So if you can find out all the info about the truck needed for the chart, you can find the exact towing capacity per the manufacturer.
Also, most modern trucks (like for the past ~10 years or so) will be wired for towing with an in dash brake controller and a hitch installed by the manufacturer. If it’s a newer truck without that, I’d be automatically skeptical. (Of course this doesn’t apply to much older models)
Agree on the receiver, but a lot of 1/2 tons won’t come with the integrated brake controller. I wouldn’t hesitate on installing one aftermarket (and a lot of aftermarket ones are better, frankly) as long as the rest of the specs check out.
Also look for a truck with a towing mode. When selected it changes the transmission shift points so it remains in a lower gear longer to get better, smoother acceleration. Otherwise trucks will change gears at lower engine rpm’s for best fuel mileage at the expense of the towing experience.
You csn always do the same yourself with a manual transmission truck. You will also get the benefit of better engine braking on long downhill runs.
Additionally, a weight distributing hitch can significantly improve towing with the Ram 1500. As I recall, the Rams at that trim level are coil-overs in the rear suspension which can really squat with the trailer on.
Honestly, no. I can feel the trailer is heavier with two horses but hauling isn’t easier or smoother necessarily. Either is fine for our Ram. When we are ready to replace, we will get another Ram 1500 Hemi.
Towing packages/upgrades (ie cooling systems and suspension)
I find Ford’s booklet to have better visuals on the differences for ANY truck (for example instead of listing by body style/bed length, they also tell you the actual wheelbase).
The window sticker should give you all these specs, and a little googling will give you the actual capacity for that exact truck - not accounting for aftermarket changes or additions like a camper shell. Also, fact check. Dealers and sellers will absolutely lie or pass on their own misunderstandings. A few thousand pounds towing capacity may not matter for the person hauling a boat 2x a year, but they ABSOLUTELY matter for hauling horses and more frequent use.
Also, we added a leaf to our 150’s rear springs and they make the ride SO much more stable. There are some aftermarket upgrades like that you can make to get a more comfortable ride on a truck, though you won’t add much by way of actual capacity.
Echoing FiveStride’s post - the manufacturer booklets, which can be found online, Google “year manufacturer model towing capacity chart” and they are fairly easy to find, will be best at outlining which options or packages you need to get to the tow rating you want. It also makes it easy to compare between manufacturers and models. As far as finding one with the correct settings and options, it’s not overly difficult. I bought a used truck about two years ago and did a similar search. FWIW, the difference in tow capacity between a gas F250 and F150 was not significant in the year I was looking (2017-2018). I shopped on Autotrader and compared vehicles there after starting with the manufacturer charts. The charts let me know what year(s), make, model, and base level trim I needed to be looking for in order to get in the ballpark of correct specs. I bought from out of state so had the dealer send me photos of the door tag and window sticker so I could do my own research. Like everyone else says, don’t trust the dealer because they truly don’t know. As for the built in brake controller - when I was looking nearly all the trucks I was looking at had one. It seems most towing packages include the brake controller, which wasn’t always the case. But as Endless said, aftermarket brake controllers work just fine (sometimes better) and are not expensive or difficult to have installed. There are several aftermarket products that can smooth out the ride (Sumo springs, upgraded shocks, override springs, fancy shock absorbing hitches, etc), but nothing can ever increase your towing capacity.
For OP if considering a 2017 or 2018 RAM 2500. These vehicles have a new recall notice issued by Stellantis on November 27, 2024 for a “dangerous brake defect.”
This may not be the official title in the notice, since I only just read about it tonight on another site and dangerous brake defect was their headline for the story.
My first horse trailer (and I still have it) is a 2003 Exiss 3-horse slant gooseneck. I’ve pulled it with several different pickups, including a 1/2 ton, a 3/4 ton (gas) and a 1 ton diesel.
I will NEVER NEVER “under truck” myself again. Night and day difference between the 3/4 ton gas truck and the 1 ton diesel. It’s like I’m pulling air back there.
