I am looking at buying a used vehicle that can double as the family vehicle and a towing vehicle. I would like to be able to tow a light weight 2 horse trailer (2500lb or less) with 1 horse (1000lb). My front runner right now is a 2017 Nissan Pathfinder…has anyone towed a horse trailer with one? Any other reliable SUV suggestions that won’t break the bank?
I would look for something with a minimum tow rating of 5,000 lbs. I’ve towed my Brenderup for years with an Acura MDX, and it pulls like a dream. And that car now has 185,000 miles and has never had any work done other than routine maintenance,
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I pulled a two horse, bumper hitch Silver Star with a Ford Expedition for years. The trailer was extra tall and wide with an extended front (NOT a dressing room). Before that I pulled the same trailer with a Chevy Tahoe. The Expedition was better. And it seats 8, which is important when we have a family reunion. My Expedition is a 2013 and I’m driving it until I lose my license!
A 2013 expedition is on my list!! I hate buying a car that old but expeditions are so expensive. They look very roomy!!
I’m very happy with my Dodge Durango, which is my work car, driving from client to client throughout a crowded city, and my barn/tow vehicle.
I have a Kia sorento and a boeckmann 2 horse, and I love my little setup.
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Before buying our F350 pickup, I towed my all-steel 2 horse BP trailer with a 1-ton GMC suburban which also doubled as my husband’s vehicle for commuting to work. Yes it got crappy gas mileage but pulling/stopping/handling were not an issue.
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A lot depends on the trailer. If it’s a European trailer like a Brenderup or Boeckmann, an SUV will be fine because the trailer has its own inertia brakes and doesn’t rely on the tow vehicle for stopping.
If it’s a traditional US trailer that requires a brake controller in the tow vehicle, you’ll need something with enough stopping power, in addition to the tow rating.
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Towed 2 horses over the years with a couple of K2500 Suburbans, a Lexus GX, LX470, and LX570. Even though I now have a 2500HD pickup I bought to tow an equipment trailer, the Lexus LX570 is still my go-to horse trailer tow vehicle.
It has a Toyota 5.7L V8, same as the Tundra, and a hydraulic leveling suspension. It is quiet, very comfortable, and gets much better gas mileage than the pickup.
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I’m late to this party but the Kia Sorento is exactly what I’m eyeing right now too to tow my one horse BP (for a mini). That or a Honda Passport (which’ll do 5000lbs depending upon the hitch installed), but the latter is awfully expensive by comparison … even used.
Glad to hear someone else vouch for the Sorento!
There’s been several threads over the past year on this topic, they have a lot of good information.
I used a 2003 Ford Expedition Eddie Bauer the last 2.5 years. 6600 lbs towing capacity, 8500 with a weight-distribution hitch (which I do not have). 2500 lb trailer, 1350 lb horse.
I know someone who uses a Toyota Sequoia, and before she got the Toyota last year she had Jeep SUV (IDK which model).
I’ve towed for about 15 years with a succession of Toyota 4Runners, one of the most reliable truck chassis suvs out there. Current one is a V8 rated to tow 7500# and I tow a 3000# EquiTrek Show Treka with 2 big WBs in it regularly. Cannot beat a 4Runner!
This makes absolutely no sense at all.
A brake controller can be set at any strength you choose. You can set it to lock the trailer brakes at 10% output from the tow vehicle (not that I recommend that, but you could). In a lot of ways, they’re better than the surge controller.
Bottom line: Stay within the tow rating. Make sure you have the correct tires. Drive like you have a brain (yeah yeah I know other people on the road won’t, but make sure you are doing your due diligence). Use a WD hitch if you need to. Load the trailer so it’s got the right tongue weight and won’t wag the dog.
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What about my post makes no sense? European trailers like Brenderups don’t require a brake controller. US trailers typically do. When the tow vehicle is solely responsible for stopping the trailer, you need to take that into account when picking your vehicle.
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Right, but implying that a european braked trailer is somehow safer than a truck/trailer with a brake controller is disingenuous. I argue that the brake controller is, in fact, SAFER because you can turn it up if needed.
I never said a word about one being safer than the other. Literally not a single word.
You implied that a European trailer was appropriate for an SUV because of the braking system, while a US trailer with a brake controller was not.
That’s a load of hogwash. You can put a brake controller in a SmartCar if you wanted to. They’re an equivalent or better system because you can set the gain yourself.
By saying that the European trailers with surge braking are appropriate for SUVs but not “US trailers” you implied that their braking systems are safer for SUVs. That is not true, at all.
It is all a function of tow rating vs trailer weight. Not brake type.
I never said anything of the kind. I think you’re reading things into my message that weren’t there. And I don’t understand why you’re attacking me.
I simply said that if you’re towing a US trailer, you have to take into account stopping power. That doesn’t mean an SUV is inappropriate for towing a US trailer - it’s just one thing to pay attention to in addition to basic tow rating.
I have towed both US and European trailers with an SUV very successfully.
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In my understanding of US vs lightweight Euro trailer, the tongue weight of the Euro trailer is MUCH lower than of the US design. My friend’s Hawk 2 horse trailer puts over 500# on her hitch and she has an electric braking set-up, etc. My Euro trailer puts 130# with 1 horse or 150# with 2 horses on my hitch. That’s why Europeans can pull these trailers with a sedan if it meets the minimum wheelbase and HP requirements. So it is correct to say that it’s not just the the braking system that allows one to use a smaller vehicle to pull a Euro trailer. It’s the fact that the trailer isn’t leaning on the tow vehicle, if I’ve explained it right.
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This doesn’t make sense.
Inertia brakes and a brake controller both operate to stop the trailer without relying on the truck or SUV brakes.
The difference is that euro trailers have less tongue weight, allowing them to be balanced and controlled easier by a smaller tow vehicle. Both types of trailers still have a braking system of their own.
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