How much does truck length affect towing stability?

[Fallon]

I picked up a beater F250 (cab & a half with an 8' service body on back) after it became apparent my 2009 Tacoma couldn't pretend to be s 1/2 ton, much less the 3/4 ton I needed for hauling the old L3200, buch less the impending L4060HSTC. I'm planning on replacing the Taco & F250 with a newish 3/4 ton diesel in the next year or so. I may or may not also get a cheap econobox commuter. I work from home a lot, so it may not be worth it to get a commuter car.

My question is how much does truck length affect towing stability? I know the longer the better, but long is painful in parking lots & tight spaces. I'm planning on a double cab, but debating what bed length to get. I'm wanting a short bed for manuverability. Bed capacity isnt super relevant. My Taco bed mostly works for my needs now. And if it's not big enough, I have the 22' deckover. Any good arguments against a double cab short bed for hauling a 14k 22' deckover bumper pull (4k itself) with upwards to 7k of tractor & impliments on it?

The current beater F250 is a little twitchy at times, mostly due due to a sloppy gearbox (I assume, ball joints & tie rods are tight).

All things considered I'd like to keep as much manuverability & possibility of fitting the truck in the garage. But its main job will be trailer hauling, so I need to optimize for that if I can.

 

[oosik]

I'm certainly no expert regarding this situation but a foot or so of overall length shouldn't make that much difference. At least, in towing characteristics.

I've gone from a Jeep to a 3/4 ton pickup and it's not been a problem. However - around these parts there is alway a parking lot around. So I never have to parallel park the pickup.

 

[Monster5601]

From everything that I've read and then practiced, the key to safely towing a bumper trailer is the proper tongue weight with respect to the loaded trailer weight. I shoot for 10 to 12 percent of tongue weight, lighter or heavier and I can feel the trailer so to speak. With proper tongue weight, the trailer isn't noticeable.

Knowing your equipment weights and trailer weight plus the convenience of a hitch with a scale (Weight Safe) and properly position the tractor on the trailer, I can get the correct weight on the tongue. I can't compare a long bed to a standard bed since I only have the standard bed, just over six foot.

 

[TMGT]

Depends a lot on the truck and how it's being used, if you are towing at or beyond the trucks limits then you'll notice a difference in wheelbase, also depends on trailer type and engine. Tag along trailers will benefit more from a longer wheelbase, also a lighter engine option will make a shorter wheelbase truck feel less stable (i.e. gas vs diesel).

I've had experience driving almost identical trucks but gas/diesel, different wheelbase. Largest truck I had that I towed with was a diesel Crew Cab F550 long wheelbase, it didnt really care what was behind it!

I'm in your same boat, I work in DC, and while I don't drive my truck there often, I needed a truck that I could park at work when needed.
I currently have an 07 crew cab shortbed Dodge CTD 4x4, and while I've towed more then I should have in the past by accident (close to 20k est with my dump trailer) and it has worked, I would have just sucked it up and gotten a long bed if I was towing at its limits everytime.

Once I retire from this job I plan on getting a long wheelbase dually!

 

[dodge man]

I think it’s more of an issue when towing something that catches wind, like travel trailers. Keep an eye on your payload when buying a 250 diesel, some are low.

 

[Motorboatin]

Looking at the chart for current trucks it is only a few hundred pounds. For gas the shorter wheelbase pulls more but diesel it is the opposite. Definitely confusing

https://www.ford.com/cmslibs/conten.../guides/Prelm19RV&TT_Ford_SuperDtyPU_May4.pdf

 

[Renze]

We once replaced the two leaf rear springs of a Sprinter 2500 5th wheel tractor, to the three leaf suspension of a 3500. That made an incredible difference in towing stability with a 10 ton trailer.

Just the three leaf suspension is stiff when empty, it bounces. Thats why many customers spent another 4000 euro on an air spring conversion, so it would ride smooth and firm with 2.5 ton on the 5th wheel, as well as without a trailer on.

If you want to drive smooth around town, and firm with a trailer, i would get an Air ride assister kit. Inflate the bellow to a pressure that just lifts the truck an inch off the leafs, so that small vibrations are smoothened by the air. Once you load it up, the leafs start carrying too, to give a firm handling. We had a customer who was fond of US pickups and ran a few chevies and a Tacoma, all gray import. We installed the air ride kit as soon as he got them from the US import firm...

 

[gary49]

You might want to consider a dual rear wheel truck, especially if it has a utility body. That body weighs about 1000# more than a pick up bed. It looks like you're pushing it with the current rig, might well be above the gross weight rating of your rear axle and tires. That'll make a rig squirrelly, longer wheelbase or not. I've owned double cab trucks with both 6.5' and 8' beds, both kinds are pretty long. You'll find that backing into spaces in parking lots works better than trying to pull in the normal way. You can mostly forget about trying to parallel park the truck.

 

[Citydude]

I have a crew cab F250 short box because an 8 foot box wouldn't fit in my garage at home. Like you, I didn't need the extra length for hauling stuff in the box. I pulled an L3400 with a 6 foot cutter on an 18 foot trailer around my town when I contract mowed for the city. I didnt have any problems navigating through the city or finding areas to park. Buy the crew cab, they are handy for more than hauling people.

I also used to pull a 30ft 5th wheel with this pickup. I had no issues with it.

 

[Jchonline]

I picked up a beater F250 (cab & a half with an 8' service body on back) after it became apparent my 2009 Tacoma couldn't pretend to be s 1/2 ton, much less the 3/4 ton I needed for hauling the old L3200, buch less the impending L4060HSTC. I'm planning on replacing the Taco & F250 with a newish 3/4 ton diesel in the next year or so. I may or may not also get a cheap econobox commuter. I work from home a lot, so it may not be worth it to get a commuter car.

My question is how much does truck length affect towing stability? I know the longer the better, but long is painful in parking lots & tight spaces. I'm planning on a double cab, but debating what bed length to get. I'm wanting a short bed for manuverability. Bed capacity isnt super relevant. My Taco bed mostly works for my needs now. And if it's not big enough, I have the 22' deckover. Any good arguments against a double cab short bed for hauling a 14k 22' deckover bumper pull (4k itself) with upwards to 7k of tractor & impliments on it?

The current beater F250 is a little twitchy at times, mostly due due to a sloppy gearbox (I assume, ball joints & tie rods are tight).

All things considered I'd like to keep as much manuverability & possibility of fitting the truck in the garage. But its main job will be trailer hauling, so I need to optimize for that if I can. View attachment 612887View attachment 612888

I have towed my M62 with my F250 double cab standard bed (I think it is 6.75 ft) up to red feather lakes and back without issue so I am sure you will be fine. I have a diesel. Standard hitch 18k trailer. It certainly isnt as easy as a gooseneck to maneuver but I dont need a lot of maneuverability.

Best of all my truck fits in my garage (fold mirrors in). I did get the little flip out bed tailgate extenders and they have been useful if I need to haul 8ft materials (plywood sheets, etc).