I am looking at buying a 2500HD D/A either crew cab with sb or extended cab with lb. Would it really matter when hauling a g-neck? I have heard stories of folks busting out the rear window.

With a goose I'd personally go L/B. if it's a 5vr you can do the S/B and use a sliding hitch. Myself, I have a L/B and use the standard 5vr. Just feel better about it. I also have the crew cab and have had an extended cab in the past. With kids, the crew is a must. If it was just me and used as a work truck only, extended. My preference.

The longer the wheel base, the better it tows, or so I believe.

it depends where the pin is on a 5ver if its ahead of the bulk head you will not hit the back window when backing up witha s/b with out a slide but if it comes staight down by the bulk head you better get a hitch with a slide or you will knock out the back window when backing up and at a angle my .02 cents worth

a64pilot wrote: The longer the wheel base, the better it tows, or so I believe.


I think the ext. cab L/B and the crew cab S/B both have 153" wheel base.

I agree that longer is better BUT with a CC or extended cab and a short bed, you still have a extended wheelbase over a std P/U for a little better stabilty towing. A CC with a 8ft box would suck in low speed manuverabilty and have a BIG turning radius so I would say go with a CC (crew cab) and a short box as a very good compromise as even it will be a bit challanging at times to park and such but better than one with a 8ft box.

Ultimately, you'll just have to pay attention to your trailer when manuevering. You can pooch your back window with both.

Keep an eye, in your side mirrors. I don't care to say how many times I have come close, because I was too busy watching where the trailer was going.

I have a crew, shortbox. Sliding hitch.
Don't think goose neck hitches slide. ?

I agree longer is better, but if you are going to tow a gooseneck or 5th wheel length is not that big an issue for stability. Window clearance is another thing. WB length is more important when towing a conventional (bumper pull) trailer. Even so, the difference in stability, among 2500HDs anyway doesn't seem to be very great. My Arctic Fox, which is a very heavy TT, trails along behind like a dude ranch pony.

TC

I have a crew cab long box, and I don't have any low speed maneuverability issues. It's called planning ahead. It's pretty easy to get around and it is pretty stable. I tow a 32' 5th wheel, and really like my setup.


If you decide to go with a short box, you can get a trailer with a V-Front made that won't be an issue. Bottom line is that no matter what you are towing you will have to be careful, it's not like just driving your truck around.


I have a crew cab because I have a couple of ankle biters as well, the crew cab is great, especially with the DVD, best money I've spent, I don't care how much cheaper the aftermarket stuff is. I prefer things to look the way they come from the factory, just like I ordered it.


crew cab long box. 21-1/2 feet long is a decent sized truck, but I think it is the best overall way to go. Plus you can haul full sheets of plywood in it without it getting wet. Put a Retrax or whatever model you want on it, and you can lock sheet goods in it as well. Too much versatility in a long box, too much space in a crew cab. . . . how can this be a bad thing.


Dennis

A gooseneck behind my shortbed doesn't even cuase me to look for cab clearence because the front of a gooseneck trailer is so narrow it couldn't possibly hit. A 5th wheel is a whole nuther story, but I coudn't hit mine while moving forward, and with a short bed backing up to turn tighter just doesn't happen as often because the shortbed will turn in less space.





I'd sya with a gooseneck it doesn't matter, or the short bed even has an advantage due to manueverability. With a 5th wheel a longbed requires less attention from the driver, but that advantage can be eliminated by fitting the SB with a Pull-rite automatic slider. Any 2500HD has enough wheelbase to tow a gooseneck or 5th wheel just fine.

I have a crew cab long box, and I don't have any low speed maneuverability issues. It's called planning ahead. It's pretty easy to get around and it is pretty stable. I tow a 32' 5th wheel, and really like my setup.

You are kidding yourself and others. Yes you can plan ahead but there are places that you cannot drive a CC long box truck. I have driven all manor of them and the long trucks suck in tight areas anyway you cut it.

You're right!


If the spot is less than 21-1/2 feet long or shorter, it is just impossible to get the truck in there!


Mr. MOTO, we're talking about towing something here. I can pretty much bet you that anywhere you can put my trailer with your truck, I can put it with mine. . . . Care to dance?


Dennis

I have a crew cab long box, and I don't have any low speed maneuverability issues. It's called planning ahead. It's pretty easy to get around and it is pretty stable. I tow a 32' 5th wheel, and really like my setup.




You are kidding yourself and others. Yes you can plan ahead but there are places that you cannot drive a CC long box truck. I have driven all manor of them and the long trucks suck in tight areas anyway you cut it.


their is always ways to get around it. i got a ext cab long bed and this truck is very lond and i have never once had to back up out of something. either take a wider turn or dont go their. their is nothing that you have to go threw. now that i got the truck i wish i would of gotten the crew cab long bed because this truck isnt as bad as most think. and you do have to plan head with any thing you drive.

