Horse Hauling Myth-busting Help!

[Blugal]

Hi Ali, it’s Jaimie. I agree a 3/4 is going to be better for the hauls, whether doing the Hope/Princeton, the Coq, or thru Vernon to Kamloops. I’ve been surprised by hail storm (May on the Coq), and massive wind (Chilliwack/Abbotsford). Even the hill down into Vernon heading North gives your brakes a workout.

I’ve driven a variety of set ups throughout BC, from a half ton with older 2h bumper pull, to 3/4 ton with both BP and gooseneck, a 3 ton with 6h LQ, and my current one ton F350 diesel standard 6 speed crew cab long box super duty with added suspension and exhaust brake (overkill for my 2h gooseneck but am considering the same issues as you if I upgrade to living quarters).

I hated the half ton, yes that was many years ago and they are better trucks now, but it always felt that you were just getting by with that truck. 1 horse, no problem. But 2 horses, all the gear, and 3 people in the truck, it was struggling going up and down the hills.

It’s important to consider the trailer brakes and what tires you use, as well.

Good luck!

[NegativeTen]

I’m a little late to the party, but I had to comment because I have that trailer (4 Star 2 horse gooseneck, although mine is 3300 lbs empty, different options I assume) and a (reasonably well equipped) Silverado 1500. I adore my trailer - it’s potentially one of my best purchases.

The truck’s towing capacity is around 9500 lbs. I bought the truck first. I had an office job, spent time downtown, and was planning to buy a bumper pull originally. So I was trying to balance having a daily-driver truck with my horse needs.

When I found the trailer I couldn’t pass it up, crunched all the numbers, talked to the dealer, the trailer guys, and bit the bullet. Generally I haul one horse, sometimes two, I estimate I’m rarely above 6000 lbs fully loaded, usually closer to 5000 lbs.

The short answer is I feel the truck handles it ok (especially with only one horse) BUT:

• I definitely do feel two horses more, especially on steep grades
• I worry about wear and tear on the truck
• I don’t go out more than once a month, and probably wouldn’t want to do a long haul if I could avoid it
• I do feel cross winds but I don’t know that they’d be any worse than with a similarly sized bumper pull (not enough bumper pull driving to compare)
• Ultimately I appreciate having the stability and features of the gooseneck vs a similarly weighted bumper pull
• I would 100% not haul anything bigger than my current trailer with my current truck

I anticipate buying a new truck before I replace my trailer, and I’ll be upgrading to a 2500 or even 3500 (the 10-year plan includes a larger trailer as well).

For me though, it comes down to this - when I was originally pricing out trucks, the 1500s with the max-towing packages were frequently more than the cost of the lower-to-mid-range 2500s. To get to that max towing capacity for a 1500 you have to put the biggest engine in it, plus additional packages, and that all adds up fast, and will still be rated for less than a 2500, especially for gooseneck/5th wheel hauling. So if you don’t have to parallel park the thing downtown, I personally would go straight for the 2500.

tl;dr; I’ve hauled that trailer with a 1500. I haven’t died nor have I felt horrendously unsafe. If it were my money I would purchase the larger truck.

[LCDR]

If you have a daily town commute, perhaps think about buying both a mid-tier 2500HD reserved for trailer towing trips and runs to pick up fence boards, plus a small plug in electric vehicle for your commuter vehicle.

A Silverado High Country diesel equipped to tow your gooseneck will cost over $90,000. A perfectly capable Silverado 2500HD with the same towing peformance can be purchased for $30,000 less. Buy the less fancy 2500HD truck, and then spend the $30,000 you “saved” on a Chevy Bolt SUV EV for your commute and around town errands.

[Dr_Doolittle]

Well, what if you can’t afford a $60,000 truck?

[RAyers]

Total aside.

I was laughing at their reviews. I agree with some of what they discuss but I make that drive 3-4 times a year (I live on the the Front Range and compete in Californian and Utah). I literally made that drive twice last week with my 2002 F250 7.3 and was trying to beat a blizzard that hit Monday. Yes, the test does give great insight to capabilities, but also fails to really give insight to hauling livestock in those severe conditions. And, I would say the newer trucks give inexperience drivers the wrong feel for what they are doing. They drive like a car rather than a truck hauling live loads.

If anybody towing a horse trailer wants to run 60+ on that highway, I would never let them haul my horse, in any weather. The road damage is horrible, the curves are too tight, and the risk of brake failure too great for the given conditions. Semis regularly wreck on both sides of the passes (Vail Pass and both sides of Eisenhower/Johnson tunnels) and they are speed limited to 35mph on the downhills.

[Cowboy_Girl]

You buy a used truck. Just be patient and search.
There are 10 year old trucks that were owned by retired guys that hauled their boat or camper with it 5 times a year and were detailed every 4 months and lived in garages. You can pay anywhere from $10k to $20k for a 1 ton with maybe 70,000 miles on it. I bought a 2000 Dodge 3500 that way a few years ago and drive it all over the country.

[fivestrideline]

If you’re not mechanically inclined and/or just want a truck that can go do the job tomorrow, you’re gonna need $35k+ in this economy.

A friend just bought a 22 year old gas F250 for $12k, and that’s with needing a new front end! (And a bunch of other stuff). He thought it was a steal.

