Because the majority of truck owners now are suburban dads who get a f250 to feel “manly”

Just drive through any suburban neighborhood. You’ll see a bunch of trucks sitting outside because they can’t even fit them in their garages.

Unlike the handy man with a 2500 for the half dozen sheets of plywood and four pieces of drywall he has for his side job while busting on small bed trucks,
The gentleman posting these pics gets it.

I own a truck with a 5.5' bed.  It's great for someone who tows a lot more than they use the bed for cargo transportation.

Anything large, heavy, or bulky....I just bring the flatbed trailer.  It's lower than any truck bed, it's larger, and it has better tie-down points.

If you use it as a primary cargo transport area.....it's not the best.

But the number of times that I wished I had a larger bed are few while the fact that my truck fits in my garage.....awesome.

Truck bed for me is a lockable storage area.  I have an aluminum tonneau cover (I can put stuff on top of it....well, 400lb of stuff) that also covers my crossbox.

So I use my truck be to haul tools, bags, gear, etc.  I use a trailer to haul anything that doesn't work great under the tonneau.

Because most people with trucks don’t really haul that much stuff and they are willing to deal with the occasional inconvenience of lack of bed space in return for less daily inconvenience of parking spaces, etc.

As I’ve said before, most of arfcom is whitebread, middle to upper middle class, suburbs living urban dwellers.  They don’t need an 8 ft bed, but want creature comforts and a car like ride.

Since 80% of the US lives in urban areas, they naturally make up a large - possibly a majority - of truck buyers.  So, for most classes under 1 ton, the manufactures cater to them.  It’s a good business decision.

Personally, I hate the 6.5’ or shorter bed.  I have one, because it was all I could find at a reasonable to me price when I was buying my truck.  I curse the short bed on a weekly basis.  Put a tool box or a fuel tank in the bed and it makes it way too tiny.

My next truck will probably be a 1 ton, crew cab, 8 ft bed.  And I’ll use it to it’s capabilities.  I’ve abused my 1/2 ton to the point of a twisted box, tweaked frame, etc.

The typical CCSB half ton bed is 5.5 ft.

The most commonly carried cargo includes stuff like furniture, appliances, lawn/outdoor equipment, outdoor sporting goods and toys, and home improvement stuff.

The overwhelming majority of that stuff fits a 5.5 ft bed just fine. 8' sheet goods can be carried with the tailgate down. The amount of things that can't fit in a 5.5 ft bed but can fit in a 6.5 ft bed is negligible.

Because trailers exist.

A crew cab truck (I prefer a 6' bed, but whatever) is easily one of the most utilitarian vehicles in existence. It does everything. If I could only own one vehicle for the rest of my life (I don't have this problem, but play along) it'd be a crew cab truck with a ~6' bed.

Our truck (double cab, not crew) hauls kids and homeowner type shit a hell of a lot more than it hauls sheets of plywood. On the rare occasion that I need to haul something that won't fit in the bed, I can always pull a trailer. Boom. Doneski.

Everybody loves a crew cab dually 3/4 ton with an 8' bed, but they're a pain in the ass to live with around town. The modern trucks in configurations you're talking about are selling like hotcakes for a reason. They're just about the embodiment of the Goldilocks principle as a daily driven, primary vehicle. They do pretty much everything reasonably well, except carve canyon corners and sip gas. And we can fit the fuckers in the garage.

Most of the guys I see using their trucks for actual work as a drywaller (or whatever) are single cabs with 8' beds and a ladder rack. The boss has the crew cab.

Because that's all I require?

My 3500 MegaCab fits 4 grown humans and can tow a 43' camper or a 11K lb boat. Attached File

There's all kinds of shit you can put in a truck bed besides sheet rock and plywood.

Fact is, I rarely need 1 sheet of plywood. Or one sheet of drywall.

When I built my garage, I bought entire bundles of plywood.

When I built my deck, I bought 16ft deck boards.

When I remodeled my house, I bought 10-15 sheets of drywall at a time.

I also have an enclosed 26ft trailer.

Trailers do literally everything better than a long ass truck.

