Trucks and Trailers

M

mistymare

"j"
Hello,

Gotta question...

I'm looking at getting a truck to pull my BP trailer. Trailer weighs 3500, horse will top off at 1000 so I am figuring max 5k pounds loaded. I was going to get a diesel but I won't be doing any long hauling.

So, what type of truck should I be looking at? The guy at the GMC/Chevy dealership indicated that a 1500 (1/2 ton) would pull the trailer I have and the F350 would be too much truck. Any thoughts???

Also, why is diesel more expensive than gas right now and is there a way to determine whether over the long range a diesel or gas truck would be more economical (fuel and maintenance costs).
 
Crashpupty

Crashpupty

havoc is havoc
mistymare said:
Hello,

Gotta question...

I'm looking at getting a truck to pull my BP trailer. Trailer weighs 3500, horse will top off at 1000 so I am figuring max 5k pounds loaded. I was going to get a diesel but I won't be doing any long hauling.

So, what type of truck should I be looking at? The guy at the GMC/Chevy dealership indicated that a 1500 (1/2 ton) would pull the trailer I have and the F350 would be too much truck. Any thoughts???

Also, why is diesel more expensive than gas right now and is there a way to determine whether over the long range a diesel or gas truck would be more economical (fuel and maintenance costs).
Click to expand...
You have to take a hard look what and how often and where. It sounds like to me that you have a two horse bumper pull. A 1500 would be just fine the only need for something larger is the weight of what you are towing. Diesel doesn't come into play unless you have a heavy load and try to take it long distance. Have you pulled this trailer before.. Trailer brakes can be a big factor. what do you have now?
 
Sadielady

Sadielady

Ahhhh Florida!
I just found out that my truck WILL NOT pull the 4 horse trailer I got such a great deal on. My husband will love to find out that we need a 30K+ truck to pull our new trailer. I like the Chevy. I have a Chevy 350, 2500. It pulls my 2 horse just fine, but it loves to guzzle the gas.
 
Crashpupty

Crashpupty

havoc is havoc
Sadielady said:
I just found out that my truck WILL NOT pull the 4 horse trailer I got such a great deal on. My husband will love to find out that we need a 30K+ truck to pull our new trailer. I like the Chevy. I have a Chevy 350, 2500. It pulls my 2 horse just fine, but it loves to guzzle the gas.
Click to expand...
Does it have a gooseneck hitch and do you want to sell it?
 
Sadielady

Sadielady

Ahhhh Florida!
Crashpupty said:
Does it have a gooseneck hitch and do you want to sell it?
Click to expand...
Well I have a two horse trailer too that I still have to tow around, so I guess I need to keep it also.
 
Pasofever

Pasofever

Does my butt look big?
I have a big trailer 34' Sundowner sierra with 12' living quarters I pull with a Chevy crew cab dually 1 ton with a 454 gas engine

My small trailer 2 h slant with a dressing room I pull with a Chevy suburban...
 
fredsaid2

fredsaid2

New Member
I pull a trailer w/ similar specs with an F-150. So far it's been fine. If I had the option of a do-over I would have purchased a F-250. A F-350 for this set up is overkill. Check out this site for great info on trucks and trailers:

Horse Trailer World
 
mingiz

mingiz

Horse Poor
I had a ram 1500 that I pulled my 4h stock with and a steel 2h w/4ft dr without any problems. When I bought my bigger gn which is a 2h w/lq 28ft I had a F250 with a 5.4l in it. It pulled it ok but it put quite a strain on it when I would go to the mountains. Especailly on long pulls up . So i opted to get a f250 with a diesel. Now you can't touch me. You don't even know the trailer is back there. The F250 has basically the same suspension the F350 single axle has. I would go for anything less than a 3/4 ton anymore...or gas engine. The diesels are expensive but in the long run you'll get more mileage out of it than a gas engine. Plus on the F250 you have 100k warranty on engine & drive train. I would also go for a 8ft bed instead of 6 1/2. I had to get an extender hitch for the trailer as with the short bed your trailer sits close to the truck and I wouldn't of been able to jack knife it into anywhere. The hitch moved the trailer back 9inches which made a world of difference.
 
devinej

devinej

New Member
I'd get an F-250 - you can pull that 2 horse easily and pull something larger if necessary. i think a full two horse would be hard work for the f-150? is that true?
 
mingiz

mingiz

Horse Poor
devinej said:
I'd get an F-250 - you can pull that 2 horse easily and pull something larger if necessary. i think a full two horse would be hard work for the f-150? is that true?
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ram 1500 = F150..... NO
 
2baymares

2baymares

New Member
Lifetime Warranty on Dodge

mistymare said:
Hello,

Gotta question...

