoid having to use the trailer, I am pumped. It is a hassle to get the trailer attached just to get some wood, PVC pipe, etc. Occassionally parking can be a problem, but I can usually find a spot to back into all the time.

My wife drives this truck around town all the time.

I think I'd regret having a short bed after having a long one. But it all depends on what you will be using the truck for.

 

[dbelisle]

I had the same delema a few years ago and bought a small trailer.
It has a five by ten foot bed, and it tracks where the truck wheels go, it is also easy to get on and off.
I don't have to get that close to it because I can move it around by hand. It also has a 3500 pound axel. So I can carry more weight than I could in my pickup. The trailer is rated for 2950 so I don't need the trailer brakes and in NH we have to have trailers over 3000 pound inspected every year.

So I would go with the short bed. A small trailer doesn't cost that much and with the price of gas the less steel your hauling on the road the better if you don't need it.

PS I couldn't find the perfect truck so I have a tandem axel trailer, the 5 x 10 trailer , a 6 x 12 box trailer , a snowmobile trailer , and a boat trailer.

Dave in NH

 

[Inspector507]

Just my experience, but I HAD a 99 F250SD Ex Cab and LB with the V10. WOW what a truck. Then I sold the camper, which was my sole purpose in having that truck. I now have an 03 F150 5.4 Ex Cab SB. I want my old truck back /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif
Yes a 6' or so bed will haul 8' lumber, but now ya gotta tie it down so it won't slide out. If I want to get some 10' pipe in the truck, now I'm looking at flagging the load with a red flag because it's 4' longer than the body. I could lay the tailgate down, then TRY to figure out a good way to tie it down /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

I'll never have a 6' bed again. Yes it easier to park, get around in traffic, whatever. But never again.
I once hauled a 16' garage door in a long bed, try that with a short bed. Well yeah, THAT was stupid, but I could do it /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[r0GuE]

I'll just throw in my opinion...
I think all trucks should be made with the 8 foot bed and NO flaresides. If you subscribe to the trailer philosophy (which I can see a point in), then get a suburban and use the space you haul around for people and clean dry things like bags and boxes etc. Then if you need lumber, use the trailer.

Me,.. if I can't haul it in a minivan (happens 3 to 5 times a year that I cannot), then I pay for delivery. I personnally can't justify the truck ownership (especially a newer one). I would like to pay $500-$700 for an old beater, but even that seems wastefull...

 

[Gary_in_Indiana]

<font color="blue"> "I would like to pay $500-$700 for an old beater, but even that seems wastefull..." </font>

I think most anyone would like a good reliable old beater pickup for $500-$700. That's why they cost more. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[AndyM]

<font color="blue"> I'll just throw in my opinion...
I think all trucks should be made with the 8 foot bed and NO flaresides. </font>

I agree. I've had full size trucks in the past, but only with an eight foot bed. I've learned that it doesn't do much good unless it can carry 4x8 sheets of plywood or drywall and still get the tailgate closed.

This time, I bought my Ranger because I wanted a truck for carrying items for working around the house, but it was also going to be my daily driver, so I wanted small and economical. I bought it with a seven foot bed instead of six foot, but it's still been too small for many of the things I've needed it for.

<font color="blue"> Me,.. if I can't haul it in a minivan (happens 3 to 5 times a year that I cannot), then I pay for delivery. I personnally can't justify the truck ownership (especially a newer one). I would like to pay $500-$700 for an old beater, but even that seems wastefull... </font>

I was just talking to NIXON about that the other day...
I'm looking for a new, small car and I was going to put my Ranger into semi-retirement for occasions where I need a truck. I also have a Ford van with a 351 sitting around for the few times a year that I need to tow a trailer (hauling the tractor, etc.). I just can't justify keeping a small truck (which can't be used for towing) AND a full-size van (which can't be used for hauling things such as mulch) around and continue to pay for license plates and insurance for both vehicles, just in case I may need either one a few times a year.

After we get the new car, I guess in an ideal situation we could trade both the van and the Ranger for a Ford F250 of equal value! Then, we could use it for hauling AND towing and only pay for plates and insurance for three vehicles instead of four! /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

 

[johnday]

I've had both short and long boxes, regular cabs and supercabs. The last three were all F250's, super cabs, long beds, and 4times4's. For myself I'll always have that setup. The longer wheelbases make for a much more stable truck when pulling big trailers and weight. As far as parking, it can get interesting, but look for a spot big enough to put the thing in. A fullsize pickup ain't exactly like driving a Focus ya know.
Sounds like that Dodgem might be a good deal though. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[Egon]

Parkin is never a problem when you use the braile method.

Egon /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[mundamanu]

(just replying to the last post in line)

Oy! What happened to our nice little consensus that made my decision so simple?! /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif All of you dissenters, back in your holes! The pro-short boxers were first out of the gate. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

Good arguments on both sides... /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif