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Old 10-27-2013, 05:21 PM   #1
gearhead
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Long bed, short bed, & Megacab??

I'm pulling a Cougar XLite 28SGS 5th wheel with a 2011 GMC 2500HD, extended cab, 4x4, 6.0 gasser, with a 3.73 rear end. I don't have my weigh slip in front of me, but it shipped with 1450lb kingpin weight and we have it up to 1900lb loaded. Trailer was 7500lb empty and I think we have it over 9,000 loaded. It's OK on flat interstate but when I hit the hills I would like more power. I'm thinking about going to a 1 ton single rear wheel diesel. I usually default to GM products, but I'm not closed minded about it. (We have a Jeep Grand Cherokee as well).
My question is...what have you folks experienced with ride quality and towing with a crew cab long bed vs. a crew cab short bed? I think a crew cab short bed is 4-6 inches shorter than my extended cab short bed. I haven't been anywhere near jackknifing my rig, yet. I'm looking for folks opinions that have stepped into a different truck and are towing the same trailer.
Also, I'm not ruling out a Dodge Megacab. Interested in the ride of it vs. a crew cab long bed.
When I say ride quality I mean I don't want my teeth fillings knocked out in short bed where you may have thought a long bed rode much better.
Any opinions are welcome.....
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Old 10-27-2013, 09:59 PM   #2
Ken / Claudia
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My knowledge is limited to ford. My truck listed below is long bed. I tow the RV and boat. I had a work truck 09 f250 crew, short box. Towed boats with that 4800lbs and 8000lbs. I really never noted a ride difference from either truck. But, put on 150-200 miles in the work truck, and get home and drive to store in my truck and always the longer wheelbase would pose the problem. You really notice the more room needed to park etc. Long bed vs short bed.
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Old 10-28-2013, 01:25 AM   #3
Javi
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Long wheelbase is nearly always going to ride better than a short wheelbase of the same GVWR truck. I tried the short trucks for a while but I'm back in a 172" WB and have no intent to go back. Yes the turning radius is bigger but being able to haul stuff while hooked up and the difference in the ride makes up for it in my opinion. But I live in a part of the country where DRW's are the choice of even the soccer moms.
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Old 10-28-2013, 01:52 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gearhead View Post
...Also, I'm not ruling out a Dodge Megacab. Interested in the ride of it vs. a crew cab long bed.
When I say ride quality I mean I don't want my teeth fillings knocked out in short bed where you may have thought a long bed rode much better.
Any opinions are welcome.....
On the Dodge side...

The quad cab long bed and the megacab short bed should ride approximately the same. They ride on the same chassis/wheelbase.
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Old 10-28-2013, 04:10 AM   #5
gearhead
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Good info so far. I lean towards the long bed. I would like to have a small toolbox in the bed and I don't think that would work in a short bed. But...I had a 1 ton crew long bed SRW for a "pool car" at work and I couldn't believe how bad it rode. Kinda worried about a short bed being even worse. But I was driving a car back and forth to work at the time. I'm not looking forward to maneuvering a long bed at boat ramps and parking lots though. I would like to stay with SRW just so I can use automatic car washes.
I need to do some test driving.
Javi....same down here in SE Texas. Girls like trucks.
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Old 10-28-2013, 04:41 AM   #6
tileman
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Have always had long bed trucks.
Had a short bed for a few years but went back to the long beds again.

My wife's truck is a dodge 3500 4x4 drw crew cab 8' bed.
Yea we park far away in the parking lots but for one I do not want somebody putting dents in my truck
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Old 10-28-2013, 04:54 AM   #7
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I tow with a 08 Ram Mega Cab 2500HD. This truck has the same wheel base as the Crew Cab Long Bed truck either 3500HD SRW or 2500HD trucks both have a 160.5" wheel base for MY 2008. The Mega Cabs do have a short box but the cab is that much longer that the truck needs the long bed frame.

My ride is the same regardless of cab or frame length but I run air bags on the truck for leveling purposes; which limits some travel when un-loaded. The rear tires are lowered in air pressure to 50 PSI when I do not tow the camper as this helps in ride quality.

I have also towed with a CHEVY Extend Cab Short bed 2001, 2500HD, 6.0L gas truck. This too did not have any ride issues to say other than they are all trucks and will ride different then a soft sprung Lexus or Caddy. I got rid of the Chevy to save on fuel cost since the Chevy only got about 6 to 7 miles to the gallon towing a 5er. It also spent most of the towing time in the 2800 to 3000 RPM range where as the Cummins stays around 1500 to 1800 RPM in 6th gear once in a while it reaches 2,000 RPM’s between 60 and 65MPH when in 5th gear.

Jim W.
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Old 10-28-2013, 06:07 AM   #8
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We have the long bed dually and love how it rides hooked to the 5th wheel.
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Old 10-28-2013, 08:58 AM   #9
Ken / Claudia
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Gearhead, you are just asking about bed, cab size regarding the confort of the ride but, Jim has made a real inportant point. Tires, the type of tire and psi in them will affect the ride more than the bed size on these type trucks. Trust me I know, 80psi or 50psi makes a big difference. The last work truck I had did have the psi alarms set at 80. There was no reason to be that high unless hooked up to a large RV. Ford would not reset them, I aired than down to 55psi and had the alarm light on for 1.5 years. I did this for 2 reasons. It was a marked police truck driven at high speeds at times, on pavement, gravel or dirt. I needed as much of the tire on the road as possible not just the center few inchs and the ride difference saved my back. I did that and than told fleet what and why. Acouple weeks after a memo went out that told eveyone ford said that it was ok the air the tires down. If I was you I think the fun has just begun, get out to a dealer and test drive evey type of truck cab/bed combo you may want.
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Old 10-30-2013, 01:44 PM   #10
gearhead
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Yeah, Ken I tried the lower air pressure but that warning light being on all the time drove me nuts.
The local Dodge dealer told me he had several mega-cabs on the lot. I'm sceered to go look.LOL
Business is picking up in my part time post retirement job. Maybe, if I'm lucky, I'll be too busy to shop for a truck. Off to Buffalo NY this Monday, then New Orleans the next week for what sounds like some semi regular work for a month or so.
Can I count on y'all to keep me off the car lots if I get weak??
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Old 10-30-2013, 03:42 PM   #11
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Not me, I love new trucks!


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