# What kind of vehicle can pull a horse trailer?



## Citrus

I used to own a Toyota 4Runner that was made for towing (rear wheel drive, total tow package) but it was a 6 cylinder. Can you tow a two horse trailer with a 6 cylinder? I loved that 4Runner.

What kind is best and what kind of extra brakes can you put on a vehicle for towing/safety?


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## cakemom

We pull with a 3/4 ton dodge with an electric brake controller and the towing package. But we tow a huge equiptment trailer with a commercial bobcat...so our truck is overkill for some average people.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Citrus

well the vehicle I get to pull the trailer will most likely have to be my daily driver as well- so it cannot be overkill..... I supposed I could buy just a cheap old truck with a seriously huge engine and use it only for pulling.... not sure how that would compare to the cost of driving a gas guzzler daily, what with licensing and repairs.... hm.


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## Speed Racer

I wouldn't recommend pulling anything larger than a utility trailer with a 4Runner, even if it's a 6 cylinder.

It's not the _pulling_ I'd be worried about, but the _stopping. _4Runners just aren't heavy enough to stop a loaded horse trailer, especially if you need to stop in a hurry.

You _can_ use a 6 cylinder vehicle to tow with, but you'd need a very small or very light trailer, and only haul 1 horse at a time. Either an extremely small steel/aluminum 2 horse bumper pull, or a Brenderup. Brenderups are fiberglass, so they're very light. They're also _very_ expensive and pretty much impossible to find used.

If you can find that small/light trailer, make sure not only to have a towing package with a transmission cooler built into the truck, but a brake box and wiring harness so that you're utilizing the trailer's brakes along with the truck's when stopping.


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## MacabreMikolaj

You CAN but it's not anywhere near the best option. Your gas mileage will likely be horrid, you probably can't do full speed without putting some strain on your engine.

We have hauled with an older model Ford Explorer before, V6 engine. It was an old steel 2-horse trailer, and we sure had to go a lot slower and it sucked gas like nobody's business but it DID work.

If you had an aluminum trailer, you'd be much better off. Those old steel monsters are twice the weight, I swear! :lol:


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## charlicata

I have a quad cab 4X4 Dodge 1500 with the Hemi motor in it. It has the full tow package, with the transmission cooler. I bought the brake controller at TS for a minimal amount of money. That being said, I also use my truck to haul hay, feed, and wood (for my hobby). My trailer is a v-nose aluminum 2 h sl with a large dressing room. I can pull both of my horses and have the dressing room packed with feed, hay, and camping supplies in the mountains without overloading the truck. I also used it for emergency hauling 2 large horses and 1 small horse for a short distance in the mountains...again, without overloading the truck. With the adjustable brake box inside, I also had plenty of stopping power. Gas mileage without a trailer can go anywhere from 14 - 18 mpg (according to the roads); with the trailer loaded it ranges from 11 - 13 (once again according to the roads). My old trailer was a 2h steel with no dressing room. My mileage generally dropped down to about 10 mpg with both my horses in it. I only had it for about a year and needless to say, with the difference in mileage I've used the new one more in the past couple of months than I used the old one the entire time I had it. I personally wouldn't use anything less than a V8 motor to haul 2 horses unless you're just going to use it to drive semi-flat roads.


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## iridehorses

The biggest problem I see with using a 4-runner is not only the stopping power (which can be assisted with a brake controller) but with wheelbase. The shorter the wheelbase, the more sway you will encounter.

I tow with a GMC Envoy and that is the bare minimum in size that I would tow with - even though it is rated at 10,000 lbs.


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## cakemom

By the way, our dodge gets 20 miles to the gallon towing. It's diesel.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## farmpony84

I tow with a chevy 3500 dually 4x4 and sometimes I'll use my dads F250 4x4 BUT...

I've towed my old 2 horse (very light weight) with a Ford Aerostar and a Ford Ranger 2x2.....


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## charlicata

cakemom said:


> By the way, our dodge gets 20 miles to the gallon towing. It's diesel.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


 
I wish I had held out for a diesel. That's what I really wanted, but DH talked me into getting a gas. I would have loved to have had that extra torque on the last long trip I had!!! Oh well, maybe in a few years. My gas serves my purposes for now.


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## wyominggrandma

I tow our trailer with two trucks, mine is a Chevy Crew Cab 2500 and my husbands is a Chevy extended cab 1500. Both pull our Circle J 3horse gooseneck without a problem. We have both pulled my daughters 4 horse Charmac bumper pull with either truck. 
Average gas mileage is about 15-18mpg.


