Can a Tacoma Truck pull a horse trailer?

[wildlifer]

[QUOTE=dralthea;4221455]

I am reluctant to buy anything bigger, because I don’t want to deal with 12 miles to the gallon.[/QUOTE]
You don’t have to get 12 mpg on a bigger vehicle. You can safely haul 2H with a half ton truck and good trailer brakes. I haul my one horse in my 2H BP with a dressing room easily and with plenty of “handle” with my 96 Tahoe – the old body style Tahoes were longer and heavier than the new ones – and it gets 20 mpg (when not hauling obviously).

Anything you get with a gasoline engine is going to get crappy mileage when towing (reason why I am now shopping for a diesel as my towing frequency has gone way up) but a half ton big SUV or pickup can get you 15-20 mpg for driving, more if it’s new as they’ve improved the ratings on some.

LOL – I’ll sell ya a 96 Tahoe that pulls one horsey on the occasional trip great!

[sifu_rhi]

Hello! I’m new to forums in general so I’m not sure of the etiquette involved here. I have a 2017 TRD Sport Tacoma and a 2017 steel 2 horse slant load trailer with a tack room. It’s just like this but a 2017 (https://triplemtrailers.com/horse-trailers-for-sale-details.asp?id=4597) The trailer is rated at weighing about 2400lbs, I believe. My horse is a 14HH mustang weighing around 900lbs. I can pull a trailer, but I am not super experienced. I only have to haul about 10 miles to lessons a few times per week and its all pretty flat and open. No city driving. What’s your opinion on pulling in this situation?

[endlessclimb]

Most important questions: Do you have the factory installed tow package, and do you have 4WD?

If yes, I say YES, with distribution bars (not sway bars). (6800lb tow rating for factory tow package and 4wd).

If no, I’m seeing a 3,500 lb tow rating for that pickup. For that, I’d say NO it can not pull that trailer safely. You shouldn’t be riding near the max of your towing capability at your “lightest” weight.

[mypaintwattie]

Welcome to the forums! If you do a search you’ll find a long thread about this from not too long ago. I’ll sum it up though, many people will say no way, never. Others will say it depends. I’ll say I have an '11 double cab with factory tow and haul a small 2 horse steel/aluminum that weighs about 2100lbs empty. Pretty much all I do is local (within 100mi) but I have done cross country with it. Get a weight distribution hitch, a good brake controller, and keep your weight as low as possible and you’ll be fine, but your gas mileage will suck.

[sifu_rhi]

@endlessclimb

Most important questions: Do you have the factory installed tow package, and do you have 4WD?

If yes, I say YES, with distribution bars (not sway bars). (6800lb tow rating for factory tow package and 4wd).

If no, I’m seeing a 3,500 lb tow rating for that pickup. For that, I’d say NO it can not pull that trailer safely. You shouldn’t be riding near the max of your towing capability at your “lightest” weight.

Hey thanks! I do have the 4X4. I’m actually not sure about the factory towing package. I’ll have to look at my paper work to figure that out. I appreciate the help!

[sifu_rhi]

@mypaintwattie

Welcome to the forums! If you do a search you’ll find a long thread about this from not too long ago. I’ll sum it up though, many people will say no way, never. Others will say it depends. I’ll say I have an '11 double cab with factory tow and haul a small 2 horse steel/aluminum that weighs about 2100lbs empty. Pretty much all I do is local (within 100mi) but I have done cross country with it. Get a weight distribution hitch, a good brake controller, and keep your weight as low as possible and you’ll be fine, but your gas mileage will suck.

Thanks for the warm welcome! I’m not too worried about gas mileage since I don’t travel that far to lessons thank goodness. I appreciate the comment!

[TullyMars]

My 2 horse Featherlite has a GVWR of 7,000lbs, and the truck has a tow capacity of 6,500? Please don’t! If you have an accident and you are not rated to what you are towing, then you can face your insurance not covering you.

[TheHorseMutterer]

I tow with my '06 Tacoma for local and short distances with my older Carry-On 2 horse slant load trailer. I have two smaller horses that I can tow with no big issue, but my big guy who likes to move around…he’s not fun to trailer. It feels like he can drag the back of the truck around.

