I'm considering a new truck, and would probably shoot for the 2008 model year before the body style change. I know I want the supercrew, but I am actually in a quandry about whether to get the long or short bed. I will be getting a camper shell. Seeing the 5.5 ft box, it just looks so short that you wouldn't be able to get decent sized pieces of lumber, or even water skis for the trip to the lake. But then the long beds dont seem to be that popular, so I'm curious about some opinions out there of owners from both. thanks for the input.

 

Well I’d love to have the 6.5’ because your right, the 5.5’ is too short for a lot of things. My problem is I knew I’d never be able to navigate some of the places I do with that extra foot, it’s extremely tight as it is with the 5.5’. So if you don’t have to worry about tight spots, I say go with the 6.5’.

 

I have a 6.5' bed in my truck, not a F150 (new Tundra actually) and I'm glad that I didn't get the Crewmax with the 5.5' bed. A buddy of mine has a Screw F150 with the 5.5' bed and it just looks small. Both of them look very proportional, which is great, so I don't think you could go wrong there.

My experience with my 6.5' bed is that it's great for doing work, great for lumber, sections of privacy fence, and lots of dirt that is going in the back. I think the 5.5' bed is more for the homeowner who rarely uses the bed but want's the functionality (myself included, but I have no problems with thr 6.5' bed).

The choice is yours, but I think you just have to consider what you'll be doing with it. Another instance, when I moved to college I had to take my bed 900 miles. If I had a 5.5' bed I wouldn't have been able to shut the tailgate. Also, we have a couch that is literally 2 or 3" too long to have the tailgate shut. My brother had to drive that down in the back of our Expedition (best car ever). Moral of the story, unless you get an 8' bed, and even then, you're always going to find something that is too long for your bed. Get what is most practical for what you do, recreational or for work purposes.

-rockstate

 

It depends what you do. If you work with your truck the answer is simple. If you just own your truck because you think it's cool then do what ever appeals to your eyeballs.

I like to go snow boarding and ride dirt bikes. My 5 1/2" bed hauls around all my crap just fine (to include my bikes). If I hauled around lumber on a regular basis it would probably **** me off.

I really love the fact that I have a full size 4 door truck that can easily make a u-turn without smoking the curb.

 

I had the dealer search out a 6.5' for my needs. I tow my enclosed quad trailer and many times find myself hauling one in the bed of the truck. I would not be able to close the tailgate with a 5.5' bed, thus could not hook the trailer with the gate down. I do not have any problems getting the same places I did with my ex-cab chevy, but I dont drive in parking garages or the like either. I would suggest looking at what you want from the truck because it is more of a personal preference than anything.

 

I was actually looking for an S-cab with the 5.5ft bed, but those are nearly impossible to find. But like everyone says - it really depends on what you do. Lumber and firewood were my two main materials to haul. I figured 5.5ft bed with tailgate opened is about (66" + 20") 86 inches or just over 7 feet so an 8 foot piece of lumber or plywood isn't going to be hanging out too far. Plus, I cut my firewood at about 20" long, so again, that would make four solid rows through the bed. I wound up getting the 6.5ft bed which means about 98 inches with the tailgate folded down - fully supports an 8 foot sheet of plywood, but doesn't seem to offer much more usable space for the firewood because of the way the rows stack up.

 

The 6.5 will haul 8' building materials w/ tailgate down with nothing sticking out, which is nice. Also, the 5.5 doesn't have stake pockets so it limits what you can do if you want a rack or something.
Haven't seen a new 5.5 SCrew around here in a while, all the dealers have 6.5's in stock, not one 5.5 in months, no one wants them in this area it seems.

 

Something I didn't see mentioned was the use of a toolbox in the bed. If you use one, you'll only have about 3.5' left over in a 5.5' bed which isn't much good. If you don't use one, then you'll have 5.5' of bed, which is about a foot more than I can use in my 6.5.

Just a thought.

Dave

 

I have the Screw (07) with the 6.5 bed. Let me tell you it's a big a$$ truck. It definately fills my half of the garage. The only problem I'm having, is adjusting to parking spaces. You really have to swing wide to get into one. It usually takes me a couple of attempts to get it in straight. I also recently ran into a problem of my truck being longer than the parking spaces at a local hospital. I ended up having to back into a spot on the edge of the lot. But all and all, I'm glad I went with the 6.5 bed because of the extra carrying capacity.

 

I have the 6.5 bed and I wouldn't trade it for anything. One reason that I bought a new truck was because they came out with the 6.5 bed. Everyone has different preferences and uses for their truck, some like the 6.5 bed and some like the 5.5 bed. Like was stated earlier, I have a toolbox in mine and still have some bed left and I like the fact of being able to haul 8' lumber in the bed with the tailgate down.

 

its pretty nice to have the shorter wheelbase when in town...its about 6 inches shorter than the supercab with a 6.5 foot bed...i can actually fit a riding lawn mower in the back of my truck...barely...i have to let a little air out of the back tires...

p.s...I bought mine in 05, no option for the 6.5 foot bed...if it were out now, i would consider it...but i'm not gonna trade my 05 for an extra foot...

 

Well in reality 6.5 ft bed is only about medium 8 ft is long i would go 6.5 if you plan to tow and haul things 5.5 feet aitn much

 

I am with the 6.5 ft bed people. You will like the extra room.

 

I am in the market for a F-150 screw, the 6.5 bed is a must. I would sacrifice color,and interior fabric (leather vs. cloth) for the bed length. The 5.5 bed is impractical.

 

When hauling lumber, which usually comes in 8 ft standard sized pieces, whether you have the 5.5 ft bed or 6.5 ft bed makes no difference. Either way, you're dropping the tailgate to fit them in. As for looks, some might argue the shorter bed looks sharper.
There are the wheelbase arguments regarding truck maneuverability as well.

Either way, unless you're carrying an ATV and want to be able to close the tailgate (even with a 6.5 footer, I'm not sure if you can close the tailgate), I don't see there being much, if any of a difference between the two beds.

That being said, I have the 5.5 footer, and I'd have no problems getting a 5.5 footer again, for what I use it for.