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## franknbeans

I used to tow (years ago) with al Explorer-just short distances, but I swear it felt like the trailer would beat me down the hills......it was awful.
I now tow with an Expedition. LOVE LOVE LOVE it. Gets 16-17 MPG with trailer, (my 2008 gets better MPG than the 2004 I had before). My friend and I take turns towing, and she likes my vehicle better than her Dodge Aspen with towing package. I do too, I must say. Wider Wheelbase, and just much more stable. We both have 2h bp's, and use electronic braking systems and sway bars. We do fine, unless she forgets the hitch pin! ) (only did that once, and were VERY lucky it didn't fall off until we got home!) YIKES!


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## brighteyes08

I'm looking into buying a jeep or some sort of SUV, But i wasn't sure if it would be able to tow.. say an aluminum two horse? Can anyone give me some insight?


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## Cowgirl140ty

I pull my 2 horse bumper a full size ford bronco. And I have had no problems. I have even pulled a 16ft stock trailer with 3 horses. And never even knew it was behind me.


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## spence

many people underestimate the capabilities of their vehicles. i used to, however one still must be smart as to how much really IS too much....

when i started pulling for myself i was driving a 95 f250, 351 gas motor, 5 speed, and a really light 3.55 rear end. it would pull the old steel 16 and 20' stock trailers, but man it grunted up hills like nobody's business.


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## Hunter65

We tow our older 2 horse straight haul with a Dodge Dakota 4x4 with a v8 and the brake and full towing packages. Most of the time its around town but we have gone up to our property 3 times now fully loaded truck and horses and no problems (we go up and down some pretty steep hills too).


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## MJTKNT

I've been wondering this as well. I have an '08 Buick Enclave with the towing package. It's designed to be able to tow 4500 lbs, but I don't know if it could/should be used to tow a trailer. I may be purchasing a new horse soon and that's my means of transportation to get him home...unless it's a bad, bad, bad idea and I need to look elsewhere for help!


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## Mingiz

Any SUV with a 6cylinder or higher will pull a 2 horse trailer. But is it going to stop it. I wouldn't tow any kind of horse trailer with less than a 1/2 ton p/u, The ideal for most people is a 3/4 ton. Look at the comaprison for the total weight your vehicle can tow and the total weight your trailer will carry. Plus you have to think about the weight of the hitch (tongue weight) Most trailers need 500-800lbs ClassIV hitch...There are a lot of things to consider other than just hooking up and rolling..If you start to sway with 2 horses on board they're weight will get thrown around and that is a big possiblity for a roll over or jack knife... Panic stops can be tricky also...think about what can happen.....:wink:


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## orangetictac

brighteyes08 said:


> I'm looking into buying a jeep or some sort of SUV, But i wasn't sure if it would be able to tow.. say an aluminum two horse? Can anyone give me some insight?


I'm not sure what kind of jeep you're talking about...but if it's a wrangler...no. It's not heavy enough to stop it. I JUST traded in my 05 Wrangler Unlimited for a chevrolet 1500 because we recently got a second horse and there was no way my jeep could handle it. We never pulled the trailer loaded with the jeep, but I could have in an emergency hauled the horse to the vet. That's it. I LOVED the jeep, but it just wasn't practical anymore. Even the 1500 isn't really what I would want for hauling, but it's what I could afford that could get the job done a little more safely.


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## cghbuilder86

I use my towing truck as my daily driver too so I don't want overkill. I have a 1500 silverado 5.3 V8 3.73 rear end. It pulls a two horse fine. I also get 17-19 miles a gallon driving empty day to day. I would look at 1500 trucks with an engine no smaller than like the 5.3. If you are looking at the chevys consider vortec max 6.0. Also be sure you have the 4:10 or 3:73 gears in the rear axle. Those 3:08's and stuff get a little better mileage but can't tow good. Anyways good balance for mileage and power with a half ton v8 motor. I wouldn't worry much about the vehicle stopping it because anything you get your going to need trailer brakes and electric control.


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## SidMit

I have a Nissan Xterra with a towing capacity of 5000lbs. I have the brake controller and the best hitch I could get. However, I will only haul shorter distances, prefer to stay away from a lot of hills, and only haul my own horse, would never haul two. You just have to know your vehicles limits. If you are going to haul with a mid-size SUV, I highly recommend the brake controller.


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## WickedNag

I have a Ford F250 that was customized at the factory for towing. It has every option known to man on it I think! I even know how how my exhaust is LOL. It has more power than my friend's F350 dually and it is easier to get around it as it is also my every day truck. 










The gauges near the window are the ones that tell me exhaust temp and other "wonderful" features  Like I would know what they were.


