Longbed or Standard bed - pros, cons?

[JM0397]

Hi all,
I've zeroed in on a handful of listings for our new TV.
2020 or '21 GMC or Chevy 3500hd SRW.
Going with this for the recent upgraded transmission and subsequent bump in capacities.

Initially I was looking for standard 6'11" beds as this will also be my daily vehicle. I work at home most of the time so don't need to drive a lot.
But the difference in beds is only about 13".

My brother has a 2020 3500 Denali and went long bed so he can fit a toolbox and few other things.

In a standard bed 5th wheel config, is there any room at all for storage at the front of the bed?
Did anyone else here ask this question and what did you go with?

We are going PT this year to ease into things, with the possibility of more FT, work permitting, as the year progresses. So my assumption is buy and configure the whole setup with an eye to FT, but keep things reasonable for PT also - hence why SRW and not the DRW

Seems to me that extra 13" is helpful for storage and not that big of a deal, 1ft longer... But a good buddy (2500hd, 27' Airstream) swears that 13" is a big difference. My intuition is he is smoking something, but he has been known to be right on occasion!!!

I'm not worried about squeezing it in a garage - this is all about comfort vs convenience.

Thanks,
Colin

--Probable Solitude 310 GK
--GMC/Chevy 3500hd

[bertschb]

I can only think of a couple of downsides to a long bed. The first is fitting it in your garage - which is not an issue for you. The second is a slightly longer turning radius. However, the advantage of a long bed when towing a 5th wheel is huge. It will allow you to turn at sharp angles without worrying about breaking the rear window of your truck by hitting the front of the RV. Extra storage in the bed of the truck is a bonus. All other things being equal, I would always choose a long bed truck. Oh, one other thing - I'm not sure about GM but with Ford you also get a larger fuel tank with the long bed (48g vs 36g).

[FT4NOW]

I've had standard bed trucks and my last one was long bed. I wouldn't get anything but long bed now.
-fixed 5th wheel hitch without worrying about hitting cab of truck
-can have toolbox in front of hitch
-would also store camping chairs in front of hitch
-can fit full sheet of plywood
-i was able to fit 4 dirt bikes in my bed with my tool box

Too many advantages not to get a long bed.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

[JM0397]

Thanks guys, really appreciate the feedback and how helpful and friendly everyone is here!
All signs point to longbed.
Sigh, and I was eyeing a beautiful, rare Cajun Red 3500hd standard bed - it sure is pretty!
Oh well, back to the standard Whites and Blacks!

-Colin

[CoChris]

Hi all,
I've zeroed in on a handful of listings for our new TV.
2020 or '21 GMC or Chevy 3500hd SRW.
Going with this for the recent upgraded transmission and subsequent bump in capacities.

Initially I was looking for standard 6'11" beds as this will also be my daily vehicle. I work at home most of the time so don't need to drive a lot.
But the difference in beds is only about 13".

My brother has a 2020 3500 Denali and went long bed so he can fit a toolbox and few other things.

In a standard bed 5th wheel config, is there any room at all for storage at the front of the bed?
Did anyone else here ask this question and what did you go with?

We are going PT this year to ease into things, with the possibility of more FT, work permitting, as the year progresses. So my assumption is buy and configure the whole setup with an eye to FT, but keep things reasonable for PT also - hence why SRW and not the DRW

Seems to me that extra 13" is helpful for storage and not that big of a deal, 1ft longer... But a good buddy (2500hd, 27' Airstream) swears that 13" is a big difference. My intuition is he is smoking something, but he has been known to be right on occasion!!!

I'm not worried about squeezing it in a garage - this is all about comfort vs convenience.

Thanks,
Colin

--Probable Solitude 310 GK
--GMC/Chevy 3500hd

I can not speak to Chev specifically, but some advantages to a long bed are (In my opinion);

1) Better (smoother) ride (longer wheel base)
2) Long bed should not have any cab-trailer interference issues with a fixed (non-sliding) 5th wheel or gooseneck hitch.
3) At least in the Ford line , the long bed crew cab (longest wheel base) has a larger fuel tank
4) At least in the Ford line , the long bed crew cab 1 ton (F350)(2020 and newer) get a significant increase (900#?) in payload over short bed and/or non-crew cab.

The disadvantages I see to a long bed (and a crew cab vs non-crew cab) are;
a) Larger turning radius
b) Longer garage space (you indicated this was not an issue for you)
c) Sometimes harder to find a parking spot (13" really is not going to make much of a difference here).

Good luck. The current generation trucks are all very impressive vehicles.

Chris

[JM0397]

Thanks for the input, Chris!

[Kevin.lanes]

Hi all,
I've zeroed in on a handful of listings for our new TV.
2020 or '21 GMC or Chevy 3500hd SRW.
Going with this for the recent upgraded transmission and subsequent bump in capacities.

Initially I was looking for standard 6'11" beds as this will also be my daily vehicle. I work at home most of the time so don't need to drive a lot.
But the difference in beds is only about 13".

My brother has a 2020 3500 Denali and went long bed so he can fit a toolbox and few other things.

In a standard bed 5th wheel config, is there any room at all for storage at the front of the bed?
Did anyone else here ask this question and what did you go with?

We are going PT this year to ease into things, with the possibility of more FT, work permitting, as the year progresses. So my assumption is buy and configure the whole setup with an eye to FT, but keep things reasonable for PT also - hence why SRW and not the DRW

Seems to me that extra 13" is helpful for storage and not that big of a deal, 1ft longer... But a good buddy (2500hd, 27' Airstream) swears that 13" is a big difference. My intuition is he is smoking something, but he has been known to be right on occasion!!!

I'm not worried about squeezing it in a garage - this is all about comfort vs convenience.

Thanks,
Colin

--Probable Solitude 310 GK
--GMC/Chevy 3500hd

Hey Colin,

I have the 2020 Denali HD with the new longer short box it is 6.85 feet now. I also have a hard Tonneau cover, for me I have more than enough room, I can store firewood, generator, 20lb propane tanks, BBQ and for the most part it fits under the folded up tonneau.

I should have taken more pictures, here is one you can see there is lots of room.

[JM0397]

Hey Colin,

I have the 2020 Denali HD with the new longer short box it is 6.85 feet now. I also have a hard Tonneau cover, for me I have more than enough room, I can store firewood, generator, 20lb propane tanks, BBQ and for the most part it fits under the folded up tonneau.

I should have taken more pictures, here is one you can see there is lots of room.

Thank you. I assume all the extras are stowed when you are not hooked up to the trailer?
While hooked up, do you have any room to spare up against the bulkhead/front of the bed? For example, I'd like to roll with 2 5-gallon jerry cans, 1 fuel, 1 water. Good habits from back in the Army days. Will those fit while trailering?

[JM0397]

Hey Colin,

I have the 2020 Denali HD with the new longer short box it is 6.85 feet now. I also have a hard Tonneau cover, for me I have more than enough room, I can store firewood, generator, 20lb propane tanks, BBQ and for the most part it fits under the folded up tonneau.

I should have taken more pictures, here is one you can see there is lots of room.

Also, is that a slide hitch or standard fixed hitch? Looks like you're sitting a little further back, so I'd guess slide hitch with the standard bed might give some room?

[orbsah]

At least in the Ford line , the long bed crew cab (longest wheel base) has a larger fuel tank

Yes, I like the 48g tank!