# Finding the perfect truck and trailer



## Horsefreak13013 (Sep 29, 2014)

This year I will be purchasing my first vehicle! Yay! I would like to get a truck that can tow a trailer. The hard part about this is that I don't know what kind of truck can tow a horse trailer! I have been searching the internet endlessly it seems.



What I'm looking for in my truck



-- Gets at least 20 gallons to the mile (Debatable)

-- Will last me through the end of highschool and hopefully 3 years of college

-- Can tow a horse trailer holding one to two horses

-- Last through a Michigan winter

-- Maintenance won't make me go bankrupt

-- Cab can hold four people (I like the bigger trucks, but will have to settle for a smaller one)





What I look For In A Horse Trailer

-- Can hold two horses

-- Has electric brakes installed (not sure if they make trailers without that anymore)

-- Straight load as I have a large mare, but she is very light in the trailer

-- Windows that can open so that the horse can stick his/her head out while trailer is stopped and windows are opened by human

-- Hay Rack (Optional, but would be neat)

-- Dividers can be removed

-- Goosenecks are easier to park (Beginner driver parents will be in the truck with me when towing) Bumper pulls are also another option as they are most of the time cheaper

-- Ramps (optional)

-- Ventilation?

Now here are my questions and concerns. How do I know if a trailer is properly ventilated? How long and tall should my trailer be? How do I figure the towing capacity of my future truck? How do I choose my future truck? 

I would really appreciate good website references and such like that.  I would really like to start showing, but first need to get a truck that can tow a trailer (I know a few people with bumper pull trailers that I can borrow) Thank you so much!


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## PrivatePilot (Dec 7, 2009)

First question for me would be...what's your budget for each? Without that it's hard to give you any pointers as we could be talking about a 50K truck, or a 5K "well used but still safe for your needs" truck...likewise for the trailer - a $5K used special fixer upper (are you handy, or willing to spend money to fix an older unit?), or a $40K shiny aluminum GN with living quarters? :wink:


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## Horsefreak13013 (Sep 29, 2014)

PrivatePilot said:


> First question for me would be...what's your budget for each? Without that it's hard to give you any pointers as we could be talking about a 50K truck, or a 5K "well used but still safe for your needs" truck...likewise for the trailer - a $5K used special fixer upper (are you handy, or willing to spend money to fix an older unit?), or a $40K shiny aluminum GN with living quarters? :wink:


 $5,000 would be my budget for the truck and also $5,000 for the trailer. I am not that handy, but there are many people around me willing to lend a helping hand or two. :lol:


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## Tylorjeanwagner (Nov 20, 2013)

I bought my 2002 chevy Silverado 1500 for 3500. Take into consideration it's only a 2WD but I don't need 4wd because I'm a girl and prefer not to get my truck all muddy, plus 2wd vehicles are cheaper from what I've seen HAHA! My truck is a pavement princess, unless you need to haul through heavy snow/mud to get somewhere important I wouldn't consider a 2wd vehicle. It pulls my '81 two horse trailer perfectly. Not the best gas mileage but I trust my truck with my life!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## BigNickMontana (Aug 5, 2013)

The 92-98 chevy trucks are going to be your best bet, 15 mpg is likely on flat land with out fighting the wind assuming you don't put big mud tires on it, hook up a horse trailer, you will be getting 8-10 mph. 

They are solid dependable trucks though, I have owned about 10 of them over the years and parted out several more (I used to own a towing company) they have always worked hard for me and ive never had one leave me stranded for anything more than a fuel pump which was an issue when Valero was putting out some really bad gas.


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## BigNickMontana (Aug 5, 2013)

Oh, and I will add, if your going to be doing a descent amount of towing and by that I mean at least once a month, get a 3/4 or 1 ton, it isn't worth risking your horses life if you break an axle and lose a tire on a half ton. 

As well these trucks you can put a ball in the bed and get a goose neck trailer which tows a lot nicer than a bumper pull.


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## verona1016 (Jul 3, 2011)

First, I'd get an idea of what your trailer-to-be might weigh. Decide now if you want a gooseneck or a bumper pull, as that's going to affect the weight (goosenecks weigh more), and how much weight it actually puts on the truck (goosenecks put a higher percentage of their weight on the truck itself). Because of the higher weight a gooseneck puts on a truck, you will need a larger truck to pull it (3/4 ton or larger), and depending on the truck market in your area, you might find that you can't find many suitable trucks for sale that fit within your budget. As a reference, my steel 2-horse slant load with small tack room weighs ~3000 lbs empty.

