Which truck should I buy for towing
CF Addict
Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 2,326
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From: Marysville, WA
Welcome ehuff - you need to know what the total (gross) weight of the trailer and horses will be to decide what's the best vehicle. I would expect pulling two horses you will want something bigger than a 1500.
Super Moderator
Joined: Mar 2011
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+1
when towing; buy something bigger than what you need vs maxing out a smaller truck.
options i would want:
- 2500- suspension, chassis, brakes all upgraded vs 1500 to handle the towing weight
-gasser - diesels cost to much to maintain, aftertreatment system have many problems in cold climates
-4.10 axle ratio preferred or 3:73 min (smaller ratio will drop towing capacity maybe as much as 2000lbs)
-trans cooler...requirement for trans life as towing is severe service.
when towing; buy something bigger than what you need vs maxing out a smaller truck.
options i would want:
- 2500- suspension, chassis, brakes all upgraded vs 1500 to handle the towing weight
-gasser - diesels cost to much to maintain, aftertreatment system have many problems in cold climates
-4.10 axle ratio preferred or 3:73 min (smaller ratio will drop towing capacity maybe as much as 2000lbs)
-trans cooler...requirement for trans life as towing is severe service.
CF Beginner
Joined: May 2023
Posts: 18
Likes: 2
Simply from a towing perspective, you never want to regularly tow at your max. As general rule, try to stay at or below 80% of your max GVRW thats stated on the door sticker. In this case, your looking at a trailer weight of at least 3000 lbs unless its a newer lightweight all aluminum. Then add in the horse weight which would be in the neighborhood of 1000 lbs each or more and you will quickly start pushing the safe zone for a half ton. I have a 2016 crew cab short bed 4x4 1500 with the 5.3 and it has a max GVRW rating of 7800 lbs. I dont go much more than 6000 lbs towing with it. Another thing to consider is if the truck doesnt have a factory trailer brake controller, get one installed ASAP so you can distribute the brake load across the truck and trailer so your not forcing the truck to do all the work, which will cause serious issues with brake fade and deterioration. As tech2 stated, get a trans cooler installed and also consider doing a trans thermostat swap which makes the trans run cooler. The kit (STL010) is on amazon for about $25 and takes about 15 minutes to install. I did it on mine and the trans temps (not towing) have dropped about 30 degrees under normal driving conditions.
Regards,
Regards,
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