Yes I found this too! I’ve found these guys are almost the only ones who talk about what matters and do real world tests. I’m just a bit lost knowing that what is important is suspension, brakes, tires, etc. and yet there is very little information posted on the difference between trucks outside of towing/payload.
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Thanks for the post! I test drove a 3500 today and it just feels so uncomfortable when not loaded that it makes me want to steer more towards the XD. Have you found your engine to be reliable? I have heard mixed reviews on the cummins in the XD and was thinking to go for gas?
I’ve had no problems with the engine (Hubris, don’t bite me!) The DEF injector pump went out a couple of years ago and that was quite an expensive fix, and the AC went out last summer, another pump if i remember rightly, but my local guy did that rather than the dealership and it wasn’t too frightening.
It sat a lot on the last 2 years. I’m now driving it more regularly which I think is better for all the moving parts. Its a 2017.
When I bought it, I lived somewhere where I really needed the extra power the diesel bought me to get from my farm to the main road. Now, its overkill for most of what I do but it’s bought and paid for…
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I don’t know if goosenecks are different but we pulled with an F150 with an 3.5L V6 Eco-boost that was rated highly for hauling. It did the job and torque was plenty but felt extremely “floaty.” The lighter trucks are more pleasant for everyday driving (it felt like a car), but we traded it for an F250. Made for a stiffer and less comfortable everyday driving experience but more security when hauling.
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I’m a Ford fan myself, so no help with a 3500 versus XD (I don’t even know what an XD is). But here’s my thought. I have my truck for hauling, more specifically hauling safely. If it’s a bit uncomfortable unloaded but it hauls like a boss, then I clearly picked the truck for the job.
I’ve always said my trucks drive better with a load, and seems even more so with my 2015. I love it. I can hardly tell there’s four horses behind me. But it sure drives different when empty. The truck is for the trailer, the horses, and their comfort. Not mine when I don’t have horses with me.
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That’s the deal breaker for me. Most of them time that my truck is on the road it’s hauling, the rest of the time it probably has weight (feed, hay, etc) in the bed. Once you get past a 2H BP, that’s a lot of weight and wear and tear on the vehicle that I want to last as long as possible. I want something built to take that wear and tear so it lasts as long as it possibly can. For me that meant an F250.
And don’t get me wrong, I loved the comfiness of the F150 (and expedition) and had zero complaints with it hauling my trailet and sundowner 2H BP. But when I moved up in weight and length, I wanted not just more weight, torque and power, I wanted a vehicle that overall had tougher suspension and was built with towing as a higher priority than passenger comfort perks. And I’m not going to lie, I also wanted another vehicle to drive in every day. My happiness was complete when I got my Niro hybrid!
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The OP asked for recommendations. If the budget is there a 3/4 ton dually will haul what is needed and still ride pretty nice. Pretty darn safe on the ice, through snow, hills and comfy to boot.
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There are so many variables: where do you live? what kind of terrain are you hauling through? how often are you hauling horses? How experienced are you? What level of risk are you comfortable with? etc.
I’ve been using my 1/2 ton to tow my 2H for ~2yrs after my 1-ton died a hard, expensive death out of state, leaving me with no big truck and lots of unexpected bills. While I wouldn’t want to haul two horses through the mountains, it’s absolutely fine for my local-only drives. I’m an experienced driver with horses, and I know what level of risk I’m comfortable with (IRT distance, weather, etc). I’d say about half the 2H trailers at my local hunt meets or horse shows are pulled by 1/2 tons.
While the trailers are different, so it’s not an exact comparison, I lived in Europe for several years, and most tow vehicles there are mid-sized sedans at best. With my Ford Explorer, I was generally the largest tow vehicle at any of the shows I went to (people needing more hauling capacity used horse vans instead). It was common to see a VW Golf pulling a brenderup-type with one horse on board.
So BL, if finances make a 3/4 ton impossible, go with a 1/2 ton with the understanding that it may limit you. And you can always upgrade in a year or two if you decide the smaller truck isn’t a good fit for your comfort level.
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Personal experience, hauling an empty 2 horse Kingston with an F250 - empty trailer can definitely pull the truck around. Haven’t had a bounce but definitely had it pull us in high winds. Whole setup rides MUCH better with weight in the trailer.
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The OP stated most of those in the first post
" Importantly, we live in BC, Canada in the mountains so it needs to handle decent grades. We do short hauls up to around 4-5 hours at most usually."
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Yup. F250. You can’t leave the city in BC without doing some pretty serious mountain driving
When I was shopping several years ago I wasn’t finding a huge price difference between privately advertised F150 and F250 trucks. I got my very good condition F250 for $12k.
However there are a lot fewer F250 or Ram 2500 out there for resale because the biggest market is half tons if you’re not hauling anything serious, and most folks are not.
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It really depends what you’re hauling and how your truck is set up. I have a 2021 RAM 1500 with the heavy duty rear axle and max tow package. It’s rated to tow around 11,000 LBs, which is more than my 1998 RAM 2500 could handle.
