# 4Runner Pulling a Trailer?!



## Red Gate Farm (Aug 28, 2011)

Sure, people do it. They are too cheap to buy the proper towing vehicle. When they have a massive accident, and they will, it's the horse who suffers.


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

Yup...seen it.
No different than seeing a Ford Explorer or Chevy Blazer (small one) pulling a 2 horse.

I just did some reading from Edmunds.com and a few other trusted sites about new & used 4Runners...interesting read. 
No where did it mention towing capabilities but often read it is sloppy handling on the road but off-road better. 
Mentions it is underpowered unless you have a much newer vehicle than what I believe you do, even with a 6 cylinder engine. 
The 4Runner is best described as a midsize cross-over, decent small SUV...those are not words I would want to hear about the vehicle I would be hitching my trailer to nor putting my horse into for transporting.
Here is a breakdown on the "newest" from the factory and best they offer...N/A is a scary thing to see over and over and over...
_Toyota 4Runner Review - Toyota 4Runner Car Pricing, Photos and Specs - CARandDRIVER_

It isn't that they can't pull it, they can. It is the fact that the trucks don't have the umph needed to hold the trailer when stopping, when turning, when caught in a cross draft.
The shorter the wheelbase of the tow vehicle the crappier the ride for the humans and the animals.
A "lightweight" truck/suv is going to have a much lighter weight braking system and even a trailer with brakes working relies on the tow vehicle to hold it in the lane, assist it to turn safely, have a frame that takes the torque and twist of that trailer back there...don't forget the engine and drive-train being able to handle the extra workload put to the vehicle.
Live cargo(horses) is very different to trailer than a camping trailer or boat that is technically "dead weight". Your horse shifts suddenly, you just changed lanes or went off the road...truth.
The lighter weight vehicles are not rated for these kind of weights regardless of a aluminum trailer or not...trailer, horse, tack, human and associated paraphernalia adds up quickly to being more than is safe imo.

When you buy a vehicle from a dealer as it is new and is adapted and rated for that particular vehicles pulling status... if you don't see a frame hitch Class 3 or better on that vehicle I would be not even considering putting a horse trailer loaded on it.
Even lightly used to tow, if the tow vehicle is maxed out in what it can do you are shortening the lifespan of the vehicle and {again imo} risking your safety, the safety of the horse(s), and those that are also on the road with you when traveling.
Things happen suddenly when they go wrong. Would you wish to know you are marginally safe or you have a vehicle that can "muscle" that trailer to keep it under control when a tire blows apart, the car in front of you slams the brakes on, a animal jumps in front of you... it happens and so do wrecks...personally I think more so when tow vehicle is over-taxed and just can't accept and respond to the added emergent actions of the driver of that vehicle.

Since you mentioned Featherlight trailers in particular...
Here is some information about Featherlight trailers, their weights *empty*, and the other site is the specs on each trailer.
Till you got to the 9407 trailer or higher numbers...I would be concerned with fitting a horse in those stalls or getting them to load when the thing looks like it is going to swallow you whole!! You are maxed out when loaded with 1 horse with what the _newest_ vehicle can tow...and the older 4Runners from what I saw don't have as much capability._ 
You may need to copy& paste the below addresses...not sure they appear correctly for a direct link..._
_http://www.fthr.com/products/horse-trailers/bumper-pull
http://www.fthr.com/~/media/FeatherliteCMS/Files/Weight%20Indexes/BP-Horse-Trailers.pdf

_I'm glad to hear you are just getting informed not intending to do this with that vehicle.
Save your money, spend it wisely after deciding what trailer you want, then go truck shopping and purchase a truck capable of safely handling and towing that intended trailer and cargo.
There are to many "gray" areas and _no_ information given by the vehicle manufacturer to make me want to take a chance...

Apologies for the "book"...
I love to research and dig for information like this. Scary and sometimes very surprising what you can find out...
Hope the read wasn't a PITA...
 :wink:


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## Zexious (Aug 2, 2013)

Yikes o.o I wouldn't trust a vehicle like that pulling something with live animals in it.


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## Darrin (Jul 11, 2011)

I second horselovinguy, that's a rather big hell no!


