Towing specs for new vehicle

[ThatBayHorse]

My car has gone kaput, and I am researching a vehicle that can act as a tow vehicle. I am planning to purchase a two horse bumper pull in the next few months, but I want to make sure the tow vehicle I get can handle the trailer (my last vehicle was a pathfinder and really was not the right vehicle). The trailer would be something like a 2 horse shadow or sundowner, nothing fancy (maybe tack room, but no living quarters, etc). I have been researching towing capacities, but am getting confused by GVWR and GCVWR, correct wheel bases etc etc. The guys at the test drives tell me that any truck can handle a horse trailer, but the more I read, the more I am not sure that they are the right people to inform me. I don’t want to spend $30k on something that really isn’t right for the job.

I’m also confused because sometimes it says “12,000 towing capacity correctly loaded”, so I’m sure there are options that I need to make sure are included on the truck. The more I google, the more confused I get.

Can anyone help me identify minimum truck specs that would be preferred to haul a 2 horse? I would generally only haul my own horse, who is about 1500 lbs.

[eqsiu]

Most 2 horse trailers with dressing rooms weigh around 3500 lbs. The typical GVWR (the maximum total weight of vehicle plus load) for the trailers I’ve been looking at is 7000 pounds. Without a dressing room those weights go down some. Basically, you want the total weight of the trailer plus horses, tack, etc. to be no more than 70% of the truck’s towing capacity. A LOT of salespeople don’t account for this, and try to sell you a truck with a 7000 pound capacity. Without knowing the exact trailer specs, you will probably want to aim for a truck with a towing capacity of 10,000 pounds or more. Nail the salesperson down on what “properly equipped” means. You may need a particular package of equipment on the truck or it may require a weight distributing hitch instead of a weight bearing hitch. I’m sure other more savvy people can weigh in on specific truck options you’ll need.

ETA: Ford towing guide Chevy trailering guide Dodge towing guide

These are obviously marketing tools, but they can give you an idea of what optional equipment you’ll need and what the towing capacities of variously equipped vehicles are.

[clanter]

properly equipment usually includes transmission and oil cooler plus larger sized engine coolant radiator (and might have upgraded brakes?)

some of the stated manufacturer specs appears to be very liberal such as GMC’s 1/2 ton

2019 GMC Sierra 1500’s 5.3-liter engine, you can tow up to 11,000 pounds with the 3.73 rear axle. The EcoTec3 6.2-liter V8 engine can tow a maximum 12,500 pounds if you need a little more power.

I am pretty sure these max towing specs exceed those of a one ton back in the late 1990s early 2000s

[asterix]

Do NOT listen to the salesmen. They often know very little about towing.
There is how much a truck can tow (often described as tow capacity) - that is how much the trailer can weigh, fully loaded (horses, tack, water etc). You want to be at 70% or less of that number - horses are live weight and move around, plus are top heavy.
The combined vehicle weight number is a maximum
of how much the entire rig will weigh fully loaded - truck, trailer, you, passengers, horses, gear, gas, trailer hitch, etc.
For newer trucks with a good towing capacity I suspect you will be fine on this number with a 2 horse trailer.

The complicated thing is that within any given line of trucks (like. Say, 2019 Ford F-150s), there are a lot of different configurations that lead to a very big disparity in tow capacity. You need to spec out exactly the truck you want and look at the manufacturers tow guide.
Generally speaking longer wheel base is better and you will want a heavy duty tow package. Things that add weight to the truck will diminish its tow capacity - but that may be a trade off you want- like 4wd for our area, for example.
You also want the biggest mirrors you can get.

[asterix]

I would agree, too, that 10k tow capacity will be plenty for most 2 horse bumper pulls

[cloudyandcallie]

The salesmen who advised me on my first truck purchase showed me the towing capacities of each model truck in their manuals. They did not push me to buy the most expensive.

[SecondInCommand]

Make sure you look at specs beyond just the tow rating, too. Lots of configurations have plenty of wiggle room on their tow capacity but have long overloaded their hitch rating, GCVWR, payload capacity, etc.

If I were in your shoes, I’d find the trailer I was interested in, and use its GVWR as an indicator of what your heaviest towed load would be. Then gross that number up - divide by 70% for your minimum tow capacity. Multiply the trailer’s GVWR by 20% and you have the tongue weight of your maximum load (BPs are generally 10-20%, using 20% will be conservative for your truck search). The tongue weight added to everything you plan to put in your truck needs to be less than your payload capacity. When figuring out the weight of everything going in the the truck, think of what you’ll need for your grandest adventure.

