Hubby and I are finally searching for a truck and he is pretty set on the new model Tundras with the turbo v6. I will occasionally be hauling a 2 horse bumper pull (newer gore with side ramp). Would love any insight on how it has performed for those who may have done the same or similar.
We looked at (and loved) Tundras when we were truck shopping. We had to settle for an F150 (that we have loved more than we expected) as a similarly outfitted Tundra was over $12K more than what we ended up paying, just couldn’t justify the cost. I have a few friends who tow with (older) Tundras and love them.
My advice (and this goes for every truck really) is to check the capacities of the individual truck. It looks like the 2023 Tundra has a capacity anywhere from 8,000-12,000. One on end, you may be cutting it close (depending on trailer/ horse/ cargo weight) on the other end you should have a nice cushion. Do you know how much your trailer weighs fully loaded (2 horses + tack + supplies)? What are you replacing with the Tundra?
3 Likes
Please please check the actual specs of your Tundra AND the weight of your trailer - I’m a Toyota devotee but the Tundras/Sequioas are spectacularly underpowered vs every other comparable brand (well. There’s Nissan but I won’t go there). I’ve not hauled with a turbo V6 from them but I HAVE driven one - it really felt underpowered and the gas mileage was crap 
I’ve hauled with a V8 Tundra and it was fine with a 2500lb no tack room fiberglass BP and one horse but I would not have wanted much more. I prefer my V8 F150 (technically only 800lb more capacity) for a 3500lb 2H with tack room and one horse. More would be scary for anything but local flat hauls. To be clear - all of these rigs fully loaded are within the manufacturer limits, it’s the power to get out of a dumb situation that’s the problem (NC on-ramps are stupid. And short.)
The Gore brand is Not Light - and a side ramp adds significant weight. You probably know all this but I will shout it from the rooftops - the same year and trim truck can have anywhere from 5000lb to 12000lb towing capacity. Check, check, and triple check your math - and try to stay under 75% of capacity with live weight.
Again I’m generally a fan of anything Toyota - their larger trucks are just not as good as other brands for using, hauling, and gas mileage, especially for the price. Anything 4Runner and smaller is FANTASTIC - but not for hauling horses.
(ETA: those of you hauling euro trailers with 4Runners don’t @ me… )
9 Likes
i own a 2013 Tundra and haul a two horse bumper pull trailer of around 3,500 lbs. I have hauled with two horses and have had no issues. My hauling capacity is about 9,200 lbs. Yes the gas milage is noting to brag about but I would expect that of any truck pulling a trailer. When I purchased it 10 years ago it cost me 30,120 dollars and had the V8 and 4 wheel drive. I priced the same model and style this week and it is now 45,000. I love Toyota quality and have owned several different models over the years, I would hate to buy anything new right now but not sure if the prices will ever come down. But overall no issues and it has held up extremely well.
1 Like
My v8 tundra tows (and stops) my 2 horse featherlite (1900 lbs not loaded), with 2 horses just fine, but I wouldn’t want to tow much more. I think the max towing capacity is 10,000 lbs of balanced stable weight of which horses are not. It did come qith a tow package, class 3 hitch and electric brakes. Gas mileage sucks. 10 mpg towing. I like it and it’s been reliable, bit I wouldn’t want to tow with a v6. Check the towing capacity on the one you are looking at carefully
1 Like
i agree if you buy a Tundra it should be a V8. I looked at different engines vs. tow capacity and anything less than a V8 I think would be under powered. I usually only haul one horse but have haul two with no problems.
1 Like
one other thing I thought of the towing capacity drops with certain models. they advertise a towing capacity of 10,000 lbs but that is only on the single cab. It drops as you go to the double cab and drops some more for the longer extended cab.
1 Like
And drops a bit more for 4WD - an essential for me personally.
