F250 SuperCab or Crew Cab - TV length parking lot issues?

[Outdoorpeak]

I'm considering a 2017 F250 diesel to tow a 30' Classic. Looking at overall vehicle length, the 250's are considerably longer than similar bed size 150's. If I were buying an F150, I'd definitely go with the Crew with 6.5" bed at 243.7" length. I'm concerned about parking my TV in grocery store or Walmart parking lots. I'd love an F250 SWB Crew Cab, but overall length is 250" vs 238" in a SWB SuperCab. This will be my only vehicle, and occasionally want to be able to take friends with us. Which do you prefer and why?

[Bruce B]

Originally Posted by Outdoorpeak

I'm considering a 2017 F250 diesel to tow a 30' Classic. Looking at overall vehicle length, the 250's are considerably longer than similar bed size 150's. If I were buying an F150, I'd definitely go with the Crew with 6.5" bed at 243.7" length. I'm concerned about parking my TV in grocery store or Walmart parking lots. I'd love an F250 SWB Crew Cab, but overall length is 250" vs 238" in a SWB SuperCab. This will be my only vehicle, and occasionally want to be able to take friends with us. Which do you prefer and why?

I would suggest that you find the turning radius for the vehicles you are considering. Length matters but turning radius matters more, at least as far as I am concerned...
As for F-150 vs F-250...we switched from an F-150 to a 2500 Ram this spring. The Ford was a nice truck but after about 6000 miles of towing with the larger Ram there is no question in my mind that the larger truck is more comfortable and less tiresome to drive. In our case it is the load we carry not the size of the trailer we pull that makes the truck so welcome.
I am writing this after 1800 miles towing in the last 5 days. We are just at the beginning of a trip that will take us around the US and we are delighted with our decision to upgrade to a 2500/250.
If you travel any distance I believe you will enjoy the larger truck.
By the way, our Ram has the smallest turning diameter of any of the 250/2500's. It is just about 1' more than the F-150 it replaced and you can tell that that 1' is there! Some trucks have turning diameters that are 8' more!!!
Bruce

[Countryboy59]

Originally Posted by Outdoorpeak

I'm considering a 2017 F250 diesel to tow a 30' Classic. Looking at overall vehicle length, the 250's are considerably longer than similar bed size 150's. If I were buying an F150, I'd definitely go with the Crew with 6.5" bed at 243.7" length. I'm concerned about parking my TV in grocery store or Walmart parking lots. I'd love an F250 SWB Crew Cab, but overall length is 250" vs 238" in a SWB SuperCab. This will be my only vehicle, and occasionally want to be able to take friends with us. Which do you prefer and why?

I wouldn't park any pickup truck close in at a store parking lot. I simply pick spots that are a little further out, pull through and park so I don't have to back up getting out. The extra 12" isn't a deal breaker when the truck is 20' long to begin with. There are plenty of spots at a wal-mart and walking is good for you. Parking close in just results in door dings and scrapes so I avoid it with any vehicle.

When I bought my truck I considered the F150 but I wanted the largest engine and heaviest payload and you couldn't get that combo in a half ton. The length of the F350 crew was the same as the similar F150. In my opinion they both can be challenging to park in the city or at the airport but it's better than strapping plywood or furniture to the roof when the need arises. Also when shopping for a house I opted for 22" deep garages with 96" door height so I can keep the truck inside.

Of course, you can get the club cab also, and friends can still sit in back. But I wouldn't get a half ton for what you're hauling.

[Wanna EB]

We have found that the full rear door makes using that portion of the cab way easier and more convenient, not to mention larger.
Having to open the front door in order to access the rear portion of the cab gets annoying after a while.

[dkottum]

Look at wheelbase, the shorter the easier to take uptown. It's all a trade-off. Longer bed gives more room for stuff, full cab gives more room for passengers. You can have both longer cab and longer bed, but you may not like it as a daily driver.

We had 120" wheelbase regular cab full front seat, and 6' 5" bed. Great overall tow vehicle out on the road and really nice in town. Three people in the front seat was it though.

