I have a question for the fine folks at 4 wheel offroad (or anyone else with the knowledge). I and my little brother have virually identical 1984 4wd Chevy 1/2 ton pick ups (except his has a winch. Mostly we use these trucks for hauling wood for his woodstove and occasionally hauling heavy loads of scrap metal to the local recycling center. Lately we have had a littl debate-- His truck is a short bed, mine is a long bed; he seems to think that a short-wheel based vehicle (like his) pulls and tows better than a long-wheel based vehicle (like mine). I think he is just a little biased towards his own truck. So my question is obvious at this point - which vehicle would tow/haul heavy loads better a short wheel base vehicle or a long wheel base vehicle?

Sincerely,

The 10 Bolt Bandit    

Seein how you have a long bed pup.Id say its better for towing/hauling heavy loads cause it can control the load better, and has better stability. The short box would tend to be "pushed around" with the same load coming to stops or coming down a grades of a mountain road.The only way I see the shorty being better would be trying to get it in tight spots or turning around.  

Longer wheelbase is always better for towing (better stability) Shorter wheel bases are "twitchier" because with shorter distance between axles,, less deflection is required for truck to shift track aggressively. Also with high tongue loads, the front load center is further forward on rear axle with a longer WB so less weight is fulcrumed off it so again better stability.