Well I can understand it even if I dont have any issue, but my dad says the very same thing and he is a very honest humble person. Biggest difference he doesnt care about looks or how macho a truck is. He is not a whiner either and probably smarter than I. He likes the bed height of his late 80's chevy and his 93 F150 and never had a problem off road with them or with the hauling capability. The thing is ford is probably more conerned with the folks that want the biggest baddest trucks out there. Its like an ongoing war who can make the biggest truck with the most power...

The fuel mileage is common theme here. People want more and then get accused of being an idiot since they bought a 'truck'. I'm not one who simple think mpg doesnt matter since its a truck. I mean mpg should matter to everyone, OTR trucks, bulldozers, articulated farm tractors... who wouldnt want better mpg? Just be realistic and dont say these trucks should be getting smart car mpg. Trucks have got good or better milleage in the past - there are many reasons... for one the trucks have got bigger and heavier, as well as increasing emissions standards and lower energy fuel (ie E20). My dad always refers back to his late 80's (i forget he year) 4.3 chevy that he could usually hit 20... and thats 20 year ago TBI technology. The 90's chevies with them diesels if I recall were actually EPA rated at something like 22MPG. So do you have a right to complain why were only getting 15? Maybe, idk.

Actually the 150's are now longer than the SD's in the same config! example: reg cab long bed SD = 137" WB and 227" overal, F150 = 145" WB and 231.7"!

I wish the SD's would have taller bedsides too and a lengthed cab like they did to the 150's and I wouldnt be surprised in the next gen they do but currently they have held on to the same basic cab and bed design from day one of the SD.

 

 

The bed side height on my F-150 really doesn't matter since I have a Leer shell with tool boxes instead of side windows going up to the height of the cab. The height of the bed is a bit of a pain for this old broad but it IS a truck, no matter how "light" it is. Sure it sits higher than the old '63 F-300 I had a hundred years ago but it also has a 15k gross instead of the F-300's 9800. Rides one heck of a lot better and the spare and gas tank is tucked underneath in the F-150 instead of in the bed and cab. My friends love riding in it, especially the tall ones.

Jeannie

 

Just revisiting this post.

Maybe those who commented have changed over the 6.5 yrs between then and now...

I was searching this topic because I have some strong convictions.

I postulate that those who defend the tall bed deck height are a little enamored with the "newness" of the trucks. For example: one poster in this thread suggested that people wouldn't want to reach over the bedside for fear of damaging the truck or the goods being lifted. I agree, inasmuch as heavy loads should be lifted only as high as possible, and no higher. But that doesn't mean I try to "He-Man" my cargo over the side of my '93. I go for the tailgate whenever possible. It's just easier.

To get at the Original Poster's point: I totally agree that the trucks of recent years are way too high, and they are bordering on un-usefulness. If people weren't made to pay more money than houses cost for the new trucks, they might admit that they can't easily reach over the bedside to interact with a cargo load. Then again, I can count on one finger the number of 2000+ model trucks I have seen which have dirt or leaves or trash or remnants of an earlier haul in the bed. Point? Just that I don't think trucks are used for what they used to be used for.

Trucks have become a status symbol. Just look at the price tag. I have seen it stated elsewhere and in abundance that modern trucks having all the bells and whistles is a far cry from the earlier generations of trucks that were an invention to assist in labor of various kinds. Gone are the days of the plain vinyl floormat instead of carpet, unless you count the vans outfitted for fleet use (I guess there may be a few fleet trucks in these modern styles). I actually prefer the vinyl, as it holds up better than carpet and doesn't stain. Gone also are the trucks which people get cheaply from the dealer for their home-based handyman business, or whatever. Those guys still have their old trucks, and since they are handy, they have no need of upgrading to the new models on stilts.

My bottom-line opinion is this (because sharing our opinions is what forums are all about): I like the old ones. By old, I mean 96 and earlier. It may offend my sense of age and time, but that generation of trucks is now considered old. I, myself was born in 1981, so I got to experience trucks in their true golden age: they were the cheapest vehicles out there, and they fulfilled their intended purpose. I then witnessed the paradigm shift to what it is now. Trucks have shifted to overpriced status symbols, and those who can afford them don't use them to their potential. Along with the perceived market, all truck brands have changed what they offer to cater to that market. If the tall trucks had come out and nobody bought them, we would have seen the end of it. However, there are enough buyers who either don't mind the tall trucks, or outright like them, that it seems they are not going back.

There is something to be said about the technology and keeping relevant in the socio-economic climate. This is another big reason that buyers gonna buy. If it weren't for the tech on some of these new trucks (EcoBoost, Hello!), some people would be totally disinterested. All the while, the guys who are the most practical and pragmatic are on this forum researching how to fix and repair and upgrade those trucks that they have chosen as their favorites.

