<br> Is there much difference when towing a 5er with a short bed quad cab verses a quad longbed?Ihave not bought either set of wheels yet so I could use some advice.will be getting about a 26foot trailer.Also will 373 gears be low enough for the mountains with a automatic?<br><br>

 

I have a quad cab short bed &amp; a 26' travel trailer. I only towed it about 30 miles(to home) so far but it towed nice. I'm sure the longer wheel base helps w/towing but I know it hurts big time when not towing &amp; making turns or turning around. I drove both before buying my truck &amp; w/the short bed it didn't feel like I was docking the queen mary.

 

You might want to send a PM to Rattlinram (Dennis) and ask him. He pulls a 30 foot double slide Cougar with his short bed two wheel drive and says it does very well.

 

[quote author=Xplorer link=board=11;threadid=13299;start=0#125138 date=1049736963]<br>I have a quad cab short bed &amp; a 26' travel trailer. I only towed it about 30 miles(to home) so far but it towed nice. I'm sure the longer wheel base helps w/towing but I know it hurts big time when not towing &amp; making turns or turning around. I drove both before buying my truck &amp; w/the short bed it didn't feel like I was docking the queen mary. <br>[/quote]

 

I tow a 35 ft toy hauler 5er and I have a long bed. I looked into the short bed but did not want to deal with a sldier hitch for tight turns. When I was in Lake Havasu, AZ 2 weeks ago there were 2 guys parked next to each other with broken rear windows on their short beds from the 5th wheel hitting the cab while pulling into a gas station. (One was following the other) I don't worry about that. <br><br>Both guys did like the short bed for pulling fine except their moment of not thinking.<br><br>Don Miller<br>97 Long Bed Club Cab 4x4, not stock<br>2001 Tahoe Transport 33tb, not stock either

 

Just got back from trip of about 4,000 mi. with my 2 wh. drive quad cab short box, pulling 26 ft. Salem fiver. Have a slider hitch. Only used slider hitch twice, and that was to hook up. Have 3.55 gears in pumpkin. Trailer weight is about 7,000 lbs. Pull in OD a lot but try to keep RPM's at 17 or 1800. But I sure don't get 16 or 18 MPG. The best I got was 14 and that was with a tail wind. Anyway a short box will work just find. <br> Waam Holland Mich.

 

I tow a 34' triple slide 5'er with the QC short bed... very stable rig and does that Cummins like to pull. Average about 13mpg towing with the EZ. I do have a slider hitch which I use only when turning the rig around in my driveway and sometimes at the campsite. Nice to have the clearance when I have to crank her hard to get in a tight spot.

 

Pullrite make an automatic sliding hitch called the Superglide. Well made but pricey, but then so is body work. Worth a look.<br><br>Casey

 

I like the long bed better for towing plus can hold more hay and shavings for my towing needs.

 

Welcome to the site del266,
I think several things need to be considered as far as shortbed verses longbed and then it still is personal preference. I needed a truck to use as a daily driver back and forth to work where I park in a crowded parking lot. I needed a truck to pull our 26' 5er that we were pulling with a shortbed F-150 which we had purchased as a set. The original owner had put an extended pin box on the 26' 5er. However, after buying the Ram and moving my hitch to its most rearward position, I was able to remove the extended pin box.
When we traded that rig in on a 30' Cougar, the stock pin box on the Cougar worked out perfectly. I don't have a sliding hitch and the 5er will not make contact in a lock to lock turn moving forward. However, caution must be used when backing up so that I don't hit the cab by putting the truck at too severe of an angle. Personally, I don't like the idea of having to put my rig in a 90 degree angle. It would seem to me, this will be putting way too much stress on my hitch, the pinbox, the frame, and the suspension on the 5er. You would actually be dragging one set of tires and axel sideways.
So far, I've never had a problem anywhere. I have been in campgrounds where I wonder if having a longbed quad cab in some cases, would be a disadvantage because of limited space to maneuver. I think the most important thing is planning ahead and looking for easy access / exit from service stations if you can't find Big Truck stations.
Just my $.02

 

I've seen that rig pull before, it is sharp and does a fine job too.

 

Same setup as Rattlin - think he stole my trailer! I have no problems whatsoever with my SB and the extended pin. If you plan to use your truck as a daily commute vehicle (both me and wife do this) the short bed really is the best way to go.

 

Dennis &amp; DawgII,<br>If im not mistaken you both have 286 Cougers.<br>Rear Kitchen with center island, Dining table, couch slide.<br>If so you both have a really nice trailer.<br>I pull for Keystone and I do like that model.<br>They are working on a tripple slide on the same frame, The bedroom will slide out also.<br>I also found out that it will wieght about 365lbs heavier, so I didnt think that would be to bad, but it will have some heavier pin weight.<br><br>Nice piece you both have.<br>Allen

 

I'm fine (just me, the wife and my boxer) with my setup. I have the center kitchen w/island - just perfect to host company - the island is a ready made wet bar!<br><br>

 

Allen T,<br> I'm with Dawg II,,,,,,,, It's just me, the wife, a Chee-Wa-Wa and sometimes our 1 1/2 year old granddaughter. I had decided that I didn't really need a slide-out in the bedroom due to the added pin weight on most rigs. If you'll notice that my truck doesn't squat in the rear and the 5er sits pretty level. It tows like a dream that way! ;D <br>Here is the floor plan of the 286EFS.<br>