So now you have an idea of your minimum required tow capacity and minimum required payload. Check out the spec sheets of models you’re interested in and find which ones suit your needs. If you subtract its GVWR from its GCVWR, the remaining figure needs to be equal to or larger than the GVWR of the trailer. And read every single asterisk and footnote on the specs table for the model you’re looking at. You need to ensure that the truck in front of you has each of those packages/features, or the specs don’t apply.

Once you have your trailer and appropriate tow vehicle, for the love of everything, please put the right hitch on, both in type and class. Most manufacturers sell their half ton trucks with a weight carrying hitch, even when the truck’s tow specs far outshine the hitch’s towing abilities. That’s usually one of the pesky asterisks around ‘when properly equipped’ - loads over 5,000 lbs or 500 lbs of tongue weight need a weight distributing hitch.

Good luck!

[ryansgirl]

Lots of good info here. And agree - do NOT listen to the sales people. Absolutely do NOT. they have no clue about towing a HORSE trailer safely.

I was just looking into a new truck as my current one needed some repairs (it’s a 2008 with 206k on it). Sales guy who I’ve known for 15 yrs was arguing with me about what I needed. Got into an argument about 3.21 vs 3.92 rear gear, weights, etc. It did NOT end well for him as I promptly went to the service guys (who I’ve also known for 15+ yrs and trust) and told them to just fix my truck. I’m just glad that I know what I’m talking about when I start shopping.

Sales guys just want to make a sale regardless of safety. They have no clue about horses. I’m sure none have ever towed a trailer with a 1400 lb beast in it who is pissed and decides to thrown its body against the sides in protest. So yeah don’t listen to them!

[soloudinhere]

@clanter

properly equipment usually includes transmission and oil cooler plus larger sized engine coolant radiator (and might have upgraded brakes?)

some of the stated manufacturer specs appears to be very liberal such as GMC’s 1/2 ton

I am pretty sure these max towing specs exceed those of a one ton back in the late 1990s early 2000s

Why wouldn’t they? A modern 1 ton also exceeds that of a 20 year old one ton. Engineering does happen over time. I have a brand new F250 gasser and it’s fully 50% bigger than a friend’s '02. Trucks and engines have gotten bigger, transmissions have gotten tougher.

[clanter]

@soloudinhere

Why wouldn’t they? A modern 1 ton also exceeds that of a 20 year old one ton. Engineering does happen over time. I have a brand new F250 gasser and it’s fully 50% bigger than a friend’s '02. Trucks and engines have gotten bigger, transmissions have gotten tougher.

well it goes back to is it safe, towing is one thing stopping is another. The GVW normally is what is used to licence the truck

As a a marketing tool often a manufacturer would intentionally under rate a truck in order to place it into a lower class for registration. or to avoid addition requirements such a CDL.

I really do not see a correlation in today’s trucks were a 1/2 ton which was once designed for 1,000 pound use is now rated to 11,000 pounds…(5.5 tons)

Some of the one tons are now rated into the mid thirty thousand pound towing rating… nearly the same as an eighteen wheeler

1/2 ton, 3/4 ton, 1 ton pickups… just a marketing point these days

[SecondInCommand]

@clanter

well it goes back to is it safe, towing is one thing stopping is another. The GVW normally is what is used to licence the truck

As a a marketing tool often a manufacturer would intentionally under rate a truck in order to place it into a lower class for registration. or to avoid addition requirements such a CDL.

I really do not see a correlation in today’s trucks were a 1/2 ton which was once designed for 1,000 pound use is now rated to 11,000 pounds…(5.5 tons)

Some of the one tons are now rated into the mid thirty thousand pound towing rating… nearly the same as an eighteen wheeler

1/2 ton, 3/4 ton, 1 ton pickups… just a marketing point these days

The original “1/2 ton” etc. classifications were for payload, not towing abilities. So a more accurate comparison than 1,000 lbs (old, payload) vs. 11,000 lbs (new, towing) would be that some new half tons half payload capacities in excess of 3,000 lbs.

Three times more capable than the old ones is plenty impressive without having to pump the stats up to an 11x ability.

[soloudinhere]

When you buy a heavy duty ford there are max weight packages that intentionally derate a truck for states where over a certain gwcr pushes you to a commercial registration. Mine can “tow less” than an identical truck whose only difference is getting the 12,500 package instead of my 10,000 package which is no different than the 9,900 package. By law a 9,900 truck can not legally pull as much as the 12,500 package truck but physically it can.

It doesn’t make the trucks any different from each other physically, it’s just a sticker on the door. It makes sense as fleet sales do consider these things.