Once you have a ballpark figure of what your trailer might weigh, start looking at ads for trucks in your price range: half ton and up if you're thinking bumper pull, 3/4 ton and up if you're thinking gooseneck. Make sure that whatever you get has the factory installed tow package. You can get an idea of the towing capacities by selecting the correctly spec'd model from websites like edmunds.com, but before you buy, have a dealership run the VIN for you to verify the truck's configuration. You want the towing capacity to be well above anything you plan to tow; just as an example, two horses in my 3,000 lb trailer along with tack and other supplies might weight 5,500 lbs, so you might want a truck with a minimum of 6,500 lb towing capacity. You would probably want a wider margin if you're towing fully loaded often, or if you're towing in more challenging conditions. If you're looking at goosenecks, also pay close attention to the payload capacity of the truck.

You will likely need to buy and install a brake controller, unless the truck has one built in. I'd also suggest strongly considering a weight distribution system for bumper pull trailers.



BigNickMontana said:


> Oh, and I will add, if your going to be doing a descent amount of towing and by that I mean at least once a month, get a 3/4 or 1 ton, it isn't worth risking your horses life if you break an axle and lose a tire on a half ton.


Unless you're overloading the truck, the risk of breaking an axle isn't any higher on a half ton truck than it is on a bigger one. One of many reasons to know your truck's capacities and stay well within them.


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## BigNickMontana (Aug 5, 2013)

verona1016 said:


> Unless you're overloading the truck, the risk of breaking an axle isn't any higher on a half ton truck than it is on a bigger one. One of many reasons to know your truck's capacities and stay well within them.


Actually yes it is, a 1/2 ton is going to have a semi floating axle, where a 3/4 or 1 ton is going to have a full floater, the difference being you snap an axle shaft on a 3/4 or 1 ton the truck just won't go anymore if it has an open diff, where as on a 1/2 ton you snap an axle shaft the axle along with the tire will come out of the housing and pass you going down the road. 

Having your tire come off when you are towing a horse trailer is a really bad thing. 

With a half ton you just risk so much especially if you are driving on wash board roads with it towing, the towing rating from the factory assumes that you are operating on the pavement. 

Even a big pot hole can kill a semi floating axle when it is under that kind of load. I used to run a wrecker service, believe me I am talking from experience here, I've towed a lot of 1/2 tons with broken axles that were not towing trailers when they failed.


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## PrivatePilot (Dec 7, 2009)

verona1016 said:


> First, I'd get an idea of what your trailer-to-be might weigh. Decide now if you want a gooseneck or a bumper pull, as that's going to affect the weight (goosenecks weigh more), and how much weight it actually puts on the truck (goosenecks put a higher percentage of their weight on the truck itself).


Yes, agreed, this is the next step. Don't even bother truck shopping until you've decided on your trailer. A lot of people buy a truck and then go trailer shopping and learn that the truck they bought it's adequate or suitable for the trailer they now want. Very expensive mistake.


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## Jumping4Joy (Jan 29, 2014)

Tylorjeanwagner said:


> I bought my 2002 chevy Silverado 1500 for 3500. Take into consideration it's only a 2WD but I don't need 4wd because I'm a girl and prefer not to get my truck all muddy, plus 2wd vehicles are cheaper from what I've seen HAHA! My truck is a pavement princess, unless you need to haul through heavy snow/mud to get somewhere important I wouldn't consider a 2wd vehicle. It pulls my '81 two horse trailer perfectly. Not the best gas mileage but I trust my truck with my life!
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


What does being a girl have to do with having 4WD or not?
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## PrivatePilot (Dec 7, 2009)

Jumping4Joy said:


> What does being a girl have to do with having 4WD or not?


Seems to be the answer was within the quote.



> because I'm a girl and prefer not to get my truck all muddy


She doesn't want to get her truck muddy, therefore doesn't offroad, therefore doesn't feel that she wants a needs a 4WD.

FWIW, I don't recommend a 4WD for a towing vehicle either. You pay a lifetime of fuel penalties both towing and not for driving a 4WD, and most 4WD trucks spend but a fraction of 1% of their life actually in 4WD, often unnecessarily at that.


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## kewpalace (Jul 17, 2013)

I'm a girl and LOVE my 4WD truck for towing. I live on a dirt road in an area that snows and I go to many areas where there are dirt roads and badly maintained dirt roads. I spent a year w/out 4WD and can tell you, I won't again. While it does not get used all the time, it does get used.

That said, it is not an essential for the majority of people so if you don't do much towing in off-road conditions, I'd probably by-pass it, too.

PS - I have no qualms about my truck getting muddy ... it's a TRUCK, LOL. And there are things like truck washes.


