Honestly it's a lot smoother. Even my dad enjoys it now and he has a bad back. Haven't hauled anything yet.
I would do it the same way lol. SCrew with 6.5ft bed. I'm aiming for a '13, or a '14 if all goes how i want it too.
Honestly, now that it's dropped, I don't notice the long bed. I actually sorta dig the normal sized bed on the Screw.