$10K Question ...... Literally!

[Haoleguy]

I have a good friend that has horses and loves to ride daily. Up until now she has ridden on a network of paths near her barn. At this time she is looking to trailer her horses(2) to other riding networks in the northeast on day trips. Her trailer, horses, and stuff will bring the trailer weight up to ~5500 lbs give or take a few. She will be in need a tow vehicle to replace her commuter car. With a budget of $10K to find a good reliable tow vehicle it caused me to scratch my head a bit as the trailering weight hits near the limits of the 1/2 ton trucks from the early-mid 2000s. What do you think would be good choices? I was thinking an 2002-4 F250 5.4 gas V8 as they are kind of in between what people normally look for and may have the trailering package from the factory. All thoughts welcome.....Cheers

 

[zzvyb6]

Get a Suburban or Expedition. Then she/you can sleep in the truck and you can get away for more than a day. My Tahoe pulls my trailers (boat and hay delivery) easily and jumps into DOD (Displacement on Demand = 4 cyl mode) while going 70 on the motorway. That's 22 - 24 mpg (gasoline, not 15% ethanol) based on the Instantaneous Mileage readout on the dash. I believe truck weight limits are worst case for the idiot that actually pulls twice the rating. Its brakes and transmission temperature that are the principle concerns in actual use. If you have good tires (especially on the trailer) and a good floor, and you keep your speed reasonable, a 1/2 ton truck can be expected to do the job reliably.

A 5th wheel horse trailer and P/U truck combo is also a local favorite. That rules out the SUV option, though.

Yeah, its just my opinion but based on everyday use and service factors.

Results may vary, some people can't sleep in a truck, some drivers may not be able to hitch up or back up a trailer, many can't measure tire pressure, some horses may not want to go into a trailer, but there's an App for that...

 

[MikePA]

About 18 months ago, we bought a 2004 Silverado 4 x 4, Z71, 1/2 ton, std cab. I replaced the factory hitch with one that has a 10,000 pound tow rating which is overkill for the truck. However, I wanted plenty of safety margin on the hitch. Our 2 horse bumper pull trailer, with dressing room, weighs 3,400 pounds and with 2 horses aboard we're around 5,500 - 5,800 pounds. The factory hitch was (I think) rated at 5,000 pounds. I also had a Maxbrake brake controller installed so she doesn't have to worry about adjusting the controller based on the number of horses.

This 1/2 ton Silverado, with the aftermarket hitch, has enough power and capacity to handle 2 horses in our trailer. I wanted a truck with an 8 foot bed (for getting hay) and 4 x 4 and set a budget of $10,000 (again, this was 18 months ago). This truck met those requirements. Finding a truck with an 8' bed around here was difficult. Plenty of 6.5' beds with extended or crew cab, but 8' beds were hard to find. I found a 2002 Ford, 1 ton, SRW, 4 x 4 with an 8 foot bed, but it also was a crew cab. My wife took one look at it and said, "Wow, that's a LONG truck.". We were considering it, even though it was 2 years older, but I couldn't get the dealer to call me back.

 

[Diamondpilot]

5,500# is nothing. I had early 2000's 5.4L 4x4 F-150's with 3.73 gears that were rated to pull in the 8,500# area. As said before any 1/2 ton V8 with proper gearing from any of the 5 manufactures is plenty. Full size SUV like the Expedition and the Suburban is also a good match. While a mid size may have the tow rating to do so I would skip it. The frontal area of a horse trailer will really work the tranny on these trucks. My mechanic did in his Jeep with a Hemi pulling a horse trailer and also boiled out the fluid in his V8 Mountaineer doing the same thing. He caught it quick enough on the Mountaineer to save it. He refuses to get a bigger truck though.

Chris

 

[JDgreen227]

My first tow vehicle was a '90 F150 with the 4.9 six and 3.08 gears, the factory tow rating was 5,000 pounds and after I added a secondary trans cooler, a Flowmaster cat-back exhaust system, and a secondary cooling fan in front of the radiator, it did respectably well at towing a 6400 pound loaded TT. I never really needed more power, and it would stop the combo okay, yet I always babied the truck because it was over the tow rating.

Upgraded to a 3/4 ton Yukon XL, the peace of mind not having to worry about breaking something made towing a lot more fun...I don't think I would ever be comfortable towing a near 3 ton load with a half ton truck again. Odds are, down the road, your friend will want to haul more than the 5,500 pounds you mention. If that is a remote possibility, get a 3/4 ton chassis vehicle. Just my nickle's worth.

 

[MikePA]

I also swapped out the instrument cluster on my 2004 Silverado with one that had a tranny temp gauge. Fortunately, it was a 'plug and play' operation. I found the guy on eBay. I've told my wife to always keep an eye on the gauges, particularly the coolant and temp gauges.

