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Is a Toyota Tacoma suitable to tow a two horse trailer with?

Around The Farm
#65

It’s 5,000 according to Ford, and they give the methodology that they use the calculate it. That’s on the 2018 base model XL. Depending on configuration, they claim you can get the towing capacity up to 13,200 pounds, which I’m having a hard time swallowing for the F-150 unless you live in an area with no hills where the weather is always perfect.

Also, bearing in mind that conventional wisdom is that turbochargers don’t mix well with some climates because particulate matter that gets through the air filter will dramatically shorten the life of the turbocharger.

#66

If someone hasn’t already mentioned it, the Ram 1500 Ecodiesel has gotten good reviews here and gets 28pmg not towing. I’ve towed with both 1/2 and 3/4 ton. Am not happy with the lower ones, the 3/4 ton diesel is my favorite.
Have had one Ford and on second Ram diesels. The newest ram gets about 22 mpg not towing, about 15 towing.

2 Likes
#67

Actually, there are three available V6 engines in the F150 - the 2.7L and 3.5L are both EcoBoost turbos, and there is also a 3.3L ‘standard’ V6 engine.

I drive the 3.5L EcoBoost and haul a 2h BP Adams with dressing room - am generally hauling one ~1400 lb horse, though have done short trips with two and have been very happy with this set-up, particularly considering this is my first experience hauling. Of course, I live in the Midwest, so don’t have to deal with mountains or major hills. Recently hauled about five hours to a horse trial, through Kansas City in some pretty good wind gusts, and truck performed beautifully.

A former barnmate had the 2.7L EcoBoost (was a newer truck than mine, so was the full aluminum frame as well) and hauled a moderately sized gooseneck slant load - I think it was a three horse and had a weekender-type tack room. He was usually hauling smaller QHs, but he hauled all over the place and LOVED the way that truck pulled, and that was after stepping down from a much bigger truck. Of course, he was also at a point in life where he was comfortable replacing vehicles every few years, so long-term wear & tear wasn’t a big concern…

#68

I believe that value is in compliance with SAE J2807 protocols.

#69

Tacoma? Yikes. Only in an emergency, where there aren’t any other choices. I understand that towing and payload capacities are getting into the neighborhood for the weights involved with towing a horse… but I would only haul an empty aluminum two horse with a Tacoma.

My Mom had a Tundra that she hauled one horse with, in an aluminum two horse trailer. That worked fine, but you couldn’t add another person, horse, lunch…it had the towing capacity but not the payload capacity.

Please educate yourself as to the difference between towing and payload capacities! A sort of close comparison, to give you an idea, would be with a horse… you can only put so much weight in the saddle (‘payload’), but the horse can pull a lot more weight if it’s hitched to a cart or wagon of some sort (‘towing capacity’).

Payload capacity is determined in order to advertise a high weight. So they calculate it with an empty fuel tank and no people inside. Add an emergency toolbox, full size spare tire, two people and lunch in the cooler, a full tank of fuel and maybe a dog… and you can’t add very much trailer tongue weight if the payload capacity is in the 1500 pounds range.

So anyway… the newest “half ton” pickups that have 1500+ payload and 7500+ towing capacity will probably be fine for one horse in a lighter bumper pull. More than that to tow regularly and you really will be in a three quarter ton or bigger pickup.

1 Like
#70

Thank you. I’d not heard of these before. So I did some Googling! :slight_smile:

This explains the standard: http://www.trucktrend.com/how-to/towing/1502-sae-j2807-tow-tests-the-standard/

I would recommend everyone READ it so they can understand just what the yardstick consists of.

Here is a more detailed write up:

https://www.topspeed.com/trucks/truck-news/towing-payload-gcvwr-what-s-it-all-mean-ar170318.html

Again, worth reading.

And here is an alternative view:

https://www.autoblog.com/2016/06/23/tow-rating-standards-opinion/

And another:

https://rvingwithmarkpolk.com/2015/02/13/tow-vehicle-rating-facts-myths/

So, what’s the final verdict? I don’t know. The reason I don’t is that in all of this the maximum LEGAL number is the GCVWR. All these “standards” seem to be designed to create a level playing field for advertising, not necessarily for real world operations. And with livestock you’ve got to REDUCE any number calculated on “dead” loads because livestock (or fluids) shift as the truck moves (remember your Newton, here).

Read the standard. Most folks here are bright enough to see they are rather modest given how most of us drive and are not based upon hauling 1000 pound horses.

My skepticism on the whole matter has not been allayed.

G.

#71

I bought my first truck and trailer about a year ago, and was looking for something that could do the same type of hauling that OP described, and also be my daily driver. I ended up with a Ram 1500 Ecodiesel and LOVE it. I get about 22mpg combined local/highway, and 14-15 towing. They didn’t make them for a few years (I got a 2015) but I think they are making them again.

My trailer is ~3,000 lbs empty, and I don’t think I would have gotten a 1500 if I’d needed to haul 2 horses, but I only have one horse (smallish TB) and it has done great. Did I mention I LOVE this truck? Don’t get me started. Anyway, I had similar requirements as the OP, and for me, a half-ton was the minimum.

By the way, from one first-time truck/trailer buyer to another: the fact that the truck has a tow package and the 7-prong electrical hookup etc does NOT mean that it comes with trailer brakes! Mine didn’t and I didn’t realize that at first. Luckily I now know that my truck can stop my trailer no problem without brakes :o

When I was researching/shopping, I found that there was something about the Ram that I liked better, but I think the F150 Ecoboosts are great trucks and are great dual-purpose vehicles that also would have worked great for me.

