Posted 2006-07-03 10:00 PM (#43961) Subject: Short Bed for Towing??
Member
Posts: 21
Location: Central Kentucky
Considering buying a new Chevy 2500 HD(gas) crew cab, found one we like but it has a short ( standard ) bed . Husband thinks it would be ok for towing our trailer ( 4H GN Featherlite ) but I'm not too sure. I'm used to our F-350 dually, crew cab with the long bed, and this truck looks so small next to the Ford. The dealer said there was only 18 inches in difference in the long bed and standard, just wondering if anyone has the standard bed with the crew cab and ever had any problems pulling a GN? Thanks for any help.
Posted 2006-07-03 10:43 PM (#43967 - in reply to #43961) Subject: RE: Short Bed for Towing??
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 500 Location: West TN
I drove a friends truck that is just like you are talking about and pulled a Hart LQ trailer and it did just fine. You just have to be careful in tight places not to hit the cab. There are times in a really tight turn that it could be an issue. Overall, you should be fine. I have a shortbed F-250 and pull our C&C with it and never have any major problems. You see alot of people pulling with the 3/4 ton trucks these days that have the short beds due to the fact that they are also used as a daily driver.
Posted 2006-07-03 10:44 PM (#43968 - in reply to #43961) Subject: RE: Short Bed for Towing??
Elite Veteran
Posts: 736 Location: Western WA
What you want to compare is wheelbase. Am guessing if the Chevy looks small compared to your Ford, you not only have a long box dually but the full four doors in your Ford (longest possible configuration). Does the Chevy have four full doors or is it the extended cab style? I pull with a shortbox F350 (not dually) but have the four doors, and it is comparable in wheelbase to an extended cab longbox.
Posted 2006-07-04 8:46 AM (#43994 - in reply to #43961) Subject: RE: Short Bed for Towing??
Member
Posts: 21
Location: Central Kentucky
The Chevy we were looking at does have the full 4 doors-crew cab, and the standard bed, which looks short. Our current truck is extremely large( long and wide) crew cab with the long bed. The dealer seemed to think the long bed would be better for towing. So basically the entire length of the truck should be considered, not just the length of the bed?
Posted 2006-07-04 3:37 PM (#44007 - in reply to #43994) Subject: RE: Short Bed for Towing??
Elite Veteran
Posts: 736 Location: Western WA
Both the overall truck length (wheelbase) and the length of the bed itself should be considered. The longer the wheelbase, the more stable the ride will be. The length of the bed, as someone mentioned previously, effects the ability to turn acute angles. I have a short bed, and tow a v-nose trailer. I probably wouldn't be able to maneuver as well with a square nose trailer.
Posted 2006-07-04 6:45 PM (#44009 - in reply to #43961) Subject: RE: Short Bed for Towing??
Expert
Posts: 2689
It has little/nothing to do with bed length.
It DOES have a lot to do with cab to axle distance, which needs to be at least 4 + (half your trailer's nose width). The ball should be 4 to 6 inches in front of the rear axle, hence the 4.
"Long bed" trucks are typically 58 inches cab to axle, so you can swing a 102 inch wide trailer to 90 degrees even if the ball is 6 inches ahead of the axle. Don't forget to allow for any racks you might have behind the rear window. Tapered or pointed nose trailers can miss the cab on tight turns on trucks with less cab to axle distance, but if you get tight enough it will clip eventually.
Posted 2006-07-04 10:52 PM (#44021 - in reply to #43961) Subject: RE: Short Bed for Towing??
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 456 Location: south of Cowtown, TEXAS
If the trailer has a tapereed nose, you will be fine. I have a Dodge shortbed and pull a gooseneck - with a tapered nose - and made a u-turn on a 2 lane highway with no problems.
Posted 2006-07-05 9:28 AM (#44044 - in reply to #43961) Subject: RE: Short Bed for Towing??
Expert
Posts: 2689
There ARE times when 90 degrees isn't enough, here's one.
From a narrow road turn into another narrow road (or driveway).
With a LONG trailer and getting it's wheels all the way over to the outside of the turn before actually starting to turn, the trailer will still clip HOWEVER soon you straighten out after actually turning the truck.