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## verona1016 (Jul 3, 2011)

BigNickMontana said:


> Actually yes it is, a 1/2 ton is going to have a semi floating axle, where a 3/4 or 1 ton is going to have a full floater, the difference being you snap an axle shaft on a 3/4 or 1 ton the truck just won't go anymore if it has an open diff, where as on a 1/2 ton you snap an axle shaft the axle along with the tire will come out of the housing and pass you going down the road.
> 
> Having your tire come off when you are towing a horse trailer is a really bad thing.


Whether the tire will actually come off in the event of an axle failure has to do more with just whether it's a semi or full floating axle. Semi-floating axles are commonly attached with either c-clips (which _do_ the potential for the wheel to come off) or with pressed bearings (in which case the bearing pressed to the axleshaft holds the assembly together)

IIRC, most (all?) of the current model pickup trucks use pressed bearings, and there are kits available to convert older models that have c-clips.



BigNickMontana said:


> With a half ton you just risk so much especially if you are driving on wash board roads with it towing, the towing rating from the factory assumes that you are operating on the pavement.
> 
> Even a big pot hole can kill a semi floating axle when it is under that kind of load. I used to run a wrecker service, believe me I am talking from experience here, I've towed a lot of 1/2 tons with broken axles that were not towing trailers when they failed.


Which is why I suggested leaving a larger margin for safety if you'll be towing in challenging terrain. FWIW, I suspect most broken axles stem from overloading the payload capacity, not the towing capacity (but of course it's possible to overload _both_ the payload and towing capacities... and people do...) Axles don't just break for no reason (unless they're defective), and I'd wager that most, if not all, of those 1/2 tons you towed with broken axles were routinely overloaded, even if they weren't loaded at the time.


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## BigNickMontana (Aug 5, 2013)

verona1016 said:


> Whether the tire will actually come off in the event of an axle failure has to do more with just whether it's a semi or full floating axle. Semi-floating axles are commonly attached with either c-clips (which _do_ the potential for the wheel to come off) or with pressed bearings (in which case the bearing pressed to the axleshaft holds the assembly together)
> 
> IIRC, most (all?) of the current model pickup trucks use pressed bearings, and there are kits available to convert older models that have c-clips.
> 
> ...


I am glad you sorted that out for me, I mean really after 25 years of turning wrenches I never figured that out. 

I am just curious though with the OP's 5,000.00 budget, how many trucks are they going to find that don't have C-clips? 

Even then you are talking a half ton truck that had god knows what done to it before you bought it, you don't know if the thing was used like a Pakistani caravan. Did he get where he was going? I can only assume so. But because some people get away with it doesn't mean others will. 

I saw a guy a while back had a 1/2 ton pickup pulling a 28' 2 car hauler with 2 more half ton trucks on it. Easily a 14,000 lb load. 

But hey you pick your poison and you take your chances, and I am not saying a 1 ton can't fail, but its way less likely.


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## verona1016 (Jul 3, 2011)

BigNickMontana said:


> I am glad you sorted that out for me, I mean really after 25 years of turning wrenches I never figured that out.
> 
> I am just curious though with the OP's 5,000.00 budget, how many trucks are they going to find that don't have C-clips?
> 
> ...


Well I guess the only logical course of action is to buy a '95 1 ton dually.


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## BigNickMontana (Aug 5, 2013)

verona1016 said:


> Well I guess the only logical course of action is to buy a '95 1 ton dually.


Not really, the 95 still had the TBI motor where as the 96-00 had the Vortec 454, the Vortec made way more power. 

A good choice however would be a 92-95 3/4 ton or 1 ton with the 350, the 96-98 model Vortec 350 had issues with the intake manifold gaskets going bad and dumping coolant in the pan which if you didn't catch it in time would wipe out the bearings.


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## PrivatePilot (Dec 7, 2009)

With a 20 MPG (unladen) goal from the OP, anything 454 is out the window. It's also IMHO unnecessary if we're talking a 2 horse straight tag trailer, or even a small GN. 

Again, the think it's important to find out what type and size of trailer the OP wants before speculating any further on the truck.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Horsefreak13013 (Sep 29, 2014)

Like said before, I have absolutely no clue about trucks or trailers. I want to learn as much as I can before I get my first truck. I will be borrowing a trailer until I get my own, which probably weighs around 3,000 lb empty, but am unsure and will have to ask the owner.


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## BigNickMontana (Aug 5, 2013)

Horsefreak13013 said:


> Like said before, I have absolutely no clue about trucks or trailers. I want to learn as much as I can before I get my first truck. I will be borrowing a trailer until I get my own, which probably weighs around 3,000 lb empty, but am unsure and will have to ask the owner.


