Truck questions - seems that things have changed regarding towing

[right_horse_at_the_right_time]

I have a Ram 2500 and love it. It is very old and needs to be replaced at some point soon. I also have a steel trailer and love it. Two big horses.

If I were to get a new or new-used truck, what would be a good option? I would not drive it as my primary car, so I would like air conditioning, power windows, and either leather or vinyl on account of the dog and horse hair, but I guess cloth would word. The biggest thing is safety for pulling my trailer and horses.

I’d heard that the 3/4 ton 2500 was the safest bet; now I’m reading that the 1500s with a tow package and some special package are safer than the 2500s. Is there any truth to this?

What is the best truck, bargain wise, for what I need? I would rather err on the side of caution regarding hauling and braking, but I don’t need fancy as again, this is a second vehicle. Is the GMC a good brand?

Thanks!

[TullyMars]

3/4 ton and 1 ton are best bet.

[B_and_B]

Everyone will tell you that their brand is the best, be it Ram, Ford, Chevy, or GMC. I’m a die hard Chevy girl myself! But, honestly, a lot of it comes down to personal preferences in ride type. There are bad model years out there in all makes, so if looking for a used truck do your research. I won’t buy a 2015 Chevy or a 2014 Ram for example. They may be fine, but the odds are higher that they may not be.
In terms of truck size. No, I wouldn’t go with a 1500 for towing; in my view the special towing package on those is a workaround that really doesn’t solve the fundamental fact that the truck isn’t that heavy and so lacks stability/stopping power. But, I know a lot of people do. One thing to keep in mind, most people these days are not towing heavy horse/livestock trailers. They are towing the light ‘toy’ trailers. The 1500’s are heavy enough for those, which is part of why they are used so commonly for towing these days and why a sales agent is going to tell you that it is perfectly good for towing. It is, just maybe not a big fully loaded horse trailer with a horse that decides to do the salsa because they got stung by a wasp at highway speeds during rush hour.

[right_horse_at_the_right_time]

Thanks, both of you! I was hoping to save some money with a 1500 but I get it. That’s why I asked. So…best bargain for a 3/4 ton still?

[Mango20]

I don’t think a 1500 could ever be SAFER than a 2500, but they have changed a lot in recent years and most at the 1500/150 level have pretty big towing capacity and can easily handle a bumper pull trailer. They’re still not as heavy and stable on the highway, though, and depending on the package, you have to think about brakes, transmission, gear ratio, etc.

I don’t think there’s really a “best” from full size truck brand to brand. Get the one you like or the one you find a good deal on, and it’s likely to be just as reliable or unreliable as any other truck out there.

[endlessclimb]

@B and B

Everyone will tell you that their brand is the best, be it Ram, Ford, Chevy, or GMC. I’m a die hard Chevy girl myself! But, honestly, a lot of it comes down to personal preferences in ride type. There are bad model years out there in all makes, so if looking for a used truck do your research. I won’t buy a 2015 Chevy or a 2014 Ram for example. They may be fine, but the odds are higher that they may not be.
In terms of truck size. No, I wouldn’t go with a 1500 for towing; in my view the special towing package on those is a workaround that really doesn’t solve the fundamental fact that the truck isn’t that heavy and so lacks stability/stopping power. But, I know a lot of people do. One thing to keep in mind, most people these days are not towing heavy horse/livestock trailers. They are towing the light ‘toy’ trailers. The 1500’s are heavy enough for those, which is part of why they are used so commonly for towing these days and why a sales agent is going to tell you that it is perfectly good for towing. It is, just maybe not a big fully loaded horse trailer with a horse that decides to do the salsa because they got stung by a wasp at highway speeds during rush hour.

If you’re talking the same engine and bed length between the two (ie, not a diesel in the 3/4 ton), there will not be much difference in the curb weight. The main change between the two would be suspension, which ups the tow rating and the payload capacity.

OP, if you go with a 1/2 ton, which in most modern trucks can handily pull whatever you want, I’d focus on getting the longest wheelbase you can. That’s where stability between truck and trailer come from.

[B_and_B]

@endlessclimb

If you’re talking the same engine and bed length between the two (ie, not a diesel in the 3/4 ton), there will not be much difference in the curb weight. The main change between the two would be suspension, which ups the tow rating and the payload capacity.

OP, if you go with a 1/2 ton, which in most modern trucks can handily pull whatever you want, I’d focus on getting the longest wheelbase you can. That’s where stability between truck and trailer come from.

I was comparing the 1500 to the 2500HD option, which is either gas or diesel. That adds an easy extra 1000 pounds to curb weight. 1500 to 2500 gives anywhere from negligible weight gain to close to a 1000. The spread on Rams’ weights is even wider. In my view the change in the suspension is very useful, if only because it is so, so easy to overload the bed on a 1500 and damage the springs. Pellet fuel seems to be the most common culprit around here. So if buying a 1500, check the suspension and springs, unless the bed is so shiny, pretty that it is clear than no one ever actually used it as a truck
All that being so, you can absolutely tow safely with a modern 1500 as I said.
Yes, wheelbase is very important.

[clanter]

I was comparing the 1500 to the 2500HD option, which is either gas or diesel.

On Ram… the 1500 diesel is a 3L V6 engine made in Italy by VM Motori. …the 2500 uses the 6.7L Cummins inline 6-cylinder diesel…completely different reliability

The VM Motori EcoDiesel has been plagued with durability issues since its release, leading to some drastic actions from Chrysler in response. First the engine’s recommended oil viscosity was increased to 5w40 from the thinner 5w30 that the engine first used. Later, Chrysler released software changes for the engine’s computer which changed the torque curve at lower RPM, in order to take some pressure off the engine main bearings. While these changes have helped, the engine is still far from what we’d consider calling “robust”.

http://mygarageairdrie.ca/our-top-5-engines-that-require-absolutely-religious-oil-changes/

[caevent]

Definitely get 3/4 ton. You will be happy to have more truck over the years. I’ve been very happy with my Gmc.

