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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 614
 
| Want to hear from those that pull with a half ton short bed truck and what you pull with it. I have to sell my big truck and trailer due to finances and will have my small truck left. I'm not sure what it will pull. Should I look at downsizing to a bumper pull, GN stock type or what trailer? I really would at least ilke a dressing room. I will have two horses left to haul. Thanks in advance. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1367
 
Location: mi | I haul with a chevy half ton short bed. Not the super short thing not even sure if Chevy makes one but I know Ford does. I pull an aluminum 2 horse gooseneck with just a dressing room. Pulls all day long with 2 horses stops it just fine. I will say I only haul through flat lands or rolling land. No hills. If I was hauling all the time through different geographic areas I would bump up to a 3/4 ton but for what I do the little truck works well. |
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| i have a 1/2 ton hemi and i pull a 3 horse bp aluminum w/ dressing room. it too is fine along the flats. and is fine all the time with 2 horses. if i put three in and go on some hills it stuggles a bit. I'm wanting to swtich to a GN so that i have a bed and will be able to pull more with the weight centered on the truck. |
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 I'm not opinionated
Posts: 4597
Location: Online | The biggest you should pull with a 1/2 ton anything is a 2 horse bp.
I know I know, some pull gooseneck 3 horse, etc just fine. Yeah..... Ok. Whatever. Still not smart. You don't have stability, breaking, or enough power. Maybe if the farthest you go is 10 miles on a flat road with 55 mph speed limit. But if you get on the interstate with hills or places with high winds you are asking for trouble. Just sayin'. |
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 I Chore in Chucks
Posts: 2882
Location: MD | When I was in Iowa I would haul my 2 horse steel BP with a 99 Dodge ram 1/2 ton. It worked great there, I hauled to Maryland with it and going through the mountains was absolute torture, do note that the truck wasn't in exactly excellent shape either. they were pretty mild hills for going through the mountains but my truck couldn't handle it at all and I was really regretting that decision to drive with that truck. I've upped to a 2012 ford 3/4 ton and haven't had an issue at all..
ETA: it wasn't just mustering up the gusto to get up the hills, it was stopping at the bottom of them that was the issue. It had plenty of power getting where it needed to go, but stopping was a serious problem.
Edited by Crowned Image 2014-10-03 9:22 AM
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 Experienced Mouse Trapper
Posts: 3106
Location: North Dakota | IMO you would have to pay me big money to pull ANY kind of bumper pull with ANY kind of truck! Bumper pulls like to pass you any chance they get and they are not as easy to manuever. With that said your pickup should be able to pull a short stock trailer or combo that will hold the 2 horses comfortably. I do believe in working trailer brakes as well.
..... :)
Now I shall wait for the people who say you need a canon to kill a gopher....
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 Expert
Posts: 2457
| Hi ! 
Whatever make/model you choose be sure to know what engine you will be hauling with, the load capacity, and more importantly what you are comfortable stopping with that truck. It is not a matter of will the truck pull something but will it stop the load behind it safely.
I pull with an 08 chevy 1500 short bed with the 5.3L V8 gas engine. I have a titan 2 horse slant load bumper pull avalanche steel trailer with a small tack room/ changing room in the front - it is roughly 14 ft from nose to rear doors. I LOVE this set up. I can safely drag my horses in it, stop it easily, and pull hills when needed. It turns easily and I feel I can back that lil puppy anywhere and through anything.
(on a side note, I grew up dragging 30 ft double decked stock trailers with 1 ton trucks over the rockies every summer hauling livestock so the set up above seems tiny to me but super handy)
Good Luck - Hope I helped.
@LMS ....  LOVE your comment!! heheheehe ... cannons and gophers!!
Edited by lindseylou2290 2014-10-03 9:11 AM
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Rad Dork
Posts: 5218
Location: Oklahoma | I have a 2014 1/2ton Chevy with a 5.3L V8 and I pull a 2 horse slant CM BP. It's the Dakota model (steel w/ dressing room) and don't have any issues pulling one horse with it no further than I go. I have hauled two horses, but I start borrowing a 3/4ton from my husband or parents when those are longer trips. I never wanted to be pulling a trailer with a 1/2ton, but a 1/2 is what I bought a year ago.... and that happened to be well before I decided I wanted to start running again! I just have to make it work until I try to get a new truck next spring. |
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Experienced Mouse Trapper
Posts: 3106
Location: North Dakota | lindseylou2290 - 2014-10-03 9:08 AM Hi ! Whatever make/model you choose be sure to know what engine you will be hauling with, the load capacity, and more importantly what you are comfortable stopping with that truck. It is not a matter of will the truck pull something but will it stop the load behind it safely. I pull with an 08 chevy 1500 short bed with the 5.3L V8 gas engine. I have a titan 2 horse slant load bumper pull avalanche steel trailer with a small tack room/ changing room in the front - it is roughly 14 ft from nose to rear doors. I LOVE this set up. I can safely drag my horses in it, stop it easily, and pull hills when needed. It turns easily and I feel I can back that lil puppy anywhere and through anything. (on a side note, I grew up dragging 30 ft double decked stock trailers with 1 ton trucks over the rockies every summer hauling livestock so the set up above seems tiny to me but super handy ) Good Luck - Hope I helped. @LMS .... LOVE your comment!! heheheehe ... cannons and gophers!!
