# 4-Horse bumper pull - pros and cons



## terrymck (Jun 7, 2010)

Am thinking about purchasing a 4-Horse slant bumper pull rather than gooseneck, in order to leave my truck bed free for our camper or other purposes. We also motorcycle on longer trips, and would occasionally use the front two stalls for our motorcycle--staying at horse-friendly campgrounds. 

My question is, is a 4-horse bumper pull really a good idea?...you don't see very many. I've looked at different manufacturers: Cimarron, 4-Star, Featherlite, and note the axle positioning, from the rear of the trailer, isn't different between a 3-horse and 4-horse trailer, and wonder if lengthening the front end of the trailer puts a lot of extra weight on the hitch, fully loaded.....or, are the trailers constructed so that adding those extra front stalls isn't a big weight shift forward.

Any other things I should be considering? Would really appreciate your thoughts. We drive an F-350 SRW Powerstroke.


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## farmpony84 (Apr 21, 2008)

I would be concerned with maneuverability. If you can maneuver easily then an F350 should have no issues pulling one. My personal preference is a goose neck but then you would have to consider a living quarters vice a a pop-in...


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## Mingiz (Jan 29, 2009)

I have an older 4 horse BP trailer. Steel straight load. If your weight in the front of the trailer is heavier than the rear, yes it will put more weight on your hitch/tongue, If your bikes are lighter or about the same as your horses you should be fine. If you ship 2 horses in the rear of a straight load it will fish tail, The main thing is to keep the weight balanced. If i'm just shipping my 2 I open my gate and slant load them but over the axles as much as possible. I have towed mine with a F250 6.0 So if your going aluminum your alot lighter than this trailer..You should have no problem at all...


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## Doveguy (Apr 13, 2010)

You might be able to do it with the F-350. The power is there. The SRW is a negative. That big trailer will be pushing your truck down hills in a scarey way. I wouldn't pull 4 horses in it. Maybe two horses and a some stuff like motorcycles, etc. And I would put the horses in the stalls over the wheels.. Check to make sure your tongue weight on the hitch is enough (at least 500 lbs.) You may need to get a weight distributing hitch. I think it would work but it would not be optimal. Since you have the F 350, you would be happiest with a gooseneck. It is more stable going down the road. Less chance of a jackknife accident which is catastrophic with horses.


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## Mingiz (Jan 29, 2009)

Doveguy said:


> *You might be able to do it with the F-350. The power is there. The SRW is a negative.* That big trailer will be pushing your truck down hills in a scarey way. I wouldn't pull 4 horses in it. Maybe two horses and a some stuff like motorcycles, etc. And I would put the horses in the stalls over the wheels.. Check to make sure your tongue weight on the hitch is enough (at least 500 lbs.) You may need to get a weight distributing hitch. I think it would work but it would not be optimal. Since you have the F 350, you would be happiest with a gooseneck. It is more stable going down the road. Less chance of a jack knife accident which is catastrophic with horses.


 
I have to make a statement about your post
You might be able to do it with a F350? SWR is a negative?...BS I'm towing a 3h sl with an 8ft LQ with a F250 ext cab swb SWR diesel and I have nary a problem pulling or stopping it. My trailer is rated at 10400lbs. I'm pretty sure that I'm at my limit when I load up for rough camping. Still no issues starting or stopping..even going over mountains. Even with a 4h bp no issues no WDH needed and I have towed the 4h steel bp to TX and back to MD loaded to the gill with a 97 Dodge ram 1500 with out an issue....Yes a GN does have more stability but they can jack knife also. But that wouldn't be the fault of the trailer.jmo


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## Doveguy (Apr 13, 2010)

Hi Mingiz,
Lots of people pull long trailers with SRW and you are right. It is not a negative. What I should have said is that a four-horse bumper-pull is probably going to feel more stable if it is pulled by DRW. Hope I didn't step on anyone's toes with that comment. I have a little experience with trailering. I have pulled a 4000 lb bumper pull travel trailer behind a Bronco II. That was an unstable rig. I used to pull a 6500 lb bumper pull travel trailer (23ft long) behind a full size Bronco. That was also a terribly unstable rig even though the hitch had weight distributing spring bars and a anti-sway bar cranked to the max.

