Towing with a regular cab long bed pickup?

[Don_T]

Does anyone here tow a 5th wheel with a regular cab long bed pickup? I am thinking about getting one to pull my 15k GVW camper when I replace my crew cab pickup. I wonder about the handling difference with the shorter wheelbase truck.

[aether_one]

Originally Posted by Don_T

Does anyone here tow a 5th wheel with a regular cab long bed pickup? I am thinking about getting one to pull my 15k GVW camper when I replace my crew cab pickup. I wonder about the handling difference with the shorter wheelbase truck.

5th wheel doesn't care about wheelbase, that's the whole purpose of the 5th wheel towing configuration.

[SmokeyWren]

Originally Posted by Don_T

I wonder about the handling difference with the shorter wheelbase truck.

Not enough difference in handling to be concerned about. You will probably "feel" the difference, but nothing you cannot live without.

But CrewCab to regular cab is a big change in lifestyle. You will miss the space in the cab for hauling stuff out of the elements of wind, rain, and snow.

On a Ford SuperDuty, wheelbase with 8' bed is

142" on a regular cab
164" on a SuperCab
176" on a CrewCab.

Maybe consider a SuperCab for the perfect compromise? 1' shorter than a CrewCab, so less room in the back seat. Access to the back seat is fine for kids, pets or packages, but not as nice for teenagers or adults as a CrewCab. Almost no difference in handling "feel" compared to a CrewCab. Slightly less turning radius than a CrewCab, but not as tight as a regular cab.

[Wallaby Dan]

The Longbed is the way to go if you are towing a 5th wheel. If you add a toolbox behind the cab and you use shorter bed, the 5th wheel can hit it in a tight turn. Long bed gives enough room to even jackknife a trailer when getting into or out of a tight parking space. State parks are really bad about that. Also the standard cab and long bed is shorter than the other two models. Easier to turn when needed. Mine is standard cab with long bed and a toolbox. Even with the lack of extra room, i still like my truck like it is. One of the only things you will find is that the options are not as good as the other two cabs. If you want a fancy ride you have to special order. Most standard cabs don't have many "luxury" items, unless you order one. Or get lucky!! Mine has full power and feels really nice for ride even when towing. Good luck with your hunt!!

[CecilD]

Can't comment on towing dynamics but will admit I like the quiet time when my wife reclines the seat and dozes off.

[mrgrayaz]

I can't imagine the handling would be any different - the wheelbases that Smokeywren listed above really aren't that big in the scheme of things.

Having had multiple "Supercabs" (King cabs in Nissans Parlance) I'd never go back from a Crew Cab anymore though. They were fine when I was young and it was just me, but anytime there was a need to move more then 2 people, I was basically out. Yes you can fit people in the back, but not....really.

Obviously in a regular cab you absolutely can't. As an added bonus, you can't recline the seats either!

There is a technical solution to the short bed crew cab truck and the 5th wheel (sliding hitch). It can be done, albeit for a price. There is no technical solution for "I want to fit more people or stuff in the back of a small cab". The answer is simply "nope!"

[JIMNLIN]

I've logged more HOS and miles with the std cab/long bed pulling my heavy GN trailers than any other cab configuration. No problems with just two people.

[Airmech]

Just make absolutely sure that the truck is rated for the 5ver you have/want. We went on our first trip with our 5ver and I was able to get all set up and about 30 minutes later someone was knocking at the door asking for help because they were stuck. They were on their first trip with their new rig too, but they had a under rated truck that got stuck backing into the site. They were using a 2500 2wd reg cab with a 6.0l to tow a 16k 5ver. My truck is a 3500 cc dually diesel 4x4. Hooked up mine and pushed there camper right in the site. No problems.

A reg cab will work, just match the truck to camper to avoid any embarrassing situations.

[jimcumminsw]

Than why do all of the "EXPERTS" here complain about a short bed pick-up truck and the ability of towing with that said truck? They claim they will have towing issues, but not due to the bed size and a sliding hitch!

I have always pointed out that I would and am pulling with a Ram Mega Cab truck than a Regular Cab with a Long Bed. As the wheel base of a Regular Cab with a Long Bed is so much shorter than a Ram Mega Cab with the short bed on the truck. As an example for 2008 model year the RCLB wheel base is 140.5" and the Ram Mega Cab Short Bed is 160.5". That is a 20" difference that will certainly make a difference in ride quality.

[Bob_C]

Originally Posted by CecilD

Can't comment on towing dynamics but will admit I like the quiet time when my wife reclines the seat and dozes off.

Needs a Kindal.....

[Wayne M]

I towed a Montana 5th wheel with a F350, King Ranch, Crew Cab, Long bed until I purchased my MH. I would not go with anything other than a crew cab long bed if I ever traded back to a 5th wheel.

[42willys]

I went from a f250 long box standard cab to f350 dually crew cab long box.The biggest thing I noticed was how much nicer the ride is with the f350.That longer wheelbase gives a nicer ride.The only thing I miss about the standard cab is its smaller turning radius.

[Don_T]

I am wondering what the real difference the shorter wheelbase makes when towing a 5th wheel. I towed with a regular cab long bed 12 years ago and it was stable, but that one was a dually. Since then I have been towing 5th wheels with crew cab long bed trucks but that was because of kids and pets. We don't have the kids or pets traveling with us any more so why not go back to a regular cab long bed 3500?

I do agree the shorter wheelbase truck will not ride as nice as the longer wheelbase. The truck I am going to get this time has a rear air assist with light leaf springs so it should ride a little better that the full 3500 leaf springs.

I do wonder about the directional stability with the shorter wheelbase. I don’t think it will be an issue at low speeds like secondary roads but I wonder about 60 to 62 MPH? That is the speed I travel at on the interstates. I have towed bumper pull trailers with short and long wheelbase trucks and the long wheelbase did better in side winds and when being passed by big trucks. The 5th wheel trailer is far more stable that the bumper pull trailer and with the pin weight distributed properly it doesn’t seem that it will be a problem. All the weights will be within the specs of the truck.

By the way, the truck is on order so I guess I will find out. I am still interested in reading the opinions of other folks with towing experience. Thanks for all the input.

[W5CI]

I have a 2WD Standard Cab Long Bed RAM 3500 DRW. It handles my Cedar Creek just fine. The main thing is I saved aprox 15K over the CC 4X4