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 Owner of a ratting catting machine
Posts: 2258
  
| Something that gets overlooked on hauling with half tons is tire power. Most half tons come stock with 8 ply tires. Upgrading them to a heavier 10 ply tire is best. Also, investing in a stabilizer kit is a must. Slower speeds should be taken because your stopping power is nill. Putting air bags in is important.
I'd rather haul with a 1985 one ton truck than a 2015 half ton truck. I have both a 2012 half ton and a 2011 one ton. I've hauled a 24' camper with my half ton, it moved me all over. Haul it with the one ton, didn't get pushed around. The difference is that major. And that's without live weight on.
Please be careful and beef up whatever you can. | |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 319
| classicpotatochip - 2015-02-20 1:25 PM Something that gets overlooked on hauling with half tons is tire power. Most half tons come stock with 8 ply tires. Upgrading them to a heavier 10 ply tire is best. Also, investing in a stabilizer kit is a must. Slower speeds should be taken because your stopping power is nill. Putting air bags in is important. I'd rather haul with a 1985 one ton truck than a 2015 half ton truck. I have both a 2012 half ton and a 2011 one ton. I've hauled a 24' camper with my half ton, it moved me all over. Haul it with the one ton, didn't get pushed around. The difference is that major. And that's without live weight on. Please be careful and beef up whatever you can.
It has Michelins, air bag and active suspension. Towing package came on the truck so has transmission cooler. Do you need a stabilzer kit for GN? We have one for towing RV but it is a different hitch. The truck is a 1995 GMC Sierra. I usually haul less than 10 miles to arena, but with this trailer I could go to a few multi-day shows. None would be over 100 miles away and it's pretty flat around here. | |
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 Toastest with the Mostest
Posts: 5712
 
Location: That part of Texas | LMS - 2015-02-20 9:32 AM WYOTurn-n-Burn - 2015-02-20 8:58 AM I pulled a three horse featherlite gooseneck with a heavy half and I hated it. Sold that truck as fast as we could and bought a 3/4 ton diesel. I did not like the heavy half; felt weighed down and braking was not optimal. You could feel that trailer pushing on that truck when you came to stop. NOT COOL. And my trailer and pickup brakes were in perfect working condition:) That 3/4 ton pulled and stopped the trailer so much better. We just purchased a 2015 Ford F350 and to be honest I'm not sure how I ever pulled that trailer with a heavy half and the 3/4 ton diesel!LOL I LOVE my 1 ton and will probably never go back to a 3/4. I like the feeling of being able to brake with ease, even when the trailer is fully loaded. If feels like a beef cake and that in itself offers me a lot of peace of mind. To the OP, I know for a fact that Wyoturn-n-burn's trailer is VERY heavy compared to my old steel stock trailer-probably on the verge of 1500 pounds heavier. Everyone needs to keep in mind that trailers definitely weigh different depending on type. If the op is looking at a 3 horse that has a small dressing room with air I'm guessing it will be too heavy to be comfortable pulling with 3 horses in with the half ton. I think Wyo's 3 horse featherlite is the heaviest thing I've ever been around! Ultimately, everyone needs to be a safe driver and drive within their ability and comfort level, sometimes that just means you have to bite the bullet and buy the bigger pickup!
I'm glad that someone brought up trailer weight because that was a big thing that I had to look for when I was considering purchasing my trailer to pull behind my half-ton. It's one of the reasons why I waited so many years to be able to buy the trailer that I now have (2010 Ranch King 2-horse GN) because not all trailers are built the same and have a low enough weight that it helps with the stopping issue.
I have had no problems pulling or stopping my trailer. It has a shipping weight of 3,160 pounds and I usually only haul one horse. I purposefully do not keep a bunch of unnecessary stuff in my dressing room in the front either to keep down the weight. I had trailer brakes installed when I purchased the trailer so I have that as back up to what my truck can do.
To the OP: I had many discussions with my truck/trailer set up with Cindy Hamilton (one of our own BHW members) before I bought this particular combo from her dealership and she helped me find the perfect fit for what I had truckwise. If you have any questions, she might be a good resource to ask on what might work for you. She deals with other lines besides for Calico/Ranch King like I bought.
