mark11

First and foremost, as the new guy here, I appreciate the insight and good will of everyone that makes this forum lively and helpful.

Within the next year I anticpate purchasing an '06 2500 diesel as well as a thirty foot 5er, for my young family to use for many years to come. Since the commuter cars take the brunt of the mileage, and the '88 F150 the brunt of the abuse around the ranch, I foresee the diesel being used exclusively for short and x-country vacations a half-dozen times a year. Granted the two kids are less than five years old, I suspect that they'll both be in the six foot range, and would benefit from the additional room in the Mega Cab.

Granted there's sliding hitches and the like, that help to minimize the impact of the Mega's short bed, but are there other concerns or issues that I should be aware of in choosing either of these models? Do certain hitches work better with either model? Are there other pros and cons?

Thanks

OldDodgeOwner

I'd probably look at how long you plan on keepin it, if you figure on trading it in the next few years, I'd get a quadcab now and a megacab later as your kids grow. If your like me and don't trade too often, I'd just get the megacab. It'll work fine with a 5th wheel, just gotta pay a little closer attention...

SundayMoney

It really sucks that Dodge doesn't put a long bed behind the MC. I know you can have the LB conversion done to a MC,but thats a hassle when you could buy one from the factory.

I wouldn't own a short bed truck with a fifth wheel. There just isn't enough room in the bed with the hitch and trailer taking up space.

Colo_River_Ram

Now if only they put the mega-cab on the 45/5500 trucks

Jeff in TD

Cab wise, as I understand it rumor has it the mega (and probably quad) are going away soon, in favor of more of a crew cab, that will come with a long box... If I had to run a short box/5th wheel, I think I'd plan on spending the $$$ for an automatic slider. It would be cheaper than fixing even a light smack.

I'd also suggest that you consider a 3500 series, and maybe even a dually. A 30' 5th wheel can have a pin weight of around 2000 pounds, plus a couple hundred pounds of hitch weight, camping gear that ends up in the bed, and a family in the cab... It adds up in a hurry.

In 03 I got a SRW 3500 long bed, figuring I wouldn't want anything much longer than 32' in a toyhauler... After using one for a while, I've found that I'd like to have a 14' seperate garage, and that I could probably get a 40 footer in most places I take the 30' one anyway... Which meant switching to a dually.

If all you are doing with the truck is towing anyway (as opposed to morning drive thru trips), a dually wouldn't be needed for a 30' 5th wheel but it would be more stable on uneven narrow roads, and you wouldn't have the expense of buying another truck if your family decided a bigger 5er would fit better...

Sorry about the long post.

JuzPlaneKrazy

I pulled a 40' toy hauler with my Mega Cab and never had a problem.
You will need a slider for sure.

supr

If you go Mega, get the Pullrite slider hitch. It is the best, about $2k I think. A long bed is better, and the quad cab is not that small.
Yes, get the dually. You will be glad you did!
You can not have too much truck.

stumpjumper

coming from experience. i've done it before. if you get a fifth with a short bed get the auto slider (pullrite) or get the pivoting pin box (sidewinder) from fifthairborne. I didn't do enough homework before buying the hitch i have. the five hundred bucks it cost me for the insurance deductible would have been better spent on an auto slider or pinbox. the slider i have works fine, i just know that when going forward i can turn the steering wheel one and 1/2 turns before contact with cab. as far as backing up i ALWAYS slide the hitch the trailer reacts better and no need to watch for contact.

CD in NM

I have a MegaCab, 5th wheel that I converted to a GN. Best of both worlds, the cab is absolutely great for it's roominess, the truck tows everything like a dream. I got a GN offset that sets the trailer back, have yet to have any problems. If you are purchasing your 5th wheel new, you can order them with a GN.

You really need a 3500 for towing heavy, you can do some mods to the 2500 to bring it up to the towing capacity, but I do not believe you can get your title changed to reflect your mods, so you will have the constraints that go with the registration aspects.

CD

Scotty

I considered paying 2K for the pullrite or 5-6K for the stretch on my mega.
I went the stretch. A friend of mine went the pullrite. Both have their pros and cons but having an 8ft bed and the aux fuel tank is what works for me...at least I still have some bed left for other uses that way. However, my buddy swears he did the right thing. Glad I did what I did.

Scotty

Jeff in TD

And one of the advantages of the stretched mega, is that it is mega-cool...