you have missed the point. We (the people here) frequently have moving parties for the others in our church. This means we pile up the crap from someone's house and move it, ususally in a morning or an afternoon. Take your beloved Screw and load it up, bed extender may help you, but...

The point is, its not necessarily any ONE particular item. It is just that your bed is too damn small. period. I'm done

 

Sorry to again find myself supporting the minority opinion here, but I just don't believe the bed on the SCrew is too small. To me, it's simply proportionately sized to best fit the design spec for the truck. I am however happy to see that I'm not the only one that gets shanghied from time to time into moving folks. One suggestion for you that I already took myself. If you're gonna be moving folks frequently, find a friend (or two) and split the expense of a small utility trailer. I bought a used 6x10 open single axle trailer from a yard service guy that was going outa business for $400 (split two ways was $200 a piece). This option gives you the best of all worlds: short turning radius of the SCrew when not towing, good looks of the truck (IMO), the ability to haul even more stuff than you could in a long bed truck, and minimal outa pocket expense. The lower load hieght of the trailer is also a big plus when loading / unloading that monster sofa.

Moral of the story for me is: The SCrew hauls what it was designed to haul and I use a utility trailer (i.e. the right tool) when I have to haul massive amounts of stuff.

-Mike-

 

"find a friend (or two) and split the expense of a small utility trailer. I bought a used 6x10 open single axle trailer from a yard service guy that was going outa business for $400 (split two ways was $200 a piece). This option gives you the best of all worlds: short turning radius of the SCrew when not towing, good looks of the truck (IMO), the ability to haul even more stuff than you could in a long bed truck, and minimal outa pocket "


Mike,

I am happy for you that you are satisfied with the bed on your truck. The point of the matter is however, there is a reason 8 foot and 6.5 foot beds have been on pick up trucks for decades and decades; people want and need them.

Many people do not want to have to haul a trailer every time they want to haul something. In fact one might say if you need to haul things so seldom that a trailer is adequate, perhaps you need a mini van with a tow hitch. For some of us it is not even a very viable option.

Our beef is with Fords lack of options, not your satisfaction with your smaller bed. Maybe you do not need a longer bed, many of us do. Why should we shell out 35 to 40 grand for a TRUCK and then buy a trailer to tow when we need to haul something that trucks have always carried before? It is nonsense.

 

What does or doesn't fit in a 5.5' bed? in construction many things are 12', with the tailgate up a 12' roll of carpet, or vinyl will fall out. Try putting a four wheeler in and shutting the tailgate so you can tow the boat. Racks to hold two 4x4's require almost 6.6', just to name a few.

 

With my 2000 6.5 foot bed I could haul my quad and my nieces lt80 quad crossways in the front. My front tires on the tailgate, backed in, but it worked fine. With my crew one quad......no extra room either.....

With 6.5 foot bed I hauled 80 retaining wall blocks at a time. 30 lbs each. I was able to spread them out and it worked for a short trip. With the Crew......too tail heavy.

With my 6.5 foot bed I was able to haul 6 10 foot dock sections to the cottage. With the crew it is hanging over the tailgate by a lot.

Already said, but furniture especially sofas the Crew is not worth a lot.

Need more?????

I too got the Crew because it is the best thing out there. It is however a compromise at best. In my mind it is severely lacking in the bed size dept. I too needed the extra cab space. To get that I gave up bed space. Was it worth it ? When I need to have 4 people in the truck yes.......
When I'm trying to get everything in one load.....sometimes not.
The GM 1500 HD never really did it for me, but I'm thinking that may have been THE choice.......



-jeff b.

 

I love y'all!!! Started to think i was alone

 

Ok boys, I'm done. Just one last comment before I go. Re-read my posts one and all. Not once did I personally attack anyone or render my opinion as the only one that mattered. I simply was looking for valid reasons (i.e not "Because I just don't like it") why the bed was too small. I offered some feedback on how I used my bed and how I found it could be cheaply supplemented when hauling really big stuff. I think you guys have misunderstood my comments, and maybe taken them as a personal attack. At any rate, my understanding is that Ford will offer the '04 SuperCrew with a 6.5' bed at some point down the line a little way. Given what some of you have posted as being hauled in your trucks, I doubt the 6.5' bed will meet your needs either.

Nick D. Just a tip on responding to, or rebutting, other members comments. If you want to quote something in another persons post, instead of clicking "Reply" and typing (or cutting and pasting) the text, go to the bottom right corner of the particular persons post and click the "Quote" button. Their User Name and comments will be brought over into the top of your new post. Should save you some time when posting your comments.

That's it for me on this topic. Good luck to each of you contemplating purchase of a new 2004 F150.

-Mike-

 

Ford had to cater to the mass market for the Screw, at least initially. The 5.5ft bed has worked for 3 years, and the majority of owners are very happy. For people spending $35-40k on a Lariat or KR Screw, that market rarely hauls construction materials, like 4x8 sheets, 12' lumber or carpet. They are not do it yourselfers in general. They haul their plants from the nursery, or big boxes of junk from the shopping center. They keep their camping gear in the bed sometimes, but mostly as overflow of all the crap that doesn't fit in the travel trailer. This is the typical Screw owner.

I have a subercab and 6.5t bed currently. I question the 5.5ft bed for some things I use it for, but I am not as typical owner as many. The 12.5' squares of vinyle siding won't stay in the bed with 5.5ft bed. The 40 16' 2x4's I got from my brother 2 hours away wouldn't work. anyway, I just question it for some of my uses. If the Screw were availible when I bought my 99, I would have gotten one instead and figured out other options.

Like bigdeal said, trailers are cheap and work, but Suburbia, USA doesn't have a place to store one. I have a 5x8' trailer and am lucky enough to store it at my parents. I have kept it at my house for a while, but it is a PITA getting it in the back yard and doesn't add to the neighborhood.