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## mammakatja (Nov 3, 2009)

No different than pulling my horse trailer with a van.....is it???????? OK, so I don't drive an average van. :wink:


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## Dustbunny (Oct 22, 2012)

I would not do that. No....


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## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

Here, there is Department of Transportation vehicle stops and if a 1/2 ton pulling a stock trailer gets pulled off the road for being not up to par, I am pretty sure that 4Runner would be as well.


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## DraftyAiresMum (Jun 1, 2011)

I have pulled an aluminum Featherlite two-horse slant with my big boy in it (he was 16.1hh and 1200+lbs at the time) with the 2005 Chevy Trailblazer Extended I had. The truck didn't even have to work really. That particular model has a 275-horsepower in-line 6 in it that is just a beast. I consulted my dad (big-time car guy), my uncle (a certified mechanic on everything from light cars/trucks to aircraft), my dad's mechanic (seasoned drag racer), the mechanics at the car dealership I worked at, and my parents' neighbors (who team rope and do cutting and haul everywhere), and every single one of them said that they would pull a horse trailer with an extended Trailblazer (NOT the older, smaller Blazer, but the Trailblazer that replaced it) without a second thought.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

IF IF IF, you live in a place with no hills. Around here? how much do you love the 4Runner's engine?


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## Roperchick (Feb 1, 2010)

Craziest I've seen?


A Subaru impreza pulling a homemade 1 horse trailer o_o. Yeah.


I wouldn't even contemplate, on my most insane day, to pull even our light cargo trailer with my old Ram 1500 and its "tow package". Tested it once around the block and it almost took my dang truck into the ditch. No. No. No.


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## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

Sure, these vehicles pull trailers, however if something veers in front of you, there is no way you are going to keep that rig on the road without heavy duty brakes, steering and suspension. Accident waiting to happen, reason why they are pulled off the road here, period.


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## Ninamebo (May 25, 2013)

My thoughts exactly! I saw one of the homemade single trailers being pulled by a teeny tiny rusted up Toyota Tacoma. I hate driving the 4runner as it is- I dislike the handling so much, I'm amazed that someone would haul a horse with it- and it wasn't a short distance either. Snohomish to past Downtown Seattle-a good hour long drive- and we live in a very hilly area! Crazy!

My parents aren't horsey people and a few years after I started out they went and bought a jeep GC with a lot of towing capability without telling me .. I felt sort of bad but I told them that they could pull some other horse/trailer with it, but not mine. My dad apparently didn't understand the concept of a wheelbase with towing a live animal.. So I had my friend hook up her monster of a dodge ram/ 2horse slant and take my boy to a little show and he finally understood- he was amazed at how much he could feel the horse move and how it affected the driving. 

Hauling horses is just something else lol. I've already started saving for my next vehicle and then my dad can have fun pulling my pony around with that if he so wishes


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## Darrin (Jul 11, 2011)

Snohomish to Seattle???? That deserves a second hell no!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## nitapitalou (Jan 20, 2014)

The problem isn't pulling, the problem is stopping it! Rent a truck if you have too!


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## stevenson (Sep 12, 2011)

people often pull trailers with inappropriate vehicles. It my be able to pull the loaded trailer, but what will happen if the horses start to fidget and the trailer starts to sway ? or if you have to stop ! does it have the braking power needed ? 
Will it be stable and not flip ? a few years ago , some people pulled a 2 horse with a small truck and flipped, both horses died, but not immediately.


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## verona1016 (Jul 3, 2011)

Yep, I know someone who pulls a heavy steel two horse with a Tacoma. Works fine for him for one horse, but when he moved barns he had 3 horses and a lot of hay to move and wanted to minimize the number of trips. He wasn't able to make it up the last hill right before the new barn with the full trailer, had to pull over, unload the horses, and walk them the rest of the way... at night... while also trying to hold his toddler. 

It's worth making sure your truck and trailer are appropriately matched to each other and not cutting corners!


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## Ninamebo (May 25, 2013)

Gosh, all of these are such good reasons why you couldn't pay me to haul a horse in some dinky little suv (sorry, Dad) 

The braking is definitely my most important point- when one rigs up to haul some horses, even in a correct, safe setup, it's everyone else on the roads that don't on a regular basis you must watch out for- cutting off, following close, and the random freak accidents are all so dangerous with a trailer involved.


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