Options;
a) pass it up, just don't go in there, find an alternative route.
b) try it from the other direction.
c) execute what looks like a 3 point turn with the truck.
This consists of taking the truck past the turn by so much that you can't turn the truck in there, not in one swing. So you turn TIGHT and get across the road with the truck looking as if it is going to cut a NEW path through the fence/hedge/ditch. Then do the 3 point turn trick and get the truck in. It works because you have started it with the trailer's wheels an extra 8ft or so closer to the actual turn. The RISK is that you get carried away with the 3-point thing and crack the cab with the trailer when in reverse.
This is NOT something I would want to do with a truck that has limited cab to axle distance and is dependant for clearance on tapered nose or an offset coupler, but it DOES work fine with my rig (-:
Posted 2006-07-05 10:19 AM (#44048 - in reply to #43961) Subject: RE: Short Bed for Towing??
Elite Veteran
Posts: 671 Location: THE GREAT NORTHWET, OREGON(THE REAL GODS COUNTRY)
Why go from Ford to Chevy ? why a gas job ?
Had a short bed Ford F250 short bed crew cab 4x4 and pulled a 4 horse Trails west with no problem.Now have a long bed Ford 1 ton dually crew cab 4x4 and pull a 3 horse lq trailer.
Posted 2006-07-05 11:43 AM (#44054 - in reply to #43961) Subject: RE: Short Bed for Towing??
Elite Veteran
Posts: 648 Location: Coconut Creek, FL
Hey Reg
What do you think of the extenders? Are you familiar with them? Friend of mine has a short bed Ford and uses a gooseneck extender so the GN sits farther back and he can turn without worrying about hitting the cab. He used to have a square nose GN, but now has one with a tapered nose, but continues to use the extender and is very happy with it.
Posted 2006-07-05 12:13 PM (#44059 - in reply to #44048) Subject: RE: Short Bed for Towing??
Member
Posts: 21
Location: Central Kentucky
Well, we've always had Chevy's, trucks and cars, think they're great dependable vehicles. When we bought our first horse trailer about 6 years ago(BP ) pulled it with a Tahoe and a 1500 Silverado, then moved up to a 4H Featherlite GN, needed a bigger vehicle to pull it and got a great deal on the Ford Lariat - dually- it is an awesome beautiful truck. Hubby wants to go back to Chevy and a duramax( it was my idea about the gas). A 2500 HD Duramax is $42,000 here, which is a little more than I want to spend, so it looks like we might be either - sticking to what we have- or looking at a SWB Ford F250 Powerstroke.
Posted 2006-07-05 1:33 PM (#44072 - in reply to #44054) Subject: RE: Short Bed for Towing??
Veteran
Posts: 157 Location: Perkiomenville, PA
I don't have a truck preference, but my husband has a 2006 F350 4X4 and so does a family friend. Nothing but problems with leaking seals, malfunctioning electronics, horrifying low fuel economy - 12 MPG and less (both are diesels), and mystery "ailments". Our last Ford, a 2004 F250, had lots of problems too, and so (duhh) we traded it for a newer one. We have a 99 Dodge Ram 2500 diesel, and we keep the Dodge...to get us back and forth to the Ford dealership for all these repairs and problems. It remains trouble free and reliable, even under extreme towing loads. So,when we next buy a truck we have no choice but to find a new "brand". I state this in the hopes others will look carefully and avoid some of our aggravation and expense.
Posted 2006-07-05 1:34 PM (#44073 - in reply to #44048) Subject: RE: Short Bed for Towing??
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Posts: 2689
Originally written by SLICKRNSNOT on 2006-07-05 10:19 AM
Why go from Ford to Chevy ? why a gas job ?
Had a short bed Ford F250 short bed crew cab 4x4 and pulled a 4 horse Trails west with no problem.Now have a long bed Ford 1 ton dually crew cab 4x4 and pull a 3 horse lq trailer.
CHEVY ????
I've had Fords.
At the time I bought the Chevvy it was a better truck than the Ford.
Engine for engine, trannie for trannie, axle for axle, all the items that seemed to matter to me at the time (likewise Dodge). When I replace what I have, or add another truck, I'll base the decision on what is offered at the time. I try to avoid blind or dumb brand name loyalty, my Fords were good/fair, my Gm/Chevs have been better, that could change on the next cycle.
