Longbed, or will a shortbed 1 ton tow a r31 okay

[jcarrdive]

Just looking for advice on a 1 ton truck, should I be looking for only longbeds or would a shortbed do for towing. since we are 8-9 years from retirement, we would not be towing the boat long distances just yet, but possibly 300-400 miles over the next few years on certain vacations.
Any advice is appreciated.
jeff

 

[jcarrdive]

Woops, it was supposed to read "an R31" not a R31.

 

[workingdogs]

An long bed is more stable and is less prone to the tail wagging the dog .

 

[Longbranch Louie]

You don't say what type of cab your getting. Some of the short bed super cabs and crew cabs have as long a wheel base as a regular cab with an 8 ft bed. Your just replacing bed area with seating area. My f250 crew cab with short box (6 1/2 ft) has a wheel base of 156". The regular cab is 137. A short box super cab is 141". A crew cab with the 8 ft box is 172".
Compare wheelbases. A short bed regular cab may be too short if they even make them in a 1 ton.
Oh and remember if you ever plan to also tow a 5th wheeler, with a short box you may need a slide hitch to turn corners.

 

[jcarrdive]

Extra cab is what we would be looking for. That is very helpful. thanks! The Tugnuts come through with good advice once again. Someday I will be able to dispence some instead of asking all the time. until then, thanks again.
jeff

 

[Boatdreamer]

Hi Jeff, here's my two cents worth. An R31 is a heavy boat, I would go with a crew cab long bed dually 4x4 diesel even for short hauls. I know it's a pain to use as a daily driver, but the first time someone pulls out in front of you, you'll be glad you did. We pull our R27 with a F250 crew diesel but I wish we would've bought a F350 long bed. The bigger, the better. Good luck with your search, you'll get a lot of good advise from the Tugnut famliy.

Tim
Gratitude

 

[RProffer]

I would consider getting a long bed if you ever think you might get a 5th wheel camper. Some short beds with a crew cab will not work at all with a 5th wheel camper. A mid size bed will work if you get the sliding 5th wheel hitch - providing you remember to move the hitch aft before backing into a tight turn (or you will break out your back window - don't ask me how I know). A long bed will be best. And besides, if you are like me, you will always be hauling something and the more room the better.

When I retired, the first thing I did was buy a new 5th wheel camper and a new boat. Life is good.

 

[rporterfield]

Jeff
One of the issues is the amount of tongue weight the R31 and trailer will put on the back of the truck. With the trailer and boat loaded you may be at 15-16K in weight. That means your tongue weight would need to be at least 1200 to 1500 lbs. Very few trucks have that kind of rating for a drag hitch. The longer the box the less weight capacity, because the weight of the box is taken off of the total capacity. I think the largest capacity out there is the new monster RAM duelly. If I were going to have to pull that much weight very far I would look for a goose neck trailer, where the load is centered in the bed. Then you can put more weight on the tongue, like a 5th wheel trailer. Pulls much straiter, handles better in the wind and does not wander. If you could use a goose neck you could run with the 6.5 box and a single axle. I pull a 15,500 5th wheel with my Chev 2500 HD. I do have air shocks and 285 tires rated at 3750 lbs each.
Robert, Buoy Navigator R27

 

[mspaugy]

if you get a long bed crew cab which is what I have the one thing that is a real pain in the a@@ is parking when it is your daily driver...

 

[jcarrdive]

Both of us (Ela and myself) have small compact cars as our daily river, so the truck would be for the boat and for long trips with the two dogs only. Great advice thus far!

 

[JamesTXSD]

We have a GMC 2500 Duramax w/Allison, crewcab with the 6.5' bed. We tow our boat (C-Dory 25) which weights less than an R-31 and a HitchHiker 5th wheel, which weighs more than an R-31. Over 40,000 miles towing the 5th wheel, and zero issues with the short bed and a non-sliding hitch. As the selling dealer told me: if you need to turn MORE THAN 90 DEGREES, you are putting WAY too much torque on the trailer axles/tires.

For heavy bed loads, the dually is a good way to go. For pulling a boat out of a slippery ramp, you will appreciate single rear wheels and 4-wheel drive. Our truck is single rear wheels and 4WD, and does great with the boat and the 5th wheel. If you go with a frame mounted hitch, I'd suggest a weight distributing hitch for the load weight of the R-31. A gooseneck would be a good way to tow that load, since your truck is probably rated for more towing weight with a 5th wheel/gooseneck arrangement (ours is).

From my perspective, the 3500 can handle more bed weight; the trade off is a rougher ride when you aren't towing. Towing an R-31 is not something to take lightly - besides the BIG weight, the boat is a 10' beam, requiring permits in any state you travel in, and restrictions to what roads and when you can travel. MORE truck is always a good idea with heavy loads.

The truck is our daily driver most of the time. The crew cab w/ 6.5' bed can fit in almost any parking spot, but the turning cut of the front wheels means you will probably mkae more "maneuvers" getting into the spot than you would with a car. I usually look for a spot further out - saves on door dings and the walk is good for you. 😉

If I had the $$ to put into a 31, AND I was considering towing regularly, I would looking into a medium duty/business class truck... the right tool for the job.

Good luck with the decisions.

Jim B.