We now have 140" wheelbase crew cab, and 5' 7" bed. Tows exactly the same out on the road, harder to maneuver the trailer into campsites and in town. But we like the passenger space and ability to fold down the back seat and carry extra gear inside when traveling. Don't miss the extra bed length when traveling, at home I have a utility trailer that can carry more than any pickup and is much easier to load/unload.

[sheriff1]

We have the F350 crew with 6'6" bed. Our second one and wouldn't change a thing. Park a little further out in the lot. It's easier to back into spaces than pull forward into them. I usually look for a space with an island so when I back in the extra length hangs over the island.

[kscherzi]

That's the dilemma, buy for the wide open road, or buy for city. At Home Depot the other day and parked my Expedition next to a F250 Super Crew with a long bed. My Expedition is no small thing, but next to that truck it seem positively teeny. He needed to pull his truck straight through his parking spot then about 6 feet into the one in front just to avoid blocking the aisle. So he always need two parking spots (front to back) just to park. Where we live that's not always possible.

[ShinyPete]

We have a '15 F150 crew "longbed" which has a 6'5" bed on it. I'm pretty sure the '17 F250 crew "shortbed" is now exactly the same body, bed, and interior as the '15+ F150. I think that's pretty smart on Ford's part.

My point is that the truck is my daily driver and I can pretty much put it anywhere I need to. My wife does accuse me of "hunting" when I look to park, like 10 minutes ago @ a Cracker Barrel. 😏 I tend to hunt a place away from the madness and far away from the door....but the crew 6'5" bed is doable in the real world. You might not get any F250 in a parking garage due to the height.

If you think you'll take company along, trust me, don't settle for an extra cab. Fords crew is like a limo compared to the extra......

Hope this helps.


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[LesMesa]

I have a 2015 F250 Crew Cab. The length, other than turning radius as others have mentioned, has not really been an issue in parking lots. What is an issue, however is the height. The truck stands approx. 6'8" while the entrances to older parking garages are often 6'6". The F150 sits several inches shorter. Just something else to keep in mind.

[dcasr]

We have a 2016 GMC 2500 Crew Cab 4wd with the 6.5' bed. Although when in 2wd mode it does turn fairly tightly, the full crew cab with even the 6.5' bed is A LOT OF TRUCK! It is wide even with the power windows tucked in, and tall (we have the running boards and hand grips) and long. I love it, but like other posters, I park out a ways. I have a handicapped plaque, but can't park in one because although they are plenty wide, the handicapped signpost in front makes me stick out too far in the back. You might want to buy a used car for a daily driver, because when you need a truck, you need all of the truck. Most crewcabs have back seats that fold up, so you can carry quite a bit of stuff behind you if needed, and then load up the 6.5' box. If you go for an 8' box you will stretch into the next county, and parking and turning will both be a bigger issue.

[merchantmm]

Being recently retired we opted for the best TV to pull our 27' Flying Cloud. We were looking for safe, comfortable , and excessively powerful (No question about uphill towing). After much deliberation we decided on the Ford F-250 Lariat SC Powerstroke 4x4. To enable this decision I pushed back all negative thoughts about suitability for around town use hoping I could adapt. I'm glad I did as I adapted quickly using techniques explained in the other excellent posts. The only real concern I have is driving in parking structures. Most often the audio antennae will scrape the ceiling. No big deal as I'm installing a shorter one. The ease of towing with Rex (As named by the grand kids) is beyond compare. My wife also finds towing with Rex a great experience.

Around town I find I miss that "Big Lug" if we opt to take the car. Incidentally...Rex gets us instant respect in many driving situations. He's my wife's hero.

[CDONA]

There are issues of being too long for touring backroads in Fed parks like Death Valley. Overall length about 20-22'. If I ever get a new/other truck, It'll be a two door cab, for me the second row seating is wasted wheelbase/tight turning issues.