Because it doesn't make sense for many people.

A contractor/lumber rack over the cab means your loading surface is ~7 ft high. Not only is this very inconvenient in and of itself, but it also increases the amount of work needed to secure cargo, and it raises the center of gravity.

Those racks are great for things like extension ladders, and not so great for carrying actual loads.

Camper shells limit the height of cargo that can be carried in the bed, eliminate side access to the bed, and remove your ability to stand up and walk around in the bed.

to be honest I dont need a crew cab, but an extended cab 6'5" bed, with topper and lumber rack seems like the jack of all trades type of combo.

covered bed for sleeping in the back country, rack on top for lumber or canoe.  not sure what weight ratings the racks have though.  rack on bed or rack on topper?  anyone with first hand experience by chance?

edit nevermind already covered thanks.  makes sense

An 8' bed wouldn't fit in my garage. The 5' bed was perfect for my periodic carrying crap from Home Despot home and was small enough that people rarely asked me to help them move.

I'd go back possibly someday. I'm loving my SUV now. Want my man card? Come take it.

Leave my truck alone. We gave one on white, it rides nice, warm winter, cool in summer. I barely use the bed, but so far what I Gaul has fit, that includes 50 feet of Rohn tower in 10 foot sections.

Probably get a trailer this year.

This is who I see EVERY time guys criticize 5.5ft beds and crew cabs when these threads come up. "Stop liking what I don't like!" Seriously, the guys that think 8ft beds are the only acceptable beds on trucks are retarded. They're the fudds of the truck world

Edited to add not everyone that owns a truck needs to haul sheets of plywood or drywall every day.

I have a 2016 F150 supercrew with a 5.5ft box. I bought it because I like everything the truck offers. I use it for taking stuff to the dump, picking up random things from Lowe's, landscaping, etc. I work hard for my money, I'll spend it as I wish

ETA #2 for spelling

I see quite a few farm and ranch trucks with tiny beds.
I'm talking people that own >500 acres and lease who knows how many more.

Granted most all of them have larger trucks available for larger jobs.
But basic transportation for ranchers that have multiple pastures scattered over multiple counties it is not at all uncommon for their main driver.

Also, what in the world does "virtue signaling" have to do with having a 5-6 foot truck bed? What are you really ranting against...?

Because I am not a farmer and have a pavement princess
When i go to the mall I can park it in a parking spot

You say that, but a good number of the sheetrockers I see at hardware stores are loading up a sad looking old S-10 or Ranger that wishes it was euthanized during Cash for Clunkers.

Why carry this:



When 95% of the time this will do the same job

You have so little imagination if you can't think of what uses an average homeowner with a wife, two kids, a boat or camper, and a house with a yard, would have for a short bed crew cab.

Also true.

Or 'free candy' vans.

No matter what the laborer drives, the boss still has the crew cab.

Yup, because suburbans and expeditions are totally useless with their non-existent bed.

BTW Jack Baruth, my favorite automotive journalist, has an excellent article that thoughtfully addresses this very question.

I take it that you arent in construction. I  am.

You have it backwards. The majority of the workers have smaller bed trucks to haul tools around. The larger material gets delivered on site in flatbeds, or trailers.

I drive a 2018 F-150 CC with the little baby bed.  I need cab space more than I need bed space.  If I need to haul something that won't fit in my bed i'll just hook up a trailer.  Why would I want to deal with driving and parking a long truck when i'll only realistically need the extra bed length maybe 4 times a year?

Single cab 6.5 bed 2007 chevy classic. In another year or two it will be replaced with a extra cab/6.5 midsize. It would either be a Ranger xl, Colorado w/t r Frontier SV.