It’s not ideal, but it gets the job done. It’s towed a LOT of things (boats, cars, trailers, tractors) and while it’s not the best towing experience you’re going to have, it can be done. Definitely want to have trailer brakes installed and drive a bit more conservatively than you would otherwise. My biggest qualm is that you get blown around by passing large vehicles. Highways are not your friend, for sure. You’re not going to go fast, and you’re really pushing the limits.

I won’t say you SHOULD tow with a Tacoma, but it CAN be done.

[RubyTuesday]

It is ALWAYS better to have too much truck than too little truck when it comes to towing trailers. In my opinion, there just isn’t such a thing as “too much truck” unless you’re bobtailing it with a semi tractor, and that’s a whole other conversation.

Consider this: is your life and your horse’s life worth risking over a bit of gas? Is it worth causing an accident, killing other people and losing your insurance, maybe going to prison because of the trailer being overweight for your vehicle?

If the answer to all of these questions is NO, then you have your answer. (If it’s anything else, please hire a hauler.) Also consider that the gas you MIGHT save will be offset by hard wear and tear and expensive repair from the truck being used for purposes it wasn’t designed for.

Also, do yourself another favor: don’t believe the dealer, the guy on the phone at the manufacturer or the guy at the auto show about what a truck can or can’t do. Those people want to sell you a truck, nothing else. Educate yourself on what GVW, GAWR and GVWR mean on that plate inside the driver’s side door and on the trailer’s VIN plate and weigh the vehicle and the trailer separately at a CAT scale. Then you can make a well-informed decision.

[RoughOut]

Welcome to the forum fellow mustang and Tacoma owner!

I haul with my Taco and have a two horse steel slant that weighs 2500lbs. Horse also weighs 800lbs. Never had a problem just make sure you stay within tongue weight etc

I have a tekonsha brake controller that is great. Makes for a smooth ride.

[Guilherme]

The answer to your question is, “maybe.”

Here is a link to your Owners Manual: https://cdn.dealereprocess.net/cdn/servicemanuals/toyota/2017-tacoma.pdf

Go to page 174 and find your Model Code. The GCWR (Gross Combined Weight Rating) how much the vehicle and tow can weigh to be legal. That does not mean safe. If you don’t know the curb weight of your vehicle go to your local truck stop and have it weighed on the CAT Scale. It will cost you $20 or so. Now do the same thing pulling your empty trailer. That will allow you to calculate the “delta” by taking the GCWR and subtracting the curb weight. NOW you know how much “towing capacity” you truly have. Now add up the trailer weight, driver, fuel, tack, feed, horses, etc. and you have your answer.

The numbers you see in sales brochures are most likely from the Marketing Dept. The numbers you NEED are from the Engineering Department.

G.

[hosspuller]

[B]sifu_rhi : Since you’re not an experienced hauler… a few things I’ve learned.

Rehearse (mentally) the various towing situations you might find yourself in. Examples: Debris in the road. Someone cutting you off and braking. A tire blow out that makes steering difficult. Trailer swaying, and getting worse. A simple tire failure ( can you change a trailer tire) The trailer becomes unhitched. Some one in your lane and a head-on crash likely.

Some instinctive reactions are not the best response. A swerve may be more injurious than a head on crash for your horse & you.

Having these situations thought out beforehand makes responding appropriately more likely.[/B]

[4horses]

When i was a child, we pulled our 2 horse steel trailer with a Ford Ranger. That truck is 20 years old and still going strong. No we didn’t burn out the transmission… We evacuated for two hurricanes without breaking down… Never had any trouble. Maybe we were lucky?

It doesn’t matter how safe you are as a driver - accidents happen. The closest we came to an accident was a person who ran a red light while talking on the phone. If we had accelerated faster when the light turned green we would have been hit.

i think a small truck is fine for hauling locally. Not good for mountains or driving on the interstate. I don’t like driving on the interstate anyway - if i have to evacuate again, i prefer the backroute.

My f150 only pulls 5000 lbs. Make sure to get the full tow package and i think you will be fine. Check your tie pressure every outing. Install a good breaking system. Drive safely.

[4horses]

Almost forgot - see if you need a weight distribution system and antisway bars. Some trucks like mine require that to pull at the stated maximum.