Also, towing capacity will vary not just by engine and cab and drivetrain, but also wheelbase and gear ratio (axle ratio? I’m not recalling the proper terminology). This is where people get hung up - all the big window sticker specs can look the same but you can lose a few THOUSAND pounds capacity just from gear ratio alone, and these details are in tiny font and you have to go dig through the manufacturer specs to find out exactly what your truck can handle. Ask me how I know 
And the dealer will flat out lie to you (well, they probably don’t know and don’t care to find out), so do your own research.
3 Likes
Yes, this 
Very, very important. Esp about the dealers - most haven’t a clue about towing in general, much less towing horses (which as we know is very different than “dead” weight).
Gore’s site has a BP 2 horse + DR + side ramp at 3600lbs for the wider model. Add in 2 1200lb horses (could be more) and you’re at 6,000lbs not including: tack, hay, the halters on the horses, any modifications made to the trailer, shavings, etc. If you had a 8000lb capacity, you’d be cutting it close after adding all that in. Weighing at CAT scales may be a pain but it’s really the only way to know exactly what you’re dealing with and what you need.
never us is a rock yard that has a platform scale, they charged us $1 each to weigh our horses which we walked individually onto the scale. We were cross checking the validity of a weight tape, found the tape was near enough - within 25 to 40 pounds of being actuate. The rig can be weighed at not cost if purchasing material
1 Like
Thank you! Unfortunately the new Tundra’s are only offered with the v6 Turbo option, no v8 :(. So we may be looking at a totally different make/model at the end of everything.
1 Like
Supposedly the v6 turbos (F150 or tundra) are supposed to haul great. The Tundras, unfortunately, are only offered with v6 Turbo - no other engine options. So may be looking at other make/models - which would be sad bc we are Toyota loyalists!!!
You and @fivestrideline make great points. I will take a look at the gear ratio situation.
It would be VERY rare for me to haul two full sized horses. Two things I have going for me… typical hauls are within 45 min - 1.5 hours on pretty flat highway, and I will mostly be hauling a single medium pony and maybeee one average TB along with her but doubt it.
I think the hubby is sad to learn the new Tundra’s may not cut it as far as hauling capacity. He held out getting the newer model for better mpg, but seems like in comparable trucks its not really an incentive to stick with the Tundra now.
1 Like
My dad has a 2022 turbo something something F150 that can get 30mpg highway. Toyota really can’t touch the MPG game right now with any of their trucks, so I wouldn’t choose them for that reason. An “older” V8 with the right configuration would probably serve you well.
1 Like
If they have one with a tow package, ask if you can take it fot a test drive, hitch it up and drive and see how it does!
1 Like
I recently purchased a 2024 V6 turbo Tundra SR5 double cab and while I haven’t yet hooked it up to my horse trailer, I would be surprised if it doesn’t tow well. It has so much torque that I have to be careful leaving my driveway, and it’s so much more powerful than my older V8 F150 was.
We chose the SR5 because it had a higher towing capacity than the base model Tundra, and came with the trailer brake control.
While my experience with the salesperson was absolutely awful and I’m glad I did my own research before going, it’s been a very nice truck so far and I’m interested to see how it hauls horses once winter is over.
Edited to add: we also went to a Ford dealership and had a fantastic salesperson who had horse experience, knew I planned on hauling a two horse steel trailer, and who was really honest with us. He asked us if we were considering any other brands and when we told him Toyota, he said that was the one other brand he had nothing negative to say about. While I loved the Ford sales experience, the Toyota drove like a nicer truck and my husband was much more comfortable with the engine compartment on the Toyota compared to how inaccessible things are in the Ford (he’s a trained mechanic and hated working on my old F150).
1 Like
We also like Toyota products. We had multiple prius over the last 20 years. When I replaced my Ford F250 in 2022 I looked at the toyota tundra. It had a lot less capability versus the Ford. I just looked at the Toyota Tundra and they have increased the towing capacity quite a bit. However, you have to get the highest end version of the truck to get to the 12K towing. The base model is only rated at 8300. Also, another consideration for me was the length of the bed. Toyota does not offer a long bed. The toyota load in the bed was about 1300 lbs short of the Ford. I also don’t like the twin turbo. Too much complexity.
