I don't know how you people live with the 5.5ft bed, 6.5 would be ok in a pinch. Now stand back I will now attempt to turn around WITHOUT crossing the state line!

 

Take a look at my gallery and you'll find your answer. If you use your truck as a truck eventually you even get disillusioned with a 6.5 foot box. Then you end up spending money that you really don't have to get an 8 foot box. Believe me if you think a Screw long box is long, it's still over a foot shorter than my new-to-me 04 Scab with HD package.

The one thing that often gets left out of the equation is ride quality. The short box Screw has a wheelbase of 139 inches and the long box is 150 (BTW the Long Box Scab has a wheelbase of 163). Guess which one rides the nicest!

 

I've had both, 5.5ft in an 03 and I now have the 6.5 in an 06. Hands down I will never own less then a 6.5ft ever again. It is a bit longer, making for a longer turning radius, but it's worth it. If you want a truck, choose the longer box!

 

Tell the dealer exactly what you want....took them about 2 hours to find it.....in Iowa, and two days to get it to Arkansas (on a flatbed)..08 F150 Lariat, 4x4 6'5" bed.... with the cost of these trucks...don't settle, dealers will find what you ask for if you have time

 

I am also w/ the 6.5 people. I have the 5.5 (since 04) and I can't stand it. I can't even lay down in it. No option in 04 but I would have sacraficed in other areas to make sure I got the 6.5.

I'm holding out till the 2010 comes out for a new one (Diesel!!) and you can bet it will have atleast the 6.5.

 

wow, nice dead thread resurection

plywood fits in the 5.5' bed just fine. the 6.5' bed doesn't proportion to the screws...it looks pretty good on the Scabs though

 

my 5.5 long bed is definetly long enough for me in my truck because i am coming from a 4 foot sport trac, so a 5.5 is enough for me! however it did suck when i bought a 6ft later the other day and i had to put it in sideways to make it fit!

 

i chose the 6.5 ft box on the Super Crew...tons of 5.5 ft boxes out there but dont work for what I use it for. Took me a couple days to get used to the extra length but im good now....wouldn't trade it in for anything

 

ordered mine w/6.5' bed, still waiting on delivery but plan on puting a 30'' deep tool box/ dog kennel in mine and that will leave me with 4' left. I'll take all I can get would not have been happy with only 3 feet. 1 foot might not be that much until you look at it as 1 foot the whole width and hieght of the bed.

 

When I bought my truck with the 6.5ft box, I thought it made the truck a bit too long. Now that I have had the truck for a while and added the backup camera, I don't think I would buy a F-150 with the 5.5ft box, the 6.5ft box is much more usable. Now the looks of the f-150 with the 5.5ft box kinda reminds me of the sport trac wanna be truck !!

 

For me, my truck is a family vehicle that sees hunting and fishing duty throughout the year. I need the bed more for dirtywet/muddy stuff, not necessarily big or long stuff, so the 5.5 is perfect. Its also nice cause I can squeeze it in my garage.

Like others have said, evaluate your needs, and the choice should become obvious. Looks wise, they both look nice IMO.

 

I just saw a super crew with he 6.5ft box the other day and I think they look much better other the 5.5. The Super crew with the 5.5 looks to short and the box is about worthless as my dads 03 you could barely fit gear in it to go up north. If I ever buy a super crew it would be with the 6.5ft box.

 

I've hauled plenty of stuff in my truck bed including mulch, topsoil, firewood, dead deer, furniture, washer/dryer, queen size beds, a 12' long ladder, etc. Oh yeah, I only have the "worthless" 5.5 bed. Sure you might have to put the tailgate down for some things but that's why Ford provided tie down points so you can use straps/etc. I don't care about not fitting an ATV in my bed because we have a Triton trailer that holds 3 ATV's and therefore passengers can ride in the back of the crew cab in comfort while all the gear fits in the bed.

It all comes down to personal preference/use. There is no reason to bash those with 5.5 beds We're only talking 1 freaking foot difference! There are plenty of posers driving trucks with 6.5 or 8' beds that don't really use them as trucks either. Or if they put in a toolbox, then they're right back to having a smaller sized bed. And there's still plenty of things that you still can't haul in the 6.5' bed unless you have the tailgate down.

 

<o>
</o>SteveVFX4,
I wasn’t trying to bash you or any one with the 5.5 bed. Like you said it all comes down to personal preference and use and I need the 6.5 bed over the 5.5 bed. In cases that you need the tail gate up as when I cut lawns and do fall clean ups and you are throwing your grass/leaves in the bed that one foot makes a big difference in how much you can get in there along with the trailer being fully with leaves and equipment . The more you can get in there = less trips to the dump = less money spent on fuel, some times it would have been nice to have the 8’ bed. And I am not one of those “posers” as I use my truck as a truck

 

I now have a 2003 F350 CC LB. Due to the changing nature of how I use the truck, plus the cost of fuel being about 60 cents higher than gas, I am contemplating trading off my SD for a SCREW with th 6.5. A lot of you guys are talking about the difference in parking the 5.5' bed vs. the 6.5' bed and I have to chuckle. Try parking my rig without a tender! No offense meant at all. Just kinda funny.

So I gather the 2006 MY is the first to offer the 6.5' bed. I will be looking for a used vehicle and wanting to get the best value for the $$ I spend. I have not even begun to look into pricing of the 06 vs. 07. Before I do I wanted to see if there were things to watch out for in the 06. Or if there are options in 07 that I might want to hold out for that are not offered in the 06.

I don't intend to hijack this thread, so please don't take this down that road. I will do some digging on the forum to look into the 06/07 stuff, then post a new thread. I just wanted to chime in with my own Length-Of-Bed/Truck take.

I hope that I don't regret going to the F150, as I love the ride and power of the SD. I am just having a harder time justifying the ownership costs of the 6.0 (Fuel not maintenance. I am OK on maintenance costs). I run a construction company and can't see ever NOT having a P/U truck. I just don't need the SD right now. Maybe in a few years, business will be good enough that I can get back into a King Ranch SD and live the good life but for now the F150 seems to be a better route. I have a quad, and often enough need/want to haul stuff for home and work.

Enough rambling for now. Good luck with your F150s. Hope to join you soon.

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