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Old 07-22-2014, 03:55 PM   #1
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long wheel base issues..

so the truck i was looking at 7.3L Ford Superduty 2002 extended cab short bed 142" wheel base sorta frizzled out.

now i am looking at another one same motor etc but it a crew cab with 8 ft (long) bed at 172" wheel base..


the crew cab is more upfront room for people and stuff plus the longer bed is more storage area when on road and i understand about the GVW limits.

what are the plus and minus of longer wheel base vs shorter.. most likely going with 28-30 AS or SOB depending on what happens in the future.
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Old 07-22-2014, 04:00 PM   #2
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The only downside to an 8' box is that it is 2' longer- 2' more truck hanging out of the end of the parking space- harder to turn tight-
Upside- more carrying capacity, possibly smoother ride, and possibly more stable towing-
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Old 07-22-2014, 04:07 PM   #3
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It all depends on how comfortable you are maneuvering a truck that long plus the AS. Could get into some tight spots that would make a shorter wheelbase better. Also, with more room in the bed for stuff...you will be getting closer and closer to your max tongue weight pretty quickly.
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Old 07-22-2014, 04:42 PM   #4
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The only reason I have always stayed away from the 8' bed is the short bed always looked better to me. The 8' bed always looked more like a government truck or construction crew truck. Also, they do take more room to turn.


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Old 07-22-2014, 04:54 PM   #5
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i have extended vans now we drive for work and drove tractor trailer some years ago so i am comfortable going backwards.. and longer wheel bases. my friend that has one says it like the Titanic, big comfortable and you have to plan your turns.

also wanted to add we will be trying to camp in a lot of national parks campgrounds.
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Old 07-22-2014, 04:58 PM   #6
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I agree with m. hony. Short beds look better to me also. Not sure about this but I believe with the longer wheel base you get higher payload and towing. You should really nail that down with the dealer. Payload is critical. Most of us carry too much stuff around with us.
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Old 07-22-2014, 06:22 PM   #7
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That extra length does add a lot to turning radius. I used to have one with that wheelbase, and took a 4 lane road, plus turn lanes, to make a U-turn. I think the newer models may be better, but they still have the turning radius of a battleship.
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Old 07-22-2014, 06:47 PM   #8
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We have always had crew cab, short bed F250s because they fit in the garage.
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Old 07-22-2014, 06:53 PM   #9
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What everyone has said about turning radius. It takes 61.60 ft to turn the 8ft bed truck F250 2002. You'll be making a lot of 5 point turn in your future with that truck.

Compared to the 6.2ft bed available in that year at 53.7 ft.

And compared to the 43.6ft of the F-150 crew cab with 5.5ft bed.

BTW, Dodge has better turning radiuses. And when Ford switched from solid axle to coil springs the turning radius on the F250 improved a little. The year you are looking at is solid front axle.

Have fun with that ride!
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Old 07-22-2014, 07:50 PM   #10
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It's all personnel choice. I want and like the long wheel base and bed. In the near future hopefully, we will be doing extended travel. The 8 ft bed will basically be my garage, so the extra 2 ft is important to are setup. I enjoy the ride and don't have a problem with backing and turning.
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Old 07-22-2014, 08:56 PM   #11
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I have a 31' Wide-body. I towed it with a crew cab 8' bed and a crew cab short bed.

If you can live with the increased turning radius I would opt for the long bed. The stability and smoother ride more than mad up for the inconvenience of the turn radius. To say nothing of having that extra little bit of storage room. Both truck by the way had camper shells as well.
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Old 07-22-2014, 09:07 PM   #12
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The only advantage of the long bed is hauling more stuff, the disadvantage is maneuverability with and without the Airstream.

We had a 140" wheelbase Tundra and I still disliked the ability to move our 25' Airstream into tight spots or use as a daily driver. Didn't need the rear seat for our retirement travels so we got a 120" reg cab and it's a dream to maneuver the trailer.

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Old 07-23-2014, 05:39 AM   #13
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We have a crew cab. We don't need it for people, but we travel with a cat and her apparatus- food, water, litter box- goes on the floor in the back seat.


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Old 07-23-2014, 05:53 AM   #14
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I had 8' box crew cab great truck just need more room, I now have a short bed but like the 8' better but you do need more room for turns and parking plus it's like washing a bus
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Old 07-23-2014, 09:20 AM   #15
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I prefer an 8 ft bed in a pickup truck. I use a truck for more than just pulling a trailer. The 8 ft bed is nice to put plywood and other things in. If you ever want to use a full size slide in camper you will need a full size bed. Also if you haul stuff like motorcycles it works much better. I think I would rather have an SUV like my Excursion than a truck with a short bed. The Excursion is not that long but I can get 8ft boards in it with the doors closed and 12 ft boards in it all the way up to the windshield.

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Old 07-23-2014, 09:46 AM   #16
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We have a Supercab with an 8' bed, and I don't think I've ever made a "5 point turn" as claimed in this thread. Sure, a tighter turning radius would be nice, but I've never had a major issue. Backing into spots is often easier than pulling in, though.
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Old 07-23-2014, 10:35 AM   #17
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Quote:
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We have a Supercab with an 8' bed, and I don't think I've ever made a "5 point turn" as claimed in this thread. Sure, a tighter turning radius would be nice, but I've never had a major issue. Backing into spots is often easier than pulling in, though.
You do know there is a difference in length between a Supercab with an 8 foot bad and a crew cab with an 8 foot bed, right? Like another couple feet in length.
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Old 07-23-2014, 11:01 AM   #18
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Long box only for me

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Old 07-23-2014, 12:33 PM   #19
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The Long, Long Trailer with The Long, Long Truck-


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Old 07-23-2014, 12:51 PM   #20
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Quote:
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You do know there is a difference in length between a Supercab with an 8 foot bad and a crew cab with an 8 foot bed, right? Like another couple feet in length.
According to this, for the 2015 model, it's 15" longer. So, it's longer, but not "another couple feet." Unless crew cab + 8' bed meant something very different back in 2002.
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