1 Like
#72

Risuena, active trailer brakes are required by law, for loads above a certain low amount in every US state and all provinces of Canada. You only need a brake controller, such as the Tekonshia P3, for your RAM truck to enable your trailer brakes and that’s about a $150 investment and can be plug and play. Please don’t depend upon your truck to do the stopping for both it and your trailer. That’s really a big, serious risk to you and your horse, not to mention illegal.

4 Likes
#73

What he said.

G.

1 Like
#74

Oh - just to clarify - I got them as soon as I realized I didn’t have them!!!

Yet another reason to do research and not rely on the salespeople. But honestly I thought I had done my research and understood what I needed to know…I read all about tow capacity etc and never realized that half-ton truck with a tow package might not include trailer breaks. Never crossed my mind. Lesson learned.

#75

My truck came with after market break controller but I pulled the trailer home without lights or breaks. Then it sat for 3 weeks while we rewired it. Good little trailer.

#76

Some half-tons do have a brake controller in their factory towing package, but many do not. The friend who bought my horse trailer from me has the integral controller in his F150, for example. I had to buy the Tekonshia P3 that I previously mentioned for my Grand Cherokee, but it was literally plug-and-play to install.

1 Like
#77

IME, people asking if a certain truck can haul a certain horse trailer reminds me of people asking about restaurants that don’t put prices on their menus. Re: the restaurant, the answer would be, “If you have to ask, you can’t afford it.”

With the truck and trailer, the answer would be, “if you have to ask, the answer is ‘No.’”

It’s like the youthful question, “Does this guy really like me?” Again, if you have to ask, the answer is “No.”

Why ask if a truck can handle a horse trailer? Just buy a bigger, more powerful, better built and equipped truck. That doesn’t mean you need a 1-ton to haul a Section A in a Brenderup.

2 Likes
#78

I hauled with an older 2002 Tundra 4.7 V8 and a 2-horse straight load Featherlite trailer with dressing room all over So. Cal. With no problems. I had properly adjusted electric trailer brakes and sway bars. Trailer weighed 2700 Lbs unloaded. I usually hauled one horse, but occasionally hauled two. That Tundra was the most reliable vehicle I have had. I never had any problems with it. It hauled like a dream. The newer Tundras are much larger with a much greater towing capacity. 2002 Tundra: MPG: Up to 15 city / 18 highway
Towing capacity: 7,100 to 7,200 lbs
Horsepower: 245 hp

#79

Actually the newer tundras appear to be lower than that now that they are applying the SAE standard, but so is everything else

#80

This is a new one to me, are you referring to a particular kind of particulate?

I ask for combined curiosity & I wouldn’t want people to be needlessly scared of a turbo.

I drive a 2001 turbo diesel, over 200k miles & still on the original turbo. You DO need to proactive with air filter replacement so you don’t dust your fins, even more so if you regularly drive dirt or gravel (I do). And don’t buy those K&N filters with oil in them, terrible. But I take care of it, it takes care of me. :slight_smile:

I live in SE. I could see a potential problem with sand fines if you drove through deserts often.

#81

Anecdotal, of course, but a family member isthe head service writer for one of the biggest Ford dealers in the mid Atlantic, and when my husband was looking at 1/4 and 1/2 tons, he told us in no uncertain terms to not touch an ecoboost with a 49 1/2 foot pole, so to speak.

the 5.0 would likely do fine with a small 2h trailer, I don’t see why not.

that said I am slightly obsessed with my f250. Not as a daily though, it is way too large for city driving of any kind.

#82

I recently bought a truck so here’s my input.

I got tired of figuring out what half tons could actually haul. It’s hard to get a straight answer from anyone for all the various incarnations of a half ton truck.

Once I started narrowing down my search to 3/4 tons I realized they are not significantly more expensive and most of the time you’re not paying extra for hitch and brake installations. They’re also far less likely to be loaded with extra features that didn’t have value for me.

I ended up finding an older (2008) fairly low mileage (58k) immaculately maintained Ram 2500 that someone clearly loved. I had to stretch my budget but a) I saw it and I fell in love and b) I knew I could trust it and there was no point in getting anything at all if I couldn’t trust it.

As a horse person and not a truck person, I am having a MUCH harder time finding a used trailer I like so I am VERY pleased that “can my truck pull it?” Isn’t even part of the equation.

My dad just bought a brand new Tamona and paid a fortune. He loves little toy trucks. However, the moment I took him for a ride in Big Bessy he told me he wasted his money. For less than half he could have had mine.

Now it’s a pain in the ass. It drinks fuel. It’s a mother to park. It’s not the smoothest ride ever. I nearly freeze to death going to fill the 30 gallon tank. However, I know this simply isn’t practical for everyone, I kept my little compact stick shift. It costs nothing basically. I drive the truck to work on Fridays and if I need it’s service :slight_smile:

#83

Sorry for the delayed response. Been really busy for the last week and haven’t had much time to be on the forums.

It’s mostly coarse, hard material like sand that conventional wisdom says is the problem. The air filters are not 100% effective at keeping it all out. And the turbocharger blades spin extremely fast. I mean FAST. 80,000 to 250,000 RPM depending on the model. So needless to say, even small amounts of particulate matter can chew up those fan blades pretty quickly.

Of course, that said, Baja racers use turbochargers all the time, but I don’t know how often they replace them.

Again, conventional wisdom is they don’t mix well with some climates. I don’t have enough experience with them to speak from personal experience.

#84

Thank you. I’d not heard of these before. :slight_smile:

This explains the standard: https://www.dieselworldmag.com/ford/top-end-overhaul/

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