Pickup Truck - Bed size question

[Libertarian01]

I have needed a pickup truck for property out in the country for several years. Finances have held me off. Things are looking a bit better and I am now shopping online.

I started with five (5) must haves:

#1) It must be a crew cab. I don't want to need to haul stuff and people and not be able to get the people.
#2) It must be a long bed. When I want to haul something big like a refrigerator or lots of dirt I want to really be able to haul it.
#3) It must have a tow package. When I tow my big mower somewhere I don't want to strain the truck too much.
#4) It must be 4 wheel drive. I am going to go through some muddy ground and I've stuck my mower several times. I want 4x4 to minimize the risk.
#5) It must be gas. I've heard diesel, while great, can be very expensive to work on.

I've thrown out the "must have" for the tow package. I want it, but in thinking about it I won't tow too much so while I'd get a truck with over without, I'm not sticking to it.

I'm now waffling on the requirement for a long bed. It is a royal pain to find a truck that is both crew cab AND long bed. When I am talking about a long bed I mean 8'. From my reading a "regular" size bed is 6'5".

So I just thought I'd ask: For those of you who do use a pickup truck to haul stuff in the back is it significantly better to hold out for a long bed or does a regular bed do 95% of the time?

One of the projects I want to do is make my own shooting range. I'll use some railroad ties. The should be able to be secured in the back of a 6'5" bed. I'll come up with other projects over time, but I'm finding it so hard I'll seek advice from ya'll that use these vehicles every day. My budget is very limited so I can't order a new one to specs.

Any other thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks for the help,

Doug

 

[2A_Tom]

Pickey, pickey, pickey!

 

[dvd1955]

I'd say crew cab, 6.5 bed and tow package. If you need to haul a large amount once or twice a year, use a trailer.

 

[Rookie]

My regular bed works fine for everything. If it's longer, it hangs off the end a little, but so what.

 

[Nathanaf8388]

I mean if you get one without a tow package you can buy all the stuff you need down the road to tow. But if used truck you can at least know it wasn’t used to tow anything. Also I wouldn’t get anything with plow hookups already.


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[Bigtanker]

My bed is a 6 1/2 ft on my Ram. It's been too short once in the 6 years I've had it. And in that instance, a long bed wouldn't have mattered as it was 12' 2x12's. The sliding rear window was a good idea though.

As long as you're good with tie downs, you'll be fine.

About the only reason I think a long bed makes sense is if you have a 3/4 or 1 ton and the extra room of the long bed makes more capacity for loads of dirt, stone etc. At least with my Ram, a yard of dirt really taxes my suspension and it's nowhere full.

 

[GLOCKMAN23C]

I miss my long bed, but I love my crew cab. Its a tradeoff, what do you haul more of? People or stuff? So far my 6' bed has done everything I've asked of it, sometimes with some creative loading.

I went from this:

To this:

 

[shibumiseeker]

Had an extended cab, 6.5' bed for years. 8' regular cab before that. Now back to regular cab with 8' bed and as I use it as a farm truck, I really LIKE the 8' bed. Tow package is mostly irrelevant unless you are towing heavy loads a LOT. Most trucks nowadays can handle 5000# without thinking about it. But Crew Cab with 8' bed is a beast to park and move around tight quarters. If passengers inside is your biggest consideration, get the shorter bed as it sounds like you already have the trailer.

 

[sparky32]

Ive always been a diesel guy have owned 3 cummins trucks. A 1998 12 valve, 2002 24 valve, and now my 2018 6.7 cummins. My 2018 went on a slimfast diet and lost all emissions which is the expensive part of diesel ownership now thanks to the crappy EPA. Newer ram 3/4 tons run coil springs which are great riding but hauling heavy loads is a little tougher than the avg leaf spring pickup. Any of the newer gas trucks will suite your needs. I will steer you to Ram because that is what I have had luck with.

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

I’m most familiar with GM trucks. I’m not sure when they changed it but I think it was in the relatively recent past but watch out for a crew cab in the 1/2 ton versions. The newer model GMs with a crew cab will have a short bed (the ones less than 6.5 ft). I’m not even sure you can get a new GM 1/2 ton, crew cab with a longer box. (I’ve been driving the same truck 2003 so I really haven’t been in the market much until recently). My next truck will have a crew cab but I DO NOT want that tiny, short box...I’m going to have to get a 3/4 ton to get the bigger one, I think.

To your question though, I’ve had an extended cab 1/2 ton for years now. It has the 6.5 ft bed. I won’t say there have been times I really would have been better off with an 8 ft bed but it those times are rare.

Another idea I toyed around with: buy the 1/2 ton crew cab with the short bed and also buy a utility trailer. The few times the short box wouldn’t work, I’d have the trailer to carry it.

