thinking of purchasing a F-350 SD but don't need or like the look of the 8' bed.

If I ultimately buy a slide-in camper would I be making a mistake with the short bed/short wheelbase as far as axle loading and center of mass?

 

Your wheelbase on the shorter bed would be smaller, thereby making the vehicle inherently less stable. You would also limit the size of the camper you can purchase (obviously to the size of the bed). Furthremore, you lose quite a few gallons of gas tanks space when you go with the short bed -- long beds come with 38 gallons. I forget what the short beds come with, but I think it's somewhere around 10 gallons less.

There are advantages to your setup, too. Short wheel base = easier turning radius. As far as axle loading & center of mass, I don't know enough about this topic to answer. Others will cime in soon, though.

 

I looked at the campers available for the short bed pickups and I didn't like the small space. I prefer the larger space that comes with campers that can fit in the longer bed pickups. However, there is a huge difference in driving the short bed vs. the long bed trucks. It seems like I need an acre to turn mine around. This is the trade off for all the cab and bed space that I have.

 

Thumper,

Could you recommend some camper manu. I could look at that make the short campers?

 

Well, I didn't research them that seriously (RV Show) but I did like Artic Fox and Northland.

 

If camper hauling is the main reason for the truck, the long bed moves the camper load center of gravity more to the center of the wheelbase. I've seen many short bed trucks with 2' to 4' of camper hanging out the back of the bed and they just don't look as stable as the long beds. Most camper manufactures make campers for the shortbed trucks and the overhang does give you some extra storage. Lance and Fleetwood would be good companies to check. They both have good websites http://www.fleetwoodrv.com/truck_campers.asp
http://www.lancecampers.com..........;)

 

A long bed will give you a 90% choice in campers. A short bed gives you a 10% choice. Resale could be a factor as well on a shorty!

 

I've heard more guys regret the shortbed after the fact than guys that buy the longbed.

I also liked the fact that I could close the endgate on my truck with my 8 foot camper on.