Is 3/4 ton truck "enough" for a 2+1 trailer?

[GaitedGloryRider]

I used to haul some pretty heavy trailers with an old (97) F350 Diesel. No problems at all.

HOAs on the other hand…

I used to visit some friends of mine who lived in a subdivision with an HOA. Nearly every time I drove my truck through there and parked at their house they would get nasty-grams from the HOA president about the big noisy diesel truck visiting them. (Never at odd hours always during daylight) One neighbor on the corner would throw fits because the sound of my truck accelerating from the stop sign was so loud it would ruin her entire day. After said friends traded in their own gas truck for a diesel it really hit the fan…to the point they sold their house and bought a farm. All over a truck!

Moral of the story if your HOA is particularly cranky even though you think you are following the rules they still may go bat guano crazy on you because of your noisy diesel truck.

[1040farms]

I have a Cimarron 2+1 that I pull with a 2004 Chevy 2500 Duramax Diesel(4 door, long bed). It pulls great, no problem fully loaded and I live in your neck of the woods. I would not buy a Sundowner.

[airhorse]

4 Star over Sundowner all the way. Jamco makes a great 2+1 also.

[Sparky_Boy]

[QUOTE=IPEsq;8156602]
All the comments on the Sundowner are interesting…what is so bad about them? I ask because there’s a lot more local inventory of those than the 4Star, so who knows if I’d still be able to get my paws on a 4Star by the time this all shakes out…[/QUOTE]

There’s probably a good reason behind that

[netg]

[QUOTE=tangledweb;8156380]
The trailer is going to weigh about 5000 lbs? So loaded it will weigh about 8000 lbs?

That’s well within the limits of a modern 3/4 ton.

On the other hand, HOAs magical rules, and anybody who thinks emergent is the adjective form of emergency annoy me, so if it were me I’d buy a SRW 350 and before bringing it home I’d pry off the 350 badges and put 250 ones in their place. Knowing that I was fooling the suburban Stasi wannabes that fill HOA committees would bring a smile to my face every day.[/QUOTE]

I love the switching idea…

I would just remember all 3/4 tons aren’t made equal. I would go for one that has the engine cooling and stronger suspension. When I was looking, most trucks seemed to have that which made the search easier, but not all have that as the base for a 3/4 ton.

[Jim_in_PA]

“Factory Tow” is what you want for any tow vehicle…there are often things installed that are much more difficult to put in place after-the-fact, including differences in drive train, cooling, brakes, suspension, etc.

[Gloria]

[QUOTE=IPEsq;8156602]
All the comments on the Sundowner are interesting…what is so bad about them? I ask because there’s a lot more local inventory of those than the 4Star, so who knows if I’d still be able to get my paws on a 4Star by the time this all shakes out…[/QUOTE]

It’s all in the details. I didn’t check Sundowner’s floor as the welding at the horse compartment was abysmal enough that I got in, and got out. Flimsy construction, sharp edges everywhere. A friend’s pony stepped out of her Sundowner at a clinic with blood spewing out of the nose. It had caught something at the window and sliced the nostril in half. Not a pretty sight.

[titan]

I also got my Hawk 2+1 thru Resa, had it shipped directly from the factory to Michigan. Excellent service and pulls great with our 2500 GMC.

[QUOTE=Badger;8157326]
I’ve happily pulled an Equispirit 2+1 with a Dodge diesel 3/4 ton for years. Before this trailer, I’ve had a sundowner and a four star. The Four Star is much better made than Sundowner. But I’m happiest having steel around my horses and went with the combo trailer design after seeing aluminum sheer in an accident. I’m happiest with the Equispirit of the three. Therefore, before you buy, you might want to check out what you can get from Hawk in a 2+1 (my Equispirit was made at the Hawk factory, so very similar trailer construction). A friend of mine bought her Hawk from Resa at Happy Trails and had it delivered to CO and was very happy with the experience. You can get a new custom Hawk delivered to CO well under the $30K price range you mentioned. The basic one is starting around $20K and you can add on options (things like a walk-through door from dressing room to horse area, which I use all the time in mine):

http://www.happytrailstrailers.com/product.php?pid=8

I absolutely LOVE the suggestion above to switch out the exterior badges from 1-ton to 3/4 ton and drive what you want!!![/QUOTE]

[IPEsq]

Doing some more searching on pricing … it looks like I can get better bang for buck on a used 1 ton of a decent year and mileage versus the same truck in 3/4 ton. And the 1 ton SRW is more likely to have a B&W hitch and other things I’d want to have anyway. I guess the 3/4 ton is just holding its value better.

Also seems like the Ford badges aren’t so removable…so I guess if I go 1 ton, I need to either make sure I can sneak it into my garage (and it will fit) or I buy Chevy.

I have some time left to get out of my contract based on objection to the HOAs, but this seems like a silly reason to give up the place, as silly as the rule itself. I can’t afford a farm around here or I would certainly have gone that route.

Thanks for the Happy Trails links. I’d be fine with getting one delivered if it was easy enough to do. It looks like the dealer that has the one 4Star 2+1 in stock has other trailers on order, so maybe they could order me one if this one sells before I am able to buy.

[IPEsq]

[QUOTE=1040farms;8157838]
I have a Cimarron 2+1 that I pull with a 2004 Chevy 2500 Duramax Diesel(4 door, long bed). It pulls great, no problem fully loaded and I live in your neck of the woods. I would not buy a Sundowner.[/QUOTE]

I could find a Cimarron around here but they are generally over budget, as are Featherlites.

