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Old 01-13-2019, 08:54 PM   #1
Randallf
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Smile long bed or short bed

i thinking on purchasing a new 3/4 truck to pull my fifthwheel (35 foot sprinter.)
i pull it with a 3/4 ton dodge ram long bed . The big problem is finding the truck i want to purchase. The new trucks are so spendy so i'm searching for a used one and what a surprise , they are so hard to find.
i'm working with a broker and its been 2 months , so far he can not find me 2015 -2017 3/4 ton Silverado long bed with low milage. What a night mere
With this said i'm thinking of purchasing a truck with a 6.2 bed. There seems be lots of available
I've heard short beds are not the best to pull 5th wheels with so any information would be great.
I would appreciate any and all comments. Thanks
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Old 01-13-2019, 09:13 PM   #2
Ken / Claudia
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It's like this, some like chocolate ice cream and some like vanilla ice cream. I owned 2 short beds and 4 long. I am buying another long. Why I do buy plywood, 2x4s etc etc. And they are also 8 ft long. So they fit. Also more room when needed and I fill that up with camp or hunting gear yearly.

It's really what do you want not me. Both have advantages for one's needs. Last year a co worker was at a cattle auction and was looking at the pickups a RAM dealer brought to sell. He showed me a photo of a group of them and said the salesman had big discounts because no one was buying any of them. They all had different colors and cab styles, all 4x4s and all short beds. He asked me if I knew why. Yes I did they were all short beds, he asked how did I know, that is what the dealer also said. They sold out of long beds.
A another co worker just looked for weeks for a 2013 to 2015 f350 6.7 CC SRW 4x4 long bed. He could not find any and got a short bed.
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Old 01-13-2019, 10:24 PM   #3
GHen
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I have a A 6’6” short bed (Chevy) and allows me a standard 5th wheel hitch. My son has a Ram 6’ 2” bed ( I think) and he needs a slider hitch. I’m not sure how long the Ford is.
If you can avoid a heavy slider it will allow you to get it in and out by yourself.
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Old 01-14-2019, 02:41 AM   #4
larry337
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Why a 3/4 ton? Especially with a fifth wheel? The typical 3/4 ton doesn't have enough payload for a fifth wheel anyway. Open up your search to a 1-ton and I bet you have much more luck finding what you want.
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Old 01-14-2019, 03:34 AM   #5
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+1 ^^^ for Larry. Plus you probably won't pay much more.

My 2016 F350 bed measures 6'9', and although I have a slider, I've never had to use it.

Good Luck,
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Old 01-14-2019, 06:05 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by larry337 View Post
Why a 3/4 ton? Especially with a fifth wheel? The typical 3/4 ton doesn't have enough payload for a fifth wheel anyway. Open up your search to a 1-ton and I bet you have much more luck finding what you want.
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+1 ^^^ for Larry. Plus you probably won't pay much more.

My 2016 F350 bed measures 6'9', and although I have a slider, I've never had to use it.

Good Luck,
Ditto!!
And don't get discouraged, I searched for about six months, the last three in hard for a nice used Ram 3500 DRW, saw lots of 350/3500 SRW's your best choice. Unless you want a stripper model a 250/2500 diesel will not have much payload.
In addition do yourself a favor get a long bed 8', I have never thought of anything else. I have seen many short bed trucks pulling 5ers with dented cabs and broken rear windows.
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Old 01-14-2019, 06:19 AM   #7
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I always have been a long bed fan - need it at times to haul stuff when I am towing and not towing. Short bed - get a slider hitch to be safe.
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Old 01-14-2019, 07:35 AM   #8
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The long bed truck with its longer wheel base is most likely a better all around choice.. 1 Ton SRW in any brand would be great.. And I’d want the diesel..but that’s me..

That being said I tow a 34 foot Alpine with a short bed 4x4 duramax... no issues. I’m at my max pin weight and I’m fine with that.. I bought a slider hitch and have never needed it in five seasons of use because my Alone has a nice front cap radius..

Be patient and you’ll find a sweet deal on your truck.
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Old 01-14-2019, 07:51 AM   #9
Larrystegall
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Auto sliding hitch?

The auto sliders would save the cab, several brands out there now. Etrailer has some good info. Have seen them work and they seem pretty cool, have been told backing up takes a little getting used to as the turning point moves. I found a double cab long bed that looks okay and meets my wants. The crew cab long beds just don’t balance to my eye. Crew short beds look good.
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Old 01-14-2019, 09:39 AM   #10
Ken / Claudia
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Larry I totally agree with the balance in length statement. For me, that's important for the family car (Looks). In a truck the main point I use in buying is function. I want it to do the job that I ask it to do. Color is not important either unless you ask my wife. So, that I follow her lead, she wants a gray, white silver, black or maybe a dark green truck.
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Old 01-16-2019, 04:18 AM   #11
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I'll throw another possibility in there. I absolutely did not want a dually until a bought one. I love the way it tows and its been my daily driver for over 4 years. It is a crew cab short bed (Ford has the longest shortbed; 6'9"). If I had it to do over, I would have a F450. They have the wide track front end and have a shorter turning radius with the long bed than the short bed F350 trucks. You get the long bed, short radius for manuvering, and dual wheels for awesome stability.
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Old 01-16-2019, 05:28 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NotyetMHCowner View Post
I'll throw another possibility in there. I absolutely did not want a dually until a bought one. I love the way it tows and its been my daily driver for over 4 years. It is a crew cab short bed (Ford has the longest shortbed; 6'9"). If I had it to do over, I would have a F450. They have the wide track front end and have a shorter turning radius with the long bed than the short bed F350 trucks. You get the long bed, short radius for manuvering, and dual wheels for awesome stability.
X2

Something to consider, we were moving up from a 2001 Ram 2500. It had the Camper package so very strong rear suspension, so strong that at 2,700# pin and 1,700# over GVWR we didn't need bags to be level. Well I felt that getting a newer 3500 SRW would be a lateral move so we went for a 3500 DRW.
I placed this post out there about the HUGE size difference (NOT)! Just something to consider.

http://www.keystoneforums.com/forums...ad.php?t=36163
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Old 01-16-2019, 08:29 AM   #13
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After loads of reading, loads of conversations and experience with my set up....