Well, I'm one of them. It makes sense to me that to lift heavy loads 3feet off the ground is easier than lifting the same loads 4 feet off the ground. It also makes sense to me that, if I'm going to use my truck for the purpose it was intended, it should be affordable. Why pay more for a truck than I paid for my first house? I will never get ahead of that 7-or-more-year loan. The truck would remain upside-down, in moneylender terms. I don't need that, and I can't imagine anyone else actually needs that kind of money problems, either.

Besides; the body lines on older trucks are much sweeter than these new ones, and always will be for me.

I really believe that, at the heart of the matter, there is no good reason why these new trucks should be so tall...

 

Wow, thread was dead for almost 7 years.

This conversation has been going for decades really though. Remember the 1970s "hi-boy" trucks? Same problem. Remember how the all-new "big rig" Ram pickups in the 1990s were so tall? Farmers here hated them. Said it made hooking up the gooseneck trailers a pain, and it was hard to load hay bales into. You're always going to find guys on both sides of this issue. Some wish their trucks were taller from the factory (me) and others wish they were shorter.

 

I went out and bought a small folding stepstool. It folds flat so i store it in the backseat area. Cheaper than going out and buying a different truck.

 

I agree they are way to high from factory

 

I keep a 3 foot step ladder at the rear of the bed on my work truck. It makes it easy to get in and out of the bed. Like this:
Werner 3 ft. Fiberglass Step Ladder with 300 lb. Load Capacity Type IA Duty Rating-6203 - The Home Depot

I put it to the side of the tailgate and then I can put one hand on the bedside as I climb in and out.

I like the ground clearance for rougher roads, but you could consider lowering a truck.

 

Buy a Ram if you want a truck that sits low to the ground. The newer Ram 1500 4wds with the coil spring rears sit so low they look like 2wd trucks.

 

I want to buy a new truck, I tow a fifthwheel trailer, tailgate clearance is very important. My 2012 F-350 dully with a load on gives me about 5” of clearance, the new 2017 hits the trailer.
Back to the original question why do they need to put almost a foot of clearance between the tires and the wheel well. The whole truck sits higher not just the body.
I understand the frame design change with the aluminum body, so bring back the steel and put the aluminum back in beer cans.

I have looked at the Dodge, GM they all sit to high. If you want a tall truck lift it, I want to use my truck not just run up and down the road to impress the boys.
That is all.

 

Right on!
Whatever happened to "stock" trucks?!?!
The lifted trucks I've seen seem to all be driven by the worst kind of people. Vain, showy, undereducated, uninformed, and they think that they stand out, but it's for all the wrong reasons.
I'd rather have a truck that pulls trailers on the regs, and without an 8" drop hitch.

 

I think they are much to high also. Had a '91 chev pu and it was a perfect height. Wish I still had it , too. I had to make a stool just to check the dam oil !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Insane.

 

Yeah I noticed the bedsides and truck itself is higher. I adjusted like I do with everything else in life I cant change (im left handed, I have to adjust to a lot of things), and move on. Ive found that stepping on the tire on either side of the truck helps for me to reach in better, also sometimes I just load whatever it is at the back so I can lower the tailgate. More important things to worry about I guess.

To check the oil, I think the bigger issue is the fact that the dipstick has no tube and sticks right out of the block and thats why a longer reach is needed. I have also found that using the gap where the front plate goes is an acceptable enough stool. Of course I live in a state where faceplates arent required.

 

When I'm pretending I have the money to buy a new truck, sometimes I think a 4x2 would be better for me completely because of the lower height. However, i really do "need" 4x4 a couple of times a year on slipper boat ramps or one particular relatives driveway up in the mountains. I know I'd miss that feature. I really don't need the ground clearance.

Lift and level kits are so common and cheap, why doesn't someone build a 3" drop kit for the 4x4? That would be about perfect.

 

I am very average height (5' 10") and I have no problem loading things into the bed of my '11 4x4. I like the taller bed sides as I can put more loose material in the bed and not have it fall out. The older trucks needed the stake pocket racks (such as you'd see on a "real antique" truck) because the beds were shallow, but fortunately the newer ones are deeper. If you want a low load height bed, get a flatbed. Most people only get them for 1 ton trucks, but you can get them for F-150s and they work just as well within the lower weight capacity of the F-150's rear axle and suspension.

Remove the center headrest in your crew cab or extended cab truck and you have good sightlines out the back, better than most cars. And if you drive a truck, you should be able to use your mirrors to look behind you rather than relying on being able to look backwards, because you can't look backwards if you have something tall in your bed or pull a covered trailer behind you.

I have a 4x4 and despite living in a snowy area for years, have never actually "had" to use it. Put a half dozen sandbags in the bed and carefully feather the throttle, and it's surprising how well a 2wd truck can handle sloppy conditions. 4x4 is a pretty inexpensive option, especially if you buy off the lot as I do (4x4 is typically "free" in that case) so I say why not get it. I like to sit up a bit as a higher driving position gives a better view and better ground clearance, especially in snowy areas, is an advantage. A truck with 5" of ground clearance will turn its front bumper into a snowplow and get stuck in snow, while one with a foot of clearance will ride over the snow and keep going.