As for a 6.5' bed on a Supercrew: the people around here cann't drive and park their vehicles already, regargless of size. Do you expect them to be any better with another 12"? I have driven a couple extended cabs with an 8' bed. It is a very long truck for many parking lots.

Has anyone noticed the wheelbases? Currently, the subercab short bed and Screw are the same at 138.5". Take a foot out of the bed and put it in the cab. For 2004, it looks like the Screw uses the current chassis at 138.5" with new sheet metal maybe? However, the SC/short bed is almost 6" longer, thus the extra cabin space over 97-03 models. I don't hear people complaining about cabin space in the back of a Screw, but couldn't Ford give the Screw the same wheelbase (and reduce manufacturing complexity) as the SC/SB with a 6" bed? The last generation GM pickups (pre-99) used a 6' short bed, not 6.5'. That may be enough to push some reluctant anti 5.5' bed people into the Screw.

Just some ramblings...

 

APT,
ford proably does cater to the majority of (truck buyers), key word here being "truck". just because i want a nice comfortable rig that rides like a car, i am still buying a truck.
I hope ford dosen't forget that. Maby i'll just have to wait another year for a new truck. give em time to test out that new 5.4. imho

 

It is good to know that I am not the only one who is disappointed in the bed size offerings. I had posted on other threads here and on other sites about the matter and it felt like I was ducking machine gun fire with no back up.

Hopefully the 03/17/03 product guide is already obsolete and Ford has decided to give us an option for larger beds on the nicer trims. I man has to have hope.

 

My biggest concern, and the reason why I even started this thread, is the fact that I already have a 6.5 foot camper, toneau cover, and canopy. All for the 6.5 foot bed Seems kinda a shame to have to buy this all again. Not to mention my tool box. And for those of you that have a tool box in your Screw, that leaves about as much usable space in the bed as a glorified glovebox.

I use my truck for many things, for towing my race car, hauling parts (engines, trannys, rear ends), camping in the bed, ect. And my four wheeler, I can shut my tailgate AND lock it with the 6.5 foot bed. And if any of you have ever had your tailgate stolen, you'll know why locking it is an issue to be considered.

I can't justify the size and mileage of the Superduty, it's not even close to fitting in my garage. And my driving style doesn't justify a diesel. And the mileage of the V10 is horrible, having already owned one. No, I like the size of the F150, the mileage AND power of the forthcoming 5.4, and the general styling. But what I like and what I need aren't currently available. I NEED a 6.5 foot bed, my kids WANT a Screw (they're the ones that have to sit in the back seat for miles at a time and they're only getting bigger). As soon as Ford offers the F150 Screw with the 6.5 bed and HD tow package, I'll take mine as 4wd, with a 3.73 or 3.91 limited slip, bench seat front, XLT Trim, column shift. Seating for six, tow capacity for my toys, and bed capacity for the rest of the junk. I'm so hard to please I know...

 

Misteramx,

You're not hard to please, you just want a truck for all of the right reasons. You really need and use it as a truck being reason# 1.

Maybe Ford will see these comments.

Maybe they don't care and we'll meet at a CHEVY dealer. I hope not.

 

I have a 97 s-cab and a 250 motocross bike will barely fit. I still have to turn it sideways. About 7' would be optimal. The bed extender would be almost worthless because I would have to remove it everytime I loaded and unloaded.

I hope to get something new in a year or two when we pay off my wifes car, and I want four doors. I have driven F150's for 15 years, but they may force me to go elsewhere.

Lance

 

I hesitate to make this statement as it may be interpreted as a flame, but for each and every guy like you that would buy something else because of the 12" difference in bed length, there are probably 10 or more folks headed to Ford dealerships to buy a SuperCrew because it will fit in their garage and does blend a really nice set of capabilities into an affordable/attractive package. I've personally driven what the competition (Chevy, Dodge, Toyota) has to offer, and will tell you that IMHO the SuperCrew has no real competition. You may view the shorter bed on the SuperCrew as a flaw, but when you look at the flaws in the competition's trucks, that shorter bed really doesn't seem like that big a deal in comparison.

As I've already posted out here at least once, be patient. From everything I've read, it appears that Ford will offer a 6.5' bed on the SuperCrew a little later in the first production cycle. I'd also venture a guess that when the 6.5' bed is available it still won't meet the needs of several of those that have posted in this thread. I get the distinct feeling that some of the participants in this thread will not be satisfied regardless what Ford offers. As for me this thread has gotten tired, and I'm off to bigger and better subjects. Good luck to each one of you contemplating a new truck purchase in the coming year.

 

I'd also venture a guess that when the 6.5' bed is available it still won't meet the needs of several of those that have posted in this thread. I get the distinct feeling that some of the participants in this thread will not be satisfied regardless what Ford offers. As for me this thread has gotten tired, and I'm off to bigger and better subjects. Good luck to each one of you contemplating a new truck purchase in the coming year.


Big Deal,

"The 6.5 bed should be an OPTION for the Super Crew and the 8 foot bed should be an OPTION for the supercab. The 04 should have been designed that way from the beginning. Where do you get off saying that we wouldn't be satisfied no matter what Ford offers? We wouldn't be here if we did not like Ford products. I have enjoyed Ford trucks and cars for many, many years."

Just because we don't like some of the decisions made by those who never use a truck as a truck does not mean we don't like Ford products.

You think 12" is not much of a difference but it is huge if you need the room and don't have it. Roll your eyes if you must but don't throw out statements like you did and then say you're not going to stay around.

Big Deal, What do you use your truck for? Most of us were kind enough to answer your question. Also, a flame by any other name is still a flame, so don't hesitate to call it what it was.