I will be purchasing a new F350 PSD in about a month. I currently pull a 30 foot conventional trailer weighing 7,400 lbs dry. I am considering trading for a 5th wheel in the future so am considering a long box. My question: Which is best for conventional trailer pulling: long box, short box or does it matter?

 

The longer the tow vehicle, the better for towing. What kind of cab are you thinking about for the F350, reg,scab, or screw.
The reason I ask is that if you have a short bed for 5th wheel towing, you will need a sliding hitch as when you get into tight ares where you really have to turn, the trailer could hit the back of the cab if you do not slide the hitch to behind the rear wheels. You do not have this problem with a long bed.

 

Just went throught the same conundrum. I really wanted the crewcab. The longbox seemed to make it about the size of an aircraft carrier, & 40K+ clams damned well deserves a spot in the garage which the crewcab+longbox would rule out. Luckily the trailer we wanted has a "V" nose on it. I am able to have a short box and have an excellent turning radius without unwanted customizing of the rear of my cab or punching out rear windows. I looked into the sliding hitches & never got really sold on them. Heard they work fine, but seemed complex and costly. My thoughts are if you can't find a "V" nose, go with a longbox. And I guess I'm a little biased, but think gooseneck. Come on RV'ers, learn from the cowboys!

 

The other option ---which I have been using for 3 years is to install a Pullrite Super Sliding Hitch into the short box ---this way you get a shorter vehicle to park, etc and yet the hitch ensures that you never have a problem turning ---it slides back automatically...A bit pricey but it sure takes that jitters out of turning....

 

Don't forget the long box gives you 9 extra gallons over the short box fuel tank... 9 x 14 MPG = 131 extra miles in a tank.

Edmo