 

[joe48]

5,500# is nothing. I had early 2000's 5.4L 4x4 F-150's with 3.73 gears that were rated to pull in the 8,500# area. As said before any 1/2 ton V8 with proper gearing from any of the 5 manufactures is plenty. Full size SUV like the Expedition and the Suburban is also a good match. While a mid size may have the tow rating to do so I would skip it. The frontal area of a horse trailer will really work the tranny on these trucks. My mechanic did in his Jeep with a Hemi pulling a horse trailer and also boiled out the fluid in his V8 Mountaineer doing the same thing. He caught it quick enough on the Mountaineer to save it. He refuses to get a bigger truck though.

Chris

I have the same setup 2003 F150, Supercrew, with the 5.4 ,4 spd OD, the HD trailer tow pkg. It handles my 6000 lbs travel trailer like nothing, hualed all over the Adirondek mtns put it in cruise and go. My old dodge 2500 conversion van with 318 used to struggle with it never could pull it in cruise control.
So that setup will work really well for you. And we get 14-15mpg all around and 10mpg towing, really not bad.

 

[WM75Guy]

Our first PU to pull our 2 horse BP trailer was a 1994 GMC 1/2 ton with the 6.5 turbo diesel. It was a great truck, we traded it in on the 2003. Look at Autotrader for examples, you can get a 3/4 ton diesel of any brand at that price, early 2000s and before. For a little more, say $15K, you can get a really nice truck. Then it will pull the 2 horse trailer or bigger when she trades up (which usually happens). We now pull a 3 horse slant load GN, 7 1/2' tall, 8' wide with both trucks.

 

[JDgreen227]

I also swapped out the instrument cluster on my 2004 Silverado with one that had a tranny temp gauge. Fortunately, it was a 'plug and play' operation. I found the guy on eBay. I've told my wife to always keep an eye on the gauges, particularly the coolant and temp gauges.

Mike, my 3/4 ton GMC had the dash with the trans temp gage...are you telling us that GM put the trans sensor, wiring, etc in your Silverado and all you had to do was buy the dash cluster to have the temp gage operational? Thats something I am sure a lot of owners wish they knew.

 

[crazyal]

Add a weight distributing hitch and almost any 1/2 will tow 7500lbs.

 

[Diamondpilot]

My first tow vehicle was a '90 F150 with the 4.9 six and 3.08 gears, the factory tow rating was 5,000 pounds and after I added a secondary trans cooler, a Flowmaster cat-back exhaust system, and a secondary cooling fan in front of the radiator, it did respectably well at towing a 6400 pound loaded TT. I never really needed more power, and it would stop the combo okay, yet I always babied the truck because it was over the tow rating.

Upgraded to a 3/4 ton Yukon XL, the peace of mind not having to worry about breaking something made towing a lot more fun...I don't think I would ever be comfortable towing a near 3 ton load with a half ton truck again. Odds are, down the road, your friend will want to haul more than the 5,500 pounds you mention. If that is a remote possibility, get a 3/4 ton chassis vehicle. Just my nickle's worth.

I respect what you are saying but comparing a 1990's truck with 1970's technology is not even close when comparing a Mid-2000's era truck. The improvements between my 2002 and 2007 F-150 were night and day for example.

I would venture to say a 1/2 ton made by any manufacture 2007 or later is more truck then the best gas 3/4 ton made ten years earlier in 1997.

Chris

 

[MikePA]

are you telling us that GM put the trans sensor, wiring, etc in your Silverado and all you had to do was buy the dash cluster to have the temp gage operational? Thats something I am sure a lot of owners wish they knew.

Yes, all the wiring is there, just change the instrument cluster and you have a dash with the tran temp gauge. I am looking for the place I bought it from. I had to FAX him my mileage, he put that into the refurbed cluster. He also loaded the latest code into the cluster so the message center was up to date. Not that big a deal, but it was a nice touch. You had to pay double for the cluster and got a credit when he received mine. I used the same box to send mine back. You could also opt for different styles, e.g., SS, black on white, Denali gauges, etc.

EDIT: Look for digital_dash_solutions on eBay.

Basic repair starts at $90.00 (includes 1 gauge stepper motor only)....

$50 additional to replace all gauge stepper motors.
$10 additional to replace all back lighting bulbs.
$15 return S&H.
$5.00 shipping insurance.
$170.00 Total for a full rebuild with shipping insurance.

Additional options that can be added to your cluster (full size trucks only, with full rebuild service only)....

$30 additional to add a transmission temperature gauge.
$50 additional to convert to the SS style (includes trans temp gauge).
$50 additional to convert to the Denali style (includes trans temp gauge).
$80 additional to convert to the Escalade style (includes trans temp gauge).