[Tee]

Yeah, even used truck prices (at least around here) are insane right now. I bought my 96 3/4 Dodge V-10 in 2007 for under $11k. I could sell it now for more than that (low miles, great shape, just needs paint). I’d hate to be truck shopping.

[pompeiii]

Having just been truck shopping in the last 2 weeks, the used market is much higher right now. Add 100k to your mileage and your maybe in the ballpark for a 1/2 ton. 20-30k at that higher mileage for a 3/4 ton. The market is NOT fun. In the 12k range you are looking at miles or rust or both. Likely both in a half ton. And years. And you need to compromise on something. I’m saying this to say the used market isn’t fun, especially if you have a limited budget. I was just shopping and finding a decent used 1/2 ton in my budget wasn’t easy, especially without rust. We ended up with a higher mileage vehicle.

[Montanas_Girl]

@Cowboy_Girl

You can pay anywhere from $10k to $20k for a 1 ton with maybe 70,000 miles on it.

Not today, you can’t.

I currently drive a corporate truck. Km going to have to buy it in August, so I’ve kept a close eye on the market. My 2020 Ram 1500 base model with 110k miles on it is valued at $15-20k. A one-ton truck, even with over 100k miles, would cost more than I paid for my first house in 2012.

[luvmyhackney]

I’ve been looking for a year now, you can’t find those prices anymore.

TBH, I’m rethinking owning a truck and trailer due to cost. I haul out 3-4 times a year and based on cost, it’s cheaper for my to hire someone. If I have an emergency, it’s still cheaper to pay my hauler premium $ vs buy my own truck and trailer.

[deweydee]

There’s no way we could afford a new truck right now, so we went used. We spent 12k on a 06 350 diesel with 200k+ on it last summer. Thankfully my husband is handy and it’s very clean. I’m very happy with it so far.

@NegativeTen Sounds like you’re similar to us.

We had been hauling our 2h 4star gn (4k empty) with a 3.5 150, but it was going to be tough on the truck long term and we didn’t have much room on the payload rating. I agree that not all 150s are spec’d the same (vintage matters too) and braking is considered when the OEMs spec them. We’ve also got a brake controller. It would be lawsuit city if the manufacturers were not designing the trucks to safely tow for the ratings they sell. Here’s some info on the SAE specs/testing they’re certified for. Running them near their limits long term is hard on them though.

SAE J2807 Tow Tests - The Standard

[mfglickman]

Ohhh this does not exist on the East Coast. Throw blue book values out the window too. It’s a sh*t show and yet people are apparently paying the price.

[enjoytheride]

The person who said Duallys are good in all sorts of conditions has me lolling.

Love our Dually. It’s a tank. But spill your soda in front of the rear tires while parked on grass and she’s not going anywhere. Ours is 2wd but 4x4 duallys don’t fair much better because they are so heavy the 4x4 is worthless. Paved roads? She can out tow anything all day long but I am well aware of where I am going with it and I do not go off road unless there is no other option.

[Cowboy_Girl]

Your statements are completely false. Unless you are running highway only tires.
Its all about weight distribution. Dually’s are heavy on the front end (engine,) and light in the back (because they are designed to carry a load,) plus older models have big overload load springs. If empty, the back end is too light for the tire tread and 4x4 to get a grip and get all way traction out of its situation. For example, traveling interstate in winter through Colorado, Montana, Idaho and Wyoming Put a 800 lb square bale in the bed (or mineral, or tube sand.) Or keep your aux fuel tank full. Balances the truck and you can go through snow, ice, slush and mud and brutal side winds - and have positive traction with 2w and 4w. With a trailer and load the goose neck weight balances the load. I regularly drive and haul in the snow on both dirt roads and the interstate and in the back country, using 2w, 4w and sometime 4w with chains.

[Cowboy_Girl]

Key here is age of the truck. Don’t even look at it unless its pre-DEF.

[enjoytheride]

Goodness. You seem super upset. I’m speaking from personal experience as well as the experience of others so not sure how you can tell me my experience is false.

[AliTurnquist]

Thanks to everyone for their advice and feedback! I just purchased a 2020 Big Horn 2500 Hemi. It has great payload (3000lb), some warranty remaining, and was in our budget. I agree with all comments in that buying used is really difficult these days as prices are still high. We decided on gas due to maintenance costs, not hauling high loads (ie max 7000lb), liking the extra payload for a truck camper and the unknown with where diesel prices will be. Appreciate everyone’s advice.

Ali

[DMK]

FWIW, I never met a dually owner who didn’t share your giggles about dually+slightly damp grass.

I mean no duh about weighing the back end, that’s true of every pickup truck. It’s just most of us don’t put shit back there unless it’s going from point a to point b.

[Montanas_Girl]

@DMK

I mean no duh about weighing the back end, that’s true of every pickup truck. It’s just most of us don’t put shit back there unless it’s going from point a to point b.

On that note…My first truck was an ‘89 GMC S15. That little truck had a V-6 engine in it. The darn bed was so light that it would squeal tires like I was drag racing almost every time I put my foot on the gas unless I was very, very, very careful. Not to mention getting stuck if the ground was even slightly damp. My father’s solution was to put about 300 pounds of tractor weights in the bed. Problem solved! Those weights lived in the bed of “Rusty” until we finally sold it about 5 years ago.

Best, most reliable vehicle anyone in my family ever owned. I miss that truck!