Most people don't need an 8' bed often enough to want to deal with the wheel base that comes with it. A crew cab with an 8' bed is difficult to deal with getting in and out of parking spaces. Construction companies use standard cabs because they don't have to haul around children, and they are usually cheaper to buy from fleet service because no regular person wants a standard cab truck anymore except maybe a MGTOW guy or something. Most people have more than 1 friend, these days.
I currently need to replace my xtra cab long bed Ranger with something that's more suitable for my life right now. My kids are too big to comfortably sit in the back jump seats. I had a Tacoma 4 door long bed 4x for a short time (got totaled in an accident). That thing made getting in and out of spaces at....well anywhere parkinglot type parking a PITA. The wheel base was so long that maneuvering it proved to be quite the PITA.
Before you say, "woman driver", I also drive a 15 passenger extended van, a 4 door long bed 3500 4x manual, and a 4 door long bed 4x dually. Sure, I can get (except the dually) into and out of parking spaces, but it requires a 3 point turn rather than just turning in like you would in a typical passenger car. This gets annoying really quickly if you don't actually need the long bed. The extended van is 2' longer than the Tacoma and still easier to park.

One huge reason a ton of people have them here in the city is that for the last 5+ years, they are generally the vehicle that has the most "incentives" aka, they are cheaper and way easier to come by than the long beds. I literally bought the Tacoma because I couldn't find the 4 door long bed in a Nissan literally anywhere in my state, at the time. At the time, I needed a long bed because I used it several times a week; week in, week out.
On dealer lots are a ton of them in any color you want, they are usually loaded to the hilt with all the foofy things people want, but usually much cheaper than the long bed versions.

At this point, though I hate my Ranger with a passion, I want a truck just like it, only with 4 doors. I am willing to give up the long bed, as I don't need an actual long bed very often anymore. Still need it enough to actually need a p/u rather than an suv thing. Now if I could find one that isn't 10 ft tall, I'd be pretty happy. They are all so damn tall these days, getting in and out for my old bones is also a PITA. I don't need tons of ground clearance to go to the frikken grocery store. I don't want a full sized truck, either. I have 2 already. LOL I want something easy that fits my needs as a daily driver. No such truck is made these days. If I could pick the exact truck I want, it'd be a 4 door, short bed Frontier. But they don't make them. LOL
If I was a single guy or something, getting my first new truck, I'd go for a standard cab, long bed, 4 banger Nissan. They have them on lots everywhere and you could walk out the door under $10K....for a brand new truck. But, I am not just starting out, I want a 6, and I want room for 4 grown ups in it, if need be.

F-150 4 door short beds....they were super cheap for quite a while and every "no credit check" type car dealer had them. I've almost bought one several times simply because they are so cheap, then I slap myself to remind myself it's an F-150.

I am sort of holding out for the Jeep P/U that's supposed to be coming out. But, I don't want the first model year of something like this and I really don't want to wait 2 years because my current truck is a complete pile. Jeep doesn't have a particularly good name for reliability, either. So there's that.

Anyway, people have many reasons for the vehicles they chose. You seem a tad close minded if you can't understand that people might want a vehicle that you wouldn't want. Lots of people want Mustangs. I don't get it, but they sell a lot of them.....so whatever.

Masturbate less. Get off the internet and go do something productive. People's choice of vehicles won't bother you so much.

If I buy another truck it will be to suit the things I do. There are times my 4Runner doesn’t have enough room for my clothes, food, shooting and fishing gear while taking the pups with me on vacations at the cabin. I always have to leave something at home. XL size SUV’s will not fit in my garage which is where I park my vehicles. I hate taking the Ranger because 2 of the pups go behind the seat and the other two are on our laps.....but I have enough room for everything else in the back. A good solution would be a crew cab with 6’ bed.

OPs logic would be slightly less retarded if he came out and said anything over 5.5' pickup bed should be a 3/4 ton or above.
I mean what kind of ball-less tiny dick homo drives a half-ton anyways?

This is how I picture them as well, but fatter.

My neighbor is a Mennonite guy that does wonderful carpentry and construction. A set of porch steps on up to an entire remodel or a new detached garage.

He drives a Frontier with a 6' bed and a ladder rack. But I've never seen him.

Right now I have a regular cab 8' box and I love that I can lay sheets of plywood in it flat and with the tailgate down my 12' boat will lay in there with minimal overhang. Next truck I'm going back to an extended cab or crew cab because I miss the back seat, only problem is I don't want an extended cab long box (I think they are too long and only look good lifted) so it'll have a short box. If I get a 1/2 CC it will have the 5.5' box because I don't like the looks of the 1/2 ton CC with the 6.5' box.