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## SorrelHorse

I have an 02' Ford F250 for my towing. Any Ford F250s that are newer than that have major problems with the engines and will die on you. 

I used to tow with my 4Runner when I was hauling only my horse. We have a big four horse stock trailer and then an ancient two horse that we use depending on the ride. Our road is very steep and very scary for the big trailer and the little one we take if we can help it. So for example, when I was showing only one horse I would use the 4Runner but that only happened with Jester and he is so little he only weighs about 900 pounds, and the trailer itself isn't heavy at all. Its majorly light.


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## spence

SorrelHorse said:


> I have an 02' Ford F250 for my towing. Any Ford F250s that are newer than that have major problems with the engines and will die on you.


ugh, i'll liken this kind of statement to the topic i just read regarding animal rights vs. those of us who eat meat... how many newer fords, or any brand, have you owned? especially since i'm presuming you're talking diesel. how many have you PERSONALLY owned? how do you know that they have "major problems?" the newer stuff is just as reliable (the 7.3 stroker DID have it's share of problems as well), and each newer generation will pull circles around the generation before that!


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## maura

This is a great thread, I wonder if the moderators would sticky it? We frequently get these questions about tow vehicles. 

When I was doing a lot of hauling with a 16' stock trailer, I had a 3/4 ton gasoline with the full towing package including the transmission oil cooler and it was great. I went all over the state in the rig, over Afton Mt. repeatedly and to horse shows most every weekend with no problem. 

I now have a two horse steel trailer, and only haul locally to trail ride. A gasoline Dodge Ram 1500 is fine for this, but I will tell you, with two large horses on the trailer, we're slow. Safe, but slow. I would not take this rig fully loaded into the mountains, or on hauls longer than an hour. It's fine for my needs now, but if I start hauling longer distances, I'll go back to the 3/4 ton. 

The concerns about hauling with an SUV are 1.) wheelbase 2.) stopping power 3.) wear and tear on the transmission and 4.) engine size - in that order. Wheel base smaller than the trailer and stopping power can be deadly - literally. Hauling with an SUV absolutely can be done, but you must be very careful with the match of the vehicle to the trailer. I hauled a 16' stock with a V8 Jeep Cherokee with the tow package a couple of times, and you had to be very, very careful how you loaded the trailer, or it would jerk the tow vehicle all over the road. With most of the weight in front of the axles, it did okay, but not a rig I would choose, but any stretch of the imagination. 

Anybody who hauls anything with anything without the trailer brakes hooked up to the controller is asking for trouble, period. The electronic brake controller is not optional equipment, IMO.


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## MyBoyPuck

spence said:


> ugh, i'll liken this kind of statement to the topic i just read regarding animal rights vs. those of us who eat meat... how many newer fords, or any brand, have you owned? especially since i'm presuming you're talking diesel. how many have you PERSONALLY owned? how do you know that they have "major problems?" the newer stuff is just as reliable (the 7.3 stroker DID have it's share of problems as well), and each newer generation will pull circles around the generation before that!


Several mechanics have told me the same thing about Fords 2003 and newer. Something about a redesign and the transmission. I can't elaborate, but she's not the first person to say it.


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## Mingiz

I have owned 2 Fords both F250's The first one was a 03 with a 5.4L gas engine crew cab. Loved the truck but it wasn't enough motor to pull my LQ through mountains. It did great on the flat. I now have an 06 ext cab with a diesel. It has 73k on it and I haven't had any issues with it. And I don't baby the truck. I have owned Chevys and for towing they sucked. I got tired of buying transmissions.I didn't like the new style of the silverado to buy another. I also have a ram 1500 5.2L that I towed my 16ft bp stock and it towed a 20ft steel gn. without any issues and it has over 200k on it now but I don't use it to tow anymore. Any vehicle can have problems. Doesn't matter what brand either. The main thing is matching the truck for the job you need it to do. I would never tow with an SUV atleast livestock. maybe a boat or small trailer. The wheel base makes a world of difference in towing also. Mine is a short wheel base so it rides a bit rougher. But as far as power and stopping it's the bomb....:wink:


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## Hunter65

MyBoyPuck said:


> Several mechanics have told me the same thing about Fords 2003 and newer. Something about a redesign and the transmission. I can't elaborate, but she's not the first person to say it.



My dad's 2006 F350 blew up towing our travel trailer up to our property (blew the turbo). Then his partners F350 did the same thing. Usually on our 3.5 drive to our property we see an F 350 on the side of the road with the hood up.


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## JackofDiamonds

Im not the driver but my mum drives our BMW X5 with a 2 horse angle float. However our jeep Cheroke struggles. The X5 it seems to do well  im not a very car like person so im not great on advise....