:) I've often thought that when the time comes we need a second rig it will be something like you are hauling with now. I love those little Titan trailers (we have a 4 horse and love it) Only thing, my pickup would have to be a FORD!! na na na na naaaa na! |
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Expert
Posts: 2457
| LMS - 2014-10-03 9:26 AM
lindseylou2290 - 2014-10-03 9:08 AM Hi ! Whatever make/model you choose be sure to know what engine you will be hauling with, the load capacity, and more importantly what you are comfortable stopping with that truck. It is not a matter of will the truck pull something but will it stop the load behind it safely. I pull with an 08 chevy 1500 short bed with the 5.3L V8 gas engine. I have a titan 2 horse slant load bumper pull avalanche steel trailer with a small tack room/ changing room in the front - it is roughly 14 ft from nose to rear doors. I LOVE this set up. I can safely drag my horses in it, stop it easily, and pull hills when needed. It turns easily and I feel I can back that lil puppy anywhere and through anything. (on a side note, I grew up dragging 30 ft double decked stock trailers with 1 ton trucks over the rockies every summer hauling livestock so the set up above seems tiny to me but super handy ) Good Luck - Hope I helped. @LMS .... LOVE your comment!! heheheehe ... cannons and gophers!!
Ha! Ford smord. I'll pick ya up on the side of road in my Chevy
On a serious note, I do love that lil Titan trailer. Affordable, check. Nicely equipped, check. Pulls easily, check. My horses have no issues in it, check. They really do make a nice, useable, affordable product.  |
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Expert
Posts: 1477
Location: In the land of peanuts and cotton | We had a 1/2 ton. When we got our new lq trailer it had the power to go but had trouble going up hills. We bought a 1 ton and havnt had a problem. As for the short wheel base. It's up to you but I would stay away from a short wheele bass if your going to be pulling a goose neck. If your trailer is 8 wide or squair front like ours you WILL make it come through the back window when turning. I'm sure there are other people on here that will testify to this. We busted out our back window more than once Before we up graded to the 1 ton long wheel base. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 614
| Thanks everybody. I did try a two horse bumper pull with my truck but it felt so different and I didn't feel comfortable at all but then I am use to a bigger truck and gooseneck trailer. Wish I could afford to keep the truck but no deal. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1612
Location: Cocoa, Florida | I have an 07 chevy silverado 1500 5.3 wiyh towing package and trailer breaks. My opem stock steel gooseneck weighs 3275 and I pull 2 in it usually but I have bogged it down with 4 but only for a very short distance. My truck pulls great and I've never (knock on wood) had an issues. I would love to upgrade to a 2500 and something with a small living quarter but don't really want the payments right now. I'm sure a half ton would pull a smaller aluminum gooseneck but the heavier you get the more it effects your suspension not necessarily your engine. Of course you dont want to exceed what the owners manual tells you you can pull but you can usually get away with pulling a little heavier then the book says. Mines been pulling for a good 5 years. |
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 Expert
Posts: 4121
Location: SE Louisiana | lindseylou2290 - 2014-10-03 9:35 AM
LMS - 2014-10-03 9:26 AM
lindseylou2290 - 2014-10-03 9:08 AM Hi ! Whatever make/model you choose be sure to know what engine you will be hauling with, the load capacity, and more importantly what you are comfortable stopping with that truck. It is not a matter of will the truck pull something but will it stop the load behind it safely. I pull with an 08 chevy 1500 short bed with the 5.3L V8 gas engine. I have a titan 2 horse slant load bumper pull avalanche steel trailer with a small tack room/ changing room in the front - it is roughly 14 ft from nose to rear doors. I LOVE this set up. I can safely drag my horses in it, stop it easily, and pull hills when needed. It turns easily and I feel I can back that lil puppy anywhere and through anything. (on a side note, I grew up dragging 30 ft double decked stock trailers with 1 ton trucks over the rockies every summer hauling livestock so the set up above seems tiny to me but super handy ) Good Luck - Hope I helped. @LMS .... LOVE your comment!! heheheehe ... cannons and gophers!!
Ha! Ford smord. I'll pick ya up on the side of road in my Chevy
On a serious note, I do love that lil Titan trailer. Affordable, check. Nicely equipped, check. Pulls easily, check. My horses have no issues in it, check. They really do make a nice, useable, affordable product.
Drive a Chevy. Their the best. Drive a mile, walk the rest... We used to pull a 20ft gooseneck flatbed with 6 tons of hay out of Iowa to several locations in southern Missouri.... With a 1/2 ton ford... We had to add a torsion bar in front to keep the trailer from pushing us sideways going downhill.. It takes a good driver but I had a good teacher.. |
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I'm a Cry Baby
Posts: 3781
Location: n.c. | This was back in the day. 92 chevy 1/2 ton w/ the 350 motor. Pulled a 16' gooseneck stock with it. EVERYWHERE.
It worked good. Semi load or full load. Would do it again if need be.
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