IMHO I would plan on being able to pull at least a 3 horse trailer, I know you have one horse, but that would be you and 2 friends with their horses. 

Even if you start using a smaller trailer, getting a truck you don't have to upgrade later will be a good idea because it will save you having to trade it off to trade up down the road.


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## PrivatePilot (Dec 7, 2009)

Horsefreak13013 said:


> Like said before, I have absolutely no clue about trucks or trailers. I want to learn as much as I can before I get my first truck. I will be borrowing a trailer until I get my own, which probably weighs around 3,000 lb empty, but am unsure and will have to ask the owner.


Well, if you're totally unsure what you want to buy for a trailer it's hard to spec a truck for it as the needs can vary dramatically accordingly. A 2 horse bumper pull is going to be fine with a 1500 series (half ton) with perhaps even a V6 (assuming you're not traveling long distance in challenging terrain) which will give you the unloaded mileage you desire. BUT, if you're looking at a 3 horse or larger as even a possible choice down the road, or considering a gooseneck, you want a 3/4 ton with a V8.

Your thoughts?


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## Joel Reiter (Feb 9, 2015)

Horsefreak13013 said:


> -- Gets at least 20 gallons to the mile (Debatable)


Not happening. Even the new generation of pickup engines like the Ford Ecoboost or the RAM Ecodiesel, capable of over 20 mpg in commuting duty, will give you more like 10-11 mpg pulling a horse trailer. And those are $40,000 trucks.

My 2002 Toyota Tundra averaged 12 mpg pulling a two-horse trailer from Minnesota to Washington State and back. I wouldn't want to try and pull a horse trailer with anything smaller. I get about 16.5 mph commuting.



> -- Ramps (optional)


Some trainers like ramps because they provide an intermediate step between the ground and the trailer -- once you get the horse to cross the ramp without balking, it's a smaller challenge to get him to put feet in the trailer itself. I dislike them because I find them awkward to open and close and I don't like lining my head up to be kicked.



> -- Ventilation? How do I know if a trailer is properly ventilated?


On our trip we used a Featherlite 2-horse, and the ventilation was superb. With wide open vents in the ceiling there was strong air flow coming down behind the horses' heads and out the back windows. Even in near one hundred degree heat the horses were dry when we stopped. Of course, even a well ventilated trailer can get pretty hot while you're stopped.

I'd take a look at the vents in a Featherlite and make sure whatever you buy has something like that.


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## evilamc (Sep 22, 2011)

I had to buy a truck to be my daily driver around the city and my tow vehicle. I went with an f150, it has the 5.4L and towing capacity of 8100 lbs. I picked out this truck KNOWING I was saving for a featherlite 2 horse slant load, that weighs 3100 and gw of 7000. I would nto pick any truck that could tow less then 8000 because I like to know I'm not pushing my trucks limits. On hills, yes I wish I had a bigger motor, but on highway and pretty much everywhere else we get around just fine even with two horses. My gas mileage isn't what you're looking for though, its just not going to happen with a v8...Ya a bigger truck is always great but I've never felt unsafe with my f150 and I tow sometimes 2-3x a week...not far but I do take it out.


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## PrivatePilot (Dec 7, 2009)

Joel Reiter said:


> Not happening. Even the new generation of pickup engines like the Ford Ecoboost or the RAM Ecodiesel, capable of over 20 mpg in commuting duty, will give you more like 10-11 mpg pulling a horse trailer. And those are $40,000 trucks.


I'm going to assume the OP meant 20MPG unladen. Doable, although on an older truck in the OP's price range it might be a stretch...but doable given gentle driving.

20MPG towing...yeah, forget about it.


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## evilamc (Sep 22, 2011)

PrivatePilot said:


> I'm going to assume the OP meant 20MPG unladen. Doable, although on an older truck in the OP's price range it might be a stretch...but doable given gentle driving.
> 
> 20MPG towing...yeah, forget about it.


If I drive SUPER carefully on highway I can sometimes get 21 mpg  hahaha not towing obviously. Around town though, so much stopping and going I only get 13-15


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## mred (Jan 7, 2015)

I have a '97 F150. It had the factory tow package and wiring. I did buy a brake controler. The truck was used to pull a travel trailer before I got it. Way overloaded. However with my 2 horse bumper pull, it does fine. I would not like to pull it across the country tho. But note, that when I changed out a rear wheel bearing, because of the tow package, the rear axle center was the same center as the same year F250. Not all 1/2 ton trucks have light axles. If I go to a new truck, I will go to a newer F250.


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