Towing Capacities and Horse Trailers

[StarPattern]

Pardon my ignorance here… but I’m considering buying a horse trailer. I own a 2015 Ford F-150 with a towing capacity of 12,200lbs and a payload capacity of 3,300lbs (straight from the Ford website). I am looking at 2 or 3 horse trailers, bumper pull style. I own two horses - 1 is a 16hh Standardbred who is built very racy - maybe 1000lbs, give or take. The quarter horse is 15.1hh and very stocky, let’s say she’s 1000lbs too, maybe a it more. Add in tack and the fact I over-estimate everything and my trailer would weigh around 3000lbs fully loaded. Assuming a 3-horse bumper pull weighs around 4,000lbs… the entire weight I’d be towing at any given time would be around 7,000lbs.

Does that sound feasible? The majority of my hauling would be flat highways in good weather - I don’t like driving myself in stupid weather, never mind precious cargo. It would be very rare that I haul the two together - I’m more interested in being able to take a horse on a trail ride somewhere with friends or haul to a clinic or something and I haven’t yet mastered the art of riding two horses - but wanted a trailer larger enough that I could haul both if I really wanted to.

Is this a bad idea to try to tow with this truck?

[4LeafCloverFarm]

If the towing capacity is 12,200 pounds, 7,000 would work just fine. The payload of 3,300 is what you can put in the bed of the pickup, I believe. Add some electric trailer brakes, are you’re good to go!

[StarPattern]

Is there a rule about towing capacity? Like, if the total is 12,200lbs, it’s probably not wise to haul exactly that much unless I wanted to watch my tranny blow up. But is there a certain percentage rule I should be aware of?

[soloudinhere]

@StarPattern

Is there a rule about towing capacity? Like, if the total is 12,200lbs, it’s probably not wise to haul exactly that much unless I wanted to watch my tranny blow up. But is there a certain percentage rule I should be aware of?

Generally with live loads that you can’t rebalance (eg horses) you want to try to stay about 70% of your capacity.

[4LeafCloverFarm]

While I’d probably not test the limit in really mountainous area, as in going up/down very steep hills, on fairly level ground with smalls hills I’d not give it a second thought. So sometimes, it depends on where you’re going to be hauling the trailer. But I’m not aware of any towing reduction % under normal conditions. Good brakes, nice sturdy trailer & safe driving practices are essential.

[tangledweb]

You are probably fine, but are you sure your truck is rated to 12200?

The rating varies a lot depending on body, engine, gear ratio and 4x2 vs 4x4. 12200 is the highest rating for the year, but only for one specific configuration.
See page 16 of https://www.fleet.ford.com/resources/ford/general/pdf/towingguides/Ford_Linc_15RVTTgde_May19.pdf

[Guilherme]

@StarPattern

Is there a rule about towing capacity? Like, if the total is 12,200lbs, it’s probably not wise to haul exactly that much unless I wanted to watch my tranny blow up. But is there a certain percentage rule I should be aware of?

Look in your owner’s manual. There you will find the Gross Combined Weight Rating of your truck. That is the MAXIMUM your combination of truck and trailer can weigh. It may or may not even approach what the Ad Department put out as “towing capacity.” The GCWR is from Engineering and Legal; the “towing capacity” is from the Sales Department.

G.

[4LeafCloverFarm]

I was just outside unhitching my flatbed trailer from my Suburban, and it occurred to me that you should also check your hitch. Your hitch may be rated differently (as in less than what the max towing of the truck is rated). Mine has a big metal label on it that lists the max trailer weight and the max combined weight.

[Madhouse]

Level loading is key. We have a similar set-up. F150 with a 3 horse slant and front tac. With one horse we use the front slant. With two horses - the front and rear slant. With three horses - the biggest outlier (weight) in the center.

You may also want to consider a weight distributing hitch - they are amazing.

[evilc123]

12,000 sounds like a lot for an F150. When I google it, I come up with 5,000 to 8,000 (which is the lowest and highest ends depending on the specific model you have). With that said, I have heard that even if you have the “towing capacity”, the most important thing is the braking. When I was truck/trailer shopping earlier this year, I got an earful (often conflicting info) from truck dealers about what I could and couldn’t tow; but when I went to the trailer dealer they had a wealth of much more specific info. I would never trust what the truck dealer says after that. A few other things to consider: do you have tack/equipment/water/hay/feed that will be coming with you (I often travel overnight and end up with 100s of extra lbs of equipment that need to be factored in); are the roads you drive on typically dry and flat, or will you need to drive in rain/snow and/or go up and down hills/mountains? I think leaving yourself 1000-2000lbs of buffer is probably safest…but definitely try to talk to someone who is in the business of HORSE towing.

[Where_sMyWhite]

What is the wheel base of your truck?