[Obsidian_Fire]

OP, if you go with a 3/4 or one ton, gasoline, I think any of the big brands would do you fine. If you go diesel, I’d stick with Ram or GM.

I will say, when we were shopping back in early 2015, I knew we wanted diesel and I knew to stay away from Ford. I went to the local Ram and GM dealers. I was so incredibly disappointed in the GM. It was a top of the line with leather, etc. The stitching was already coming apart. The ‘buttons’ were not in places that made any sense at all. Plus, my brother has an early '06 and this brand new '15 was exactly the same truck. Just a higher price tag.
The Ram, everything was in a place that made sense. It drove like a dream. It was comfortable. I went home and pinned down the amenities I wanted and didn’t want. We ended up purchasing from Dave Smith Motors in Idaho (I don’t know where you are located but I know they deliver trucks). I talked with the sales guy who helped me get exactly what I wanted, without paying top dollar for all kinds of stuff I didn’t want/would never use. My husband and son flew up to Spokane, the shuttle met them at the airport, took them to the lot. They completed the paperwork and drove our new truck home.
Here we are 5 1/2 years later and I still love it. It hauls like a dream, it carries as much as I can stuff into the bed without a whimper. We drove last summer from here in Oregon to Colorado and back. It was completely comfortable the entire way. I can’t say that about too many vehicles.

And we have not had any mechanical problems with it, knock wood.

[Lucassb]

Well, asking about brand preferences in trucks is kinda like asking about religion, LOL. There are devotees of all brands. Lots of people like the Cummins diesel for towing but I personally prefer Fords and the Powerstrokes. I have two, one of which is my much prized 7.3L '99 which I have owned for 16 years - it has been properly maintained, has just over 100K miles on it, and I literally have standing offers from the mechanic who looks after it, the guy who owns the lawn service, the guy who installed my arena and the manager of our local dealership, LOL. My newer one is a 2015 and I bought it for the creature comforts - it has all the bells & whistles that my “plain vanilla” older truck does not. On longer trips, say the 11 hour trip down to FL, it is nice to have the cushy heated/cooled leather seats, fancy audio system, navigation etc. But they both pull my big horses and a fully loaded trailer just fine.

My advice is to get at least a 3/4 ton and do a big PPE on whatever truck you are interested in. As with horses, it will be money well spent.

[rhymeswithfizz]

If your budget can swing it, I always prefer to have more truck. Whatever capacity you decide, you will get the very best bang for your buck by looking for a Work Truck (WT) model of whatever best suits your needs. The 2500 WT Chevy Duramax for example was about $15k cheaper than the standard model, and it checks all your boxes and then some.

[asterix]

In terms of “safe” - that is also a complicated answer. The very essential starting point is math. You need to know how much your trailer weighs, empty and loaded, and then look at specific truck configurations to see what the GCVWR and tow capacity are. I have a newer f150 which can tow nearly 12,000 lbs, which is way more than I need with a alum over steel 2 h bp. But you can buy the same vintage f150 set up differently and have a tow capacity of down in the 7k range. My truck’s tow haul setting actively downshifts when I am braking to a stop, which makes for much improved stopping capacity. To me, that is a safety bonus. The charts on the current 250 start at 13,000 - of course they go up significantly depending on configuration, but if you are towing 8,000 lbs, for example…

[Chall]

Regarding brands and models, I find it useful to read owners comments on board sites.
i found out short comings that were deal breakers that I didn’t find anywhere else.
EX: Subaru still had head gasket problems and the deal breaker for me, no engine temperature gauge/needle where you could see temperature rising. Just an ON light when it was too hot.
My old Subaru had a radiator leak once and watching that needle rise was how I knew I had to exit the highway NOW.
So, find enthusiasts forums for the specific year and make you want and read.

[right_horse_at_the_right_time]

Thank you all, very much.

This is one of those things where I am not an expert, and right now I do not have the intellectual or emotional bandwidth to become an expert, so I sincerely appreciate your advice and input.

I have an older Circle J steel 2 horse BP trailer; I have never been able to get the weight on it as the sticker is long since gone/unreadable. This link is NOT MY TRAILER but seems to be the exact model: http://www.angelfire.com/wa/brcr/HorseTrailer.html

I would be very open to selling this and getting a gooseneck if that would be safer, also.

Two big horses who load and travel well.

Reading all of these - if I wanted a Ram 2500, I am finding all of the different options confusing. I’ve perused the classifieds/auto internet sites rating trucks, etc. I’ve seen the tradesman, which seems to be the work truck version? I would be happy with that. Regarding wheelbase, 4x4 versus 4x2, braking, etc., I am still confused. How do I know what a long enough wheelbase is? When I call dealerships of course they want me to come in and once they sense that I don’t know what I’m talking about…it’s all over. And I have no interest in being sold something that doesn’t work. I’m not in a hurry.

THANK YOU so much.

[asterix]

You can take your trailer to a truck stop and weigh it there. I would think most 2500s have a long enough wheelbase. In terms of 4x2 vs 4x4 - the 4x4 will add some weight, which diminishes your tow capacity a little bit. It’ll cost a bit more as well. For some circumstances the 4x4 is a must have - we often park on grass, on an incline, in the rain. For other folks it’s not needed.