Wow, snowman, and look at that! yamahagrizzly's truck is a whopping 9" shorter than mine. Guess that extra nine inches is what makes the difference. How could I have been so ignorant. . .

Baimpala; one should not get too cockey. Long story short...camping in a Provincial Park, a guy had a F#*d crew, long box. 29 foot TT. He couldn't get his travel trailer back into his campsite. Goofy place to get into. Also, he was a professional truck driver. He and three other friends spent almost an hour trying.
I offered to try with my crew/shortbox. Took us twenty minutes, but we did.
We were in a camp ground, where the sites were big enough to handle our trailers. But the roads were not.

Max O,


I'm with you, my point being; is he trying to contribute anything to the thread, or just trying to counter what anyone says, no matter what it is, because he likes doing that? Seems to be a common theme with him around here. I'm about as easy going as anyone you'll ever meet, so it takes a lot for me to get set off, but when snoman comes around, he's nearly always bashing, and rarely contributing IMO.


Dennis

We had the same concerns. Went ahead with the short bed. Carefully tested our Sundowner 777 to see how far we could go over. Got to 90 degrees with a bit of clearance (an inch or so) to spare on the rear window. Our hitch is in a "standard" location (reportedly ~ can't claim to be an expert here), about 5 inches forward of rear axle center (estimating vertically ~ ball center to axle center). A number of references pointed to the importance of the hitch vs axle location (less inherent stability the closer the hitch gets to the axle center). Not quite sure if the "window to axle centerline" dimension is different between the short bed & long bed. That could be an important difference. Turning radius of the basic truck aside, it seemed to me the ability to crank the trailer over to 90 was about the most I could ask for/need. Getting it over to 90 appears to be dependent on the geometry of the window, hitch point location, gooseneck tube location in the neck, and the nature/dimensions of the gooseneck of the trailer. There may be at least one other factor to concern one's self at 90 degrees. Our 90 dgree test was on level ground. Because it was so close, I suspect any such maneuver on un-level ground could cause a truck vs trailer tilt/orientation yielding contact. Again, all the above from a new goosenecker. We love the truck / trailer combo. No comparison to our bumperpull. Really different (obviously), took some getting use to how to set up the truck/turn. But really nice. But Hope some of this might be useful. The site & posts were great help to us. Thx all. Best, Tom

TomB,


Great post. I think you're right on the money. As long as you're careful, you should be fine. . . The window to axle centerline is a little longer for the long box, plus there are more benefits for me for the long box.


Dennis

TomB,


Great post. I think you're right on the money. As long as you're careful, you should be fine. . . The window to axle centerline is a little longer for the long box, plus there are more benefits for me for the long box.


Dennis





a short box should work because it would be pointless to offer a truck that cant pull anything.


but for some of us we need long beds. and the extra cab space. when you work construction a short bed truck is as usefull as a car. long beds are more practical for many things. and i would rather suffer with the long wheel base, take wider turns and, park out in the middle of know where than have a usless truck. while some construction crews have short beds their trucks are ususlly loaded to the max with stuff where a long box will carry more with less of a hassle.


to each his own i gues

yg,


I think you said what I was trying to say, only better. A SB is fine if you want it, but for me a LB is the way to go. . .


Thanks,
Dennis

It seems to boil down to this. Those of us that need to haul things in the bed of a truck buy a long box and learn to live with the manuverability issues. Those that don't buy a short box. I drive a 2wd CC Dooley, My brother a CC SB 4wd. We are both happy. Try not to buy a truck for one trailer though. Sometimes people change trailers before the truck. The heaviest loads I pull are on a triple axle bumper pull trailer. Didn't plan it that way, fifth wheels of course pull better, but I ran up on a heck of a deal on a trailer and luckily had enough truck to bumper pull it, as long as I respect it that is. The comment on length was because I didn't read the post well enough, the title drew me off. Any way my last truck was a 97 6.5 td K3500 extended cab. I have noticed no difference at all in low speed manuverability. When they get this big maybe 9 in just dosen't matter

Thanks guys you have given me a lot to think about. I currently have a CC with LB and I find it tight driving in some areas. I don't drive it much though except when picking up feed/hay. I was thinking if I cut the length of the truck some it would be easier for me to drive on a daily basis- which is what the new truck would become. Primarily it will be a commuting vehicle with back up use as an emergency tow vehicle when the dually is away (about 3-4 days per week). I pull a 36' g-neck horse trailer which will need to be blown away by the next tornado before I change!





I guess I need to look it up and see the actual length difference between a cc sb, cc lb, ext lb and ext sb. I am trying to work a deal on that 72 mo 0% apr...

Chevygirl; double check the towing specs (weight) of the 2500 against the weight of your gooseneck. The only problem MAY be your pin weight (hitch weight at front of trailer)

Some gooseneck hitch makers offer an adapter that moves the ball about 4-5 inches or so towards the rear of the truck, think I seen one for the B W hitch, it's an "L" shaped piece that plugs into the hole the normal ball goes into