Last year I bought a truck and a 3 horse (2+1 straight load w/ a 9 ft box and a dressing room ) GN trailer. Everyone I spoke to told me I didn't need DRW. Everyone said SRW was plenty but because my trailer weighs 6500 lbs empty I was worried about the rear tires on my truck. I bought a Chevy 3500 crew cab with DRW. My new rig is so stable that I could just sing. I don't know if it is the long wheelbase of the truck or the GN or the combination. My old rigs were scarey. Half the time, the trailer was pushing me down the road. Maybe it never was dangerous but it sure felt unstable.

My old Bronco was rated to pull way more than the 6500 lbs that my trailer weighed and so I thought it would be fine. The trailer salesman said it would be fine. But it was anything but fine. It was stressful and scary every time the road went downhill. Sorry about the long post.


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## Mingiz (Jan 29, 2009)

Doveguy said:


> Hi Mingiz,
> Lots of people pull long trailers with SRW and you are right. It is not a negative. What I should have said is that a four-horse bumper-pull is probably going to feel more stable if it is pulled by DRW. Hope I didn't step on anyone's toes with that comment. I have a little experience with trailering. I have pulled a 4000 lb bumper pull travel trailer behind a Bronco II. That was an unstable rig. I used to pull a 6500 lb bumper pull travel trailer (23ft long) behind a full size Bronco. That was also a terribly unstable rig even though the hitch had weight distributing spring bars and a anti-sway bar cranked to the max.
> *I again disagree I have no stability issues towing my steel 4hbp. Matter of fact it tows very well and tracks well other than the feel of the pull you don't know it's back there. Yes you do have little exp. I have a bronco II sitting n the driveway and I might hook up a garden tractor trailer to it. Also most passenger vehicles aren't made to tow even though a dealer of vehicle or camper/trailers will tell you it will work, common sense says it won't.*
> Last year I bought a truck and a 3 horse (2+1 straight load w/ a 9 ft box and a dressing room ) GN trailer. Everyone I spoke to told me I didn't need DRW. Everyone said SRW was plenty but because my trailer weighs 6500 lbs empty I was worried about the rear tires on my truck. I bought a Chevy 3500 crew cab with DRW. My new rig is so stable that I could just sing. I don't know if it is the long wheelbase of the truck or the GN or the combination. My old rigs were scarey. Half the time, the trailer was pushing me down the road. Maybe it never was dangerous but it sure felt unstable.
> ...


*Happy Trails*


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## Doveguy (Apr 13, 2010)

Mingiz,

I have never towed a 4 horse bumper pull but they seem awfully long. What are they, like 23-25ft? As for common sense, I'm sure you are right about that. I was 23 years old and just bought my new Bronco II yada yada. What did I know? Sure, I can pull that trailer. I have a Bronco!! Sort of.

I bought my dually crew cab for $10,000 from young guy who lived in a condo. He spent his weekends polishing it and detailing every inch. It is immaculate and it never towed anything. It even has a tow hitch on the front! 4X4, crew cab, 454 V8. I don't know how many springs it has in the back axel but its got plenty. But doesn't the stability come from the long wheel base of the crew cab platform and the extra tires on the road?


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## Mingiz (Jan 29, 2009)

Doveguy.I 'm not busting on you. Just trying to say that SRW can tow alot that the DRW has more stablity to distibute a heavier trailer better...A 4 horse BP is 16ft.Unless you have a DR on it wihich isn't usually normal..Wheel base plays a part of it I have a swb on my F250 and it handles my 28ft LQ qith no problems at all....If I could see a dually being fesible for me I would have one..Now the guy that I bought my trailer from went to a 3h sl with 15ft LQ trailer I believe is 34ft and very heavy so yes he needs a dually for it..My truck could pull it but it would be stable enough to stop it...BTW here is my rig:wink:


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