 

[GLOCKMAN23C]

I’m most familiar with GM trucks. I’m not sure when they changed it but I think it was in the relatively recent past but watch out for a crew cab in the 1/2 ton versions. The newer model GMs with a crew cab will have a short bed (the ones less than 6.5 ft). I’m not even sure you can get a new GM 1/2 ton, crew cab with a longer box. My next truck will have a crew cab but I DO NOT want that tiny short box...I’m going to have to get a 3/4 ton to get it, I think.

To your question though, I’ve had an extended cab 1/2 ton for years now. It has the 6.5 ft bed. I won’t say there have been times I really would have been better off with an 8 ft bed but it those times are rare.

Another idea I toyed around with: buy the 1/2 ton crew cab with the short bed and also buy a utility trailer. The few times the short box wouldn’t work, I’d have the trailer to carry it.

This is a great solution, if you have room to store the trailer.

 

[2A_Tom]

I love Rams, but I think they rust out worse than any other.

As a Carpenter I always had a standard cab with 8' bed.

For long boards, walk planks and ladders I always had racks.

 

[bluewraith]

Might take a look at an Chevy Avalanche sometime. The short bed converts to a full 4x8 bed by taking the window out and laying down the rear seats and midgate. Locking tailgate and storage boxes on the bedsides, as well as a 3 piece factory bed cover. Ride quality and cab space of an SUV, convenience of a full size bed when you need it.

 

[Libertarian01]

I have found one I am looking at up in Michigan: https://www.talbottmotors.com/details/used-2006-ford-f-150/64851101


What impresses me about the dealership here is that just yesterday this was labeled as a long bed in several places and it seems to have been corrected to regular bed. So they seem to value accuracy and took the time to correct their ad. This seems to be "high mileage" to me but I've never owned a pickup. They seem to all be a bit higher mileage than I'm used to, but then again I'm not able to spend much and choices are limited.

The biggest thing I plan to move initially are two (2) refrigerators. One that was given to me down to the pond, and the one that is there to the Adams County dump. After that, railroad tracks to start working on a shooting range.

I'm being forced into this purchase. I never realized how owning just a few acres of land in the country can require so much hauling, dumping, and need for a pickup. I have several trees that I will need to cut up and give away firewood to friends that I cannot now move due to lacking a truck. Moving a lot of topsoil to plant fruit trees in? Can't do it with my Volvo.

Regards,

Doug

PS - Screwed this up before. Sorry about the hiccup.

 

[Bigtanker]

I have found one I am looking at up in Michigan: https://www.talbottmotors.com/details/used-2006-ford-f-150/64851101


What impresses me about the dealership here is that just yesterday this was labeled as a long bed in several places and it seems to have been corrected to regular bed. So they seem to value accuracy and took the time to correct their ad. This seems to be "high mileage" to me but I've never owned a pickup. They seem to all be a bit higher mileage than I'm used to, but then again I'm not able to spend much and choices are limited.

The biggest thing I plan to move initially are two (2) refrigerators. One that was given to me down to the pond, and the one that is there to the Adams County dump. After that, railroad tracks to start working on a shooting range.

I'm being forced into this purchase. I never realized how owning just a few acres of land in the country can require so much hauling, dumping, and need for a pickup. I have several trees that I will need to cut up and give away firewood to friends that I cannot now move due to lacking a truck. Moving a lot of topsoil to plant fruit trees in? Can't do it with my Volvo.

Regards,

Doug

PS - Screwed this up before. Sorry about the hiccup.

I tossed that last post. The pic didn't come across and was a few million characters long.

 

[Bigtanker]

The truck from the link.

 

[Bigtanker]

Looking at that picture, I think that is a 5' (really short) bed, not a 6.5' one.

 

[GLOCKMAN23C]

I have found one I am looking at up in Michigan: https://www.talbottmotors.com/details/used-2006-ford-f-150/64851101

Be wary of the Fords. They have horrible issues with the bed support rails rusting out. When they go, the bed is junk. Then you're looking $2-4k for a new flat bed.

 

[Bigtanker]

Try AutoTempest. They have good search results. I did one with a 100 mile radius from the Ft. and found a few.

https://www.autotempest.com/results?zip=46774&radius=100&maxprice=7500&drive=4wd&bodystyle=truck


This one in particular. https://www.truecar.com/used-cars-for-sale/listing/2GCEK19T241142959/?referrer_id=autotempest

2004 Chevy with 177,000, 4wd for $5k. It's in Dayton.

 

[GLOCKMAN23C]

Try AutoTempest. They have good search results. I did one with a 100 mile radius from the Ft. and found a few.

https://www.autotempest.com/results?zip=46774&radius=100&maxprice=7500&drive=4wd&bodystyle=truck


This one in particular. https://www.truecar.com/used-cars-for-sale/listing/2GCEK19T241142959/?referrer_id=autotempest

2004 Chevy with 177,000, 4wd for $5k. It's in Dayton.

Thats an extended cab, but they are pretty roomy. I'm a big guy and am comfortable in the back seat.