[winter]

I’m looking at possibly upgrading to a 2+1 (see my million threads on it) and also have sundowner available close to me as well as Cimarron. The Cimmarron is over 10k more than the sundowner. That’s crazy pricing. Over 40k for a 2+1. I would have to go south to get a 4star. I found one in Co for $25,444 USD ($31,713 CDN) and I can get the new sundowner 2+1 here for $32,000 Cnd without the hassle of going to pick it up or importing.

I have a sundowner 2h BP that has been a great trailer for me over the years. No problems yet so far and it’s been all over the place on many long trips loaded up. I can’t remember what year my sd is… late 90’s I think.

I just found this trailer from Logan and thought it was interesting, it’s only 20’6" on the floor, compared to the 4-star 2+1 that is 23’ (sundowner is 22). It does have a slant for the +1 stall instead of the box, but it’s less trailer to tow and you could still put 3 in there.
http://www.logancoach.com/c/trailers/warmblood/floorplans--specs

[crosscreeksh]

[QUOTE=IPEsq;8156602]
All the comments on the Sundowner are interesting…what is so bad about them? I ask because there’s a lot more local inventory of those than the 4Star, so who knows if I’d still be able to get my paws on a 4Star by the time this all shakes out…[/QUOTE]

I don’t know anything bad about the Sundowner, but can fill a book with what I LOVE about our 23 year old 4-Star!!! FWIW…I was the one who introduced 4 Star to the 2+1 concept!!! 23 years ago I provided the detailed plans for the custom trailer I WANTED!! They built it to my specs and continued to build them!! Just sayin’ …they make a REALLY nice trailer, worth the money!!

[inca]

4 Stars are EXCELLENT trailers. I have a 2001 2H gooseneck with dressing room that I love.

That being said, when I bought a LQ trailer in January, I ended up with a 2011 Sundowner Horizon 7608 and have been happy with it so far. The floor problems are not an issue on the newer models - the problem was when they were doing aluminum over steel. My Sundowner is all aluminum. It is not the same quality as a 4Star but I also couldn’t justify spending $15K more on a 4Star.

I did keep my 4Star that I use for everything except hauling to shows. So, the Sundowner will be used 6-10 times per year. I expect it will hold up just fine.

[IPEsq]

[QUOTE=winter;8158477]
I’m looking at possibly upgrading to a 2+1 (see my million threads on it) and also have sundowner available close to me as well as Cimarron. The Cimmarron is over 10k more than the sundowner. That’s crazy pricing. Over 40k for a 2+1. I would have to go south to get a 4star. I found one in Co for $25,444 USD ($31,713 CDN) and I can get the new sundowner 2+1 here for $32,000 Cnd without the hassle of going to pick it up or importing.

I have a sundowner 2h BP that has been a great trailer for me over the years. No problems yet so far and it’s been all over the place on many long trips loaded up. I can’t remember what year my sd is… late 90’s I think.

I just found this trailer from Logan and thought it was interesting, it’s only 20’6" on the floor, compared to the 4-star 2+1 that is 23’ (sundowner is 22). It does have a slant for the +1 stall instead of the box, but it’s less trailer to tow and you could still put 3 in there.
http://www.logancoach.com/c/trailers/warmblood/floorplans--specs[/QUOTE]

No, no, no, you shouldn’t buy that one you found in CO!

[IPEsq]

I just read the covenants for the master association, and they allow up to 1 ton. So I called the property manager for the sub-community where I would be and they said if truck can fit in the garage or be parked on the street (so, in front of the single family homes in the master association), then there’s no problem. I just can’t clog up the alleyways, which I’m not allowed to do anyway with any vehicle. If I can fit it in the garage, then that’s a bonus. I just wouldn’t have a driveway to park it in like the detached SF homes because of the way my townhome subcommunity is arranged.

Man, HOAs are such a PITA. haha

[airhorse]

Get a dually just to stick it to them:D

[AKB]

We had a Sundowner 2 horse for 11 years and were happy with it despite it having been made in the years when they had the floor problem. I replaced it with another Sundowner last year because I wanted drop down windows and a few other features. My daughter wanted a 2+1 but couldn’t afford it. She got a 2014 Sundowner 2h gooseneck with a dressing room and loves it. Stay away from the years with aluminum over steel. The newer ones should be fine. Sundowner is good about fixing any problems. A weld on my year old trailer was broken. I called Sundowner and drove it in to be re welded, at no charge, without any issues.

[bornfreenowexpensive]

Chevy/GMC will typically fit in your garage. I have 2500 GMC diesel 4x4 (2005 model). It has about 200,000 miles on it and still going strong. Pulls my 2+1 easily…and I’ve hauled with 3 horses many times.

[Fred]

[QUOTE=gumtree;8156410]
I have have towed what you have described with a Silverado 2500 4W gas. Ran and towed like a champ. 4 H, head to head also. I have several friends that tow 4-H head to head with a 1500 and have no complaints. Both have the tow package. Of all the rigs I have driven I like the Chevy trucks the best, gas and diesel.[/QUOTE]

I have a Chev Silverado Z71 4wd 1500 with trailer package, and towed my 2+1 Sundowner for years often 3-5 times a week, without problems.
That being said, I rarely had more than 1 horse in it, or if 2 it was a mare and a foal - and the land around here is not mountainous.
The truck worked great. It was not just my farm truck, but my everyday, go to town truck.
So I would think you would have no problem at all with the 3/4 ton.

[IPEsq]

Oh, man, I just found a new Kingston all aluminum 2+1…located all the way in NY.