Long bed or short bed?

[minuteman55]

I'm looking into the mid size trucks.
Primarily the Tacoma. And not sure how much the bed length effects the offroad side of things. I'm married and have two large breed dogs so space is valued.

So I have leaning towards the long bed.
If I went with the long bed could I just lift it enough to offset the long wheel base?

Opions would help greatly.
A great forum so far.

Thanks

New to forum, so not sure if this is the best place to put this question.

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

 

[flex]

This is just my opinion. I bought a 2004 Chevy Duramax Diesel short bed brand new in '04. I lifted it a few years later after it was paid off. One of my good friends bought a 2004 Chevy Duramax Diesel at about the same time. He lifted his about a year later and put a camper shell on it. It looks really good after he lifted it. I really like it and wished I would have gotten a long bed and did the same. So my next truck is going to be a long bed.


Sent from my iPad using OB Talk

 

[Daryl 32]

First off welcome minuteman55.

I would not worry about wheel base length as an issue, but then we roll in a full size F250 Crew Cab short bed. And pretty sure the only way to get a long bed Tacoma, which is a 6' bed = short bed for full size trucks, is with a extra cab and not a crew cab. Our son has been looking at older long bed Tacomas, he wants a shell so they can shell in the bed. Longer story short I am thinking the wheel base length for a extra cab long bed is the same as a crew cab short bed, room for longer bed is where the shorter cab length is.

 

[The other Sean]

What kind of "off road" will your truck see? I find I hang the middle of my CC short bed Frontier quite frequently, though sliders and skid plates make that a non worry. Unless you plan on lots of technical off roading, I would pick the bed size you like.

One thing to keep in mind is the cargo tie down track system that Nissan and Toyota have. the ability to tie things down more easily in a way makes up for the smaller bed.

 

[Daryl 32]

I am thinking a Tacoma short bed is less then 5' long?

Most full size US truck short beds are 6'2' to 6'4" long while long beds are 8'2" or so.

 

[squishware]

Desert or mountains? Sleep in the bed or Tent?

 

[Justin Forrest]

So many relevant points here. What else will the truck be used for? Daily driver? DIY home projects? So many variables. I have a long bed Tacoma and there are very few times that I wish I had a short bed.

 

[minuteman55]

I live E of Tulsa,OK . Arkansas is the closest good offroad areas for me I can be in Fayetteville in about a hour.

I currently have a Ford Excursion diesel 4x4 but it is a pain to park anywhere. And I don't have anything that I tow so it's really not needed. The Tacoma will be a daily driver and weekend warrior. Plan on putting a shell on it and keeping the dogs in the back at night,and want to do a roof top tent of some kind for me and the wife.

But also trying to get into nursing school currently, wife is already a nurse. But the long term goal is to do travel nursing. And what would be a better way to go than to overlanding to
different locations to work. So really the truck needs to be really well rounded. Because their is no telling where I may end up.

The first upgrade will be a larger fuel tank. I can be in Denver,CO in a day with my Excursion would like to be able to do the same with the Tacoma and not stop every 150 to 200 miles for fuel.

Sent from my SM-T280 using Tapatalk

 

[Daryl 32]

Off topic some - what mileage are you getting with your Excursion? Our SD has a 31 gal tank, it averages about 13.5 mpg currently which is close to 375 to 400 miles per tank full. I usually drive 65 to 75 now because of the new 4:10 gears in the rear.

 

[Justin Forrest]

I get 250-280 out of a with 33's and good amount of armor. Sounds to me like a long bed would suite you're needs. There are a few companies making long range tanks. New rear springs would also be advisable.

 

[minuteman55]

Off topic some - what mileage are you getting with your Excursion? Our SD has a 31 gal tank, it averages about 13.5 mpg currently which is close to 375 to 400 miles per tank full. I usually drive 65 to 75 now because of the new 4:10 gears in the rear.

19 highway, my average is 16. I have a 40 gallon fuel tank.

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

 

[EscoTerrestrial]

I have a toyota tacoma 2015 double cab/long bed. Honestly i did it for the room i got a leer cap and put 2 baja flat racks on cap and cab of truck. I wouldnt have it any different all around it just feels right.

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk

 

[Arizona Overland]

First off welcome minuteman55.