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I found a great spreadsheet on the internet where you can calculate everything based on the trailer and truck. I think this might be it: https://www.roadnotes.com/articles/towing-capacity-worksheet/
I used to tow my Tundra, which had excellent tow capacity of 11,000lbs IIRC, with usually one horse in an all aluminum gooseneck (same weight as yours). The wear and tear on my tires, brakes and alignment (i.e. tires) was substantial. Seriously, I was replacing tires in, IDK, 40k miles max?? And brakes too. Otherwise an excellent ride and truck, and didn’t “feel” the trailer behind me. I can’t say 100% that it was the towing, but I’m pretty convinced now that I have a 3/4 ton Ram.
If you were doing short hauls under an hour, here and there, probably not a big deal. But with what you are doing with 2 horses, mountains, 4+ hours, I would definitely NOT do a half ton.
Most important is to evaluate the specifications.
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Not to pick on anybody but people keep saying for short trips your probably OK. The length of the trip doesn’t matter because the physics don’t change. Earlier in this hunt season, I was heading to a meet and I was no more than 30 minutes away from home when I was seriously cut off. I try to never jam on the brakes when towing but I had to then. Thank god my set-up was safe.
Yes, the longer the trip the higher the probability that something might happen but using an unsafe set-up is using an unsafe set-up.
This is interesting from Ford’s website. Of course it doesn’t differentiate between dead weight and live weight on cargo.
https://www.ford.com/trucks/towing-guide/?intcmp=towing-cta-towingCalc
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My concern with a tow vehicle is not just how much in can pull…the dealers think that is the only selling point. I am always looking at the wheel base. I haul on the highway a lot and want a truck that will manage turns and wind. I had a smaller Nissan years ago and hated towing with that. Traded it in after a year and bought an F250 and a gooseneck.
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I drive a 2020 Ram 1500 4x4 that is rated to tow 8100 pounds. I pull a Calico steel 2 horse slant stock combo with the divider removed and one 1,100 pound large pony (Arab/QH cross) - so roughly 4k pounds, counting tack and supplies. I never feel like my truck is struggling to control or stop my trailer, and I am well within its theoretical capacity, BUT…Man, do I feel that trailer when it’s windy. And no way would I want to pull a gooseneck with this truck and its super short bed. I think the payload capacity is supposed to be 1,500 pounds, but the bed squats BADLY when I have 1k pounds of feed or hay back there.
I’d prefer a 3/4 ton (and a gooseneck trailer) for hauling generally, but I’m making do with what I have for now. And I don’t think 1/2 tons are unsuitable for hauling generally. But, if you’re definitely going to pull a gooseneck, I absolutely would not do it with a 1/2 ton truck. No matter how feasible it looks on paper.
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My first ever tow vehicle was a 1977 Chevy ( maybe a scottsdale?) short bed 1/2 ton. It had a V8 engine and we put a bigger radiator in. The truck itself was a heavy, steel monster and I pulled a new steel 2 horse BP with 2 very large horses with ease.
I hauled all over N. Calif and after we married ( winter of 1991) we hauled 2000 miles East, truck and trailer fully loaded over every imaginable road surface and terrain to get to our destination with no problem what so ever.
I don’t know if it is the way they make trucks now( such flimsy material) but I wouldn’t feel so safe towing a load like that in todays 1/2 ton trucks.
I’m also confused?
I’ve had two blow outs on the trailer, one time I didn’t notice because it was a back tire until I stopped (so it could have been up to 20 min of my driving like that) and the second time I noticed immediately but only because the tire shredded and was throwing rubber everywhere, while I was on the freeway.
I’ve also had a blowout on the truck while hauling. It wasn’t fun but it also was never a dangerous feeling either. I stopped easily.
I drive a 1/2 ton, but always the ones with the ‘super’ towing package with the souped up brakes and stuff.
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This. DH has a Tundra and it pulls his boat and the RV just fine. I briefly had a little 2h slant Trails West that it did a great job with. For local hauls on mostly flat ground, even up the hill to the next town, no problem. For long hauls in real mountains with a gooseneck, absolutely not.
My F250 is a solid truck. The Tundra (which obviously has a different target customer) is just not suitable for that kind of work, even if it says it can tow 12,000 lbs. As others have said… sure it can pull the weight, but can it control and stop it under adverse conditions is the question.
Hauling a boat is much, much different than a live load. Even the RV which can get pushed around in the wind is unpleasant sometimes, though we just added a weight distributing hitch to see how that helps.
A long time ago we had a Chevy 1500 that I pulled a 3h aluminum Featherlite with (only ever one horse in it) and I agree, that felt like much “more truck” than the newer half-tons I’ve been in.
Also… more advice you did not ask for: hold out for a long bed, you will not regret having all 8’ to work with. And while you’re at it, if you’re going to be hauling a gooseneck, just get a flatbed and skip all the problems with bed rail height!
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I’ve been living in flat country for almost 20 years, but when I lived in Western Canada, one day we tested hauling the same horses in the same trailer up and down hills with a 1/2 ton, and then a 3/4 ton. The 1/2 struggled up and down the hills. But the trucks were not the same age or make so there were many variables beyond weight. When I lived out there my truck was not 4WD. Mostly that wasn’t a problem, but it did limit where I could turn around, pull in, etc. I never felt unsafe in the 1/2 ton, just a bit less powerful up and down those hills.
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