So now that I’m officially a horse owner, I am starting to look for a truck and trailer rig so I can take myself to shows and can evacuate in case of a fire (paranoid Californian problems…). I was wondering if a Toyota Tacoma is a big enough truck to haul a two horse trailer with? I have done a little bit of research on it, and have found that with the towing package, a newer one would be able to haul 6,800 pounds or so. With a light/average two horse trailer and my compact thoroughbred, weight-wise this seems like it would be reasonable? However, from talking to other horse owners, I get that a lot of people like to be further onto the safe side, so to speak, when it comes to towing.
If a Tacoma would not be able to do the job, what are would be the next smallest vehicle that would be safe for towing with? I’d like to have something that would be practical to use for everyday driving as well as towing. TIA!
Sounds fine to me, but there are also people who will tell you to get a 3/4 ton to haul anything, haha.
I think you should be just fine. Many people tow with smaller vehicles and if you go with a light weight aluminum trailer or get a small 10ft long 2 horse straight load (like the older trailers), you should be well under the weight limit.
The main concern is braking so make sure you have a good braking system installed on the trailer.
Also you want to check the hitch on your truck. Just because the truck can tow 6800 at the factory does not mean it can do so on the street. If the truck can tow 6800 but the hitch only can tow 5000, you are stuck at the 5000 lb limit. Now sometimes there are exceptions to this. My truck can tow 5000lb, but if i add a weight distribution system, I can tow higher than this (according to ford). I have a ford F150.
My newer trailer included a weight distribution system. I’m heading down tomorrow to have it properly installed. This should increase the amount of weight I can tow but I would have to check ford’s booklet for the new weight limit.
That said, I towed my 2 horse trailer with a tiny Ford Ranger for many many years without any problems. It did have brakes on the trailer but no weight distribution system. We evacuated twice for hurricanes and did just fine. That little truck is still going strong and it is a 1999. I love that truck but obviously, it is too old for towing anymore!
My friend tows with an SUV and seems to do just fine, but he did have to get a smaller trailer. I think he is right around the 3000lb range for that. He only has one horse and a tiny old trailer.
No.
The truck may be able to tow the trailer. But can the truck STOP the trailer.
Well, we have seen it done successfully. For how long and under what circumstances? Unknown. With a light trailer and only one horse inside it, it’s possible. But not really recommended, no matter what the dealership or the truck specifications tell you. 3/4 ton is the minimum IMO. Diesel makes it more economical and powerful and long term. Also gives you the option of buying a gooseneck trailer, which is handy and gives a better ride for the horse than a bumper pull.
“In for a penny, in for a pound”. Happy truck shopping!
Yeah like people who don’t want to die 
The question is not really CAN you do it but would you want to. You are going to have limited stopping power and trouble on non-ideal road conditions trying to tow a traditional two horse trailer with a Tacoma. Once you add in horse weight and anything in your tack room, etc. the weight adds up. Then add in a horse who doesn’t stand perfectly to tow or times when the roads are bad or someone brakes hard in front of you unexpectedly… COULD you probably do it? Like is it physically possible? Sure. You could.
But that’s not the right question. The question is SHOULD YOU. If you’re starting from scratch with no truck/trailer and want to do things safe/properly-- I would come up with a different plan.
When I bought my first Honda there was this program where you got a free lifetime warranty if you sat through a training class. And I did. And in the class was a guy who was getting a custom towing package put on his CIVIC so he could tow some kind of equipment trailer. A CIVIC! COULD he do it? He could. Sure, gravity/momentum says it could happen. Would you want YOUR equipment on that trailer? CAN you perform surgery with a kitchen knife? You probably CAN. Do you want to? But it’s physically possible.
Now forget about weights in the abstract. The thing in your trailer is a living breathing animal and the driver is a human driver with all the normal human error. Do you want a margin for error in your setup or do you want the bare minimum?
I recently have been looking into them as well. The newer ones have a pretty good capacity with the tow package. Our trailer has a good break system so we feel like the Tacoma is going to be a good option for us to pull a two horse with. I also live on the coast, where its completely flat, just for reference. For showing, a lot of times ours get shipped, but I want the option to be able to get my guy out in case of a hurricane. I’m also in the same situation of needing it to be my daily driver!
In a perfect world, I would only EVER tow with a 3/4 ton. Currently I tow with a souped up (5.4 liter engine, beefed up rear axle, transmission, etc.) 1/2 ton F-150 and I only pull a small steel 2 horse bumper pull. For the small amount of local towing I do, it’s fine.