I would tell you to stick with the 2500, especially since that’s what you are used to.
Especially driving 6 hours with TWO horses in tow! I would never voluntarily do that with a 1/2 ton ever again.
I would keep the current truck for the periodic trailering of your horse and get a used Honda or Toyota sedan with low (50-60k miles). Autotrader.com has 348 cars available for ~$10,000-12,000 in the 50k mile range.
You have an 8 year old truck with ~279k miles. This works out to ~35k miles per year. If you assume a PU gets ~15 MPG without a trailer (this is generous) and a Honda/Toyota (Accord/Camry) sedan get 30PMG, that is a delta of 15MPG. At 35k miles per year, you would consume 2,333 gallons per year more gasoline with PU. At $3/gallon, that works out to spending $7,000 PER YEAR, on fuel alone by using the PU as your daily driver.
As far as what truck? I would go for an F250. It rides rough, but it is stable on the highway. The GM pickup products seem to have more “passenger car” suspensions. I used to tow a steel Jackson trailer with a 1990’s vintage F150. On the interstates, the semis would blow the truck and trailer around when they passed me. I would wait to find a used 3/4 ton truck with lower mileage to replace your current tow vehicle, but considering the number of miles you are driving, I would go with a small sedan as daily driver.
Following this thread with interest, as I’m planning to upgrade from my 2000 F-250 in the next year or so.
It seems the total rig configuration makes a difference. I live in Idaho and there can be a hell of a side wind out on the open freeway (and 80mph speed limit = fun times). The few times I hauled out with my old Featherlight bumper pull, the whipping from the wind and semis passing made for some real white-knuckle driving. Going to a Hawk Gooseneck, the first time I ventured out into the high plains, I didn’t even realize how windy it was until I stopped as a rest area and got out of the truck. Whole thing SO much more stable. I do wonder about model years though - it seems like the newer F250s & 350s have a higher center of gravity compared to the GMs and Chevy’s. Not sure if that would translate into a less stable-feeling ride.
Following up to report that after having spent a couple weeks diligently googling VINs and towing capacity charts, 98% of sellers are confidently incorrect in their assurances that the half ton they are selling has the max tow package
In my search of the local used truck market I have found zero half tons that are actually equipped with max tow, so we’re going ahead with a 3/4 ton purchase. I’m sure we would be fine with a well-equipped half ton even without max tow but the price differences we were seeing between potentially appropriate 1/2 and 3/4s wasn’t actually that significant and its not going to be a daily driver for us so figured may as well go bigger. We also live in a very hilly area.
This has been a helpful thread- thanks to OP for starting!
It’s mindblowing, isn’t it? Honestly a lot of the dealerships are the same - though I’d ascribe somewhat MORE nefariousness to their misrepresentations.
It’s much easier to get a properly equipped 2500+ used vs a 1500, that is for sure!
Yep! Though on the flip side for those of us deep in the rust belt, shopping for used 2500s vs 1500s has the added wrinkle of trying to suss out whether a truck was used for plowing. Based on visual clues I would say at least 2/3s - 3/4s of the 2500s around here seem to have seen a plow in their lifetime.
My F350 totally had a plow. It came with the controller and the front of the truck has the plow attachment.
DH checked out the frame and it was good. I have had it 2 years with no issues. We got tge extended warranty. It has 77,000 miles. Warranty is gooto 125,000 miles
We are casually shopping for a truck for my husband, as his company merged and rumor has it their company vehicles will be going away.
I started out by looking for a fairly basic half ton, but have since shifted to shopping for at least a 3/4 ton as half ton prices are so crazy high. A friend bought a half ton GMC with their small diesel engine, and while the full economy is amazing, the cost for the truck was outrageous.
For not much extra we can go to a heavier duty truck we can use to tow anything on our farm with, which is a great thing to have, in addition to the one ton we currently have.
Honestly a lot of the dealerships are the same - though I’d ascribe somewhat MORE nefariousness to their misrepresentations.