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 I'm not opinionated
Posts: 4597
Location: Online | Just Bring It - 2015-02-20 8:20 AM rodeomom13 - 2015-02-20 8:59 AM These questions come up all the time. "Can I pull a 3 horse gooseneck with my half ton?" It doesn't matter what you tell them, they are going to do it because "I've done it for years with no problems". Yeah, you will think that until you find yourself jackknifed or upside down in the ditch. I have seen too many times a trailer wrecked because it was hooked to a truck that was too small. Those who haven't had this happen are just lucky.
Just because your truck is rated to pull 15000#, doesn't mean you should. My 1 ton is rated to pull 26,000. Do you think I'm going to pull that much? Absolutely not! My trailer loaded is around 10,000-12,000. That's about the max I will hook to my truck. I have hauled a little more weight in hay than that, but it was a short trip.
No amount of talking about brakes or stability is going to change anyone's mind. They will go on about their business because "I've never had a problem". Those ratings include the weight of the pickup. So if your truck weighs 5k lbs you need to add that in to the weight of your trailer. I think people forget about that. I have a one ton Dodge with a beefed up transmission and pull a trailer that weighs around 16k+ lbs loaded. 
ETA: A 3 horse gooseneck is roughly 5000#, probably the heavy end, but round up. Add 3 horses, tack, water, and just random stuff you are pushing 3500-4000 more weight. That adds up to around 9000#. Depending on the truck, I'm just guessing at it weighs 7-8000#? That ads up to 16,000-17,000 total weight. Nah..... Too much for a light duty truck. Even if you only haul 1 horse, you are still pushing it.
Not to mention what others have said.... The tire issue.....
Edited by rodeomom13 2015-02-20 5:14 PM
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 Husband Spoiler
Posts: 4151
Location: North Dakota | rodeomom13 - 2015-02-20 5:03 PM Just Bring It - 2015-02-20 8:20 AM rodeomom13 - 2015-02-20 8:59 AM These questions come up all the time. "Can I pull a 3 horse gooseneck with my half ton?" It doesn't matter what you tell them, they are going to do it because "I've done it for years with no problems". Yeah, you will think that until you find yourself jackknifed or upside down in the ditch. I have seen too many times a trailer wrecked because it was hooked to a truck that was too small. Those who haven't had this happen are just lucky.
Just because your truck is rated to pull 15000#, doesn't mean you should. My 1 ton is rated to pull 26,000. Do you think I'm going to pull that much? Absolutely not! My trailer loaded is around 10,000-12,000. That's about the max I will hook to my truck. I have hauled a little more weight in hay than that, but it was a short trip.
No amount of talking about brakes or stability is going to change anyone's mind. They will go on about their business because "I've never had a problem". Those ratings include the weight of the pickup. So if your truck weighs 5k lbs you need to add that in to the weight of your trailer. I think people forget about that. I have a one ton Dodge with a beefed up transmission and pull a trailer that weighs around 16k+ lbs loaded.
Not to mention what others have said.... The tire issue.....
I believe the heavier rated brand NEW 1/2 tons are only rated at 15k or less GCWR (truck and trailer fully loaded). That would be a 9klb loaded trailer rating. I can guarantee the older 1/2 tons are not rated anywhere near that!
Edited by Just Bring It 2015-02-20 6:45 PM
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| I have a 2014 1500 Chevy Z71 with the towing and stabilizer package and trailer brake! I pull a 3 horse all aluminum bumper pull with 2 horses! The new Chevys are rated to tow up to 11,000 lbs. I would not be pulling that amount of weight but I've never had a problem with stopping,hauling or having enough power! I also don't ever go faster than 70 mph! I love it but if I decided to get a small living quarter or gooseneck I would get a 2500! | |
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I'm not opinionated
Posts: 4597
Location: Online | Burning3 - 2015-02-20 8:03 PM I have a 2014 1500 Chevy Z71 with the towing and stabilizer package and trailer brake! I pull a 3 horse all aluminum bumper pull with 2 horses! The new Chevys are rated to tow up to 11,000 lbs. I would not be pulling that amount of weight but I've never had a problem with stopping,hauling or having enough power! I also don't ever go faster than 70 mph! I love it but if I decided to get a small living quarter or gooseneck I would get a 2500!
^^^^^ My point exactly.^^^^^ "Never had a problem". | |
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