# What can I tow safely?



## HombresArablegacy (Oct 12, 2013)

As a former Floridian who used to pull a horse trailer quite a bit while there, I'd say no to the smaller truck for pulling a trailer. You have to figure in more than the towing capacity of the S 10. The combined weight of the horse and trailer will almost max you out. You also have to consider the ability to stop. That much weight on an S10 is going to push the truck, especially if you have to stop fast. I personally wouldn't do it.

Not sure where in FL you're moving, but unless your in the boonies, there is a LOT of traffic, stop and go, congestion, and crazy drivers.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Emoore (Sep 14, 2015)

I would not pull a horse trailer with a mini truck like an S10.


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## MyBoySi (Dec 1, 2011)

you can probably tow it but stopping it is what I'd be worried about...
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

You can safely tow and stop a small utility trailer. Horses and a horse trailer? NO, stay off the road, you are endangering yourself and others.


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

You may think Florida is fairly flat but that is false....
May not be mountains here but there are hills, grades, twists and turns of roads and many roads are not graded correctly.
Forget the local road repair leaves much to be desired in many communities of rough road surface, bad patches done and narrow lanes...they don't make interstate wide roads even on the interstates like done in any other state I have driven in...narrow and no decent shoulder if you drop a tire off you are going to be needing a heftier truck to hold that trailer from going "goodbye"....

I am not one to say you need a 1 ton truck to tow a 2 horse trailer of normal size but to have a truck with limited ability to safely handle live moving weight I think is foolish.
All those numbers presented from the manufacturer regardless of what manufacturer are done with a stagnant weight being towed...a boat, a camper trailer and such.
No one uses live cargo, period!

Safe travels and towing to you...
:runninghorse2:...
_jmo..._


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## 4horses (Nov 26, 2012)

I used to pull my trailer with a Ford ranger. We didn't go over 45 mph and I only trailered one horse at a time. Never went far, within a twenty minute drive. You could also look for a one horse trailer rather than a two horse. Plus you need to install a good braking system.

Does it have a four or six cylinder engine?


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## Mingiz (Jan 29, 2009)

Don't use an S-10 to tow. Been there !!! :icon_rolleyes: I had a 2h bumper pull and towed it one day. It pulled it ok. But stopping it was a different story. I could feel the trailer pushing the truck. Not a good feeling at all.
Of course this was years ago and I since have learned to tow with at least a 1/2 ton or more. Depending on the size of the trailer. 
Through the years I graduated to a 3/4 ton diesel and a 3h GN with LQ.:cowboy:


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## PrivatePilot (Dec 7, 2009)

An S10 is extremely limited, especially with dynamic loads like horses. Double check those tow ratings as well, that seems very high and is probably for a very limited set of specs - long wheelbase with towing package, specific gearing, and the biggest possible engine option - is your truck to those specs, or is it one with a MUCH lower tow rating as most S10's have?

What exactly is your S10? Wheelbase, engine, etc? I'll look up an exact rating for you. 

If it indeed is the maximum rated S10, realistically you're still only going to be good for 1 horse in a 1 horse trailer. Almost any 2 horse with even only 1 horse in it is likely going to be over that weight and unsafe. 

As for all the comments about stopping, if the trailer brakes are working properly, that's not a big deal as some make it out to be - when properly setup the trailer should NOT push the tow vehicle or increase stopping distances. The whole idea behind trailer brakes is that they stop the weight of the towed vehicle, meaning the tow vehicle itself shouldn't be getting asked to stop any more weight than usual. If the trailer is pushing or stopping distances are drastically increased when towing....the trailer brakes are either not connected, not working, or are setup all wrong.


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## DebC (Sep 17, 2015)

The wheel base on my truck is 122. What I read is it should be no less than 120. It is the off road model Z2 with a 6 cyninder 4.3 liter engine. And it is 4 wheel Dr. From what I have read with trailer manufacturers and about the truck itself it would be able to pull a 2 horse with no dressing room. I would have trailer breaks.
With that being said. I have decided to sell it before I move to FL and get a full size truck when I get down there. My last truck was a Dodge 3/4 ton extended cab 4x4 with a 460 engine. I don't think I need to go quite that big this time.


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## Joel Reiter (Feb 9, 2015)

The OP has abandoned the idea of towing with the S-10, but for others who are still considering this possibility I would like to offer a few thoughts.


Tow rating is specific to a particular vehicle configuration and is affected by engine, transmission, final gearing, vehicle weight, cooling capacity (including transmission cooling) and more. You can count on the tow rating that is stamped on the label in the opening of the driver's door. Taking a number from a table off the internet is not reliable.
Assuming you have the actual correct tow rating, what it means is that the vehicle can tow that much weight without damage to the drivetrain or chassis. It does not mean the vehicle will be safe and comfortable in a cross wind with a live load of a horse moving around. I understand the wind blows from time to time in Florida.
As privatepilot points out, a proper setup puts the braking responsibility on the trailer brakes. However, many of the compact pickups and even older half tons were not available with the appropriate wiring for trailer braking. If you have to add it to a pickup, it means running wires all the way from the battery back to the new 7-pin connector, and requires perforating the firewall for the wiring for the actual brake controller on the dash. It is not cheap to have done and not an easy do-it-yourself job Bottom line, I wouldn't waste the time and money making this modification to a vehicle that is already marginal for towing a horse trailer.


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