For longer stuff I'll just hook up the car trailer and use that.

some people have kids, a dog, bikes, luggage, and want to haul a camper.....without taking 2 cars.

My daily drive work truck is a well used lifted Silverado LTZ crew cab short box. It probably does more “truck stuff”  in a week than you’d ever do with one. I probably own more trailers and trucks than you also. If I need to haul stuff I just grab the appropriate trailer. If it’s more than I can do with any trailers, I grab the peterbilt. My pickup bed has room for a couple shovels, buckets of oil and other Random shit in rotation, it’s not meant for hauling lumber and other such bulky material, that I load on a flatbed with a forklift, and unload with a forklift. Let me guess you do all that peasant work by hand?

I CAN STILL HAUL A SKID OF NUT COAL WITH A 6.5 BED
Attached File

That’s my truck with a skid of anthracite nut. I can actually fit 2 in with the tailgate down but it’s a bitch to unload that way.

Bass boat and travel trailer and associated stuff in 5.5 bed. Need to haul anything I get my son’s 16 ft utility trailer. F150 screw fits in garage.

Just leave the trunk lid off

NUT COAL, YOU SAY... WHAT DO YOU BURN IT IN?

My post pretty much narrated your pictures.

NOT A BIG SHIP, I CAN TELL YOU THAT.

Real men buy a real truck and immediately drive it from the dealer lot to Home Depot for a load of ply, sheetrock and 2x4s.  Any other use for a pickup is pure faggotry.  Basically, no giant load of construction supplies in the bed means that the truck owner is just advertising that he likes to suck dicks.  

On the other hand...in the real world...

I have a 5.5 bed Titan, and it has (in the bed) carried:
Motorcycles
Concrete retaining wall block
Gravel
Firewood I felled, cut and hand split
Chainsaws, and other yard tools
Uncounted bags of mulch
Groceries
Bags of lump charcoal
Furniture
Guns
Ammo
Gas cans
Innumerable loads of supplies and equipment from Home Depot
100 foot drain snakes
Bags of donations for Salvation Army
Extension ladders
Power tools galore
Woodworking tools galore
Bags of concrete
Entire apartments full of belongings

But...I guess, I don't use my pick up for real, since it isn't a long bed.

Plenty of room for two elk.

Attached File

I’m still driving my full sized 4x4 F150, and I have a commuter car.

I have seriously considered trading both for a Ford Sport Trac, the 4 door, bobbed bed ranger.

At 59, living in suburbia, my days of hauling tractors and loads of lumber are mostly behind me.

I just need a bed big enough for a tree stand, some muddy boots, a cooler and a dead deer or hog.

And small and nimble is better in town for traffic and parking.

Haven’t done it yet, but mostly because I’m cheap, the truck and car are paid for....

I HEAR YOU THERE! YOU NEED A BIG 8 FOOT BED TO HAUL THE BIG COAL YOU NEED TO BURN IN THE BIG SHIP YOU HAVE HITCHED UP TO YOUR BIG TRUCK

Nearly Everyone I know daily drives a short box. Farmers aren’t retarded like the “I’m so manly I need a 25 foot long pickup to carry soccer gear and ceiling fan home for Lowe’s” guy.

I like them not just for a way to haul our camping stuff and stuff for the garden as well as occasional freight but because they sit up higher than a car. Generally our luggage goes in the extended portion of the cab which allows the seats to go back farther than in a standard cab. Right now I'm driving a 2006 Ranger, but we're looking for another extended cab version. I have specific requirements, these trucks meet them. F150's are nice...lots of room but gas guzzlers, I'm just not in the market for one...sorry.

A lot of people just need a 4x4 tow vehicle, and bed space is not a priority for them.  A long bed means a wide turning radius, which is a pain in the ass.  And a short bed is not useless; it can still haul a lot of stuff.  "But mah plywood and drywall".  Most people who cry about fitting plywood only need to haul it once in a great while, and could just use a utility trailer or leave the gate down.