I would not worry about wheel base length as an issue, but then we roll in a full size F250 Crew Cab short bed. And pretty sure the only way to get a long bed Tacoma, which is a 6' bed = short bed for full size trucks, is with a extra cab and not a crew cab. Our son has been looking at older long bed Tacomas, he wants a shell so they can shell in the bed. Longer story short I am thinking the wheel base length for a extra cab long bed is the same as a crew cab short bed, room for longer bed is where the shorter cab length is.

 

[Arizona Overland]

I'm looking into the mid size trucks.
Primarily the Tacoma. And not sure how much the bed length effects the offroad side of things. I'm married and have two large breed dogs so space is valued.

So I have leaning towards the long bed.
If I went with the long bed could I just lift it enough to offset the long wheel base?

Opions would help greatly.
A great forum so far.

Thanks

New to forum, so not sure if this is the best place to put this question.

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

I lifted mine 2" and went with 265/75s. So I have gained 2 1/2 inches over stock. I actually raised it around 3" in back, but when I got the Tent and bars and all the gear it is about 2. This has helped immensely with the breakover, and IMO works perfectly.
I went with Bilstien 5100s on all four corners, extended travel in the rear, Stock springs in front and Dakars in the rear.Carrier bearing spacers to correct driveline angle. Ive got shims for the rear, but haven't gotten around to installing them yet. I will eventually, but I am not having any issues without them. Once I get a front bull bar, winch, and armor Ill probably replace the fronts with OMEs. But the way the truck is now, it rides great and works great. I couldn't be happier.
Pick in the post above is how it sits now, sans tent.

 

[Murphy Slaw]

Like mentioned, a 6' bed IS a short bed for full sized rigs. I couldn't imagine less than 6'.

 

[SoTexTacoma]

I have actually owned a long bed Taco and and currently have a short box. The 6 footer was an '07 non-TRD 4WD. That meant no locker, A-Trac, or any other traction features. Don't get me wrong, I still wheeled it a few times a year and was happy with the extra room for home projects. On the trails, there were a few tight spots that required a 3 point turn to complete.
Gratuitous pic of the old trail limo.


I currently own a TRDOffroad with the traction control features I was missing in the first Taco and am completely satisfied with it. So far, I haven't missed the long box and have been able accommodate all my small projects. If I ever have the need for more carrying cap, I can use a trailer, lol.

 

[Joey D]

I have a long bed Tacoma, mainly because that's the only thing they had on the lot when I went to buy it, but also because I wanted to be able to sleep in it. I'm 5'10" so I fit back there no problem. It's also nice to have the long bed when I need to go to Home Depot and pick up lumber or when I was hauling a quad around.

 

[minuteman55]

Thanks for all the help so far.

Sent from my SM-T280 using Tapatalk

 

[Demo243]

Ive got a '15 4 door long bed (DCLB) and had 2001 ext cab before that. The DCLB is definitely longer compared to my old 2001 but the 2nd and 3rd gen tacomas are just bigger in general. Wheeling with a couple short bed 4 doors there were a couple turns I had to 3 point where they were just able to squeeze by.... but for me it there was no decision to be made... I wanted 4 doors to have a full rear seat and needed to have the 6 foot bed for surfboards, bikes, gear, sleeping in... etc.

If you are thinking about sleeping back there you can cheaply and easily build a quickly removable platform. There are two notches on either side of the bed about 9" up from the floor that fit a 2x6/2x8 nicely then get two sheets of 3/4 ply and trim em down and your good to go.

Its a personal call... if you want to wheel it more and in tighter spots a SB will be better suited... but if you want to sleep back there and carry crap then LB is the way to go. For me I dont plan on rock crawling this rig, just want something to haul my gear and get me out in the woods.

If you dont need full four doors the access cab gives you small--- small--- jump seats better suited to storing gear and a 6ft bed

 

[000]

I have a 2015 dcsb trd off-road because I wanted the break over angle and turning radius for off-roading. It would take a lot of lift to make up for the extra wheel base The 5' bed definitely took awhile to get used to coming from a 2008 tundra, but with creative packing of gear it definitely makes up with off-road capability. It completely depends on what your needs are. I have a rtt so that saves a lot off space as our bedding and tent is on the shell, the fridge on a slider takes space, but a bigger cooler with ice does too. A cargo rack is in my future to pack bulky light stuff like chairs, table etc which will make it perfect. Our back seat is for the dog also, so that space is spoken for. It was definitely a tough decision, but I wanted to be able to do more technical trails, so I compromised on space.


Sent from my iPhone using OB Talk