Community Forums

wakamicamper · 12-02-2008, 10:13 AM

I am shopping for a 3/4 ton truck, and I would like to hear the pro's and con's of getting a short box 6'6" or long box 8' for towing a 5th wheel. If I get the short box, it will fit into my garage. I have been told by various sales persons that an 8' box is the practical way to tow a 5th wheel. Others have told me that a sliding hitch in a short box would also work. What are the opinions of this board?

wakamicamper · 12-02-2008, 10:13 AM

I am shopping for a 3/4 ton truck, and I would like to hear the pro's and con's of getting a short box 6'6" or long box 8' for towing a 5th wheel. If I get the short box, it will fit into my garage. I have been told by various sales persons that an 8' box is the practical way to tow a 5th wheel. Others have told me that a sliding hitch in a short box would also work. What are the opinions of this board?

450Donn · 12-02-2008, 10:24 AM

This debate has raged for years and will likely continue to rage long after I am dead.
Short box generally requires a slider hitch. Long box does not. Short box is generally 2 feet shorter overall. With a short box truck you loose fuel capacity as the tanks are generally smaller. Not only that but you loose storage space. Heck, I got my long bed into my garage when I had it. Short bed trucks are supposidly easier to manuever in parking lots and drive around town. The choice is really a personal preference. One word of caution though, most 3/4 ton trucks do not have sufficient load carrying capacity to handle a fiver much over 30 foot, regardless of what a salesman might tell you.

moldmkr · 12-02-2008, 10:36 AM

I have an 8 foot box on my truck and a reese hitch that can be removed when not towing the 5th wheel. I also have a tonneau cover that I can use with the hitch in place so people can't see what I am hauling around when using the truck to sight see when traveling.

Jody & Jeff · 12-02-2008, 11:42 AM

We have an F250, short bed with a PullRite Super Glide hitch with NO problems. We make
some pretty darned tight turns without a hitch (pun intended.....) Glad we made the purchase.
Others will say just get the long bed and be done with it.
We have limited parking space at home - a dually isn't practical for us and I have to
drive it to work also and the one we have now
barely fits into the crummy little spot they give me now.
For us it works - preference, I guess.
Jo

Ray,IN · 12-02-2008, 12:18 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Jody & Jeff:
We have an F250, short bed with a PullRite Super Glide hitch with NO problems. We make
some pretty darned tight turns without a hitch (pun intended.....) Glad we made the purchase.
Others will say just get the long bed and be done with it.
We have limited parking space at home - a dually isn't practical for us and I have to
drive it to work also and the one we have now
barely fits into the crummy little spot they give me now.
For us it works - preference, I guess.
Jo </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
I agree. While I prefer a long-bed, with the proper hitch a short-bed works fine. I suggest you get with some members here that have towed with a short-bed successfully for years to learn the do's and don'ts. Don't skimp on a hitch, buy a quality slider. Extended pin-boxes often bring many undesireable issues.

MO _ Jack · 12-02-2008, 02:18 PM

One thing about having a slider, If it is not the automatic type be sure and remember to use it in tight spots

I didn't and replaced a back glass.

Jack

Jeff_in_The_Dalles · 12-02-2008, 05:52 PM

If I ever ran a short box, I'd absolutely get an auto slider, because I know if I didn't sooner or later I'd smash the cab and trailer.

Some newer 5th wheels have kind of cropped front corners, and might work with a short box and fixed hitch...

Anyway, I find a long box works best for me, but I would say that my last short box turned considerably tighter.

Steve Rankin · 12-02-2008, 07:57 PM

If we were going to get a 5ver and didn't already have a 3/4-ton truck we'd get an 8' bed and keep it simple. It would still fit in our garage, but barely.

Since we already have a good 3/4-ton short bed truck, I'd get the PullRite automatic slider.

IMO, since you're in the market for the truck too, why not get the truck that eliminates the clearance problem from the gitgo.

Roam America · 12-03-2008, 07:24 AM

My first tow vehicle was a `99 F-250 with a lightweight 5th wheel. It had a short bed. I had the Reese manual slider hitch. I found that I had plenty of clearance without sliding the hitch and I got complacent. Then the day came when I turned too sharp and popped out the rear cab window.

When the day came that I went shopping for a new truck, I investigated the cost of a long bed vs. a pullrite hitch. Since I was buying new I had the luxury of choosing a long bed. Long Bed was much cheaper that the pullrite hitch. Sure it is a little tighter maneuvering around a parking lot but I feel it is worth it.

That's my story.

Vette Racer · 12-03-2008, 11:25 AM

I could never live with a shortbed truck due to the space limitations. When we go on a trip I have the 8ft bed full of stuff and sometimes run out of room even with that.

Chemtchr · 12-03-2008, 12:17 PM

I had the same questions and concerns as you. Due to limited space for garaging I went with the short bed. Love it.
Easy to maneuver. Use the Pull Rite sliding hitch. Turns great. Can do almost a 90 degree back up with out a worry. My trailer weighs in at 7000 when the wife and I go out. Since it is just the two of us we tend to travel light. Looking to add a tool box to the front of the bed. You might also want to think about the weight differences between regular cab, extended and crew cab with the different size boxes.

TXiceman · 12-03-2008, 03:38 PM

I like the long bed. With my big 5er box in the bed, I can open the tailgate and still haul 8' long boards.....

Ken

diandtom · 12-04-2008, 05:44 AM

I have a short bed with a slider and I did use the slider the first year I had the truck and the fiver. I have not use the slider in years and had no problems. Now if I was buying a new truck I would get a 1 ton not a 3/4 as you are limited to what you can tow. I do have a 30 gal Transflow on my 3/4 short bed and if I use all the fuel in one day it much farther than I usually travel. When I trade trucks this is going with me.