[Treasmare2]

We have been looking for a new truck....wantyed a 2500 around 2010-2011. Husband's friend told him he does not need a 2500....1500 will do. He is away on a hockey weekend and just called....he and "the boys have been looking at trucks all day" between games. Seems they have all decided a 2007 (!!!!!) 5.7 hemi 1500 with a "couple of added springs" will do the job. They say it has a trailer package and will pull like a 2500 witht he springs.

The trailer is a Jamco 2+1 plus tack room....horses are all large warmbloods. Is such a truck enough for the job???

[SLW]

No. Not enough truck for a trailer that size, much less a trailer that size loaded with horses. The brakes and weight aren't enough for safe stops or control.

[RAyers]

Your husband needs an education in hauling.


A tow rating is a very poor approximation that fails to account for the reality of towing.

What you want to do is look at the GROSS VEHICLE WEIGHT RATING (GVWR) on the door panel. Add this to the GVWR of the trailer you are considering this gives you the GCVWR (Gross Combined....). Subtract out the true weight of the truck and trailer, the passenger and fuel weight, tack, equipment etc. What you will get the the upper limit on what you can haul with the vehicle. Many times this is MUCH less than the tow rating.

For example:

My truck's GVWR is 8,800 lbs. My trailer's GVWR is 14,500 lbs. Therefore my GCVWR is 23,300. My truck weighs 7,000 lbs with 2 passengers and fully fueled. My trailer weighs 4,500 lbs. empty (got these via truck scales).

23,300-7,000-4,500=11,800

This means I have only 11,800 lbs of towing capacity even though the truck manufacturer said I have 13,600 lbs.

Tow ratings are a bogus number and do not reflect real capability of the truck, its suspension, its brakes and engine. You are NOT just TOWING a horse. You are towing the TRUCK, TRAILER, HORSE(S), PEOPLE, EQUIPMENT regardless if they are in the truck or in the trailer.

Also, it is not the GOING that is important. It is the STOPPING. Does the 1500 have a breaking system to stop a loaded combined vehicle? Do not rely on having brakes on the trailer. I've lost mine and was very happy to have massive brakes on the truck.

I bet you will find the 1500 is lacking in ability to tow such a trailer.

[Sannois]

Take it from someone who had a 1500. IT WAS WAY NOT THE TRUCK. for the job.
do yourself and everyone a favor, get a 2500.
So typical, non horse men tell people OH you don't need a 2500. 1500 is fine.
That was the BS my ex followed 10 years ago. And I went along, I was the one scared to death hauling two big tbs on the highway. NEver again. You will be so happy if you get a 2500.

[InstigatorKate]

Also, it is not the GOING that is important. It is the STOPPING. Does the 1500 have a breaking system to stop a loaded combined vehicle? Do not rely on having brakes on the trailer. I've lost mine and was very happy to have massive brakes on the truck.

This!! I pull my 2+1 without DR with a dually. It's a little overkill, a 250 is probably sufficient, but I've had enough times to be thankful for the extra power, and especially brakes to not want anything else. IMO, you'd be nuts to pull a 2+1 with DR and 3 warmbloods on board with anything less than a 250/2500.

[TheJenners]

Simply put, no.

[vxf111]

We have been looking for a new truck....wantyed a 2500 around 2010-2011. Husband's friend told him he does not need a 2500....1500 will do. He is away on a hockey weekend and just called....he and "the boys have been looking at trucks all day" between games. Seems they have all decided a 2007 (!!!!!) 5.7 hemi 1500 with a "couple of added springs" will do the job. They say it has a trailer package and will pull like a 2500 witht he springs.

The trailer is a Jamco 2+1 plus tack room....horses are all large warmbloods. Is such a truck enough for the job???

"THEY" aren't the ones potentially putting themselves and their horses at risk. THEY don't know what they're talking about.

[Treasmare2]

Thanks everyone...all you have said certainly supports my arguement against so I will be having him read these comments.