However, when I get to upgrade my trailer or I started to tow more often/for longer distances, I would want more truck.
There’s someone on the board who’s a big fan of the Ford Eco-Boost engines and believes that they are so much more efficient you can effectively tow with a half ton and have it feel like a 3/4 ton. I haven’t pulled with one so I will withhold my opinion.
If you’ve never experienced the feeling of braking hard and having the weight of the trailer continue to push you forward or horses shifting weight in the trailer causing the tow vehicle to shimmy and shake…you’re lucky. You do not want to experience those things.
If it was the only way to get my horse out of the path of a wildfire, yes, I’d pull the trailer with a Tacoma. Otherwise, probably not.
For the same price you could get an ecoboost f-150 with twice the tow capacity and a longer wheelbase, and be much better off.
That said daily driver is practically the antithesis of tow vehicle. The longer and heavier the truck, the better for towing and the worse for doing literally anything else.
My husband was bragging about his '18 tacoma’s great tow capacity until he saw that all the half tons cream it and it feels like crap to drive with the trailer.
Nothing funny here. You obviously have NO clue about towing safely. It’s not something to joke about. Having an inadequate tow vehicle/set-up is just a disaster in the making. And that puts the lives of the people in the tow vehicle, horses, and other drivers on the road in jeopardy.
Remember that towing horses goes completely against what is the correct way to load/pack a trailer (heavy stuff on the bottom, tie everything down so nothing moves, etc.). Ever been in a tow vehicle with a horse throwing itself against the sides of the trailer? Not fun at all.
No way in hell would I tow a regular horse trailer with a Tacoma. If you are set on a Tacoma then look at Brenderups and the like.
I’ve been towing for more than three decades and I much prefer a 3/4-ton. 1/2-tons are typically fine with smaller/lighter trailers but you still need to do the calcs.
OP - do a search on here as many others have documented how to do the calcs out - they explain how it all works. I’m at work so I can’t now.
It’s better to have more truck and not need it than to need more truck and not have it as the saying goes.
We all want a great tow vehicle that can serve as a great commuter vehicle too with great gas mileage but they don’t go together typically.
Maybe a Brenderup.
The “towing capacity” advertised for most vehicles comes from the Marketing Dept., not the Engineering Dept.
To KNOW the actual towing capacity of the vehicle you must know the empty weight and the Gross Combined Weight Rating (the maximum the truck and tow may weigh to be legal). Go here for more details. https://auto.howstuffworks.com/auto-parts/towing/towing-capacity/vehicle%20/gcwr.htm
Where do you find this? For my Chevy 3500HD it’s in the Owner’s Manual. There is a table that allows you do find your truck’s general configuration. Then you take the truck to a truck stop and get it weighed on the CAT Scale (it will cost you $20 or so). This will give you the “curb weight” of the vehicle. Now you know how much you can legally, and safely, tow. DO NOT JUST RELY ON THE “TOWING CAPACITY” THAT YOU’LL FIND IN THE ADVERTISING!!!
Remember, too, that this is a number for “dead loads” like hay, gravel, dirt, etc. “Live loads” like lifestock, liquids, or anything else that by its nature is “limber” and can shift around REDUCES the amount you can safely tow. It also presumes you are traveling on a dry road at a legal speed limit.
Last, but far from least, weigh the trailer (the CAT scale will do that, too) and then weigh your horse(s). A weight tape is likely close enough for this. Know how much the stuff you carry weighs. It really doesn’t take all that much to start bumping limits.
Just 'cause you can do something doesn’t mean you should. That’s the foundation of the beginning of the famous quotation, “…hold my beer and watch this.” Don’t be That Guy!* 
G.
*Or Gal.
The guy who taught me to drive a trailer was one of those guys who “knows everything”, always pushing limits, not too much of a care for safety. According to him and the dealership, my early 90’s heavy duty tow package, V8 Explorer would have no problem with a 2H BP and one horse. Guess which idiotic 19 year old believed them? Guess who had problems nearly every haul? Guess whose transmission literally blew apart while hauling (I mean shot pieces out through the hood)?
Do I probably haul with a bit more truck than I need now? (3H GN w/ weekender pulled with Ram 3500 Dually) Yes, but that feeling of security is sooo worth it. I’ve also felt a trailer tire blow out in a 150 pulling a 2H and a 450 pulling a 6H head to head. 150 felt like I was going to die, 450 felt like, huh did something happen back there.
