Bed length matter?

[SavageCatHV]

When pulling a 5th wheel, does truck bed length matter and if so why?

Follow up question is if bed length AND number of rear wheels matter or are these two configurations completely different/unrelated m? My understanding of SRW vs DRW is lateral stability (which I understand to be side to side sway) and additional safety should a tire blow while driving.

Another forum member posted this link (https://news.pickuptrucks.com/2018/0...-for-2018.html) in which Chevy won. The test truck had the short bed compared to the others which prompted my question above. I don’t believe it would have altered the outcome of the results but Chevy was last one my selection but has now being reconsidered.

Thanks in advance,
Daryl

[raineman]

The longer the wheel base, the better the towing experience. A dually truck carries a lot more payload (see signature) and adds stability. A long bed dually tows very well.

Good reading here:
https://www.autoblog.com/2017/04/25/...owing-vehicle/

As far as chevy winning, it all depends on what you want and need in a truck. Go test drive each of the big 3. You can't go wrong with any as long as you buy enough truck (by the numbers - not by what you saw Bubba towing) for what you want to tow.

Don't buy under enough or just enough truck. With a fully wet trailer, family and gear you want some margin. Many say a 20% margin even with trailer, family and gear.

[Old-Biscuit]

Short bed .....
5th wheel front cap corners can make contact with truck cab in tight turns and/or maneuvering to back 5th wheel in.
Sliding hitch, off set hitch, curved corners on 5vr front cap can eliminate those issues
Shorter wheel base can cause 'porpoising' on hwys with expansion joints


Long bed....
Smoother ride
No cab to cap contact
More room forward of hitch for items
More room aft of hitch for items


SRW vs DRW
Matter of properly matching 5th wheel weight to trucks capability

[SavageCatHV]

Originally Posted by raineman

The longer the wheel base, the better the towing experience. A dually truck carries a lot more payload (see signature) and adds stability. A long bed dually tows very well.

Good reading here:
https://www.autoblog.com/2017/04/25/...owing-vehicle/

As far as chevy winning, it all depends on what you want and need in a truck. Go test drive each of the big 3. You can't go wrong with any as long as you buy enough truck (by the numbers - not by what you saw Bubba towing) for what you want to tow.

Don't buy under enough or just enough truck. With a fully wet trailer, family and gear you want some margin. Many say a 20% margin even with trailer, family and gear.

Nice truck (ref your signature)! Airbags - I’ll have to look into this - is that for ride quality, leveling out the truck or what?

Great link, I printed up the article.

The only thing I’m taking from Bubba is perhaps some shrimp.

[SavageCatHV]

Originally Posted by Old-Biscuit

Short bed .....
5th wheel front cap corners can make contact with truck cab in tight turns and/or maneuvering to back 5th wheel in.
Sliding hitch, off set hitch, curved corners on 5vr front cap can eliminate those issues
Shorter wheel base can cause 'porpoising' on hwys with expansion joints


Long bed....
Smoother ride
No cab to cap contact
More room forward of hitch for items
More room aft of hitch for items


SRW vs DRW
Matter of properly matching 5th wheel weight to trucks capability

Considered the sliding hitch but not at the loss of riding comfort the the DW.

Thanks for the reply, great concise answer.

[kdauto]

Personally, I see very very little to gain with any shortbed truck, hauling or not. As stated by others, long bed is very stable, has more payload and you can mount a 5th wheel with a standard hitch, no sliders, no extra crap and no worries about the 5th wheel smacking the truck cab.

One of my good buddies wanted a short bed because he found it easier to park in town. He has smacked and broken his truck's rear window at least once. He has had to unhitch to reposition in certain tight situations. He has added airbags, he has reinforced the truck bed (not sure that's related but...).

We have been offroad camping and in tight urban situations as well. I have turned our 50' long setup on small 2 lane roads several times, that is with my 22' long truck's long wheelbase. I didn't measure the abgle but I think the trailer and truck can angle 110 degrees or so before I need to worry about contact with the truck.

2' extra carrying capacity with a long bed and a backup cam makes parking as easy with an 8' or 6.5' bed.

DRW is a must for me with a 5er. I don't like the squishy feel of a SRW hauling.

FWIW mine has 6600 lbs payload capacity.

[SavageCatHV]

Originally Posted by kdauto

Personally, I see very very little to gain with any shortbed truck, hauling or not. As stated by others, long bed is very stable, has more payload and you can mount a 5th wheel with a standard hitch, no sliders, no extra crap and no worries about the 5th wheel smacking the truck cab.



One of my good buddies wanted a short bed because he found it easier to park in town. He has smacked and broken his truck's rear window at least once. He has had to unhitch to reposition in certain tight situations. He has added airbags, he has reinforced the truck bed (not sure that's related but...).



We have been offroad camping and in tight urban situations as well. I have turned our 50' long setup on small 2 lane roads several times, that is with my 22' long truck's long wheelbase. I didn't measure the abgle but I think the trailer and truck can angle 110 degrees or so before I need to worry about contact with the truck.



2' extra carrying capacity with a long bed and a backup cam makes parking as easy with an 8' or 6.5' bed.



DRW is a must for me with a 5er. I don't like the squishy feel of a SRW hauling.



FWIW mine has 6600 lbs payload capacity.

I bet that turn was brutal on your trailer tires [emoji79] but very good to know it’s possible.

[powderman]

I pull with a long bed, but it shouldn't be necessary as there is no good reason to turn at 90 degrees or even close to it. At 90 degrees you are dragging the trailer tires sideways and putting some real stress on them and the under carriage. Not a good idea in my opinion.