If money is issue, and you don’t want to upgrade your truck again, 1 ton is minimum purchase.

Second, I have a short bed with an auto slider, love never having to worry about cab contact. But it’s heavy, I have a harbor freight jack to get in and out. (Have it for sleds and jetskis already)

I have an awesome 3/4 short bed, and I love it. But, I bought a bigger 5th wheel and now I need a bigger truck. So I will go all in on a F450 when I can afford it.

Ford and Chevy no longer make short bed duallys, (2010 was last year for Ford, but stay far away from 08-10 Ford diesels), otherwise I would look hard at one. Dodge does, I see lots of them when I’m in parks and they seem like nice rigs. I just could never own one. 😜
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Old 01-16-2019, 12:23 PM   #14
sarahm
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I feel your pain.

I have been looking for a dually truck myself. Unable to find any long beds that haven't had their guts run out. Found a nice 2012 ram 3500 Laramie longhorn short bed. Long beds just don't seen to be available in my area. Was going to post a question about the problems associated w/ short beds, and 5th wheels when I saw this thread. Other than the weight of the slider hitch. Are there any other problems w/ shorts beds? That maybe the only truck I have available. My 5th wheel is 38' w/ four slides. Will that 2012 ram pull her with out any problems? Or should I start looking in other states for a truck? Thank you for your advise. I am sooo very frustrated. Starting to think mule team.
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Old 01-16-2019, 01:53 PM   #15
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I was looking for gently used 2500 and 3500 GM Chevs in Ontario, no luck
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Old 01-16-2019, 02:14 PM   #16
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Also. I have found that (Up in Canada, anyway) that if you look for a late model to finance
you take a beating in interest. Buy new and at the right time of season it's 0% so the payments are similar only the truck is new. I priced out a 2500 sle with the same options I had, sans Navi, and it was $4k more than my 1500.
If you're paying cash, you make your own deal.
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Old 01-16-2019, 04:04 PM   #17
Howie
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I have had numerous models long and short and currently have a F350 6.7 crew short bed. Love it pulling 35' 5th. Maneuverability is better than long bed. Have Andersen 5th hitch and it is best I have ever had, no problems with turning, lightweight, and no moving parts to worry about.
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Old 01-20-2019, 09:17 AM   #18
Phil Saran
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I own a 2012 Dodge Ram 3500 diesel, 4x4, 4 door, 6.5 bed, SRW, with
a B&W slider hitch.

I bought the 2012 because I did not want to deal with the DEF fluid, I did
a lot of looking for a low mileage one and mine had 46K on it when I got it
last May 2018, it now has 57K. I paid just over $40K for it.

My reason for the short bed is that it is the only one that fits into my garage
and we get snow and hail here in Colorado.

My 5th wheel trailer is 34 feet long and loaded weights about 12K.
I like having a good safety margin and so far I have not had to use the slider
hitch.
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Old 01-20-2019, 09:32 AM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sarahm View Post
I have been looking for a dually truck myself. Unable to find any long beds that haven't had their guts run out. Found a nice 2012 ram 3500 Laramie longhorn short bed. Long beds just don't seen to be available in my area. Was going to post a question about the problems associated w/ short beds, and 5th wheels when I saw this thread. Other than the weight of the slider hitch. Are there any other problems w/ shorts beds? That maybe the only truck I have available. My 5th wheel is 38' w/ four slides. Will that 2012 ram pull her with out any problems? Or should I start looking in other states for a truck? Thank you for your advise. I am sooo very frustrated. Starting to think mule team.

Comes down to Pin weight of trailer and payload of truck. That’s the starting point, then you will have to figure out your gear in the trucks and in the 5th wheel to see if you are close to the rear axle weight rating. The yellow sticker in drivers door jamb is your friend. I would imagine a 3500 SRW short bed will be close, not a lot of room for wiggle on weights. I’d love to see the door sticker on a Ram short bed duallys for kicks. Not that I’d ever get one
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Old 01-20-2019, 09:59 AM   #20
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Just to clarify, these days they really have short bed trucks. It used to be either long bed or short, but now they have some 5' bed trucks, so I like to call 6' beds as standard bed.
Anyway I have a Ram 2500 standard 6'4" bed. I bought a slider hitch but have never used it. Most all of the newer 5th wheels have the rounded corners and have no problems with standard bed trucks. I like the standard bed because when not towing it's much easier to park and maneuver around in parking lots, etc. We previously had a long bed and my wife wouldn't drive it because of it's size.
Also, if I were starting over, I'd go right to the 1 ton 3500 truck. And if my 5th wheel was 35 ft or more I'd go straight to a dually. You can't have too much truck. Of course my wife wouldn't drive it.
Brand is personal choice.
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