LB vs SB, is one better than the other for towing?

[danheit]

Title states it all. I am going to eventually be towing an open car trailer with a 79 CJ7 on it. Probably somewhere in the neighborhood of 5000lbs. Going to be towing around 450 miles with the wife in the truck, and she does NOT like some of my sketchy "trips", so she will need to feel comfortable driving this herself.

Currently running a 71 C10 Longbed with a 350/350 and stock gearing (unsure at this time what the ratio is).

I am planning on swapping in a built TBI 350 and 700R4 that is on my garage floor.

Reason for asking, is that (and I know this sounds silly, but bear with me) when I do the swap, I will have to have the DS shortened. That's going to run me somewhere in the neighborhood of $200 for a cut and re-balance for the shaft, along with replacing the carrier bearing, which I would do since it's all apart anyways.

I can also go the route of picking up the shortbox frame that I have my eye on, which I can get for $200. I will then slide all of my power stuff under it, and use the swb driveshaft and rear axle from the 90 GMC that I took the engine and trans out of.

I will be around the same price either way, the work that it will take is no big deal, just time, and I will have a shortbox in the end. HOWEVER, if the long bed is more stable than the short bed, it would make more sense to just get the DS cut down. Sound right to you guys?

Opinions please! (and yes I know that swapping frames is a lot of work to avoid a custom driveshaft)

[brad_man_72]

Cut weld and ballance is around $100 here.
Have the driveline shop replace your carrier bearing, that way you have someone who stares at driveshafts 40 hours a week checking the condition of the stub, bolt on yoke, and its a lot easier to straighten the stub without a bearing on the shaft.

Even if you use the complete driveline from the swb the driveshaft will more than likely not be the correct length.

Is a lb more stable, yes. Does anybody care, nope.

The skid steer was interesting to stop, but nothing id consider sketchy.

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[67basketcase]

The lwb is definitely more stable towing. A lot less push and sway. Just put a 700r4 in my swb project and the shaft has to be shortened on it too. The 700 is longer than the 350.

[SS Tim]

Go with the LWB if you are planning on running that kind of load and distance at highway speeds. It just does better. Make sure that 700R4 is up to the task and rebuild it if there is any question. They need coolers and don't like towing in O/D.

[SS Tim]

Originally Posted by brad_man_72

...Is a lb more stable, yes. Does anybody care, nope.

The skid steer was interesting to stop, but nothing id consider sketchy...

So exactly how much heavy trailer distance towing do you do with your truck? Would you tow that skid steer 450 miles on a highway with your truck?

[brad_man_72]

Originally Posted by SS Tim

So exactly how much heavy trailer distance towing do you do with your truck? Would you tow that skid steer 450 miles on a highway with your truck?

I've taken the boat on several 3hr drives no problem. Since I got a economical dd the truck rarely leaves the garage without the boat, the nearest lake is about an hour drive through the ozark mountains, cruises really nice around 70mph.

Would I tow the skid steer that far, sure, it wouldn't be fun, but id probably keep it under 70 this time. I'm sure it would tow better if my truck wasn't sitting on the bumpstops already. Adding a rear sway bar might help stability also.
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[FirstOwner69]

A LWB is always a more stable towing platform. Duallies are even better. You should use a receiver hitch, a weight distribution setup and, perhaps, a sway control system when towing something as heavy as a car. Electric trailer brakes are obvious. You also need 10% (minimum) to 15% of the towed weight on the hitch. Boat trailers usually don't lend themselves to this setup however.

[builtnb]

If your going to tow, I agree with everyone else. Go with the long bed. I would also check the gearing before you do the 700R4 swap. You will probably need 373's to tow. I recently put a 700R4 in my 68 GMC long bed and a drive shaft from an 86 Suburban (one piece), fit perfect. (Used a conversion joint at rear axle- length was perfect).

[danheit]

Guys, thanks so much for the advice. I am fairly sure the condition of the 700R4 is good to go, as I drove it for a little while before pulling it, and the whole setup was nice and strong. It was built as a getaway vehicle for bank robberies, and would break the rear wheels loose at 45 on dry pavement. Gonna try to keep the entire drivetrain all together, as it was a nicely matched setup. Never got it above 75, but I'm pretty sure it will cruise along. Only problem is that the 350 is setup to run on 93 octane MINIMUM. When I first got the truck from the auction, they had put 87 in the truck, and it would barely run. I limped it to the local "fuel station" and put 106 in it. Ran like a raped ape.

I believe I am going to stick with the lwb, slap some fresh paint over the white that is there, clean the interior up a little and roll with it. I honestly don't even think I'm going to drop it at all. I kind of like having a truck as a truck. Love the looks of the lowered trucks, but I still want a decent payload capacity. I will start digging into the trailer braking system soon.

[69GWC]

LB all the way, a short bed will work but a LB will just do it better for sure.
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