Posted 2006-07-05 1:52 PM (#44077 - in reply to #44054) Subject: RE: Short Bed for Towing??
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Posts: 2689
Originally written by Dunoir on 2006-07-05 11:43 AM
Hey Reg
What do you think of the extenders? Are you familiar with them? Friend of mine has a short bed Ford and uses a gooseneck extender so the GN sits farther back and he can turn without worrying about hitting the cab. He used to have a square nose GN, but now has one with a tapered nose, but continues to use the extender and is very happy with it.
I've seen them, but never had to consider buying one, so I havn't examined them up close.
They set the coupler farther forwards (up to 9 inches IIRC) relative to the trailer, so in the 90 degree situation it is more to the side of the truck, but the side of the trailer will still be as close to the cab - though 9 inches to the right or left. It has the same effect on clipping as moving your trailer axles back 9 inches, which could be good - OR bad.
It will work, though near the limit it probably doesn't do as much for you as the ads suggest. I think I'm better off by not having a need for it (-:
Posted 2006-07-05 4:24 PM (#44083 - in reply to #43961) Subject: RE: Short Bed for Towing??
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 474 Location: White Mills, Ky.
We have an older (1997) F250 HD 4x4 crew cab with the powerstroke diesel and it has been very reliable. MPG runs 18 bobtail and 14-15 pulling our 3H GN. It now has 184,000 miles on it and is still going strong. I will add that we do regular maintenance on it like clockwork. That is the key to longevity of any vehicle.
Posted 2006-07-05 5:26 PM (#44087 - in reply to #44072) Subject: RE: Short Bed for Towing??
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Posts: 238 Location: West Coast
Originally written by evallone on 2006-07-05 1:33 PM
I don't have a truck preference, but my husband has a 2006 F350 4X4 and so does a family friend. Nothing but problems with leaking seals, malfunctioning electronics, horrifying low fuel economy - 12 MPG and less (both are diesels), and mystery "ailments". Our last Ford, a 2004 F250, had lots of problems too, and so (duhh) we traded it for a newer one. We have a 99 Dodge Ram 2500 diesel, and we keep the Dodge...to get us back and forth to the Ford dealership for all these repairs and problems. It remains trouble free and reliable, even under extreme towing loads. So,when we next buy a truck we have no choice but to find a new "brand". I state this in the hopes others will look carefully and avoid some of our aggravation and expense.
It's no secret that the 6.0 powerstroke has been a real headache for Ford, International and consumers who have purchased these trucks. The 7.3 liter Powerstroke on the other hand has proven to be a good reliable engine. Hopefully Ford's new 6.4 liter Powerstroke engine coming out next year will be better.
Posted 2006-07-05 6:22 PM (#44089 - in reply to #44087) Subject: RE: Short Bed for Towing??
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Posts: 2689
Originally written by RoperChick on 2006-07-05 5:26 PM
Originally written by evallone on 2006-07-05 1:33 PM
I don't have a truck preference, but my husband has a 2006 F350 4X4 and so does a family friend. Nothing but problems with leaking seals, malfunctioning electronics, horrifying low fuel economy - 12 MPG and less (both are diesels), and mystery "ailments". Our last Ford, a 2004 F250, had lots of problems too, and so (duhh) we traded it for a newer one. We have a 99 Dodge Ram 2500 diesel, and we keep the Dodge...to get us back and forth to the Ford dealership for all these repairs and problems. It remains trouble free and reliable, even under extreme towing loads. So,when we next buy a truck we have no choice but to find a new "brand". I state this in the hopes others will look carefully and avoid some of our aggravation and expense.
It's no secret that the 6.0 powerstroke has been a real headache for Ford, International and consumers who have purchased these trucks. The 7.3 liter Powerstroke on the other hand has proven to be a good reliable engine. Hopefully Ford's new 6.4 liter Powerstroke engine coming out next year will be better.
Maybe, but maybes are just that and I have NO desire to be a test user.
Engines are ony PART of the problem, the trannies don't seem to hold up to the 6.0 or the 7.3, I'm not convinced that they'll last any better behind a more powerful 6.4
The 'quality is job 1' slogan has gone away at Ford, or become merely a slogan.