[kdauto]

Originally Posted by SavageCatHV

I bet that turn was brutal on your trailer tires [emoji79] but very good to know it’s possible.

Well, no squealing but definitely a lot of scrubbing. No worse than any bobcat skid steer. I've done it quite often, almost every time I park it at home.

[Theunz]

Without a doubt, a long bed dually is best for pulling heavy 5th wheels, however... It may not be the best choice for you. If you're towing a lighter weight trailer, than there is no need to sacrifice ride quality for towing capacity. Duallys won't fit in most garages, for that matter long beds may not fit in many modern garages. Is the truck to be used mostly for towing or will it be your everyday driver? More tires to buy, difficulty parking, no drive through's or automatic car washes, rough riding, and poor traction in inclement weather are some of the duallys shortcomings. Short beds do pose the cab clearance issue which can be mitigated with a auto sliding hitch. A manual slider only helps when you take the time to use it. Thousands get by with a standard hitch in a short bed by being diligent, however it's easy to get in a hurry and forget about the cab clearance. Less room for carrying cargo in the bed is another negative for the short bed, as is having a smaller fuel tank. How comfortable are you with towing a large trailer? If every little twitch makes you nervous than you might prefer the slightly more stable experience offered by the dually. Carefully consider your wants and needs before making your purchase. Keep in mind that a 1 ton SRW is not much more expensive than a 3/4 ton and the ride difference will be negligible.

[tuffr2]

When I had a 5th wheel I pulled it with a dually truck with 8' bed.

I thought it was an absolutely a great tow vehicle. The long wheelbase helps and wide rear axle helps. Never felt squishy.
The added cargo capacity was needed to really load the 5th wheel close to it's GVWR.

At one time I was thinking of buying a 26' 5th wheel alone with my 37' 5th wheel. But bought a 26' trailer instead. With a dually truck it could tow anything I could afford.

I towed a 37" 5th wheel, a 26' travel trailer, a 16' runabout boat, a SeaDoo PWC with it. In this case my toys got smaller but if you have a dually truck you can keep getting bigger toys. I looked at a 39' go fast boat. I could tow it with a dually truck. Again, it was good to know it could tow whatever I could afford.

I had my 5th wheel close to 90 degrees a few times backing into tight spots. No worries. With a short bed truck the 5th wheel would have dented the cab and maybe break the back window. With a short bed truck you will go from 4" of clearance to -1" of clearance super fast. It is something that is not easy to judge

[JIMNLIN]

When pulling a 5th wheel, does truck bed length matter and if so why?

Not for me it doesn't. Others have their favorite.
I made a living using several of both and currently have both in the stable.
The worst truck I had in service was a crew cab long bed. The front wheels were simple to far away to help stabilize the load on the trucks rear axles.

SRW vs DRW to me is apples vs oranges.... and more about load capacities as each can carry its rated load. Lots of difference in these two trucks RAWR numbers.

Short bed vs long bed ?
Most of todays new gen 5ers come with a notched rounded corners made for short bed trucks.
No issues.

[Rhagfo]

Originally Posted by Old-Biscuit

Short bed .....
5th wheel front cap corners can make contact with truck cab in tight turns and/or maneuvering to back 5th wheel in.
Sliding hitch, off set hitch, curved corners on 5vr front cap can eliminate those issues
Shorter wheel base can cause 'porpoising' on hwys with expansion joints


Long bed....
Smoother ride
No cab to cap contact
More room forward of hitch for items
More room aft of hitch for items


SRW vs DRW
Matter of properly matching 5th wheel weight to trucks capability

Originally Posted by SavageCatHV

Considered the sliding hitch but not at the loss of riding comfort the the DW.

Thanks for the reply, great concise answer.

Originally Posted by kdauto

Personally, I see very very little to gain with any shortbed truck, hauling or not. As stated by others, long bed is very stable, has more payload and you can mount a 5th wheel with a standard hitch, no sliders, no extra crap and no worries about the 5th wheel smacking the truck cab.

One of my good buddies wanted a short bed because he found it easier to park in town. He has smacked and broken his truck's rear window at least once. He has had to unhitch to reposition in certain tight situations. He has added airbags, he has reinforced the truck bed (not sure that's related but...).

We have been offroad camping and in tight urban situations as well. I have turned our 50' long setup on small 2 lane roads several times, that is with my 22' long truck's long wheelbase. I didn't measure the abgle but I think the trailer and truck can angle 110 degrees or so before I need to worry about contact with the truck.

2' extra carrying capacity with a long bed and a backup cam makes parking as easy with an 8' or 6.5' bed.

DRW is a must for me with a 5er. I don't like the squishy feel of a SRW hauling.

FWIW mine has 6600 lbs payload capacity.

Some very good points above.

If you want to tow a 5er and not be thinking about it get a long bed.

Many want a short bed for better parking, well drive it enough and it won't be an issue. We full time and our 2016 Ram 3500 LB DRW is our daily driver. I park in parking lots near or far. I prefer to back in to a parking space better view coming out and easier to get into. We do have park sense and a backup camera, so getting close to a vehicle behind us is easy.
DW drives it also and is comfortable doing so.

Those that use a SB and tow a f
5er will say no issues, well until that slightly off angle spot they are backing into an d CRUNCH!

[Mt. Jim]

A few years ago I went into a small motel parking lot by mistake. The rv park turn was only 20 ft away. Anyway I had to turn around or back out on highway. It was tight I jackknifed over 90 degrees. Trailer tires were backing up. If I would have had short bed I could not have done it.