Took delivery of a new F150 4x4 with the 5L last week. I picked up four 80# bags of concrete mix the next day. The yard man really had to reach in with the bags to load them and I even had a bigger problem when I unloaded them. The tail gate is 25" wide to the box. Also I am unable to reach in the box from the side to really load or unload anything. I am 6' tall. Why is the box height so high? I had a 1999 F150 4x4 for sixteen years with no problem loading or unloading stuff. Update on trying to secure a load of wire fence: I loaded two sheets of plywood from Menard's on Saturday and two rolls of 5' x 50' fence. I have a 6.5' bed. We pushed the two rolls of fence forward and tried to attach a ratchet strap to them. I could not reach the tie down cleats located in the front of the bed. My wife had to step onto the bed and attach them for me. The tie down is 20" from the top of the bed. Why not raise the tie down up 6-8" so it can be used? Also with the tail gate down and plywood on the tail gate there is only about a 4" square of step to stand on. Such a poor design. I plan to install my own set of tie downs.

 

Trucks have gotten taller.
I had the chance to measure a 2014 and a 2015 4x4 supercrew side-by-side and the top of the bed rails was within about 1/4".

So it's not really a 2015 problem. This has been happening for years.

Also, welcome to FTE.

When you get a minute, put the details of your truck in your signature, and put your location in your profile as well. That will help folks assist you faster.

 

Same here Joe, I loaded 8 boxes of 12" tile in my '15 the other day and wow what a reach. My '03 was no problem when it came to loading.

 

Isn't there something like a 4" height difference in bed rails from the 97-03 to the 04-current models?

 

3 to 4 inches seems to be about right. IMHO the beds are way too high. I have to climb up in the bed to reach anything and I am 6 ft. I had to let the neck on my gooseneck just about all the way down to clear the bed rails.

 

But utility driven trucks don't sell and people want their pick ups to look big and mean... A PU delete for F150 would be an interesting option. It might actually make good sense because you should save a decent amount of money on the bed and then opt for a drop side box. It'd look ugly, but functionality would be pretty awesome.

 

If I ever tear the side out of the bed with the gooseneck cattle trailer a flat bed will replace it. I do not think it would look too bad with an aluminum bed, and it would be much more functional.

 

I figure I need to budget for a bedslide just for this reason. Of course, that adds 4" or so to the bed height, so it's not an ideal solution. Still, it will save my back from having to lean over so much.

 

<p>This has been a gripe ever since the 2004 redesign. &nbsp;Lower height would be nice for some things, but the 4WD models have been high for eleven years now. &nbsp;I'm sure you could inexpensively lower it a few inches if it bothered you that much. &nbsp;</p>

 

We've noticed the increased height too. I think it is a sneaky way to sell the tailgate steps & pop-out side steps.

 

<p></p><p>But Ford wasn't making those until years after the height increase happened. &nbsp;Those were a debut for the 2009 model year. &nbsp;</p>

 

I wonder if mother regulation has anything to do with it. In Pa if you have loose material less than 6" from the top of the bed you need a tarp. Considering how few people use a tarp, the higher bedsides do help keep people legal closer to the max payload of their truck. Just a thought.

 

In my case whole truck is at least 4" higher than my 2002 was. Heading to the store tonight to pick up a 4" drop hitch so I can tow my boat.
I agree this truck is hard to load and unload. And I'm 6'3".

 

I think it's also partly a marketing thing, as many guys think a taller truck looks better. So if the truck is a few inches taller from the factory, then it appears "tougher".

I agree, from a functionality standpoint, the 2wd trucks are a much more usable height. I wish the 4wd trucks were the same height as the 2wd.

 

If I remember right when I was checking the 4wd was only a half inch higher than the 2wd on the 2015.