I have been contemplating what size bed I should get when I purchase my truck, I am wanting a F350 SC, and is there a distinct advantage to a long bed for towing a 5th wheel? I have read that you get a bigger fuel tank with the long bed but is there a reason why some of you chose the short bed?

Thanks,

Rob

 

You didn't mention what body you are looking at. I bought the crew cab and chose the short bed as the combination of crew cab and long bed make for a very long truck. As it is, my current truck is about 2 feet longer than my 2003 F150 SC. My dad has the F250 crew cab with short bed (6.5 foot bed) and has no trouble with his 5th wheel. He does not have a sliding hitch. He has no trouble with cab interference, but it can happen with some trailers. The larger fuel tank would be nice but I just didn't want the extra truck length and the parking problems that come with it.

 

3rd party companies make replacement tanks...
50 gal for the short beds...

My long bed came with 36 gal, and I replaced it with a 65 gal tank
so, you always want more

Parking is about the only reason I can think of...

 

How heavy are you going to tow?

Is your only concern the fuel capacity? Or are there other differences that you are looking into?

There are weight differences, different handling characteristics, bed capacity compared to how you use the truck.

 

I think the long bed is way better. Either way you're gonna have a long truck. I had to really look hard to find a long bed just how I wanted, they were mostly short beds.

 

Long bed will be most ideal for towing, especially heavy. A short bed would be good if you dont care about having the short bed size for holding "stuff", and the short bed is lighter giving better mpg, cheaper, and a little more nimble due to the less weight and size.

 

My 2000 and 2003 trucks were both short beds, My 2006 and 2011 are both Long beds and I've never looked back since I made that decision. The extra space is great and I don't even notice the extra length any more.

 

Well if my wife had her way(which they mostly do) she wants the Destiny 5th wheel which is about 38' long with 4 slide outs. 11,830 lbs. dry. The GVWR for the trailer says 15,500. With something this big I guess it would be a good idea to have the larger tank for sure.

 

It depends on how you use the truck but if it is to tow a big RV and not much else, I would go long and also crew cab. You may want to consider dual rear wheels too with that 38 footer. SRW would be ok but check the GCWR and axle ratings.

 

My 05 was a short bed and my 12 is a long bed. Definitely get the long bed. I have not once had an issue with parking. You may find yourself backing into parking spots more but with the rearview camera you can see everything. The size of the fuel tank is a big plus. This truck rides so much better than my 05. I don't know how much of that has to do with improvements to the suspension compared to the extra length of the truck, but I would like to think that some of it is due to the extra length.

 

Three reasons for a long bed . . . . . larger fuel tank, larger fuel tank, and larger fuel tank.

 

If you are going with the 38' 5ver, than I would be looking at a DRW.
Gives you more payload & you will need that with that big of a trailer.

 

My advice to you is:

Be sure you buy a truck with enough capacity to "Safely" tow that big a 5th wheel. If you don't you'll find yourself, at some point, wishing you had a heavier duty truck. Then you're stuck with the truck or a VERY expensive change to the truck you should have bought in the first place.

Don't believe the RV dealers who will tell you the following: "You've got plenty of truck to pull anything on the lot". Remember they are selling RV's and usually will tell you what you want to hear instead of the truth.

There are always trade-offs when purchasing these trucks. The biggest is balancing what you will be doing with the truck when not towing vs when towing. The short bed SRW FX4's are fantastic looking trucks I had one. But as I've gotten older I worry less about looks and more about function.

When the cross-country rving days are over I will have a F150 short bed crew cab in a heartbeat. I'm in a somewhat unusual position of not needing to worry about the "not towing" use. I have another truck that fills that need. So, I have a purpose built truck that pulls my 5th wheel with great safety and stability in the midwest winds.

Everyone's own situation is different. My 5th wheel is 1,000 lbs lighter, one less slide and 5 feet shorter than the 5th wheel you are contemplating. I would "NOT" pull a big 5th wheel without DRW. You can, and lots of guys do. I saw a guy towing a 41 foot triple axle toy hauler with a shortbed F350 this year and I'm sure he feels OK with what he is doing. I wouldn't do that, but he would. So there you go, you'll see anything.

What is YOUR comfort zone. Mine has changed over the years as I've towed in all wind conditions. I'm trying to give you my thoughts, in the end you'll get what you want. Be safe and enjoy the new toys!!!

Jim

 

I pull a 36' Travel Trailer with 3 slides(10K approx)....We have the long bed and love it....Main reason I bought the long bed was, I put my motorcycle in the bed when pulling my trailer....I wanted to do this with the tail gate closed, the long bed allows me to do this.

You get used to the lenght of the truck quickly....My wife drives it with 0 problems.

 

with my dodges I always used an over the rail tool box and a long bed, so I effectively had a short bed. these fords have a ton of storage space under and behind the rear seats. I don't need the tool box anymore. I really really wish I would have gotten a short bed myself. then I would have gotten the titan tank and even have MORE fuel than I have now.