Can Real Tundra Users Live With a 5.5ft Bed in Real Life Truck Use?

If you are one of the few truck owners who actually use their truck as intended instead of using it to go shopping, then this article is for you. Chances are, if you are looking to get a new truck, you may want to research the bed size beforehand, right? Correct. Most truck buyers who are in the market for a work truck look at many things like mpg, gross weight, and bed size. Currently, the 2022 Toyota Tundra comes with a 6ft bed and a 5.5ft bed. Those extra 6inches may come in handy down the road but what good is a $100k dollar truck if you can’t even park it in your garage?

Most garages will not be able to support a 6ft bed truck. Does this mean you’ll have to park your investment in the sun all day? Not at all. Owners say they were able to get their bed work done such as hauling stuff in the bed without the use of the 6ft bed. In this truck, Toyota went for more practicality over looks even though the new Tundra looks amazing. Let’s take a look and see how some of these owners were able to get a better use out of their 5.5ft bed.

On Facebook’s 2022+ Toyota Tundra owners’ group, Volodymyr Takach asked, “Hi guys. I’m wondering how good 5.5 ft is bed? Is it enough for everyday basis? I need to haul 3 bicycles and sometimes some 8 ft lumber or sheetrock. Is 5.5 ft enough for that?” Now with his situation, even if he had the 6ft bed, his lumber would still be hanging out of the tailgate by about 2 feet. So even if he had the longer bed, it would still not account for the excess. But hauling bicycles might not be a challenge.

I was recently vacationing at Hilton Head Island in South Carolina and decided to rent some bikes for the family. We notice that the rental company would collect the bikes in a Chevy Colorado which had a shorter bed, but they would just angle the bikes away from eh bed over a rubber tarp. This prevented scratches. I think that with a 5.5ft bed, you will be able to take a few bikes where you need if you just get the geometry right.

Micah Austin said, “Just remember your orange marker on the end of those 8ft pieces of lumber. The 5.5ft bed will work for all of that. Won’t lay flat but won’t in the 6.5ft bed either.” Now there is the 8.1ft long bed Tundra which could potentially carry that with it lying flat, but I think it isn’t worth the extra money if you honestly need to tow lumber in the bed. Just throw a few straps and but some weight near the front and you’ll be fine. I’ve seen buddies haul 12 feet long 2x4s in their tiny Ford Rangers on the highway and have no problems.

What do you think? Would the 5.5 work? Let us know in the comments below.

Harutiun Hareyan is reporting Toyota news at Torque News. His automotive interests and vast experience test-riding new cars give his stories a sense of authenticity and unique insights. Follow Harutiun on Twitter at @HareyanHarutiun and on YouTube at Toyota Time for daily Toyota news.