Short box vs 8 foot box

[jimmyj]

Hi all

I have always been a die hard "you gotta have an 8 foot box' guy. My reasoning is that the sole purpose I have a truck is as a hauler and lessening the hauling capacity seems counter to that purpose. (I don't use my truck as a daily driver).

Nowadays though it seems just about everyone is using a short box. My truck is getting long in the tooth and i want to replace it, likely next year. I have a question for the group in this regard:

Will I be happy with a 6' box base on your similar opinions?

A few notes:
- I haven't ever had an extended cab. Never really needed it but it has looked awfully handy from the sidelines.
- I will be towning from time to time
- I mostly use the box to haul. Hay (rounds), firewood, construction materials, snowmobiles, ATV's, farm supplies, trips to the dump, that sort of stuff.
- This is not a commercial use vehicle
- Don't really care about driving a larger truck

I see so many deals on used low mileage heavy trucks but practically all of them are short boxes. I've been hoping to find a diesel (not dually) 3500 with an 8' box and extended cab but it's proving a bit of a chore.

Any comments?

 

[Diamondpilot]

I have had both and had the opportunity to drive both. My first long bed big truck was a 1996 GMC 3500 Dually 4x4 regular cab with the 454. This is the one and only and probably the last dually I will ever own or drive. Mainly used it as a airport truck and to push snow.

My next long bed was a 1999 Ford F-350 SRW diesel 4x4. It was a regular cab and a work horse.

Now comes the family and I am a keep a vehicle in the garage guy so I went to a short bed for a time. I had a Dodge hemi 4x4 crew cab 2500. It was nice because I could haul the family and dog plus keep it in the garage.

I then got a Ford F-250 Diesel 4x4 extended cab short bed. Great truck. Still have it. Perfect fit for us.

I then got back into the long bed kick and got a GMC 3500 4x4 Diesel crew cab long bed. It was a bus. Way too long for me.

I then went back to what I like, a short bed extended cab 4x4 F-350 diesel SRW. This is the perfect fit for me.

As for the bed length the few times I needed more room I should have taken the trailer to start with. With the tailgate down I hauled 50 sheets of plywood in my F-350 short bed and many times 10' lumber. Anything longer with either a long bed or short bed I would want the trailer hitched up.

Chris

 

[DanD78]

I have always had long box trucks and would not have a short one. I like to put in a 27" wide corss bed tool box and have a goose neck hitch in the bed. I still want to be able to haul all the things you talked about. A year ago I wanted to replace my long bed extended cab Silverado with a used diesel truck with a long bed and extended cab. I looked at all three major brands because they all have their strong and weak points in different years of production. New ones were crazy over priced. I looked local for months and you are right. Everyone had a short bed for sale but no long beds with extended cabs. I wanted a 250 series but ended up with a single wheel 350/4door. I don't regret getting a truck this big because it drives great and has all the power I need. I did find dealers that deal in nothing but trucks like you are looking for. They are low mile, long bed with extended cabs or 4 door. I ended up buying from a dealer on the Illinois/Wisconsin border. They had a great choice of used trucks and sold at or below book prices.

Dan

 

[magicheater]

Hi all

I have always been a die hard "you gotta have an 8 foot box' guy. My reasoning is that the sole purpose I have a truck is as a hauler and lessening the hauling capacity seems counter to that purpose. (I don't use my truck as a daily driver).
Nowadays though it seems just about everyone is using a short box. My truck is getting long in the tooth and i want to replace it, likely next year. I have a question for the group in this regard:
Will I be happy with a 6' box base on your similar opinions?
A few notes:
- I haven't ever had an extended cab. Never really needed it but it has looked awfully handy from the sidelines.
- I will be towning from time to time
- I mostly use the box to haul. Hay (rounds), firewood, construction materials, snowmobiles, ATV's, farm supplies, trips to the dump, that sort of stuff.
- This is not a commercial use vehicle
- Don't really care about driving a larger truck
I see so many deals on used low mileage heavy trucks but practically all of them are short boxes. I've been hoping to find a diesel (not dually) 3500 with an 8' box and extended cab but it's proving a bit of a chore.
Any comments?

I had the same mindset as you and actually had to order a truck w/just an 8' box. Did not end up buying it and am really glad I didn't. Ended up with a "quad cab" which has four normally opening doors but the back two are not as long as the fronts. Very handy in parking lots because you can fully open the rear doors, great for keeping tools in the back, etc. I have never missed not having an 8' box. Probably won't ever have one again. The "crew cab" is a different animal, has 4 full size doors and the wheel base reflects this. I like the maneuverability the shorter wheel base gives me. I would buy a quad cab again in a heartbeat but have many miles to go on my Dodge Ram 2500 w/Cummins diesel. my:2cents:

 

[jimmyj]

Thanks guys. I fear this may be an R1 vs R4 opinion based question but the points are good. What's tempting me is a sweet Ford F350 (not dually) deisel short box 4 door 4x4 that's for sale near me. It's a heck of a truck. There is also a Ram 2500 4x4 4 door long box.

