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Car Forum / Driving, Maintenance, Tuning / RVs / June 2006Long bed/short bed?
Looking at 2500 Dodges with long and short beds. Which do you have and why do you like it/dislike it? I don't see any problem sliding the hitch on open flat ground, but most tight spots happen with cramped uneven ground, and tend to think that one goofup would be costly. Speak to me. I'll be buying with in the month, a Quad Cab 4x4 with the Cummins and an auto. I prefer the long bed, but wifey somehow thinks this already long truck will be easier to handle with a shorter bed. Well, yes, but almost imperceptibly, IMHO. Steve > Looking at 2500 Dodges with long and short beds. Which do you have and > why do you like it/dislike it? [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > > Steve Let >HER< try driving each type. <G> The long-bed will allow the use of an air-suspension hitch - such as my EasyRider - which eliminates most, if not all, of the jolting of the truck by the trailer. This makes for an exceptionally smooth ride which, SWMBO informs me, extremely important on long trips. <VBG> FWIW, SWMBO, upon first sight of our '03.5 3500 4WD DRW QuadCab, was put off by it's size but, after getting accustomed to it (about a month later), informed me "If you ever want another truck, that's fine, but THIS one's MINE!" <VVBG> ps: Try to find a long-bed with the 6-way power seats on both sides and a short-bed with standard seats - she'll >demand< the one with the better seats... I see where "Steve B" <boozoochavez@zydeco.net> contributed: >Looking at 2500 Dodges with long and short beds. Which do you have and why >do you like it/dislike it? . . . . . >I prefer the long bed, but wifey somehow thinks this already long truck will >be easier to handle with a shorter bed. Well, yes, but almost >imperceptibly, IMHO. Until the day you accidentally smash the rear window backing in a tight spot, it won't make a lot of difference. Will Sill The Curmudgeon of Sill Hill > Until the day you accidentally smash the rear window backing in a > tight spot, it won't make a lot of difference. > > Will Sill Not such a problem with us. We pull a 31' Cedar Creek 5th wheel with a 2500HD Chevy Extended Cab and what Chevy calls the standard bed which is the shorter of two available for that truck. We use a standard hitch, not a slider. My wife is always out of the truck when I am backing the trailer - it's just her thing. Any time I am backing tight at all she is watching the cab/trailer relationship. Never had opportunity for a shrill scream yet. Not saying you cannot get into trouble but caution is part of pulling. RonB PS: Our son's buddy did exacty what this original post is speaking of. Cranked too tight with a Standard Bed Ford and crushed the side of the cab, knocked out the rear window and did significant damage to the trailer. >> Until the day you accidentally smash the rear window backing in a >> tight spot, it won't make a lot of difference. >> >> Will Sill I see where "RonB" <rbrogan@cox.net> contributed: Will: >> Until the day you accidentally smash the rear window backing in a >> tight spot, it won't make a lot of difference. Opposing view by RonB: >Not such a problem with us. We pull a 31' Cedar Creek 5th wheel with a >2500HD Chevy Extended Cab and what Chevy calls the standard bed which is the [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >cab/trailer relationship. Never had opportunity for a shrill scream yet. >Not saying you cannot get into trouble but caution is part of pulling. Supporting view by RonB: >PS: Our son's buddy did exacty what this original post is speaking of. >Cranked too tight with a Standard Bed Ford and crushed the side of the cab, >knocked out the rear window and did significant damage to the trailer. 'Nuf said! Will Sill Don't worry about what people think, they don't do it very often. > Looking at 2500 Dodges with long and short beds. Which do you have and > why do you like it/dislike it? [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > > Steve I HAD a short box 2500HD not listening to Dad's advice that a short bed pickup is a waste of metal.... One year later, I traded it and purchased a crew cab LONG box 2500HD!!! Dad was right again!!! I have an extended pin on our 5'er and never needed to slide the sliding hitch in the short box, even to jack knife it. That said, there was next to no room for anything else in the bed besides the tool chest and the hitch. Even hauling other stuff was a PITA with the short box. You get used to the length of the long bed quickly and like I said, mine is at the end of a crew cab! Take up two spots at the Home Depot and just don't use it in parking garages a lot! Good luck, Kevin > > [quoted text clipped - 31 lines] > > With reference to your short bed never needing to slide because you had a extended pin box. Do you realize the pin would have to extend 3.5 feet out in front of the front cap of the RV. They dont make them that long.  