Hey guys, I am considering buying a new 2017 6.7 truck. I tow a 36 ' Toyhauler that gets pretty heavy w the generator , 150 gallons of fresh water, 4 dirt bikes , all the food and gear and 45 gallons of gas.
My question to you is , has anyone switched from a long bed to a short bed , with the same trailer, and regretted it ? My main concern is from a stability/ safety/ handling stand point. I understand I will need a slider hitch as my 2007 victory Lane dose not have cutouts for turning aids.

I began towing it w a '08 F350 Dually, then switched to a '09 SRW F350 w air bags. LOVE my air bags ! I noticed vary little difference/ draw backs between dually and SRW. I love not having 6 tires to keep up and the convenience around town and at work.

Do you guys think the short bed will be noticeably less stable or less stable at all ? I currently run lots of twisting back roads , camp in the woods, and burn up the Interstate at 75mph w no issues in my CC, LWB, SRW F 350 w air bags.

Thanks

Rusty

 

With the long bed you get the 48 gallon fuel tank. That's pretty handy. I've heard that the long bed has a nicer ride than the short bed, but I don't have any experience comparing the two on the same type of truck.

 

Slider with a short bed for sure. Long bed if you have no issues maneuvering it around town or in parking lots. Also, if you get the long bed go with a Anderson Ultimate Hitch for the 5th wheel.
With my SB F250 and towing heavy I don't have any stability issues but I'm on mainly highways and main side streets and I don't " run lots of twisting back roads , camp in the woods, and burn up the Interstate at 75mph"
Check the specs of F250 vs F350 if weight is an issue.

 

Thanks, for the feed back, We race dirt bikes in a regional series, so many times we leave a race out in the middle of the woods, mid afternoon and
travel back roads to the interstate, then haul booty, 8 hours back home !

 

Rusty, I've always had short beds and never run a slider but I understand that it does add piece of mind for those who want one. I tow a 20k+ toy hauler with my current 2017 SB and have over 20k miles towing it with my previous 2012 SRW 350 SB. No stability concerns whatsoever. Both my recent SB trucks tow my little 44.5' long, 8.5' wide, 20k RV like an arrow. On the fuel tank thing, Jim is right and the long bed does have the 48 gallon. I really didn't want any more length to my truck so I spent the money on a Titan 55 gallon direct replacement fuel tank instead. Best of all worlds for me...

 

I prefer the long bed. You still have some good useable hauling space in front of the hitch. I made a divider and keep fire wood fishing gear etc. in the front half of the bed. You won't have that with a shorty. Full size is also more handy when the bed is empty for the larger items. That's what works best for me. You have to figure out what works best for you. Granted with a long bed you have to be more cognizant in parking lots and when backing the 5er it takes more maneuvering room.

 

I'm with 69cj, wouldn't have a shorty cuzz I just haul too much long stuff. I can never understand why I hear guy's saying the long bed is too hard to drive around town and manuver in parking lots. I drive my dually all the time, I just park out a little ways......no big deal. Believe me, youll appreciate the 8 ft. bed if you're active with bikes and a lot of gear.......but as usual, to each his own.

 

Long bed. love the 9'4" would not mind 11'4"

 

Guys, he's not asking what's better as that's subjective. That's like asking what's a better color. There's no such thing. What he is asking is, if there are any stability or towing issues towing a large RV with a SB. The answer to that IMO is no.

 

I have both (SB and LB) and tow mostly with the SB F350. I really cannot tell then apart from a towing standpoint except with backing into a tight spot, SB seems easier. I do have a slider but never use it.

I say get what you feel comfortable with driving.

 

Thanks Guys for ALL the feedback. Karl4cat is correct in that i was inquiring about stability issues and handling while towing. I love my current Long bed for all the storage, but the short box's are calling to me! One voice says " Get the Sporty short box" , The other says " Man if your gonna get a big truck,
Get a BIG Truck !"

 

I had the same two voices in my head before ordering my 17 but if I went with door #2, it would have been a 450. I'd not go with a mile long truck without adding wide track front end...

 

Only SB I ever towed with was an F150. So I don't have much to offer there. I will say that going from a longbed to a shortbed sucks! If you are used to the space of the 8 foot bed you may find you hate the shortbed. I had one, I'll never have another.

 

I've only owned 2 shortbed trucks in my life. Never again. I use my truck bed for a truck bed. Way too many times a short bed was "just a little" too short, and a few times it was way too short.

Different strokes for different folks. It's nice to have options when we buy these trucks, but that's one (short beds) that I'll never pick. The long bed will ride a little better over bumps than the short bed, but I doubt you'd feel any real stability issues (unless you were badly over loaded, which would give you the same issues on a long bed). You'd see more of a change between dually and single rear axle than between a long and a shortbed, in my opinion.

Pick what you like. I personally don't see any easier or more difficult parking issues between a long and a short bed, unless you're just parking in a *very* short parking space. As far as turning and maneuvering, there really isn't enough difference to spit at to me. Not worth giving up 2 feet of bed space for the difference. But that's just me, I guess.

 

And don't forget the other big advantage on a 2017 long bed. It's now got a 50 gal. fuel tank.