# New to the forum- question on old F250s for trailering...



## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

RideFly said:


> Hi there. I'm new to the forum, and TBH, I'm not really into horses. :smile: but my wife is and she recently purchased a 2 horse Trails West slant trailer with a tack room. Weight is 3,500 lbs. She has a polo horse that weighs about 1,200 lbs. With all her gear, feed, etc, I think she'll be at 5,700 lbs total.
> 
> First of all, will our Mercedes Benz GLE 350 be up to hauling her horse and trailer? The GLE has the Tow Package and a 7,500 lb tow limit. I'm fairly confident it can do it, just have other concerns after reading issues others have brought up, especially regarding short wheelbases. With the GLE's Tow package, I'm assuming bigger brakes and tranny cooler are covered, but will check when the wife gets home.
> 
> ...


Answer on the Merc is yes and no. I'm sure it could haul it, but it would put a lot of wear and tear on it. Hauling isn't really the issue though, stopping is and I would not trust the Mercedes for that at all. I used to have one of the Turbo Diesel F250 7.3's only in 2 wheel drive rather than 4. The 2 wheel drive was the only thing I didn't like about that truck. I paid $19,000 for it as a 2 year old truck with 20,000 miles on it and sold it in 2012 with almost 300,000 miles on it, and got $12,500 for it. It was an EXCELLENT truck and tow vehicle, it never had an issue hauling or stopping my 3 horse slant. Can't speak about the old Highboys, never had one.


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## RideFly (Nov 7, 2017)

Thanks for the quick reply Dreamcatcher Arabians! The mid 90s F250 is likely the one we'll opt for but I sure do love those old Highboys! Since she'll trailer once a week for short distances and take 2-4 longer distance trips to tournaments, I'd have to factor that into the decision-making. BTW, she really likes the Highboys too. 😁


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## SilverMaple (Jun 24, 2017)

A friend toweed with a Highboy for years-- he still might; he moved to Colorado and I haven't talked to him for awhile. He hauled a gooseneck with the adjustable neck; it was too tall for a bumper hitch, and a gooseneck that wasn't adjustable didn't sit level, so that's something to think about. Other than that, it was a great truck. Not a lot of creature comforts, but it hauled anything you hitched it to.


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## QtrBel (May 31, 2012)

My cousin tows with a highboy but not live loads. He sold the older model for a later model as the older ones were not made for creature comforts. We have a 97 2wd f250 HD and tow hay and farm equip regularly with it. Don't own a horse trailer but borrow so have had several sizes and styles hooked to it. Never had a problem. Before moving here I had a 77 Chevy Flatbed that I hauled with (farm and horse) and loved. Had more offers for that truck than any other vehicle I have ever owned.


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## mkmurphy81 (May 8, 2015)

I just wanted to say "Hi!" from the F250 fan club. I have a '97 F250 with the 7.3L diesel and 300k miles. I bought it a little over a year ago for $1800, and have put close to $5000 into it. Now that it runs on all its cylinders and its wheels are firmly attached, it's a great truck! It hauls horses, hay, lumber, and anything else easily. My only complaint is that with its extended bed and crew cab, it doesn't fit in a parking space.


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## elkdog (Nov 28, 2016)

The old Fords towed ok, most of them just didn't have much for a motor. The 300 6 cylinder had very little power. 55 mph tops towing on flat ground. The 352 was junk. The 360 was probably the most gutless of them all. The 390 was a little better, but still 60 mph tops towing. The 460 could tow and keep speed up a hill, but expect only 6-7 M.P.G. towing.


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