$70 for mileage correction if needed. Fill out this ODOMETER DISCLAIMER and include it with the cluster.

 

[JDgreen227]

Yes, all the wiring is there, just change the instrument cluster and you have a dash with the tran temp gauge. I am looking for the place I bought it from. I had to FAX him my mileage, he put that into the refurbed cluster. He also loaded the latest code into the cluster so the message center was up to date. Not that big a deal, but it was a nice touch. You had to pay double for the cluster and got a credit when he received mine. I used the same box to send mine back. You could also opt for different styles, e.g., SS, black on white, Denali gauges, etc.

Thanks for info, I don't need to do anything but to me if GM went to all the expense to install sensor, wiring, etc, in the half ton trucks why not just spend another $8 to $10 and install the trans temp gauge...on a $35 grand truck what's another ten bucks? Makes me wonder.

 

[JDgreen227]

I respect what you are saying but comparing a 1990's truck with 1970's technology is not even close when comparing a Mid-2000's era truck. The improvements between my 2002 and 2007 F-150 were night and day for example.

I would venture to say a 1/2 ton made by any manufacture 2007 or later is more truck then the best gas 3/4 ton made ten years earlier in 1997.

Chris

Good point there, I will agree.

 

[MikePA]

Thanks for info, I don't need to do anything but to me if GM went to all the expense to install sensor, wiring, etc, in the half ton trucks why not just spend another $8 to $10 and install the trans temp gauge...on a $35 grand truck what's another ten bucks? Makes me wonder.

I agree. When you add in the fact there are 2 part numbers for the 2 instrument clusters, you'd think it'd be easier and cheaper just to include the tran temp gauge.

 

[Maxamillion]

I have pulled four horse 27 foot gooseneck trailer with a 1998 Chevy 1500 pick-up. It had a 350 vortec and 3.73 gears. I installed Firestone air bags in the pick-up so it was level when I hooked up to trailer. Around here in North Dakota in the flats it did fine with the load, going 55 or 60, and made sure the brake control worked good.

I now have 2006 Chevy 2500 HD with the 6.0 and it pulls great, I feel the load is more stable with the 2500, but the 1500 did a good job pulling. If she is only going to be pulling a two or three horse then I think a half ton will be fine, but a 3/4 ton will better. Just my two cents.

 

[deerefan]

I have pulled four horse 27 foot gooseneck trailer with a 1998 Chevy 1500 pick-up. It had a 350 vortec and 3.73 gears. I installed Firestone air bags in the pick-up so it was level when I hooked up to trailer. Around here in North Dakota in the flats it did fine with the load, going 55 or 60, and made sure the brake control worked good.

I now have 2006 Chevy 2500 HD with the 6.0 and it pulls great, I feel the load is more stable with the 2500, but the 1500 did a good job pulling. If she is only going to be pulling a two or three horse then I think a half ton will be fine, but a 3/4 ton will better. Just my two cents.

Holy smokes that is a big trailer for a 1/2 ton truck. How bad did it sag without the air bags?

 

[Haoleguy]

Many thanks guys. I have a good handle on what to look for in a Ford and the ford150.net - Ford cars Resources and Information. site gives good specifications for all recent years from 2000. One question I have does the factory tow package include transmission cooler, wiring(lights, brake, extra battery), and hitch? Is it worth getting this upfront in the truck purchase? Also can someone provide me an idea of what to look for in Dodge and Chevy/GMC 1500 trucks or better yet what not to look for. Any Dodge/GM sites with tow specifications to the year and motor/axel ratio combinations?......Thank you, Gary

 

[Diamondpilot]

In general a tow package includes the hitch, wiring, larger battery and alternator some times, larger tranny cooler, larger power steering cooler some times, ect. It has no reflect on the gearing. For example you can get truck X with a 3.08 gear, 3.42 gear, or a 3.73 gear. The tow rating for each will be very different. The 3.08 may be 6,500#, the 3.42 may be 7,500#, and the 3.73 may be 9,500#.

Hope this helps.

Chris

 

[dusty3030]

I agree any decent later model 1/2 ton would do her fine. I pull with a 2004 1/2 ton 4wd Silverado a 3 horse slant with two horses and tack regularly.
One question, how does her trailer pull and lay out?
I've got a 3 horse slant load bumper pull with tack room. I got lucky that it is an extremely balanced, easy pulling trailer, even though it is on the heavy side for what it is. I only pull two horses at a time, but I put my fat girl in the middle section over the axles and it pulls level with no need for sway control or weight distribution.
The same amount of weight on my big utility trailer that is about the same overall length and I don't feel good about getting on the interstate without WD hitch bars on it just because it's a little tounge heavy to begin with.

Biggest thing to help her out would be to make sure she puts in a top notch brake controller and her trailer is in good shape (tires, bearings, brakes, hitch, etc.)