How can that be since you have an extra foot to work with? Would you say a 4.5' bed could haul as much as a 5.5" bed?
F150 - 5.5' vs. 6.5' bed?
- Thread starter zuren
- Start date
I would only recommend the 5.5ft bed for the supercrew if you are in the city. I bought a supercrew with the 6.5ft bed and it was a mistake imo. I purchased it when I was living more on the outskirts of town in my trailer. It was an amazing truck, but I eventually decided to sell my trailer and move back to an apartment. When I did this the truck became a nightmare to park and drive and I ended up selling it. I have also owned a tundra with the 5.5ft bed, I would say it is extremely useful unless you know you will be frequently hauling items over 5.5ft long. I do, which is why I opted for the 6.5ft bed, but what I should have done was buy the supercab, if I did I would still own the truck.
D
Deleted member 9101
Guest
That extra foot only matters if you want to haul something over 5.5' with the tail gate up. Other than that it's not a big deal.
badm0t0rfinger
Raptor Apologist.
This is what I would go with if I only needed room for 2 people. I have the 5.5 bed, I've slept in the bed and having a tailgate down is a must if you want to stretch out or sleep two people. The 6.5 plus a camper shell would probably be best.
That being said I would NEVER buy a crew cab with a 6.5 bed. If I needed that space I'd make the jump to an F250.
Yes, I had the 36 gallon tank. Definitely a nice to have!
Ballbearing
Observer
I've been looking at trucks and researching for a while and that's where I'm at now too: with a 6.5 foot bed I may as well go 3/4 ton as far as size goes. Both trucks seem to be the same width, but the 250 is taller. I have more issues with width than height. Not only on trails, but in life in general. I look tiny next to the 250 and somewhat normal next to the 150. The 250 just seems way too big, yet it isnt that much different on paper.
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I don't know where you guys live that all the roads and parking spaces are so sub-standard. I drive my crew cab long bed dually with a flatbed 5 days a week for work. It fits in a normal parking space and I take it thur drive-thrus from time to time. A lot of my work is at off-grid cabins on mountains. I often have my truck in 4wd low going up gravel/rock/mud roads to job sites. It does just fine. If I don't really need the big work truck I take my smaller truck, a 2500 Suburban. It's a breeze to park and drive compared to the dually.
I can't imagine getting a truck bed you can't sleep in. I've slept in my Suburban a couple times and I can stretch right out; I'm 6'. Further, when I load the Suburban (which is basically a crew cab with a 6' enclosed bed) for a family trip it takes every bit of space to get gear, bikes, tools, food, drinks, etc. in there for our family. It would never fit in anything smaller and that's with it pilled to the roof.
I'd get an 8' bed but since that wasn't one of the choices I'd get the 6.5'.
I can't imagine getting a truck bed you can't sleep in. I've slept in my Suburban a couple times and I can stretch right out; I'm 6'. Further, when I load the Suburban (which is basically a crew cab with a 6' enclosed bed) for a family trip it takes every bit of space to get gear, bikes, tools, food, drinks, etc. in there for our family. It would never fit in anything smaller and that's with it pilled to the roof.
I'd get an 8' bed but since that wasn't one of the choices I'd get the 6.5'.
D
Deleted member 9101
Guest
Uhhh... Orlando Fl, Jacksonville Fl, Miami Fl, Key West Fl, Atlanta Ga, San Antonio Tx, El Paso Tx, DFW Tx, Boston Ma, Washington DC, Austin Tx.... Just for starters.
NotBlake
New member
If you plan to sleep in the back, definitely get the 6.5. If you're going to use a RTT, ground tent, or trailer, then just get the 5.5. I've moved from a FX4 F150 with a 6.5ft bed that I slept in to a Raptor with the 5.5 ft bed. I plan on doing a bed-rail mounted RTT. I'm much happier with the shorter bed. Much more maneuverable on the trails, in parking garages, etc.
Thanks for all of the replies. As I mentioned before, as I'm starting to look around at places like Autotrader.com, it seems like 6.5' beds are almost non-existent. I'm looking for 2-3 year old trucks; can't afford new and 2017 seems to be a sweet spot. I'm searching out 300 miles from my zip code and only find a handful of 6.5' beds. I guess I'll just need to be ready to jump when one appears.
I live in a rural area in a small town, so parking and maneuvering isn't much of an issue.
As for parking in the garage - I live in Michigan, on a gravel road, so getting vehicles under cover in the winter and stormy season is nice. We also have lots of vermin running around that have taken to climbing into engine bays to make homes and chew on wires. I'm eradicating most of them, but it is a challenge; vehicles parked inside eliminates the issue. My neighbor has too many vehicles parked outside and has spent thousands of dollars repairing rodent damage.
When I buy a vehicle, I tend to hold it for a long time. I've owed my 2 cars for 14 years and 10 years. I fear that if I go the easier route and go 5.5', there will be a time in the future that I'm kicking myself that I didn't go with the 6.5'.