[Dressagelvr]

The Bible of Towing is this:

https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Maintaining-Servicing-Trailer-Reference-ebook/dp/B00HRHWJ1W/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?keywords=neva+scheve&qid=1553787833&s=gateway&sr=8-1-spell

[walkinthewalk]

Towing capacity is only part of the story:)

braking systems and and cooling systems are bigger, the more truck you have (1/2 ton vs. 3/4 or one ton:)

I am a firm believer in never under-trucking myself when it comes to the horses. My old GMC is a heavy 3/4 ton 4-WD from the factory. We had a camp in the Allegheny National forest for many years. The braking system was fine but I beefed that truck’s rear suspension to one ton cargo van leaf springs and had a custom triple core radiator installed. That was in the old days ---- I would hope true working trucks come better equipped these days:)

Anyway, always keep safety a top priority when hauling horses. I would rather have a used (well cared for) bigger truck than a new, not as efficient to tow horses, new truck:)

[SecondInCommand]

One thing to consider is that each of the major brands’ half tons comes with a weight carrying hitch with a maximum capacity of 5,000#. IIRC Nissan is the exception, where a WDH is available (don’t quote me!)

You’ll note on your Ford specs that there is an asterisk or footnote that describes that the 12,000# rating is ‘when properly equipped’, which includes a weight distribution hitch. Take a really careful look at every footnote for your rating to ensure your truck is as equipped as you think it is. The fully equipped F150s are absolute beasts!

[Amym600]

When shopping for a truck to pull my 2 horses around I had to do my own research. We settled on a 2017 1500 Chevrolet. I also wanted to make sure I had more truck than I needed. And what I found was it came down to Chevy specifying a certain rear axle ratio, and special digit in the VIN that included a transmission cooler, heavier brakes, towing brakes integrated and a heavy duty hitch. Finding that particular truck was a pain, and all the dealers tried to tell me a lower truck would work. I bought from the dealer that did NOT tell me that and just showed me what I wanted. I have driven 2500HD Diesel and Ford F350 and this truck is not that, however it hasn’t flinched at loaded up weight and going through a mountain pass. I am very satisfied! My advice is do your research, all F150 and 1500 trucks are not the same.

[StarPattern]

I’m back… and forgot about this thread. So I did a VIN search and this is what it came back as (Ford website was wrong, imagine that… )

Engine - 3.5L Ti-VCT V6 (FFV)
Towing Equipment -inc: Harness and Trailer Sway Control
1660# Maximum Payload
GVWR: 6,300 lbs Payload Package
Gross Combined Wt Rating: 12,200 lbs
Dead Weight Hitch - Max trailer Wt: 7200lbs
Max Tongue Wt. - 720lbs
Wt. Distributing Hitch - Max trailer Wt. - 7200lbs
Wt Distributing Hitch - Max Tongue Wt. - 720lbs
Fifth Wheel Hitch - Max Trailer Wt. - 7100lbs
Maximum Trailering Capacity - 7200lbs
Double Wishbone Front Suspension w/Coil Springs
Leaf Rear Suspension w/Leaf Springs
Front Axle - Independent
Front Axle Capacity - 3750 lbs 3750.0 min 3750.0 max
Rear Axle - Rigid Axle
Rear Axle Capacity - 4800 lbs 4800.0 min 4800.0 max
Gross Axle Weight Rating Front/Back - 3375lbs/3300lbs
Wheelbase - 145 in

Admittedly, I don’t know what a lot of that means… But my internet research tells me I SHOULD be okay with a 2-horse slant or straight load bumper pull, provided I’m not trying to haul a draft horse up a mountain. I don’t envision hauling a lot anyway - maybe to ride with friends and at that point, I’ll be hauling one horse and her tack. All places I normally ride are within an hour drive in any direction, no mountains or even hilly roads - I live in Alberta and we don’t have a lot of hills where I am - I’d have to drive a couple hours south to find the foothills and mountains. I wouldn’t be hauling a lot of extras in terms of hay, water, feed - most of my potential hauling would be to an arena somewhere or maybe for a few-hours trail ride.

Would you imagine I’d be okay hauling with these specs?

[ecpolo]

You should be ok but be warned, the flatter the roads, the more wind. I would much rather haul on hills than flat ground with wind when it comes to a smaller vehicle and 2h bp. I got blown all over the place recently doing just that. Beautiful day but the wind picked up and it was miserable. So miserable that I left that trailer 2 hours away instead of hauling it back home empty in the wind…

[StarPattern]

@ecpolo

You should be ok but be warned, the flatter the roads, the more wind. I would much rather haul on hills than flat ground with wind when it comes to a smaller vehicle and 2h bp. I got blown all over the place recently doing just that. Beautiful day but the wind picked up and it was miserable. So miserable that I left that trailer 2 hours away instead of hauling it back home empty in the wind…

How is it with a loaded trailer? It would be very rare I’d be hauling an empty trailer.

[4horses]

Check your maximum tongue weight. My f150 is limited to 5000lbs without weight distribution and 500lbs of tongue weight. The maximum tongue weight is more of a limitation on what trailer i tow. Horse trailers can have 10-20% tongue weight. You want to check your trailer tongue weight before deciding anything.

[StarPattern]

@4horses

Check your maximum tongue weight. My f150 is limited to 5000lbs without weight distribution and 500lbs of tongue weight. The maximum tongue weight is more of a limitation on what trailer i tow. Horse trailers can have 10-20% tongue weight. You want to check your trailer tongue weight before deciding anything.

Max tongue weight is 720lbs.