Short Box vs Regular Box

Grandpa · October 30, 2014

So what do you like or dislike about your short box or ~~regular~~ standard 6'6" box?

I'm looking at buying a 2015 crew cab and I want the standard 6'6" box because of the additional length. I might want to haul a dirt bike or a golf cart. The crew cab standard box has a longer wheel base and an overall length of 20ft. I can only find double cabs with a standard box at the dealers. I don't think the double cab has enough back seat leg room.

Thanks for your comments.

fondupot · October 30, 2014

Tell your dealer you want a crew cab standard box. If thats what you want they can find one and do a dealer trade for it.

Tqjunkie · October 30, 2014

The truck I had previously was a crew cab with a 6.5 foot bed,and it was perfect for me in every way as there was tons of room in the crew cab and I was able to fit a motorcycle or an atv in the bed with no problems ,it was a very versatile configuration for a truck and In my opinion has good curb side appeal,so when I went searching for a 2014 I wanted the same configuration along with a 6.2 motor ,this set up wasn't very easy to find as there was only one in Ontario at the time I was looking but I lucked out and was able to get it,very pleased with this truck so far.

LakeSpeed · October 30, 2014

You are going to get a lot of different views on this. Some people will swear by the smaller bed. I would never buy the short box. I had one in my Dakota. When I stepped up to a full size, it made no sense to keep the same bed size. Too small for my needs. I had a 1500 extended cab with the standard bed. Then traded for a crew cab with the standard bed. The extra length of the truck is not a problem for me. With the extended cab, the back seat is not practical unless its being used for small kids, pets or adults on short rides.. Glad to see the latest 1500 body style offers the crew cab with a standard box. Long over due. When I had the short bed in the Dakota, there were too many times I had to break out the trailer.

Dropsix · October 30, 2014

I wanted the shorter bed because I think somehow it looks a little better on these trucks. Plus I planned to pull a trailer for my ATV, and that's really the biggest thing I'd need to pull.

ATV wouldn't fit in the short box and doesn't fit in the standard box either, so might as well go short, for me. However, I DID wind up with the standard box. I have no problem with the way it drives/parks etc.

I just feel I don't need that much bed, but ah well. I guess if I do need it, it's there.

RexS · October 30, 2014

I called around specifically for the crew cab with 6.5' bed. They were not hard to find at all here in the Dallas Ft. Worth area. Prolly 1 in 10 trucks were so equipped. You can find them and they are well worth it! I hunt and fish (avidly). I need the extra space in the bed to haul harvested big game animals, hunting equipment, tree stands, tripod stands, ground blinds etc. - and you're right not only does the back seat of the double cab not have enough room for my 200lb hunting buddies but, you would be amazed at how much interior cargo space the Crew cab has when you lift the seats up and expose a nice flat cargo storage area. I can put my compound bows a few rifles in the cases and if I take a friend on a trip we can add all of his stuff inside too! Before this truck I had been driving toyotas for over 20 years and swore by them - but they stopped selling the bigger cab with a 6.5 foot bed so… bye bye toyota! I also use this truck for visiting and driving clients around for lunch, wine and dine etc. I got leather, nice interior, all the bells and whistles and wondered how the truck would be received in the land of Mercedes and Lexus in downtown Dallas and especially how it would handle, parking, turning radius etc. I can tell you customers love taking my truck out to lunch, the turning radius and maneuverability have been no issue. The width of the vehicle has been more of an issue than the length as many parking spaces downtown are "compact car only" - so that would be an issue in any truck or full sized car! Chevy used to be known for a "not so tight" turning radius but, I can say they have made improvements in that area and what I can't "pull into" i can always back into and I can also make a U turn on a regular city street with no problem! This is the only choice for me! Oh and by the way did I mention my crew cab regular bed V8, 4 wheel drive truck consistently gets over 20mpg? I have gotten as much as 27.1 mpg driving from Dallas to Ft. Worth with the cruise set @ 64mph! At 70-75 I get 22-24mpg, and 21-23mpg at 75-80mph. I do have the higher hiway gears (3:23) and have had no issues pulling and hauling boats, trailers and equipment! - Hope this helps!

Tqjunkie · October 30, 2014

I wanted the shorter bed because I think somehow it looks a little better on these trucks. Plus I planned to pull a trailer for my ATV, and that's really the biggest thing I'd need to pull.

ATV wouldn't fit in the short box and doesn't fit in the standard box either, so might as well go short, for me. However, I DID wind up with the standard box. I have no problem with the way it drives/parks etc.

I just feel I don't need that much bed, but ah well. I guess if I do need it, it's there.

back the atv in as opposed to driving it in works for me I know my rincon fits this way and so did my polaris.

nards444 · October 30, 2014

On crew cabs the short box doesnt look right to me. The preportion looks off, to much cab and not enough bed. The standard bed looks preportionate. But more than anything im looking at function a 6.5 fits a lot more to top it off drop the tail gate anything thats 8ft fits without hanging off and many things come in 8 ft.

johnrunner89 · October 30, 2014

I almost went with the long bed as I was looking for change (had a short bed on my Crew Cab 08 Silverado). Main reason was that I was hoping to fit my dirt bike (KTM 500exc) in bed with tailgate closed. Well measured it and it still wouldn't fit. So I went with the short box again and couldn't be happier. I love the look over the standard box and my truck barely fits in the garage right now, so the standard box would of forced me to park outside.

f8l vnm · October 30, 2014

Not even close standard bed by a long shot. The 5.7 short box is just too puny. Get the 6.5 bed. This was a huge thing for me.

Dropsix · October 30, 2014

back the atv in as opposed to driving it in works for me I know my rincon fits this way and so did my polaris.

Don't think it'll work. When I tried I pushed the atv all the way to the front. The front of the atv was resting on the bed and was just an inch or so from the back window. Tailgate wouldn't close.

I still wouldn't haul it around like that anyway. I want more space between the ATV and back window so I would use 6x6's in front of the wheels.

Point is, my Sportsman XP atv doesn't fit with the tailgate closed.

Higgs Boson · October 30, 2014

dupe

Higgs Boson · October 30, 2014

If you need the long bed then you need it.

To me, long bed says "work truck."

Short bed says, "toy truck" or "sport truck."

RadoRage · October 30, 2014

I used to have a truck with a short bed and always found myself wanting just a little more room. The standard bed is great and I rarely need additional bed space. I wouldn't get the long bed unless I knew I needed the xtra space regularly.

EXSlider400 · October 30, 2014

I have a regular bed and use it for larger items, wife's is short and works well for camping and everyday items, Grandpa would only get a long bed because he used on the farm. So get it what you will use it for. Having a folding or roll up cover helps with taller loads as in contrast to a hard hinged cover.