Looking to change tvs from my leased burb to a duramax and other than parking issues would like to know what are the opinions concerning the choice of a long bed with crew cab versus a regular bed with crew cab.
Yes, I am a shortbed person. But, I was converted by the western washington road designers,
the worst practical application of asphalt science in the nation.
As for what you buy, long or short, really depends on what you do with the truck while it is empty. And, what the driving conditions/road constraints are.
In the midwest, the road and the ditch are both navagable, so length don't really matter.
In the cramped west coast/cramped east coast, the roads are usually 12" wider that the trailer. And there are no navagable ditches this side of the cascades. If you cross the fog line your chances of high cost vehicle repair(crash-suspension damage) are about 3 to 1.
If you only pull a trailer, get a long bed, that is easy.
But, if you use the truck as a daily driver, and that is 99% of it's use, shorty.
You, and I mean anyone that drives big units in western washington,
have to have the consent of those driving around you,
they have to allow you enough space to drive.
The mandated size for driveways into and outof any business, the lane size, and the design of multilane corners demands you use "more than one lane".
I got tired of interacting with other drivers just to get to store.
Waiting with the "poor puppydog" look on my face at an intersection,
and the smile/thankyou wave after gets old about the 3rd trip.
And forget about zipping in and out to get a few things, ain't possible,
Longbeds don't zip.
If you like hand jestures and thank you waves to all those folks that help, or to wait an additional red light since that selfish @$$ would not let you in, then get a long bed.
You cannot pull a longbed truck into traffic without using 2 lanes, or running over the curb, ba-Bump.
I like the long bed for storage, but IMHO the longer the wheelbase you can live with the better it tows. I had a reg cab 8' bed and it was not as stable a platform as my 6' bed mega cab. mega cab is about 18" longer and I can tell a major difference in towing.
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I went from an Excursion to a short bed (F250). I chose the short bed mostly because the long bed was going to be unwieldy in my day-to-day driving.
The X had a 45 gal fuel tank, but the short bed has a 30 gal tank, so I added an auxiliary 50 gal. fuel tank in the bed.
I don't know about the difference in length between the Burb and the truck, but my crew cab short bed is still about a foot longer than the X, so a long bed - particularly with a crew cab, is a really long vehicle.
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Brad
The Slowsky's
2008 27FB International Ocean Breeze (Wanda Fa)
2008 King Ranch Crew Cab F250 4X4 w/6.4L Diesel
Hensley Hitch AIR 9623
Former 2005 34' Classic Limited with Slide Out (Vickie)
Former 1999 34' Classic Limited
It is true that the short bed crew cabs roughly 18" shorter wheel base make them easier to get around in tight spaces.
However, my experience in test driving 4-door long and short bed 3/4 ton heavy duty Dodges convinced me that the long bed rode a lot better. I would imagine the Chevy would be sprung just as heavily as the Dodge. If so, then, like the Dodge, the long bed would probably tend to ride a bit nicer.
I bought the long bed. It tows wonderfully. But it is not something you whip in to the up front spot at Wally World.
90%+ of American drivers steer by following the nose of the vehicle, with no awareness of the rear axle of the vehicle following them. In the same way that a similar number have no visceral feel for the starboard side of the vehicle. (The smaller the vehicle, the worse the parking job; lane-centered-ness).
A lifetime of poor situational awareness.
These drivers run over curbs with either axle, but ESPECIALLY the starboard rear; not to mention cutting corners. I find it quite common to observe badly worn shoulders on pickup truck front tires; low tire mileage; all due to drivers FAILING to complete their braking before turning. Rear tire sidewall scuffs/tears are also common.
The fact of driving a long-bed is that vehicle turns are made at a point much farther along the vehicle than the drivers seat as pivot; the driver sits quite far forward on a crew-cab, long-bed pickup.
In essence, all turns are made off of the REAR axle.
Add to this a diesel engine, 4WD and a bit of a load and you have a truck that weighs almost twice as much as a standard half-ton.Think of it this way: a nice ol' 2wd Chev 1500 is closer in weight to a Ford Taurus than it is to the truck described above.
It is very slow to start and to stop, and it's weight/gravity-center requires low speeds. (The reason I prefer a manual transmission in a truck, especially a diesel, is in the amount of extra control and finesse in these situations).
A long-bed requires in a turn that one pull far forward BEFORE cranking the wheel. Takes practice, but it can be done.
It is also the law. One MAY NOT cut corners (enter the others lane). The exception is in right-hand turns onto another street from the curb lane. Then one USUALLY has the R.O.W. a short distance until TV and TT have straightened out. (Yes, that means traffic has to back up, move out of your way; when you are moving legally and they are stationary you have the right of way.
Yes, one is the slowest vehicle on the road, NOT able to "keep up with traffic" that so panics the lemmings. 8,000-lbs, 22-feet long and brakes that are only okay considering average driver reaction times.
As with any truck (with prudent driver), one can adapt and travel, park, and manuever successfully. One is an "impediment to traffic" for only about 10,000-miles until practice is perfected.
But it requires knowledge of the laws, patience and proper LANE DISCIPLINE. One can become a smooth & graceful driver with proper attitude, confidence and acquired knowledge.
It will also make one a helluva lot better driver of all other ordinary conveyances.
I like mine; it's only a foot and a half longer than the short bed. My wife drives it just fine and she's not driven many big vehicles. I don't find it to be slow at all either. 305 horsepower with 555 ft-lbs; it'll light 'em up once the boost comes up
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