Has anyone been inside a Four Wheel Camper (or similar) shell for a 5.5'-ish bed? I'm wondering if it would be big enough to sleep 2 adults and 2 young kids (adults on the main bed, kids on bunks along one wall).
I live in a rural area in a small town, so parking and maneuvering isn't much of an issue.
As for parking in the garage - I live in Michigan, on a gravel road, so getting vehicles under cover in the winter and stormy season is nice. We also have lots of vermin running around that have taken to climbing into engine bays to make homes and chew on wires. I'm eradicating most of them, but it is a challenge; vehicles parked inside eliminates the issue. My neighbor has too many vehicles parked outside and has spent thousands of dollars repairing rodent damage.
When I buy a vehicle, I tend to hold it for a long time. I've owed my 2 cars for 14 years and 10 years. I fear that if I go the easier route and go 5.5', there will be a time in the future that I'm kicking myself that I didn't go with the 6.5'.
Has anyone been inside a Four Wheel Camper (or similar) shell for a 5.5'-ish bed? I'm wondering if it would be big enough to sleep 2 adults and 2 young kids (adults on the main bed, kids on bunks along one wall).
Martinjmpr
Wiffleball Batter
As I casually shop around for an eventual replacement for my Suburban I'm running into the same issue of cab length vs. bed length.
Can't understand why the manufacturers have settled on the 5.5' bed size as the "standard" CCSB for half ton trucks. 5.5' seems to be a very strange choice. Why not 6'? Compact trucks have had 6' beds for decades, and even in "the old days" when you only had "short bed" and "long bed" trucks, short beds were either 6' or 6.5'.
The 6.5' beds just seem too long in a crew cab truck. And the "half cab" trucks (GM Double Cab, Ram Quad Cab and Ford Super Cab) seem too small to have back seats that are actually comfortable for adults to sit in.
It annoys me that GM decided to dump the Avalanche in 2013 since it was IMO an ingenious way to square that circle: With the disappearing mid-gate, It could have either a usable 8' bed OR the ability to carry 5 ADULT passengers, and all in a package that is actually smaller than a modern CCSB half ton! But GM killed it so they could focus on the cheaper Silverado.
My dilemma comes down to whether I want "Short bed/Long cab", "Long bed/Short cab" or "long bed/long cab." The latter, IMO, is the least attractive to me.
One could propose a simple analysis which would be "which do I do more often: Carry passengers in the back seat, or sleep in the vehicle?" If it's passengers, that suggests long cab/short bed. If it's sleeping, that suggests short cab/long bed.
The truth is, I rarely carry adult passengers in the back seat AND I haven't slept in the back of a truck since 2014. So really, by that analysis, either configuration would work for me.
If I'm being honest with myself, the potential ability to carry passengers in comfort and safety probably outweighs the very limited likelihood that I'll sleep in the back. At 6'1" I could - barely - sleep in the back of my '04 Tacoma. A sleeping platform in a 5.5' bed MIGHT allow me to sleep at a diagonal. Probably not super comfortable but eh, I've slept in worse conditions (once I spent 2 weeks sleeping the front seat of an M151 Jeep, leaned up against the machine gun post. Granted, I was a LOT younger, but it can be done if you're tired enough and the ground is muddy enough.)
Can't understand why the manufacturers have settled on the 5.5' bed size as the "standard" CCSB for half ton trucks. 5.5' seems to be a very strange choice. Why not 6'? Compact trucks have had 6' beds for decades, and even in "the old days" when you only had "short bed" and "long bed" trucks, short beds were either 6' or 6.5'.
The 6.5' beds just seem too long in a crew cab truck. And the "half cab" trucks (GM Double Cab, Ram Quad Cab and Ford Super Cab) seem too small to have back seats that are actually comfortable for adults to sit in.
It annoys me that GM decided to dump the Avalanche in 2013 since it was IMO an ingenious way to square that circle: With the disappearing mid-gate, It could have either a usable 8' bed OR the ability to carry 5 ADULT passengers, and all in a package that is actually smaller than a modern CCSB half ton! But GM killed it so they could focus on the cheaper Silverado.
My dilemma comes down to whether I want "Short bed/Long cab", "Long bed/Short cab" or "long bed/long cab." The latter, IMO, is the least attractive to me.
One could propose a simple analysis which would be "which do I do more often: Carry passengers in the back seat, or sleep in the vehicle?" If it's passengers, that suggests long cab/short bed. If it's sleeping, that suggests short cab/long bed.
The truth is, I rarely carry adult passengers in the back seat AND I haven't slept in the back of a truck since 2014. So really, by that analysis, either configuration would work for me.
If I'm being honest with myself, the potential ability to carry passengers in comfort and safety probably outweighs the very limited likelihood that I'll sleep in the back. At 6'1" I could - barely - sleep in the back of my '04 Tacoma. A sleeping platform in a 5.5' bed MIGHT allow me to sleep at a diagonal. Probably not super comfortable but eh, I've slept in worse conditions (once I spent 2 weeks sleeping the front seat of an M151 Jeep, leaned up against the machine gun post. Granted, I was a LOT younger, but it can be done if you're tired enough and the ground is muddy enough.)
