Short or Long Bed

[Aggie79]

I just bought a 28.5RSTS and am now looking for a tow vehicle. Big question. Do I need a 6 1/2 foot bed or the 8 foot (long bed) to tow it and park it?

[Midnightmoon]

If you go with an 8' bed, you will never have to worry about tight turns, slider hitches. Arguably, the short bed is probably a better daily driver. It really comes down to what your use is and where you are going to need to park, etc. on a regular basis.

[BJR]

Originally Posted by Midnightmoon

If you go with an 8' bed, you will never have to worry about tight turns, slider hitches. Arguably, the short bed is probably a better daily driver. It really comes down to what your use is and where you are going to need to park, etc. on a regular basis.

To add - what cab will you need? My 6.5' bed with the crew cab makes for a long truck. I couldn't imagine the 8' bed. This was me backed up to the line at the store the other day.

[Stingray75]

The 6 1/2 foot bed is now considered a standard bed and most fifth wheels have been redesigned with front caps and extended pin boxes to accommodate them. When we picked up our current truck with factory puck system, we went with a non-slider and have not missed or hit anything. Our last 2 fivers have had front cap designs with clipped lower corners.

[Aggie79]

Thanks for the feedback. Driving a Ford Edge now and every crew cab looks big. The standard bed should work for my current fifth wheel. It is very unlikely I would ever go too big for the standard bed. Yep, BJR, even the standard bed will stick out in a crowd. Two more feet in length and I might need an orange cone or two.

[2nOZ]

We have been pulling our 2018 28.5 RSTS for over a year with our 2017 F250 Lariat, CC, short bed, 6.2l gasser with standard hitch and pin box and have had no problems. We love the combination. Can’t imagine an 8’ box especially negotiating fuel stops unless you’re using the diesel truck lanes.

[triplebvalp]

Originally Posted by Aggie79

I just bought a 28.5RSTS and am now looking for a tow vehicle. Big question. Do I need a 6 1/2 foot bed or the 8 foot (long bed) to tow it and park it?

Aggie79, I have a 2015 Chevy 2500HD with crew cab and standard bed. The bed actually measures 6'7". I do have a manual slider hitch but in my 2 years of towing our 27.5RKDS, I have never had to use the slide system.

[edowsfamily]

8 ft

[cariboocreek]

Whichever you like. Hitch selection will be determined by bed length.

I have a mega cab short box.

[ShawnR]

I had an extended cab short bed and a 5th wheel for 10 years. I had a slider and an extended pin box. I never used the slider.

[JeremiahM]

I'm an odd man out, I would never own a truck without the 8ft bed, took box, and regular non slider hitch work well together, plus i still have tons of room to pack around hitch, I've also daily driven a CCLB for years, yeah I stick out everywhere, but i promise you I always get her in

[Marshall 28.5]

We have a 28.5 with an f250 and short bed.. We went with an automatic slider just to be sure we would never have an issue with clearance. My truck is long enough as is.

[jbrnigan]

Extended cab short bed - JUST - fits in my garage.

[Flyrotor]

Originally Posted by JeremiahM

I'm an odd man out, I would never own a truck without the 8ft bed, took box, and regular non slider hitch work well together, plus i still have tons of room to pack around hitch, I've also daily driven a CCLB for years, yeah I stick out everywhere, but i promise you I always get her in

Absolutely! 8 foot bed gives you a longer wheelbase too, improves stability of the truck and trailer while towing. Besides, isn’t it great to be able to haul lumber and full sheets of plywood flat in the bed of the truck and be able to close the tailgate?

[goducks]

Had short beds all my life until 2012 when I got a Ram 2500 CC LB. towed a shorter 5th wheel with it and it was good 95% of the time. worst case scenarios are when you're backing into a CG spot off a narrow lane road and the angle into the spot is close to 90*. The LB will swing out wider and you have to be mindful of whats at your front bumper. Many times I've had the wife watch the front while I back in and get clear on the front of the truck.
That may happen 1-2 times a season so not that bog of a deal. The plus side is I have about 4' of cargo space from the back of the cab to the 5th hitch. With a SB you lose 1.5' since the axle to bumper distance stays the same. If you're going to haul lots of stuff in the truck than the extra distance really helps.
The other downside is parking lots. I find myself backing int more than not to get the bed to overhang past the curb or even stick it in the spot behind me so the front doesn't stick out as far. But usually just park further out by myself and walk a little further.
I just bough another Ram and stayed with the LB. I really like all the extra room in the bed more than the minor inconvenience of the LB.

[Packerbacker_TX]

Originally Posted by Aggie79

I just bought a 28.5RSTS and am now looking for a tow vehicle. Big question. Do I need a 6 1/2 foot bed or the 8 foot (long bed) to tow it and park it?

Aggie - We've got the same model and I've got a long bed on my F-250. I can make some pretty sharp turns and have tons of room between the cab and the trailer. I've heard you can use a shorter bed but you might be required to use a sliding hitch as well.

Good Luck

[Kenelz]

I had trouble adjusting when the 6.5' bed became the standard from the 8'.

Bed space is valuable for dirty stuff, like firewood, generator and fuel, charcoal etc. I always keep one side open for bikes.

Now the 6.5 seems to be getting rare when I look on truck lots, its mostly the short beds. I don't think you could even get a bike in there without removing a wheel.

[blacklabbob]

I drive a Ram 3500 Diesel dually with crew cab and an 8 foot bed. Also drive it daily with no issues. Long bed perfect for carting along things you'd never fit in a short bed.

[Elefantdude]

We were pulling our 2015 Jayco Whitehawk 27 DSRL with a 2005 2WD Chevy Silverado with Extended Cab and longbed. Since it was only a 2WD we traded my Subaru Forester and the Chevy for a 2016 4WD Dodge RAM Rebel with Crew Cab and shortbed. (5'7") It still pulls our 27' Jayco Whitehawk 27DSRL just fine :-) I love the ease of using the truck when not connected. Since we traded the Subaru as well, the Rebel is our regular communting vehicle now :-)

[berwin]

I have noticed that sometimes the towing capacity is reduced for shorter bed length (wheelbase) in some vehicles.