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 Expert
Posts: 1520
 
Location: Illinois | Does anyone haul a LQ trailer with a 2500HD gas truck? I currently haul a 3h with 8' SW LQ and it pulls just fine, the GVWR on my trailer is 14,000. However I'm looking at either going to a 10' SW 3H or an 8' SW 4H, does anyone pull anything similar with a similar truck? I saw a trailer today, same brand as mine that was 11' SW and 4h and the GVWR is 14,400. Trying to decide if my truck could pull that. I have no intention of putting 4 horses in it if I do get a 4h, its strictly an extra space to put the hay and bedding when hauling as I have 2 horses and someone often hauls 1 horse with me, so at most we'd have 3 horses. I just get tired of storing my bedding in the shower when we go long weekends with 3. I also don't use it to shower so the water tank never has more than about 5 gallons in it, just for flushing the toilet lol | |
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 Expert
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| ALL manufacturers have the Weight ratings for all the trucks they sell and their towing capacities. I just looked at the Dodge one yesterday for a friend of mine. Your Gas Rig can actually tow MORE than a diesel is rated to tow because of the weight of the engine. Most people wonder why a 3/4 ton Gas rig can tow more than the diesel. Weight. 4x4s can tow LESS than 4x2s because of the weight of the 4x4 parts. Hope that makes sense. but for a 2500 ( 3/4 ton), the trailers your looking into are pretty heavy. a 3500 will help out a lot. And its not always what you can TOW its what you can STOP!
Just found this with a google search
http://www.chevrolet.com/truck-life/trailering-and-towing-guide
Edited by FLITASTIC 2018-05-31 2:05 PM
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| I pulled a 4 horse steel with a small weekender with my 2500 gas before and it did the job but wasn't really fun to drive. So I traded in that trailer for a 3 horse aluminum with an 8 ft. SW, full LQ and it pulled that a lot better, however when it was time for a new truck we did go to a Ram 2500 with the Cummins.
Edited by turnthree 2018-05-31 2:05 PM
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Married to a Louie Lover
Posts: 3303
| I think what you may notice more is the increased length of the trailer making you less stable. Especially as well if your going from 7’ wide to 8’ wide.
I pulled my 9’sw 8’ wide 3h with a shortbed 2500 duramax when I first bought it.
After a couple trips with the tail wagging the dog and a busted rear window we upgraded to a 3500 dually.
Night and day.
Won’t pull anything with a full LQ trailer with anything smaller again.
The only way I’d consider what you’re considering is if you’re truck is a long bed, making it more stable with the longer wheelbase. | |
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Expert
Posts: 1520
Location: Illinois | OhMax - 2018-05-31 2:31 PM
I think what you may notice more is the increased length of the trailer making you less stable. Especially as well if your going from 7’ wide to 8’ wide.
I pulled my 9’sw 8’ wide 3h with a shortbed 2500 duramax when I first bought it.
After a couple trips with the tail wagging the dog and a busted rear window we upgraded to a 3500 dually.
Night and day.
Won’t pull anything with a full LQ trailer with anything smaller again.
The only way I’d consider what you’re considering is if you’re truck is a long bed, making it more stable with the longer wheelbase.
Mines a 2015 and has a 14,000lb limit on 5th wheel. But like I said my trailer is 14,000 plus then I throw 3 horses and tack in & it pulls fine & stops fine. My brakes are set on 2.5 which is pretty low. The one I'm looking at is 7'6" wide, mine is 7'. The catwalk thing on the bottom is 8', but that doesn't really make any difference. And since the GVWR on the 2 trailers are only 400 lbs apart I figured I'd be ok. I'm not a heavy hauler. 2x a month at most from April-October and I don't haul all winter unless I need to go to the vet which is 5 miles away. I typically haul 2.5 hours away from home at most, so it's not going to be on the road a whole lot. Its all aluminum, like mine. I just want something bigger, but getting a new truck is not an option as the truck I use is not owned by me, it's borrowed from my grandpa who can't physically get in or out of it, so it's "stored" at my house for my use conveniently lol | |
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Expert
Posts: 1695
Location: Willows, CA | When we had the 4star dealership, our recommendation for 3/4 ton pickups was to limit them to just about what you are pulling right now. That said, I would consider your truck light if you pull in the mountains. Over 8' LQ and three horses we strongly recommended a one ton dually as the better option up to a 12 ft LQ. Over that, or adding a slide out, or another horse or more, you get into specialized tow rigs that can provide larger brakes. I am sure someone will say that they have pulled a four horse, 14Ft LQ half a million miles with their Toyota. In the long run you are so much safer with more truck than you need than less. Also, remember that if you add another stall, and don't take another horse, but fill it up with hay, shavings, lawn furniture, etc, that adds weight also.