SignatureBILL P. Just Me & DOG -- Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com >>>Looking at 2500 Dodges with long and short beds. Which do you have and >>>why do you like it/dislike it? [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] >>> >>>Steve I'll add my $.25 . . . Ours is an '01 Ram2500 Quad cab, 2WD full bed Cummins auto. We lose about 11" at the front of the bed because original owner put in thru-the-bed exhaust, splitter & twin stacks, then put in a bulkhead to keep cargo away from the exhaust. We were told by everyone that we would need a slider, so got one. Thus far, I haven't had to cut sharp enough to bother, but then again, many years OTR I'm very aware of how sharp/close I'm coming to the cab/stacks. The OP's comment about having to slide in difficult areas . . you want to slide when you're still in a straight line configuration, so that should equate to a relatively level spot, THEN back it in. FWIW, this is SWMBO's truck, not mine. I get to play chauffer. SignatureNahmie The only road to success is always under construction. > With reference to your short bed never needing to slide because you had a > extended pin box. Do you realize the pin would have to extend 3.5 feet out > in front of the front cap of the RV. They dont make them that long. Bill, don't know what to tell you other than it's true! I did NOT have to slide the slider back in the '02 Chevy 2500HD short box bed to make tight turns or jackknife it. It was close, about two inches as I recall, but definitely doable! I may still have a picture on the system that even shows it in this position. The pinbox extends it by maybe 18". Makes it nice hooking up with the long box as well since I don't have to worry about the tailgate hitting the unit. Kevin > I did NOT have to > slide the slider back in the '02 Chevy 2500HD short box bed to make tight [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > hooking up with the long box as well since I don't have to worry about the > tailgate hitting the unit. Is there any advantage to an extended pin box beyond its use with a "short" bed TV? Is there any DISADVANTAGE to an extended pin box? Signature:) JR >> I did NOT have to >> slide the slider back in the '02 Chevy 2500HD short box bed to make tight [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > "short" > bed TV? Is there any DISADVANTAGE to an extended pin box? Jim, I have not come across any disadvantages to the extended pin box. Well maybe one. It can be a head knocker if you aren't careful for adults or kids! :-) I carry bikes on a rack attached over the pin though so normally I have the rack folded out past the pin and some sort of whirligig hanging there to call attention to it. Like I said, it does allow me to keep the tailgate down while hooking up without fear of hitting it into the unit. Kevin > > [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > > Kevin, your truck might be built different from mine. My pin is set 37" behind the cab. My rig is 96" wide or from center of pin the side in 48". My front cap is 3" in front of my pin, or 34" from the cab. The longest pin extension that I know of is 10". That would give a considerable increase in a turn but would it get a 90 degree turn. sure sounds close to me. The manufacturer claims they have an extended pin box already. You say you have 18" extension, from what point. Better still, how far forward of your front cap it the pin? http://www.popuphitch.com/RV5.htm http://www.forestriverinc.com/nd/default22.asp?page=wild&choice=brochure&nav=rec SignatureBILL P. Just Me & DOG -- Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com As noted, I do not have that truck anymore so have no idea what the distance from the cab to the center of the hitch was. The extended pin box is on an '03 Wilderness 5'er. The Coachmen unit we were looking at would not have made it since it was just a couple inches wider. Can't measure the length of the box since I don't store it here. I can also tell you of another guy that drives a short box crew cab '03 2500HD that did not have to use a slider on another brand 5'er w/ an extended pin box. I went through the calcs before buying the unit back in '02, but figured I'd get the slider hitch just to be safe. Hated it w/ a passion due to the extra clunking at stop and take off and it managed to vibrate a hold down pin loose a few times!!! It happened to be a Reese. >>>With reference to your short bed never needing to slide because you had a >>>extended pin box. Do you realize the pin would have to extend 3.5 feet [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > http://www.popuphitch.com/RV5.htm > http://www.forestriverinc.com/nd/default22.asp?page=wild&choice=brochure&nav=rec >Speak to me. I'll be buying with in the month, a Quad Cab 4x4 with the >Cummins and an auto. My 2c worth: The long bed quad cab is a real bear when you aren't pulling a trailer. As others have pointed out you can do nasty things to the cab when pulling with a shortbed. I pulled with both and would never go back to a longbed. And Yes, I did take out a rear window once. Contrary to what has been posted though the big risk is not when you are backing up IMHO. When I was backing up I was always paranoid about the window. I took mine out pulling a u-turn out of a gas pump. Stoopid, stoopid, stoopid. The question you should be answering is - what is the primary use for this truck? If it is a daily driver that will occasionally pull the trailer then buy the truck for that purpose - ie. shortbed. If it will almost excuslively spend it's life hooked in front of the trailer then the longbed may be justified. SignatureR.J.