With an extended cab (suicide doors) what is your preference on the bed size ? I'm leaning towards short bed (6.5') over a long bed (8')
sacker2, post: 331455, member: 1229 wrote: With an extended cab (suicide doors) what is your preference on the bed size ? I'm leaning towards short bed (6.5') over a long bed (8')
Personally I would go with the 6.5 foot. With the 8 foot you get extra wheel base. Trucks have a long enough turning radius as it is, I certainly wouldn't add more.
Andy
I'm sure you will have plenty of room in the short bed. Instruments ride in the extended cab.
Short bed.
Currently have 3 door suicide style.
Next year going 4 full doors.
4 full doors. Short bed.
sacker2, post: 331455, member: 1229 wrote: With an extended cab (suicide doors) what is your preference on the bed size ? I'm leaning towards short bed (6.5') over a long bed (8')
3/4 ton, 4 doors, Long bed only. It's necessary for the ATV to ride in it with tool boxes and still be able to shut the tailgate. If I don't have the ATV, I won't have work, and I hate using the trailer, I just want to ramp the ATV off and go.
MightyMoe, post: 331479, member: 700 wrote: 3/4 ton, 4 doors, Long bed only. It's necessary for the ATV to ride in it with tool boxes and still be able to shut the tailgate. If I don't have the ATV, I won't have work, and I hate using the trailer, I just want to ramp the ATV off and go.
Not much call for ATV use in my area, but I always thought the ATV rode on top of the bed, not in it
James Fleming, post: 331480, member: 136 wrote: Not much call for ATV use in my area, but I always thought the ATV rode on top of the bed, not in it
Yeah, that looks really safe! +o(, lol, I've seen a few like that, give them a widdddeeeee berth.
It was 31 years ago, got the first ATV and tried to shoe horn it onto the back of a S-10 extended cab, it was a 2Wh drive version ATV and rode on a wood platform with lath and things slid underneath, What an awful situation, always felt like the whole contraption was going to roll.
Now the ATV's are bigger, heavier, and the trucks are also. The dodge 2500's extended cabs work best for me, I do know some using tundras, but I can't get the boxes and the ATV in them and shut the gate. There is also a tie down for trucks with trailer hitches that lock the ATV in when you are stuck with a short box truck, seems to work ok, but it looks like the ATV is always about to roll out of the back.
MightyMoe, post: 331487, member: 700 wrote: Yeah, that looks really safe! +o(, lol, I've seen a few like that, give them a widdddeeeee berth.)
Pretty much SOP for every survey firm when I was up in northern BC (except come mid October when they garaged the ATV's and replaced them with snowmobiles)
The perfect truck for all occasions doesn't exist. The best one for your work flow and region will vary dramatically. I am leaning toward a land cruiser with mild lift and somewhat aggressive tread tall skinny e load tires. Add a rack and tubes on top for long stuff. Tow package to pull a trailer with ATV and make the trailer right for pulling with the ATV. All in purple of course.
The only remaining choice is do I want to do enough field work to build it....
I agree with the 6.5' bed. I've found that with the longer bed it's harder to access anything you put at the front of the bed, and it's a lot harder to maneuver around.
6ft minimum bed length.
That kept me from getting the 4 door Tacoma because the bed is too short for a prism pole and Tpost.
I'm not sure if an ATV on top of a bed topper of my 4WD F150 would fit to pass thru the local drivein windows, the rear view mirror and the 6in pvc lath holder on the ATV would be up in the sky.
4 DOOR RAM. Anything else you have to make excuses!
IF I had an ATV I think I would prefer to tow it on a trailer.
For pure surveying, a 6.5 ft bed is sufficient. a 6.5 ft bed is better for urban areas as it is easier to park, and maneuver in and out of job sites.
For remote bush surveyors, the extra foot and a half is nice for extra fuel, extra spare tire, and emergency parts and supplies.
Suicide doors are nice, I have them on my personal rig. I would only go four full doors if you haul Familly around for longer trips, or if you want to turn the backseat into a mobile office. In those cases, the extra space is worth it.
My survey rig - Love it!
2007 Toyota Tacoma Access Cab - TRD Off Road (full bed)
I went from a 2001 F150 Supercrew with 5.5' bed to a 2011 F150 extended cab with 6.5' bed. I much prefer the newer truck for working. I do miss the extra room in the cab, but the extra room in the bed,and the ability to have the contractor type camper shell with bedslide is so much nicer.
No offense to any of my previous employers, but my current setup is the nicest, most efficient setup I have ever worked out of, at least for my needs. I do tend to carry more stuff than most guys, but I do perform a wide variety of tasks on a regular basis.
dhunter1234, post: 331626, member: 10241 wrote:
My survey rig - Love it!
2007 Toyota Tacoma Access Cab - TRD Off Road (full bed)
[USER=10241]@dhunter1234[/USER] Isn't the access difficult with this setup?
Crew cab is necessary for the traveling surveyor.
We have an ATV trailer but it mostly stays at Jackson State Forest were we use it. One of us just drives it on the forest road to wherever we are working. The other drives the truck.
beuckie, post: 331660, member: 2245 wrote: [USER=10241]@dhunter1234[/USER] Isn't the access difficult with this setup?
I have had no problems. The gps rack does not hinder opening the rear door on the driver side. The rear rack does not obstruct lowering the tailgate, unless I load it too high. My bed is organized so I can reach everything from the side or rear.