Eco-boost F-150 owner here…year 2015. I don’t haul a lot and mostly local but I do have large horses and an aluminum 2-horse BP with dressing room. We ordered the truck from the factory with the tow package and upgraded everything with regard to towing stuff. I am also a timid hauler but I am comfortable with this truck. I also use the truck for my everyday commute and get an average 20 mpg and have gotten over 26 mpg when traveling long distance (no hauling involved).
I think a lot of people who only want to pull with a 3/4 ton are maybe living a bit in the past, maybe comparing the old half tons to the new ones. Quite frankly a newer model F150 is about the same size as an old 250 (my 250 is only a 2012 and I am surprised at how close in size the 150 is and how much bigger the newer 250s are).
So I have to give solid props for the newer “1/2 tons” for towing the average 2h BP and maybe a small gooseneck (I’ve seen it done and generally felt some solid stopping power, but it’s not my cup of tea), but on that logic, I think you are better off with a tundra, not a tacoma, because it really still is about the stopping power of your vehicle followed by the wear and tear on your tow vehicle
If there is an emergency and I need to slam on the brakes, shouldn’t the brakes on the trailer be the ones stopping the trailer? I can see why you might need a bigger vehicle if you are driving with no brakes, or your brake system is a cheap one. But I thought even in an emergency, the truck should not be stopping the trailer. The brakes should be stopping the trailer. Is there something I am missing here?
Obviously proportional braking systems are better than timed braking systems on a horse trailer,but which is better? An inertia based braking system, or a proportional braking system?
I believe small trailers like Brenderups use an inertia based braking system.
Also, I believe the heavier the truck and trailer is, the longer the stopping distance becomes. So if you are using a small truck with a light weight trailer and a good braking system, shouldn’t you be able to stop faster than a larger vehicle with a heavier trailer and the same braking system?
Perhaps, a larger truck is only beneficial in certain circumstances- for example going up and down mountains and hills, or if traveling long distances.
You are misinformed on almost all points.
When your trailer emergency stops, regardless of trailer breaks, it pushes the truck. You need good breaks to stop that push.
No way in hell would I tow with a Tacoma. But I tow with a 2500 Dodge and I don’t think I could downgrade.
@4horses you are assuming that the braking system on the trailer is working properly. Yes, brenderup et al use essentially modified surge braking. There are reasons this isn’t suitable for a larger trailer that aren’t worth going in to. If the brakes aren’t working then your truck brakes need to be able to do it.
@DMK the Tacoma is a 1/4 ton, not a 1/2. Toy truck, really. We have an '18 super duty and an '18 Tacoma, and parked next to each other the size difference is really obvious. My super duty is YUUUUGE.
There are a lot of variables involved here. How often do you plan to tow? Where will you be towing? Is it relatively flat country? Or does it involve a lot of upgrades and downgrades?
If you are only going to tow occasionally and you aren’t dealing with steep / long upgrades and downgrades, something such as the Ford F-150, the Ram 1500, or the Silverado 1500 will be fine. If you plan to tow on a regular basis or you have to deal with steep and long upgrades and downgrades, you are probably going to need something more powerful. Something in the range of a Ford F-250, Ram 2500, or Silverado 2500.
Also, if you deal with steep upgrades and downgrades a lot, you may want to consider a gooseneck / fifth wheel trailer. Trailers without a gooseneck / fifth wheel are harder to control and are easier to jackknife.
All that said, I used to occasionally tow a two horse trailer with a Ford E-150 van with a V-6 engine. Of course, the van was equipped with an auxiliary radiator cooler and the towing hitch was attached to the frame. Not the bumper.
Again, the bottom line here is you didn’t supply enough information for anyone to give you a good answer. If you are only towing occasionally and you don’t have to deal with steep and long upgrades and downgrades? A 150 / 1500 class will work fine for you. If you tow frequently, or have to deal with upgrades and downgrades? You’ll want a 250 / 2500 class.
I have been towing for a long, long time, and have had more than one situation where I was left with no trailer brakes whatsoever. In the event that this happens, I want as much truck as possible to stop the trailer.
Longer stop distance depends on many other things than the size of the rig.
I cannot think of any instance where a larger larger truck would be a detriment when hauling. I usually see rationale like in the post above from people who cannot or will not step up to a larger truck for one reason or another.
I started out with an F-150 and two horse bumper pull, am now pulling with a RAM 3500 dually, and have had about every truck and trailer combination in between. I can tell you hands down that in a trailer towing situation with live animals bigger is better, every single time!
