Long bed VS short bed debate

[RikDavis]

It is a life style thing. I removed the seat from the rear of my 99 extended cab and put a flat sheet of plywood there. A standard cab wouldn't work because at that time I was hauling travel trailers all over the country and needed the reclining seats to get a decent nights sleep. It also provided room for a cooler and microwave behind the seats. I have never put the seat back in over 500,000 miles.
The 2013 has had the rear seat used by people for probably 20 minutes in 1.5 years. I like all the storage in the back seat area. The 8 foot bed is usually full. The extra turning radius of the long bed is a nuisance at times

 

[Joseph Donnelly]

I see John AH64 beat me to it. It isn't all about just 10" it is the difference between a 44.5 foot turning circle, and 53 foot. These numbers are for 3500 SRW 4x4. you can find all of the numbers on rambodybuilder. I have done a lot with my short bed; a sheet of plywood just means leaving the tailgate down. If I pulled a fifth wheel with large front overhang all the time, sure, I'd want a long bed, but I don't. A slider hitch helps compensate if you have a short bed.

 

[Bob V]

I have always had a long bed, other than the pain parking them -especially the dually- I was always glad I had it. I just recently bought a 6'X10' tandem axle dump trailer. I could probably get away without the long bed now because anything I want to haul goes in the trailer. Lower, so much easier to load, can haul about twice as much loose stuff, I don't worry about scratching or denting the truck, and it empties with a push of a button.