Edited by winwillows 2018-05-31 3:22 PM
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 883
Location: Southern Indiana | I have a 10ft sw 4h C&C and pulled it a couple times with someone else's Chevy 2500 diesel and it pulled OK but on the cloverleaf on/off ramps it would do something funky (its been so long ago I can't really describe it) and it also would kick the cruise off going up hills. This was with 2 horses and water tank full. Personally I would not go up to any bigger trailer, without upgrading trucks. I have no problems with a 1 ton single wheel, which I have also used when the dually was in the shop. The gas may work, but its going to be hard on it imo. | |
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Expert
Posts: 1520
Location: Illinois | Yeah I'm in IL and everywhere I go is flat flat flat lol. I store my hay a lot of times in the LQ when hauling 3 horses in case it rains while I'm on the road. So adding the weight of the ahy wouldn't make much difference, just the weight of the extra horse slot really. I usually only put hay in the bed when I'm hauling close to home. The owner of the trailer I'm interested in has been pulling it with a 3/4 ton but its a duramax, no modifications. A friend of mine has a bison that's 3h 12' with a slide out and 3h, she pulls it with a 3/4 ton duramax. She said I was welcome to come hook up and drive it around to see how it handled, its got a 14,600 GVWR on it. My truck also has the 4.10 rear end instead of the 3.73 like most standard 3/4 tons did, I believe they all have the 4.10 as standard now. | |
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Expert
Posts: 1695
Location: Willows, CA | JLazyT_perf_horses - 2018-05-31 3:29 PM
Yeah I'm in IL and everywhere I go is flat flat flat lol. I store my hay a lot of times in the LQ when hauling 3 horses in case it rains while I'm on the road. So adding the weight of the ahy wouldn't make much difference, just the weight of the extra horse slot really. I usually only put hay in the bed when I'm hauling close to home. The owner of the trailer I'm interested in has been pulling it with a 3/4 ton but its a duramax, no modifications. A friend of mine has a bison that's 3h 12' with a slide out and 3h, she pulls it with a 3/4 ton duramax. She said I was welcome to come hook up and drive it around to see how it handled, its got a 14,600 GVWR on it. My truck also has the 4.10 rear end instead of the 3.73 like most standard 3/4 tons did, I believe they all have the 4.10 as standard now.
This was my point about pulling a bigger trailer with a smaller truck. Your friends Bison and 3/4 ton truck does work fine until some idiot pulls out in front of you and you need to try to stop, swerve or maneuver out of a wreck. Bigger brakes, heavier platform and stability in all of those maneuvers make a night and day difference. The diesel engine makes little difference in overall towing on flat ground as far as safety in concerned, and just about any current engine option available in 3/4 ton pickup will tow handle what that truck is rated to pull.
Edited by winwillows 2018-05-31 3:52 PM
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Expert
Posts: 1520
Location: Illinois | My current trailer is 7,800# empty and stops fine with 3 horses on my brakes set at 2.5 and I've had to stop hard a few times. I'm also anal about keeping a good distance from the vehicle in front of me. I just got off the phone with my guy at the dealership and he says the towing limit on my truck in the manual is 14,000 lbs, but said that's the "safety guideline" they have to follow and said I have about 3,000 lbs of wiggle room to add if needed before it starts to damage the truck. I discussed with him what I was thinking about and he didn't think it would be an issue. He just talked more about stability like others have said. He said if I was going to haul every weekend and be on the road a lot then maybe go up to a 1 ton, but with as much as I haul thought I'd be fine. I looked up my log of where I went last year and I hauled 12 times last year & I felt I went hard last year, I went more than I usually do. I can't afford a truck payment right now nor can I even get a loan to buy my own as I just bought a house and had to replace the roof, furnace, and ac. So buying new things isn't an option, but I can get this trailer for less than a $2,000 difference which was why I was interested. If the lady who asked if I'd sell mine won't pay my price I will stay with what I've got. If I pull hers and feel anything that makes me question the safety I will for sure just stick with mine, but if I can haul 3 horses around in it ad feel comfortable then I will go LOOK at this other trailer & decide. | |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 851
Location: West Texas | I am just curious what truck and which gas engine yours has? That is a lot of trailer for a gas engine. I know that isn't what you are asking, I am just wondering.
As far as 2500 trucks pulling that size trailer. It is on the very upper end of what I think you would want to do. All 2500 are not created equal either. A long bed will be better than a short bed. Some 2500 do not have overload springs and some do. In my experience, a big difference in capability between the two.
I think your truck will likely handle it, if it is handling your current trailer. However, you are probably already aware that it isn't ideal and that you have to be a more careful. If you were to load up 4 horses in the new trailer and pull some hills or wind, I don't think you would be happy with how it would perform. It sounds like you already have that in mind. | |
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Expert
Posts: 1520
Location: Illinois | Tdove - 2018-05-31 4:06 PM
I am just curious what truck and which gas engine yours has? That is a lot of trailer for a gas engine. I know that isn't what you are asking, I am just wondering.
As far as 2500 trucks pulling that size trailer. It is on the very upper end of what I think you would want to do. All 2500 are not created equal either. A long bed will be better than a short bed. Some 2500 do not have overload springs and some do. In my experience, a big difference in capability between the two.
I think your truck will likely handle it, if it is handling your current trailer. However, you are probably already aware that it isn't ideal and that you have to be a more careful. If you were to load up 4 horses in the new trailer and pull some hills or wind, I don't think you would be happy with how it would perform. It sounds like you already have that in mind.