Posted 2006-07-05 7:28 PM (#44092 - in reply to #44089) Subject: RE: Short Bed for Towing??
Veteran
Posts: 238 Location: West Coast
Originally written by evallone on 2006-07-05 1:33 PM
I don't have a truck preference, but my husband has a 2006 F350 4X4 and so does a family friend. Nothing but problems with leaking seals, malfunctioning electronics, horrifying low fuel economy - 12 MPG and less (both are diesels), and mystery "ailments". Our last Ford, a 2004 F250, had lots of problems too, and so (duhh) we traded it for a newer one. We have a 99 Dodge Ram 2500 diesel, and we keep the Dodge...to get us back and forth to the Ford dealership for all these repairs and problems. It remains trouble free and reliable, even under extreme towing loads. So,when we next buy a truck we have no choice but to find a new "brand". I state this in the hopes others will look carefully and avoid some of our aggravation and expense.
Originally written by RoperChick on 2006-07-05 5:26 PM
It's no secret that the 6.0 powerstroke has been a real headache for Ford, International and consumers who have purchased these trucks. The 7.3 liter Powerstroke on the other hand has proven to be a good reliable engine. Hopefully Ford's new 6.4 liter Powerstroke engine coming out next year will be better.
Originally written by Reg on 2006-07-05 6:22 PM
Maybe, but maybes are just that and I have NO desire to be a test user. Engines are ony PART of the problem, the trannies don't seem to hold up to the 6.0 or the 7.3, I'm not convinced that they'll last any better behind a more powerful 6.4 The 'quality is job 1' slogan has gone away at Ford, or become merely a slogan.
I really wish there was the perfect truck out there, but all of the big 3 have their strong and weak points. If there was a perfect truck we'd probably all be buying it. For example, Chevy Duramax's have had some problems with the allison tranny. Duramax's have also had big problems with the fuel injection. Dodge's have had their problems too, with brakes and cracked blocks. The 7.3 liter Powerstrokes have had problems with the Mechanical Diode in the auto tranny in the 2000 & 2001 models but it was fixed in the 2002 and 2003 trucks. They also have the CPS problem, but at least it's a cheap and easy fix.
When I go to buy a truck, I never buy the first model year for a new drivetrain and as someone else mentioned, I look at the whole package nomatter the brand. I do some pretty thorough research before I decide which truck brand I'll buy.
Posted 2006-07-06 8:02 AM (#44130 - in reply to #43961) Subject: RE: Short Bed for Towing??
Member
Posts: 21
Location: Central Kentucky
We're sticking with the Ford. Went to drive the 2500 HD Duramax, and although it drove good, and very quiet. The interior couldn't compare to our Lariat. Very narrow, less leg-room and head-room, seats were rock hard. This was a LT model. Chevy is awful proud of it, $42,000 is ridiculous for that truck. Our's has the 6 speed manual, with the 7.3 Turbo diesel , crew cab, long bed, 135,000 miles and we've never had a mechanical problem with it. In my opinion it seems like you get a lot more truck with Ford than the Chevy.
Posted 2006-07-06 9:07 AM (#44137 - in reply to #43961) Subject: RE: Short Bed for Towing??
Elite Veteran
Posts: 671 Location: THE GREAT NORTHWET, OREGON(THE REAL GODS COUNTRY)
Yupper dooo, if you want to talk problems there are plenty to go around !!doesent matter what brand if you check you will find problems.You don't hear too much about chevy problems, cause most chevy owners won't admit they have a problem, and sure don't want any one else to know their CHEVY took a shit and let it get out.There is more talk about Fords because there are more on the road,Ford owners like to drive Chevy owners like to sit and look at their trucks and wave at the Fords when they drive by.
I work on them all and there is not a brand out there that hasn't had some bad press.Alot of problems are induced by owners who install something wrong and then blame the truck cause it quit working after installing a big stereo and 20000000 watt booster on a 10 amp wire.There are a lot of trucks and just like humans there are good uns and bad uns.Take your pick and drive with pride !!!
Be sure and wave at the Chevy owners when you drive by!!
Short Bed for Towing??
