Bed Size in Towing

[Ezsailor]

I'm pulling the trigger on a 2021 Longhorn and will be going our TT. Any thoughts or recommendations on bed size? I like the short bed has ~100lbs more payload capacity, but I'm thinking the longer bed for greater stability. This will be my daily driver and perhaps a few inches shorter would be nice around town. Thank you in advance for your comments.

 

[Zeronet]

I have the short bed and also tow a travel trailer. I can’t really comment on the towing stability difference between the short and long wheelbase, since I haven’t towed with the longer wheelbase. I can say the short bed is plenty stable. I chose the short bed for many reasons and I’m glad I did. The added payload, fitting it in the garage and increased maneuverability were the main reasons.

My 5th gen truck already has a longer wheelbase than my previous 4th gen. Between the longer wheelbase and the limited turning radius with 4wd, I find it difficult to park sometimes. Also the truck fully fills, or is longer than, most parking spaces. These issues could be compounded with the longer wheelbase/bed.

 

[devildodge]

I recommend an 8 foot bed. My wood wouldn't even fit in a 5'7 Bed lol

And wheelbase. Got lots of that

And stability...when your truck is only a few feet shorter than your camper...very stable




I just back into all parking spots and line the parking line up with the bumper. What ever doesn't fit is the parking lot liners fault.

I daily drive mine every day.

Oh oops, sorry...forgot. 1500 forum

Seriously, I find a need for every inch of bed space. But, I also do not park in a garage or go downtown much...although I have and even parallel park.

If you ar getting a quad cab the choice is made for you. Only 6'4

If your getting RamBox decision made...only 5'7

But since you are asking that means you are looking at crew cabs.
And now you have to make that decision.

The 9 inches of bed space...do you need it?

Do you need the 9 inch shorter truck?

Do you want the 9 inch longer wheelbase?

Can you live with a 2 foot larger turning radius?

And as mentioned....the 6 foot bed will weigh more.

Good luck with your choice. Neither is wrong and either will get the job down.

 

[Bainers]

I’ve seen guidelines that were originally suggested by RV Consumer Group (RV.org). It starts with suggesting you need 110” wheelbase to tow a 20’ trailer. Then you would need and additional 4” of wheelbase for each extra foot of trailer.

Wheelbase / Trailer length
110" = 20'
114" = 21'
118" = 22'
and so on

There are other factors that can affect this, and the further away from this guidance you go, the more anti-sway becomes critical.

Ram crew cab short bed wheelbase = 144” (Ram’s website for 2020 models)

Max trailer length = 28’ if you go by the guidance above.

There are ways people use to safely increase the trailer length a truck can tow by a couple of feet (Hensley/ProPride hitches come to mind). But to my mind, even adding the Hensley or a properly set up WDH with good anti-sway, I think the truck is marginal.

 

[devildodge]

@Bainers thanks for posting this.

I try to tell people this in all the towing threads on many forums.

But, everyone always wants to tow thr biggest trailer with the smallest truck and I get told to pound sand.

Back when payload wasnt on the door sticker it was always a rule of thumb to either A. Tow a similar size trailer to the truck or B. Do not exceed 80% of thr trailer with truck.

So if your truck has a base weight of 5600lbs either
A. Go with a 5600lb trailer
B. Go with a 7000lb trailer max.

Same with length.

But people see the max number.(which isn't max trailer...but all combined weight) and then go 1500lbs over and 34 foot in length.

Sorry...had to occupy my mind. I am camoer watching right now. Last day of regular season camping in PA.

Some of these combos are crazy. But they pull so good, you never even know it is behind you...lol

 

[Crushermansam]

I had 4th gen rebel with air suspension, 5’7 box before my 5th gen 6’4 box w/o factory air suspension ( coil bags in back)
4th gen short box plate form was very sturdy towing my 24” 6000lbs holiday trailer.
sane trailer and 5th gen truck and It’s all over the place. (Hitch and all, are set up correctly. I’ve gone over it many times)
Maybe it’s not having the factory air ride but I’m pretty disappointed with my 5th gen for towing. I thought the longer wheel base would make the truck more planted but it hasn’t.
i think there are some posts on this site of guys with 6.4 beds having bad sway problems. Maybe it’s frame flex? Only seems to be the guys with long beds

 

[Kicker]

I bought mine for towing, the bed size didn't matter to me . That being said, I just wanted the ability to haul items from HD home if needed otherwise I could have bought a Durango.

 

[AmericanRebelution]

I'm pulling the trigger on a 2021 Longhorn and will be going our TT. Any thoughts or recommendations on bed size? I like the short bed has ~100lbs more payload capacity, but I'm thinking the longer bed for greater stability. This will be my daily driver and perhaps a few inches shorter would be nice around town. Thank you in advance for your comments.

Ezsailor - I see you are a little newer to the forum. If you haven't done so already, I HIGHLY encourage you to read through some of the posts here regarding payload capacity and TTs. Since you are specifically looking into payload capacity and bed length, it seems you are aware of limitations. Just wanted to mention it because I do feel bad when I see members who buy a beautiful, highly optioned, expensive truck then they find it just doesn't meet their needs.

 

[J-Cooz]

I've had a 2019 long bed CC and now my 2020 short bed CC. I'd take the short bed anyday. That extra 9" of wheelbase sure makes a huge difference in parking and maneuvering. I also like the look of the short bed better.

 

[JF19Longhorn]

I went with the long bed this time around. With two kids (one a newborn) and traveling 5 to 9 hours several times a year to see family, we figured out quick that a 5.5' bed is tight. That little bit of extra room was definitely worth the small hassle of a larger turning radius.

I haven't towed a whole lot since I bought this truck (Covid ******** cancelling everything) but if I get more stability, it's a bonus.

 

[Curlymurt]

I had 4th gen rebel with air suspension, 5’7 box before my 5th gen 6’4 box w/o factory air suspension ( coil bags in back)
4th gen short box plate form was very sturdy towing my 24” 6000lbs holiday trailer.
sane trailer and 5th gen truck and It’s all over the place. (Hitch and all, are set up correctly. I’ve gone over it many times)
Maybe it’s not having the factory air ride but I’m pretty disappointed with my 5th gen for towing. I thought the longer wheel base would make the truck more planted but it hasn’t.
i think there are some posts on this site of guys with 6.4 beds having bad sway problems. Maybe it’s frame flex? Only seems to be the guys with long beds

Yes... I'm still searching for answers to make my 4500# travel trailer feel like it's not there. I do have the 6'4" bed and trailer sway. I actually think my WDH has too high of bar rating, but I did get pretty heavy sway without the WDH.

 

[JimD007]

I have a crew cab with 5'7" bed and it is plenty long. Doesn't fit in quite a few parking places. Longer would be worse. I've found the shorter bed to not be an issue at all hauling wood and other things. With the tailgate down an 8 foot sheet is supported so I just strap it in and drive home. I got a special rack for long things and have carried 17 foot sticks of molding on the top. The same rack will support a few hundred pounds of long pieces in the bed and I've used that capability too (for 12 foot lumber).

If your truck will be a crew cab, I do not recommend a longer bed. I think becomes too big for a daily. I also do not think you need it for towing. I used to use a little Suzuki SUV to tow my fishing boat. Boat trailer was significantly longer than the SUV but that was never an issue at all. I'd worry about towing something heavier than your truck (without special equipment) and I make sure to have sufficient tongue weight to avoid sway but with basic precautions towing goes smoothly.