All,


I'm looking for some opinions on the old debate of long vs. short bed on a 2017 crew cab.


My question is specifically about parking and maneuverability. I'm less concerned about trailering/hauling differences, which is what most of the threads I've found focus on.


My current truck is a CC LB. In 90-95% of the places I travel, I never have an issue. I prefer to park far away from everyone else and I can usually find a spot.


It's those 5-10% of the places, like a restaurant with a small parking lot, or trying to park "in town" that become a little bit of a problem.


It seems like the camera system in the 2017 would help immensely.


Will I really notice a difference in the shorter bed, or will it be big and difficult to maneuver in tight spaces either way?


I've never considered a SB but would think about it more strongly if there is that noticeable of a difference in those 5-10% of the cases. If not, I don't want to short-change the capacity and ultimately wish I had gone bigger.

Thoughts? Thanks in advance.

 

Like you said, just get a model with the 360 camera, it's pretty slick. I drive lots of trucks and park them tightly on our lot. I don't really notice the difference myself between the two, and most of mine are missing the camera. I'd get the truck you want and not worry about it.

 

I had 2011 f350 cclb. I use it to tow my 5th wheel. I found I hard at times to back camper in because of trees etc. so I wanted shorter wheelbase. it came down to this: times I needed crew cab in past year (gave someone a ride in back seat) 1 time. reason for truck: tow 5th wheel and buy building supplies for my house. we get a lot of rain here in cny so I have a cover on bed. so I really need 8' bed (man size bed) but don't need cc. so now I have 2017 lariat sclb. I don't feel like I'm driving a bus now.i do wish FORD would let people order what they want. such as I could not get lariat Ultimate Package because its not a crew cab.
no reason for it.

 

The turning radius makes the long bed more difficult to park, negotiate drive-thru, etc. for sure. However, the ride is nicer with the long bed. I moved up from a springy GMC 1/2-Ton and was expecting a harsh ride. Boy, was I surprised. The 1-Ton long bed rides like a dream. That's a trade-off that has proven worth it to me.

 

Not to mention 48 gallons of fuel/gas...

 

My truck only comes with a long bed, but parks very similar to my short bed Ram with an aftermarket steering box, the long bed F350's I could never get into the spot on the first try like I could with the 450.

 

That reason alone sealed the deal for me.

 

Considering the prices on the add-on fuel tanks the long bed with 48 gallon is sure a good value. I chose long bed and the 360 camera to help out in tight spots.
I have a large enough garage to accommodate it, that's a deal breaker for some I suspect.

 

I'm currently driving an 09 F150 with a 5.5 ft box, therefore the short box F350 I have on order IS a bigger box! lol

I don't need an 8 ft box and personally don't care for how long the truck looks with them. Different strokes for different folks.

 

I went with a short bed cause I think PERSONALLY the truck doesn't look right with a long bed and two anything I do carry in the bed of the truck the short bed is plenty. It is easier to park vs a long bed. But other then looks and easier to park I can't really argue which one is better for your needs.

 

In most places that I park, a CC LB will not fit in one spot length-wise unless you can hang the bed over a median or something.

In my case, a CC LB will not fit in my garage.

So, while I would have liked the extra range that the 48 gal tank provides, it's a SB for me. I'll look at doing a Titan tank at some point.

It's beside the point, but I think that the SB looks better.

FWIW,

Greg J

 

My daily driver for 7 years was a LWB truck. Never had any maneuverability issues. For the last 2 months I have been driving a SWB truck. I am frustrated that I can't park this darn thing! Over time, you get used to driving what you have and whatever issues you perceive in the beginning will disappear.

 

I wish Ford would make the turning radius better. I sure would help.

 

Mooch91, these are big long trucks no matter if you buy a CCSB or a CCLB. The long bed truck is exactly 16.2" longer than the short bed. Its not that much. They both turn exactly the same, but the extra 16" means the long bed truck is going to need a little bit bigger area to turn in curb to curb. I drove 4 different CCSB Super Duty trucks prior to buying my 2017 CCLB truck. There is a slight difference which you quickly get used to.

With these trucks, you typically don't "pull into" parking spots, you "back into" them, lol.

If you buy an F-450, you get a sharper turning circle, but then you are also dealing with the added width of the dually back end (another 16" wider).

Bottom line: I accept that a Super Duty truck is not going to be the easiest thing to maneuver and park in tighter areas. But that is going to be the case with CCSB or CCLB.

For the very small additional charge to get the long bed, you get 16" of extra bed length and more importantly the 48 gallon fuel tank. That made it all very worthwhile for me.

 

16.2" is not much, the bigger fuel cell is the deal maker for many as they sacrifice the slightly better maneuverability for this. Plus, the bigger bed is nice on occasions.

For me, it's all about the tow. Longer WB is better, bigger fuel tank is better. Done deal.