Help! Need 2Buy Truck in 1wk to pull BP Horse Rrailer!

rockinro said:

Diller: Thank you so much for your insight...that was kinda what i was looking at...the 1500 Crew Cab with 3.92 gears, but my horse trainer said I needed a 2500 so i wasn't sure. I would need to tow my horse trailer twice a month about 5 miles. I would be driving the truck EVERY day 40 miles to downtown Los Angeles, one way, in bumer to bumper traffic.

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Your trainer is mostly right .

I am not sure where you are coming up with the 6800lb weight you posted.

Average horse is 1400 lbs, that amounts to 6600 for just two horses and the 3800lb trailer. Add in 400lbs of people, plus another 400lbs of tack/food/etc and you have broached the 7,400 mark. Add in the people gear, and you might close the 8,000 mark.

You can make do with a half ton, certainly. The 3/4 ton is designed for towing, and is also rated for longer life with towing in mind. I believe the gas 2500 has a guaranteed lifespan of 250,000. Now, I have to admit I have no idea what that guarantee entails since there is no warranty for that period, but Chrysler states that is the minimum expected life of a 2500 Ram.

The one thing that the 2500 gives you that the 1500 cannot at those weights (near max capacity) is sway stability. The 1500 can get pushed around by heavier trailer, while the 2500 will stay very stable.

While the 1500 will definately ride better, the 4th gen 2500 rides quite nice.

Either will do that job, certainly. The 2500 will do it much better.

Power247 said:

That's a nice looking trailer. It would be hard to justify the expense of a 2500 for so little hauling. You are just going to have to watch how you load your gear. Try to put as much as you can in the back storage area and as little as possible in the front. Worst case you may have to haul the horses 1 at a time using only the rearward stall.

I know that I am sounding overly cautious but you should be. the last thing you want is to mess up your truck (or worse get in an accident) and find out that being overweight was the culprit. Being that you are only going 5 miles I am sure that you can find a way to get them there and back safely.

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The other school of thought is: being able to do something does not make it right.

I have an 10,000lb boat with a 2,000lb trailer. I am not proud of this, but, I have hauled it with a Durango and a 2002 half ton Ram with 3.92 gears. Both could do it, but, neither could do it well. But I grew up on a large farm and have towed since I was 16, so I stupidly believed my experience was what would make it safe.

Now, I know the boat and trailer were well out of the capacities, my point is that if he has not done a lot of towing then perhaps the more capable truck would be better suited to his experience and abilities.



Believe it or not, the Durango actually pulled it better than the 2002 1500 Ram. Pulled it nearly as well as my 2004 2500 Hemi, too. Taking it out of the water was where it really struggled.

look around and see if you can find a used 2500.say 2010 or later.you will save money plus wont need to worry about weight. good luck