Its a Silverado 2500HD 6.0 V8, 4.10 crew cab standard bed. Pretty much the most standard one you can get I think. The towing package/integrated trailer brake feature which i think is also standard. To me what I pull feels short, but I've never pulled anything bigger either. If I have one or 2 horses it pulls the same as it does empty to me. I've been hauling 3 just fine. It's got the automatic shift or manual shift if I want as well, but I've never used the manual. I don't ever plan on putting 4 horses in it, I only haul 2 and a friend brings 1 with me. Some places it's just 2 horses that go, I'm getting ready to expo my 4 year old an I don't really haul her anywhere I have to pay for a stall. And again I never put more than 5 gallons of water in the trailer either, I hate trailer showers & everywhere I go has nice shower houses. I do plan on getting a 1 ton someday, I just have to recover from the whole house ordeal for awhile. The current truck situation should be changing maybe next year if all goes right, so this isn't a long term plan either. Which is why I'm leaning more towards going for it right now, especially if I can come out close to even up on price.
Edited to add this is also a 7'2" wide trailer, same as mine. So width will not change
Edited by JLazyT_perf_horses 2018-05-31 4:39 PM
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  Semper Fi
Location: North Texas | The standard rule of thumb so to speak is; It is always better to be overtrucked than undertrucked.
I have had the experience of a 32' Cattle Trailer 'pushing' me through an intersection in a 3/4 Diesel P/U. Needless to say I was 'undertrucked'. So I speak from experience. | |
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Married to a Louie Lover
Posts: 3303
| JLazyT_perf_horses - 2018-05-31 3:17 PM
OhMax - 2018-05-31 2:31 PM
I think what you may notice more is the increased length of the trailer making you less stable. Especially as well if your going from 7’ wide to 8’ wide.
I pulled my 9’sw 8’ wide 3h with a shortbed 2500 duramax when I first bought it.
After a couple trips with the tail wagging the dog and a busted rear window we upgraded to a 3500 dually.
Night and day.
Won’t pull anything with a full LQ trailer with anything smaller again.
The only way I’d consider what you’re considering is if you’re truck is a long bed, making it more stable with the longer wheelbase.
Mines a 2015 and has a 14,000lb limit on 5th wheel. But like I said my trailer is 14,000 plus then I throw 3 horses and tack in & it pulls fine & stops fine. My brakes are set on 2.5 which is pretty low. The one I'm looking at is 7'6" wide, mine is 7'. The catwalk thing on the bottom is 8', but that doesn't really make any difference. And since the GVWR on the 2 trailers are only 400 lbs apart I figured I'd be ok. I'm not a heavy hauler. 2x a month at most from April-October and I don't haul all winter unless I need to go to the vet which is 5 miles away. I typically haul 2.5 hours away from home at most, so it's not going to be on the road a whole lot. Its all aluminum, like mine. I just want something bigger, but getting a new truck is not an option as the truck I use is not owned by me, it's borrowed from my grandpa who can't physically get in or out of it, so it's "stored" at my house for my use conveniently lol
I think you’re still getting hung up on the weight and not considering the increased size - length and profile specifically that these trailers might have.
We have 4 trailers with 2 7,000lb or 7,500lb axles under them, making their GVWR all very similar. A 16’ dump bed, a 20’ flatbed, a 16’ steel stock, and the 23’ on the floor LQ horse trailer. I can make all 4 of these trailers weight exactly the same - the first 3 I’d hook to our 2500 shortbed duramax and haul all day long. The LQ is a different story, because of the length, the height, the width, we only pull it with the 3500 dually. If I caught the wrong wind at the wrong speed with the 2500 hooked to the LQ I have no doubt I could go in the ditch. The wheelbase and stability between the 2 trucks is night and day.
What you have is the max I would consider safe with your truck. That’s just my opinion based on my experience, I see a lot of people hooked on to trailers with vehicles who have no business towing them, I also try like hell to not be driving in front of (in case they can’t stop in a emergency) or behind (in case they can’t stop and jackknife into my path etc) these rigs.
I hadn’t had my old 2500 for 6 months when I bought the LQ and quickly realized I was under trucked. We got really lucky and basically traded even over for the dually - but it had to happen. | |
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 Too Skinny
Posts: 8009
Location: LA Lower Alabama | Ill just add my 2 cents before reading answers and say: be prepared for 10 miles to the gallon on a good day with a rear breeze down hill 
Edited by cowgalsissy 2018-06-01 1:36 PM
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Expert
Posts: 1520
Location: Illinois | cowgalsissy - 2018-06-01 1:35 PM
Ill just add my 2 cents before reading answers and say: be prepared for 10 miles to the gallon on a good day with a rear breeze down hill Â
10mpg would be a big upgrade from what I get now, 7mpg pulling lol | |
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 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | cowgalsissy - 2018-06-01 1:35 PM Ill just add my 2 cents before reading answers and say: be prepared for 10 miles to the gallon on a good day with a rear breeze down hill
Thats pretty good for a lighter weight truck, lol. | |
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