(Bob) Evans (return address needs alteration to work) > My 2c worth: The long bed quad cab is a real bear when you aren't > pulling a trailer. HUH??? My '03.5 Long-bed QuadCab 4WD Doolie is an EASY truck to drive, even in rush-hour Houston traffic! A 2500 or SRW 3500 would be even easier to handle since they're so skinny! FWIW, while, at 7' tall by 8' wide, my Doolie won't go into a number of parking garages, those it WILL usually give me a great, close-up, parking space. <G> >My '03.5 Long-bed QuadCab 4WD Doolie is an EASY truck to drive, even in >rush-hour Houston traffic! A 2500 or SRW 3500 would be even easier to handle [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >parking garages, those it WILL usually give me a great, close-up, parking >space. <G> Bull. Its a PITA to park inside or outside of a garage. You are right - the SRW is less of a PITA than the doolie. SignatureR.J.(Bob) Evans (return address needs alteration to work) >>My '03.5 Long-bed QuadCab 4WD Doolie is an EASY truck to drive, even in >>rush-hour Houston traffic! A 2500 or SRW 3500 would be even easier to [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] >> > Bull. No Bull! <g> In the small Texas town where we live there are almost as many doolies as SRW pickups of all brands & ratings and 10X the number of "Luxury" cars - Lexii, Beemers, Caddies, Lincolns, etc. - and in Houston [the nearest city that has Parking Garages] those garages that offer Valet service usually just let me park it at their Drop-off/Pick-up area. (Those garages aren't set up to handle 7'+ tall vehicles. <G>) > Its a PITA to park inside or outside of a garage. You are right - the > SRW is less of a PITA than the doolie. Parking is rarely a problem, especially in Downtown Houston, since a set of home-made magnetic signs are enough to park in "Truck Zones" for free. Shopping Centers present no problems, either, if you don't mind walking for about 50 yards: most shoppers can't abide the thought of walking more than 10 yards, thus leaving a LOT of space in the "Back 40" - enough to park a Prevost towing a 40-foot trailer. I've had fewer problems with parking the doolie than our '89 Chevy "B". [The "B" is taller than the doolie.] One good thing about the factory towing mirrors on my Dodge: they span a greater width than the rear fenders, thus, if the mirrors can pass through, the truck can. <VBG> > > [quoted text clipped - 45 lines] > > That can be a little deceptive, as the mirrors are much higher off the ground than the rear fenders. SignatureBILL P. Just Me & DOG -- Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com >In the small Texas town where we live there are almost as many doolies as >SRW pickups of all brands & ratings and 10X the number of "Luxury" cars - >Lexii, Beemers, Caddies, Lincolns, etc. - and in Houston [the nearest city >that has Parking Garages] those garages that offer Valet service usually >just let me park it at their Drop-off/Pick-up area. (Those garages aren't >set up to handle 7'+ tall vehicles. <G>) Silly boy! In Texas, Dualies ARE luxury cars! You ain't "in" unless you drive one.... Mark >>In the small Texas town where we live there are almost as many doolies as >>SRW pickups of all brands & ratings and 10X the number of "Luxury" cars - [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > Silly boy! In Texas, Dualies ARE luxury cars! You ain't "in" unless > you drive one.... Nah! Doolies are Necessities, along with Combines, Cottonpickers, Jeeps, and Rice Tractors. <G> English saddles, German/Japanese/Eyetalian/Korean cars, and ski boats are luxuries. <VBG> Some Australian cars are useful for long commutes - especially McLarens. >>>My '03.5 Long-bed QuadCab 4WD Doolie is an EASY truck to drive, even in >>>rush-hour Houston traffic! A 2500 or SRW 3500 would be even easier to [quoted text clipped - 33 lines] > greater width than the rear fenders, thus, if the mirrors can pass > through, the truck can. <VBG> I have a crew cab long bed dually. The biggest parking problem outside of parking garages is paralelle parking. Occasionally in our travels we will be in a small town that has paralelle parking in the downtown business district. I am out of luck unless I find two empty spaces together. I am more than willing to put up with that inconvenience to keep the crew cab long bed. Ron '06 Chevy 3500, LT3, Crew Cab, Long Bed, Dually, 4x4, Duramax Diesel HO, Allison 6 Speed