I'm looking at getting a truck to pull my BP trailer. Trailer weighs 3500, horse will top off at 1000 so I am figuring max 5k pounds loaded. I was going to get a diesel but I won't be doing any long hauling.

So, what type of truck should I be looking at? The guy at the GMC/Chevy dealership indicated that a 1500 (1/2 ton) would pull the trailer I have and the F350 would be too much truck. Any thoughts???

Also, why is diesel more expensive than gas right now and is there a way to determine whether over the long range a diesel or gas truck would be more economical (fuel and maintenance costs).
Click to expand...


Right now Dodge has a lifetime warranty on engine & Transmission for the Life of vehicle as long as first owner has vehicle. :yay: It is available on all Dodge cars and Dakotas and Dodge Ram 1500's. And 2500 or 3500 with gas engines only. Yes edited.

Dakota can tow over 5000lbs. and are better on gas for running everyday errands. I've towed with a Dakota for many years now and love it! I tow once or twice a week. I've had no problems.
 
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Sparks

Sparks

New Member
An F150 or 1500 will do fine for shorter hauls with a 2 horse trailer (not steel)

A larger truck will always be better pulling and stopping but also consider what other driving you'll do with the truck. You may not want to drive a big diesel truck around every day. Parking it can be a biatch too.
 
mingiz

mingiz

Horse Poor
I disagree I towed with my ram 1500 5.2 now has 180k on it without a problem and with plenty of get up. I had a 20ft gn steel trailer my buddy towing with a F350 7.3 and a bigger trailer but aluminum I would leave on the flat. But had to catch up on climbs. Never ever had any issues with take offs or stops...I would be leary of towing with a mid size truck yea you can pull but will it stop it in a dire situation. Meaning the trailer will push your butt...JMO Been there....Oh and my F250 is easy to handle and park, and it gets 15mpg around town....
 
Sparks

Sparks

New Member
mingiz said:
I disagree I towed with my ram 1500 5.2 now has 180k on it without a problem and with plenty of get up. I had a 20ft gn steel trailer my buddy towing with a F350 7.3 and a bigger trailer but aluminum I would leave on the flat. But had to catch up on climbs. Never ever had any issues with take offs or stops...I would be leary of towing with a mid size truck yea you can pull but will it stop it in a dire situation. Meaning the trailer will push your butt...JMO Been there....Oh and my F250 is easy to handle and park, and it gets 15mpg around town....
Click to expand...

What town are you referring to? If she has to drive to DC everyday in a truck, good luck parking. I did it for 10 years and it was a major PITA.

I have an F150 and an F350 diesel and I only use the F150 for short hauls. The F350 is a beast and meant for pulling, the F150 can do a little bit of work and pick up groceries.

IMHO - I don't think you can ever have "too much" truck.
 
mingiz

mingiz

Horse Poor
I don't work in the city I'm here at Pax. So I understand now what your saying about parking. A Suv is almost to big for city driving let alone a truck. And I do agree you never have to much truck. I wanted a F550 but my wallet has the size of a mini van.... :lmao:
 
Amy

Amy

New Member
We have a gas F250 with an 8ft bed and I have a 2 horse bumper pull trailer. You don't even know that you are pulling a trailer with it. We also use it to pull a large car trailer with a Jeep on it which weighs more than the horse trailer with a horse in it and it still has no problems. If you go with a F150 or 1500 make sure you get a towing package with it. The Ford dealer told us an F150 would probably be ok but he was not overly confident. We did not want to take the risk.
 
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