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## cghbuilder86

A few things should be said.
Always use electric brake controller if your trailer has breaks. You can have one wired into your vehicle if you don't have the tow package were you just plug her in. If you have an old two horse trailer with no trailer breaks, use at LEAST a 3/4 ton truck. And drive slower.
When talking about 3/4 ton trucks the diesel engines will give give you much better mileage loaded or unloaded. People have reported 19-21 mpg in the 6.6 chevy duramax and the Dodge cummins diesel. You pay a little more per gallon, but the biggest issue is you pay ALOT more for the vehicle when new, and more on repairs. A gas 3/4 is probably not going to be very good on gas. Usually 10-14 mpg. But they are a lot cheaper to buy on the front end.
Also stay away from Ford period. Go with Chevy, GMC, Dodge. (haha just kidding. I'm just not really a Ford man.) 
Oh and if you are looking to get a tow vehicle also consider the Toyota Tundra. I've heard a lot of good things about it. Has a great drivetrain and most people say it pulls like a 3/4 ton.


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## spence

weeeeeell, diesel mileage on anything 07 and newer can be debatable. the problem is all the new emissions stuff (dpf's, egr's, and the newest myriad called urea injection). no brand is immune, but since i AM a ford guy it's where i can speak from. the 08 to 10 6.4L powerstrokes are wonderful, gobs of power, but mileage, especially in 08, was all over the board. you'd see guys buying brand new ones and starting to get them broke in getting mileage all over the board, from10 to 20. empty. got a dodge buddy in PA who says the new 6.7 cummins is the same story. i just stay away from chevy's duramax, i personally don't like it.

the nice thing on some of the newer HDs is the advent of built in trailer brake controls. IOW, you ain't got to go buy a controller and install it. but the one in my 04 was a snap. bought the control (tekonosha prodegy [sp?]) for about 100 bucks, a $13 adapter, plugged adapter in dash, control to adapter, and screwed to underside of dash. took less than 20 minutes.

however out here in the flats, i would have never put one in. hauled my horses plenty, and lotsa cows, without a brake control. but nobody's driving like a maniac either. going through PA on I80, however, i wouldn't have wanted to NOT have one...


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## Tack Collector

If you look at the Big Three diesels, 3/4 T HD, from 2009 and earlier, the horse people rank them about like this:

#1 Dodge -- Will outpull anything; has high noise level in the passenger cabin; Cummins engine is strong but the transmission is weak and the rest of the drive train is average. Dodge seats are not very ergomatic and are akin to the old flat bench seats. I personally would have to have replaced those seats with aftermarket ones if I'd bought a Dodge. The Quarter Horse show circuit has a joke about "don't leave home without your extra transmission in the bed."

#2 Chevy Duramax -- 2006 and 2007 Classic are the current "best" years to own. I have an '06 2500HD. Both of those model years actually went UP in value about $6000 to $7000 from 2009 to 2010, due to the latest models not having the fuel mileage and also GM stopped or cut back production of HD trucks and that squeezed the fleet owners. The engine is strong and also quiet and the Duramax cabin has always been insulated for sound. The Alllision automatic is fantastic under all but the heaviest use. I don't know about the manual one. Injector probs were solved by '05 or '06. The front end is a little weak and needs rebuilds but those parts are cheap compared the engines and transmissions. Sheet metal on the '06 and '07 is okay but is thin on the '07 & up body style. Bed rails bend under a man's weight??! GMC diesel is harder to find, but sometimes less expensive to insure than the Chevy even though it's the same truck. If the Dodge crudeness annoys you, try a Duramax. In the non-dually, the only difference between 2500HD and 3500HD is the springs. I'm not sure why these trucks are getting a bad rap. Dieselplace forum for them.

To say something negative about my own truck: I still would swear on a stack of Bibles that it's a 7/8 scale truck. Park it beside a '93 Chevy or 2004 Chevy full size or a '97 Dodge full size. It's got a certain petiteness about it. Try to seat 3 people across the cab, and you will definitely notice that. wth, who shrunk the truck?!

#3 Ford F-250 and F-350 -- Well, I've been a loyal Ford owner since 1986 and even I don't want to be test pilot for whatever engine weakness du jour Ford tries to pass off. Just put the 7.3 back in there for now, and go do your own R&D work no your own coin, Ford. I am not their test pilot unless Ford is paying me. Other Ford owners may feel differently, but Ford has been decontenting since 1996, and the engine of a towing vehicle had better be d***** reliable. I have car club friend who tunes Ford trucks. Even he says the best year of PowerStroke to own is the 1996.


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