Ahhhhhhhhhh.....:confused2:

 

[Hawghauler]

The only reason I have an 8 foot box is because they don't sell a 9 foot box. If you decide to tow 5th wheel for whatever reason the long bed rules. I had one shortbox on my plow truck in NH and did not like it at all. Holds more, and IMHO rides better. Shortbox leaves you wanting when you move stuff.

 

[MikeD74T]

Have owned 5 longbed bench seat pickups (last one with a cap), 1 Suburban, currently have crew cab 6.5' bed pickup (with a cap). Went with a crew cab vs extended for passenger legroom as my live-in grandson is going to be too big for extended cab over the duration of my ownership. Have owned various trailers for same period.All longbed pickups had obvious passenger constraints, surmountable when 2 kids were small & before child seatbelt laws. Seatbelt laws (and job change to were hauling materials was less of an issue) drove me to the Suburban. 12 years of NH salted roads moved me out of the Suburban & into the crew cab pickup. Didn't want the length of a longbed crew cab. I use my trailers more & upgraded trailer capacity as well. There are times where I don't want to use a trailer & have more stuff to haul than the 6.5' bed will allow so I adjust priorities. When we travel we take the pickup vs my wife's minivan for better ride & creature comfort. Overall I like the crew cab short bed pickup best of all my vehicles owned, with the Suburban second. The only thing I would change next time would be a split bench front seat (with electric heat) vs buckets. MikeD74T

 

[NuBota]

I would only consider the short bed if the truck's primary/sole purpose was towing (not 5th wheel). For a "jack of all trades" vehicle like I use mine - quad cab long box without doubt or regret.

I keep a toolbox in the bed most of the time and like that I can still get bulk loads from the nursery (loader has 6' bucket) without removing it and material doesn't spill over. And since the toolbox sits across the bed, there is enough room underneath (~8") for small 8' lumber loads

Like the OP, mine is not a daily driver - if it was, I may reconsider.

 

[mrennie]

My first 2 trucks were regular cab long box...my wife wanted to get an extended cab short box so we could use it for trips with more room.

We have a 2001 GMC Sierra extended cab short box (6.5' box) and while I sometimes miss the 8' box, the 6.5' does OK the majority of the time. The extra room of the extended cab is great.

With the 6.5' box, carrying any lumber longer that 8' becomes a PITA, and anything over 12' is a challenge.

A friend recently bought a Ford quad cab with a 5.5' box. You would think 1 foot shorter wouldn't be that big of a deal, but it turns out he can't even put a bicycle in the back of his truck without putting it in diagonally.

My next truck will definitely be an extended cab or quad cab, but I will not go any shorter than a 6.5' box. I wouldn't mind going back to 8' with an extended cab, but then the unit it getting pretty long and hard to park in parking lots or mall.

 

[Trails2004]

..................-I mostly use the box to haul. Hay (rounds), firewood, construction materials, snowmobiles, ATV's, farm supplies, trips to the dump, that sort of stuff.....

Hi Jimmy

In your own words you haul all sorts of stuff- ATV's, snowmobiles, construction materials... Your wont close you tailgate or keep the load off your tailgate IF you buy a short bed.

I looked at a 2010 Dodge 3500 SRW Crew Cab--now that is a truck! This truck is amazing- Take a hard look at this truck- wait a few months, used units will be on the lots.

Dont regreat your purchase- let the younger crowd buy the short beds :laughing:

 

[jimmyj]

I'm becoming convinced more towards my original inclination that I want to stick with the 8 foot box.

Love the comments from everyone though. Yarrrr! Men and trucks and engines, oh my!:cool2:

 

[Mike Costello]

I've owned a 2004 F350 crewcab diesel 4X4 with an 8' box since new and don't regret anything about it. Sure it's long, but you get used to it and that long wheel base sure gives you a nice ride, especially when towing a trailer. There's plenty of room for the family (3 daughters) no matter how much they grow. I've hauled a variety of things with it, from hay to bicycles to lumber without a problem. Bottom line-- a lot of versitility with a long bed. Mike.

 

[EddieWalker]

I've been going through something similar in trying to decide what to buy. I currently have a 98 F250 4x4 regular cab, long bed. It's been a great truck and since it's paid for, I've held on to it a bit longer then I really wanted to. I'm a contractor and I haul tools and supplies to jobs all over the place. I've found that the 8ft bed is either too small, or too exposed.

What I really want is a place to keep all my tool boxes so I don't have to fear they will be stolen, or out in the elements. They also take up a huge amount of room in my bed when going to some jobs, and that's created issues with room to haul materials.