[cloudy18]

I will add more reading material for him then. We had a Dodge 1500 and I believe it was a 5.7. DH had it before we ever had horses. It pulled our small 2 horse with the manger front--those tiny little trailers. When we got a Featherlite 3 horse, even with one horse in it I couldn't keep it from losing speed rapidly going up gradual inclines. So besides the towing safety issues, I think there are power issues. Especially with warmbloods on board. We didn't have the bigger trailer long before we bought a 3/4 ton diesel.

[Unfforgettable]

No way. They are not taking into account that horses are a live load...meaning they can shift and affect the trailer, unlike a "dead" load that just sits there. 2500 minimum.

[BeeHoney]

No. RAyers explained it better than I could have. Plus as Unfforgettable points out, horses are a live, unstable load. There is a good book on towing by Tom and Neva Scheve that gives some additional helpful explanations about choosing tow vehicles. I'd refer to my copy right now except that it is out on loan to someone who told me they were going to tow their trailer with a little SUV.

[BasqueMom]

No....had a F250 diesel that pulled my steel 2-horse slant load with dressing room
and 2 large TB's like there was nothing back there. Then we got a 2005 Dodge 1500 5.7 engine and it had to work to pull it and the gas mileage was like 10 mpg
towing. Got a 2007 Dodge 2500 mega cab with 5.9 diesel...am happy camper again.

It's just not enough truck!

[babecakes]

Well I'm glad that someone in the family stops to ask for directions!!

asking a guy friend ..... out looking at the wrong trucks 'all day' ....

Just go straight to the source and ask the folks that have the right experience, and a few that have already paid the price for this knowledge and can save you the same.

All good advice well said.

[Watermark Farm]

NO!

I have an F250 diesel and would think twice about hauling a heavier 2+1 with THAT.

Another thing to consider is that you can void your vehicle insurance if you haul a load your truck is not rated to tow.

[airhorse]

We have a Large Jamco 2+1 and I am currently looking for a F-450 to pull it with. Our 2005 F-350 is adequate, but at its limits.

Rayers, you need to do your math again. You only have 1,800 pounds to add to your truck before exceeding its GVWR. Your trailer with horses would be putting that on its tongue, before even considering anything else inside your truck.

[RAyers]

Rayers, you need to do your math again. You only have 1,800 pounds to add to your truck before exceeding its GVWR. Your trailer with horses would be putting that on its tongue, before even considering anything else inside your truck.

No, I am correct. The 1,800 pounds goes to the tongue weight of the trailer. I used to have my CDL and learned how to make the calculations. The weight is the COMBINED not the single. Otherwise even semis wouldn't be able to haul.

[airhorse]

So your trailer magically transfers no weight to your truck?

[RAyers]

So your trailer magically transfers no weight to your truck?

That is TONGUE weight on the trailer. You realize the majority of your trailer weight is carried on its axles? Only a fraction of a well designed trailer actually rests on the hitch. For example my 3 horse maybe hits 750-1,000 pounds on the hitch. I don't even load the upper leaf spring. Whereas 2,000 pounds of hay will put the upper leaf springs to the "stops."

Crossing the scales with passengers and 1 horse in the 3 horse, my front axle is 5,400 pounds, my rear axle is 4,400 pounds and my trailer axles are 6,400 pounds. Well within the GCVWR.

Make a free body diagram with the weights and forces and you will understand how to calculate the allowable weights on trucks and trailers.

[JRG]

The only thing I could add to this is that I used to have a similar set up with a Dodge 2500 5.9L engine. I had the bigger engine, tow package and better springs. In the end it wasn't the the springs, breaks or engine that gave up the ghost. It was the transmission. Big expensive fix.

[airhorse]

Crossing the scales with passengers and 1 horse in the 3 horse, my front axle is 5,400 pounds, my rear axle is 4,400 pounds and my trailer axles are 6,400 pounds. Well within the GCVWR.

Under GCVWR, over GVWR by 1,000 pounds. Your combined front and rear axle weight should not exceed 8,800 to be within your trucks GVWR.