[greenflag]

I don't worry about taking my crew cab long bed to WalMart or the mall. I simply park in the south 40 and walk. We all need a little more exercise. I avoid parking structures if I can. Failing that I go straight to the roof. Usually more space up there.
My GMC has a wide turning radius. It is inconvenient at times.
I have found that rear backup sensors are a must have. They really are an asset when backing out of tight spaces.
I have towed with both 1500 and 2500 trucks over the past decades. I am convinced that my crew cab 2500 is the best tow vehicle I have owned. I still drive it more than our sedan when at home.

[DavidsonOverlander]

We have an F350 Crew Cab with 8' box and I've never found it to be a problem driving in the city or parking. Like others who posted above, I just park a little farther out and don't worry about taking up two parking spots. With 4 adult kids we needed the crew cab for times when we're all travelling together. The 8' box was a necessity for our truck camper, but I'm frequently glad we have the longer box because we often need the space at other times too.
I think you get used to whatever turning radius you have. The only time I've found the longer vehicle to be a problem has been a few occasions backing into campsites where the roadways and campsite driveways are both narrow. It just means a little more back and forth.

[graysailor]

Either one is big for everyday use. I prefer the the 4 door CrewCab. Looks much nicer and resale value is there. I always park out in the north 40 anyway ( I need to walk more) and much easier to park without worrying about how to get out of the congested parking lot. Even with a small car I would probably end up parking away from the crowd.

[ulwbob]

I have a '15 F150 super cab with 6.5 bed. You will have to resign yourself to parking on the outer fringes and walking in because the truck is WIDE, has a BIG TURNING RADIUS, and is LONG. It will piss off drivers of regular sized vehicles parked next to you and it will hang out in the traffic lane to the rear if you try to squeeze in the regular spots. Other than that I love the truck and would buy it again. It was a replacement for a '94 Toyota Tacoma so there was a considerable size adjustment but I would do it all over again.

[mykytiukr]

Originally Posted by greenflag

I don't worry about taking my crew cab long bed to WalMart or the mall. I simply park in the south 40 and walk. We all need a little more exercise. I avoid parking structures if I can. Failing that I go straight to the roof. Usually more space up there.
My GMC has a wide turning radius. It is inconvenient at times.
I have found that rear backup sensors are a must have. They really are an asset when backing out of tight spaces.
I have towed with both 1500 and 2500 trucks over the past decades. I am convinced that my crew cab 2500 is the best tow vehicle I have owned. I still drive it more than our sedan when at home.

I agree with Greenflag! Have owned a longbox crewcab 172 in WB I believe, since 1991. They have all been daily drivers. No regrets!!! The extra two feet of box saves a lot of grief when hauling just about anything. You can usually close tailgate. Watch when you are out and about and notice all the stuff hanging out the back of a shortbox. The only inconvenience is when you try to park close to the door at the mall.

[wvstreamer]

We get used to whatever we drive all the time. I have driven the 3/4 + trucks for so long that my trouble is in my Wife's Toyota SUV....I turn too sharp...or swing wide and that looks kinda funny ...we laugh but the F250 powerstroke is still my preference. It's 15 yrs old and still a keeper. You will like the crew if you take people. We have the supercab and usually just meet up somewhere!! And that's ok.

[pappy19]

I had an F350 Crew cab and long bed. Lots of room but still a very big pain to maneuver in parking lots. I then ordered an F250 Super Cab and short bed. Way better turning and maneuverability but not as much room. You can haul people in the back seat, but not for long trips.

[NWRVR]

We have the F350 PSD crew cab long bed. The only way we would have bought the short bed is if the long wouldn't fit in the garage, I have six inches to spare with the F350 163" overall length. The turning radius takes getting used to and, as others say, we all could use more walking so parking isn't an issue. Definitely not a daily driver but a beautiful towing machine. The most important features are no more white knuckle long, curvy descents and exhaust brake where I don't have to use the manual brakes to maintain speed. The extra payload and no rear end squat made the F350 choice easy. It rides the same as the F250 with the only difference being 4" lift blocks opposed to 2" and an extra leaf in the springs which doesn't come into play until the load demands it. Good luck in your decision process!