I also don't care for how stiff my ride is. I'm sure it's the 4x4 aspect of it, and maybe that it's a 3/4 ton.

For me, the crew cab solves my tool box issue. I can load up the back seats and have everything that I need with me in a secure location. That leaves the bed open for hauling stuff. With the tailgate down, I think I can haul most anything that I could haul with my 8 ft bed.

I'm currently looking at the newer F-150 crew cab, two wheel drive, short bed trucks. Nicer ride, more enclosed storage and enough room on the bed for most jobs.

I have a 16ft trailer that I use when I need it, and I get matterials delivered on bigger jobs, so for those times that I need more then the short bed will hold, I have plan B.

Since I'm not hauling heavy loads, I'm looking for the smallest gas V8 that I can get. I've thought about a V6, but they don't seem to be very common and Chevy is the only one that I've actualy seen with a V6. I like Ford, so that's pretty much what I'm limiting myself to buying, and that means the 4.6 V8 engine that is suppossed to get 15 city and 20 highway mpg. I get 14 right now with my F250 4x4, 4.6 V8, so those numbers are probably pretty close to being accurate.

I've found that my local dealers have trucks listed on Ebay for less then on their websites. I've aslo fond that for some reason, I can search out in Dallas, which is 100 miles away, and find a very similar truck in miles and features for about $2,000 less then my local dealers. I haven't gone in to negotiate, but for that much money, I'll give them the oportunity to match that price, or drive the two hours.

Good luck on what you decide to buy. I'm still on the fence, but think it's something that I need to do fairly soon.

Eddie

 

[Toyboy]

I was having the same thoughts before I got my '05 extended cab Silverado Z-71 off road. Being retired, I really don't haul a lot like some of the guys but I still like the option if I want to. Extended cab w/6.5 box works out fine for us. I can still get it in the garage and for times that I need a longer box (canoes, lumber, etc.) I bought a truck bed extender that fits in the trailer hitch and gives me 3-4 more feet of support.

 

[jimmyj]

Eddie, have you ever considered a heavy van? My pal is a contractor and he uses F350 vans and all his tools and stuff are nicely secured. They use trailers too of course but the vans have been great for his needs.

 

[sld]

For me, the short bed has never kept me from hauling / carrying whatever I have needed like lumber, dirt, rocks, sand, etc.... The only towing I do is from the receiver hitch.

Mine really boiled down to parking in the garage. I have an F250 crew cab and it fits nicely in my garage. The long bed would not have fit. The trade off boiled down to cab space or bed space and like I mentioned above the "lack" of bed space has never been as issue. I'll use the trailer for anything over 10 feet.

Having said all that, if parking in the garage was not at the top of my list I would probably get a long bed. More is better. A week long camping vacation will fill the bed in a hurry.

Also, the F250 short bed is 80" long so it is a 6 3/4 foot bed.

 

[EddieWalker]

Eddie, have you ever considered a heavy van? My pal is a contractor and he uses F350 vans and all his tools and stuff are nicely secured. They use trailers too of course but the vans have been great for his needs.

Yes, I was looking at them, but think they are too specialized and would force me to buy another vehicle for my personal life. I'm trying to live with one vehicle, and the van idea makes that dificult.

Eddie

 

[Mike Costello]

Eddie--When you check out the Ford Crew cabs, see if the rear seats fold up to reveal steel fold out platforms. Thats what my 04 F350 had in the rear cab area and it was great for tools and other rough stuff without doing damage to the seats. I don't see why the F150's wouldn't have that system too.

sld--Garage storage for a crew cab truck can be challenging. My F350 is about 22' long bumper to bumper, so it was never garaged for the first few years of its life. However, I treated it to a 30X60 shop/garage and solved that problem!

 

[k0ua]

Each to his own, but for me I will never go back to an 8 foot box, when I can have an extended cab. on my new silverado, the doors open all the way and fold nearly flat against the pickup box. this is wonderful in a parking lot loading groceries.. I use the truck to haul building materials/supplies and to use as a secondary vehicle when going to the store etc. the extended cab is just too useful to not have. And the length with an 8 foot box would be just too long to park. So I compromise with a 6 foot box.. sure it is a little trouble with lumber, but not much. certainly not enough to not have the extended cab.
Good luck
James K0UA

 

[sldva00]

The only time I see parking an issue is if you don't have a big enough garage to keep the truck in. Parking in public should not be a problem regardless of how long the truck is. I always back into every spot. I've never hit anything and it's easier to pull out of a spot driving forward than backwards. Maybe I'm more comfortable backing into spots because I was a package car delivery driver for one of the top package delivery companys for 10 years. Those trucks were long and that is how we were trained because it is easier, faster and creates less accidents.

Like the 8ft box because it's easier to move plywood around. Don't like hauling material with tailgate down much less strapping it down.