Automatic > My 2c worth: The long bed quad cab is a real bear when you aren't > pulling a trailer. I love my long bed, extended cab Silverado. "They" say a long bed provides an improved ride both solo and towing. Having never driven the equivalent "short" bed pickup, I can't confirm or deny it. > And Yes, I did take out a rear window > once. Contrary to what has been posted though the big risk is not > when you are backing up IMHO. When I was backing up I was always > paranoid about the window. I took mine out pulling a u-turn out of a > gas pump. Stoopid, stoopid, stoopid. Would the other-length box have made enough difference to avoid the collision? > The question you should be answering is - what is the primary use for > this truck? If it is a daily driver that will occasionally pull the > trailer then buy the truck for that purpose - ie. shortbed. Mine is a daily driver and, by comparison, rarely tows, and I still have no problem with the long bed. I truly REVEL in the length of the box when bringing home pipe and dimensional lumber from Lowes. I originally intended to ORDER the pickup and would have ordered the "short" box (6-1/2 ft). As it turned out, I bought my pickup "off the lot" at a local dealership. It MUST have been a special order on which someone lost their deposit after they backed-out of the deal. I can't see this pickup being ordered as a lot truck: Extended cab with 8-ft box, yellow clearance lights atop the cab and the 8.1L gasser. I LOVE the pickup but have yet to see anything like it again on a dealer's lot - and I enjoy perusing the lots from time to time. > If it will almost excuslively spend it's life hooked in front > of the trailer then the longbed may be justified. The longer-wheelbase vehicles may be GREAT for towing but I discovered that, in my case, the previously-thought-excessive ground clearance on my long Chevy quickly disappeared the ONE TIME I took it off-road. While slowly traversing a *MINOR* hill (bump, really), I opened the door and watched underneath as the ground rose to within inches of my prized Allison. I slowly crept back to camp. No damage. Signature:) JR 2000 Skamper Ultra 249 TT 2002 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD Vortec 8100 - Allison 1000 > The longer-wheelbase vehicles may be GREAT for towing but I discovered > that, in my case, the previously-thought-excessive ground clearance on > my long Chevy quickly disappeared the ONE TIME I took it off-road. > While slowly traversing a *MINOR* hill (bump, really), I opened the door > and watched underneath as the ground rose to within inches of my prized > Allison. I slowly crept back to camp. No damage. There's a good reason for the extra height on a 4WD. <G> >> And Yes, I did take out a rear window >> once. Contrary to what has been posted though the big risk is not [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > >Would the other-length box have made enough difference to avoid the collision? Yes - the longbed would definitely have been more idiot proof. :-) SignatureR.J.(Bob) Evans (return address needs alteration to work) > I love my long bed, extended cab Silverado. "They" say a long bed provides an > improved ride both solo and towing. Having never driven the equivalent > "short" bed pickup, I can't confirm or deny it. My shortbed rides nice. With 122,000 miles of occasionally ludicrous overloading, "nice" is the best I can say, but until one fateful day with an overzealous loader operator and loam that was really aptly described as mud, I described it as "plush". Nothing was damaged, but the suspension aged a few hundred thousand miles that day. > Mine is a daily driver and, by comparison, rarely tows, and I still have no > problem with the long bed. I truly REVEL in the length of the box when > bringing home pipe and dimensional lumber from Lowes. The way to bring home long stuff is on a rack. My TracRac racks are versatile, nice looking, and carry anything I can pile on them (think 20' 2x12s standing on edge the width of the truck, for example). They are rather expensive, though. > The longer-wheelbase vehicles may be GREAT for towing but I discovered that, > in my case, the previously-thought-excessive ground clearance on my long Chevy > quickly disappeared the ONE TIME I took it off-road. While slowly traversing > a *MINOR* hill (bump, really), I opened the door and watched underneath as the > ground rose to within inches of my prized Allison. I slowly crept back to > camp. No damage. I've been off road whenever I found a trail. I've occasionally had the same thing happen, and a couple times I've bottomed out and scraped a little, with no damage -- but I don't have an Allison to worry about (granted, my GM tranny is sufficiently expensive to worry). However, I was usually so distracted by my hysterical wife, I had no time to worry about anything -- besides, she was worrying enough for both of us...especially on the trails around the Mine Fire in Centralia, PA. |
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