Recently divorced. Have my 2005 Bison 3 horse LQ trailer. Do not have a truck, I have been truck shopping and it's not going well. Just called Bison, and my trailer weighs 9,000lb empty. 14,580 is max capacity. I only haul one horse, and it is full LQ. Shower, toilet, couch, queen bed. I was looking at a chevy 2500 today and its max weight it can tow is 10,000. So that is out of the question. My budget is on the lower end, 13k, but shopping has not been going well. In Vermont, vehicles can have absoutely no rust in order to pass inspection. 

I don't really have anyone knowledgeable to go with me to look at trucks, so that's been very challenging. My question is, how do I know if a truck will be able to pull my trailer? The young gentlemen I met with today about his Chevy was nice enough to call Chevy to ask them, but most people won't do that, and I don't expect them to. 

I wish I was more knowledgeable about all this, but I'm on my own now and am stressed out about it. I am not going to take out a loan for a more expensive truck. There are a lot of Ford 6.0's out there, but I'm just not comfortable with those engines. 

My husband is a professional racecar driver, and he was hesitant at first also about the F250, 6.0's. However, he bought one (not modified--EGR delete, etc.) and have had ZERO issues with it. 180,000 miles on it now, a 2006 model. If it has not blown up with some of the incidents we have had, it never will. One time we slid off of a 6" deep clay dirt road into the ditch WITH the 3 horse steel trailer. The process of getting out of that situation tested it to its limits and it made it just fine. I guess I'm saying, don't necessarily rule them out. 

There are a ton of 6.0's in my area for sale. All are bulletproofed, egr delete, headstuds, etc. I just don't know. My ex husband's 6.0 just blew up last week. 

I guess I'm just having a hard time knowing if a gas job 250 will pull it, and what about the truck determines how much weight it can tow. 

F250's can pull 12,300-15,000. F350s can pull 12,000-20,000 according to google. Not sure "why," but that's what they have figured.

Every truck you look at has a Door sticker that will tell you the GVWR. THats just the truck and cargo. You need to google GCVWR, gross COMBINED weight. This will tell you what truck AND trailer can tow. On my 19 F350 DUally my GVWR is 14,500 ( Truck and Cargo only) but my GCVWR is 31,000. So Truck and trailer combined. My trailer is a 19 four horse LQ with slide and has a 15K weight fully loaded with 4 horses. I only haul 2 so I'm under that. So truck and trailer fully loaded is 29,500. And BTW, you need a commercial license in all 50 states for anything over 26K, and I am in the process of getting that now. But thats a whole other story. LOL 

I haul with a 2015 2500HD Chevy gas engine. Pulls my 3H with 8' LQ just fine loaded with 3 horses and a full tank of water. Plenty of stopping ability. Mine has the 4.10 axle ration and not the old standard 3.73. If you happen to look at other trucks that makes a big difference. 4.10 can haul more than 3.73 

I have a 2011 2500HD Chev - pulls my 3h (no LQ) fully loaded though without problems. 

I don't know the weight off the top of my head, but we have a steel frame, (aluminum skin) 3 Horse Sundowner with a 10ft LQ and it is very heavy. Our 3500 pulls it no problem, but when I have had to use my husbands F250 diesel, it is not something I would be comfortable driving a long distance.....it works in a pinch if I HAVE to go to the vet. 

Do you have the option of trading your trailer in for something else?

get a dullay its wioll pull it stop and if you have a blowout on rear tire your more stable

As mentioned by others, you need to know the Gross Combined Vehicle Weight for the truck -  truck & trailer should be that or less. I drive a 2001 Dodge diesel and my GCVW is only 16,000# ...pickup weighs 7000 so my only 3 horse LQ option is a 6' short wall Exiss. The truck manual will give you the numbers or you can google it up. Good luck! 

Is yours gas or diesel (just curious)?

To the OP- the lower gear ratio is what will give you more torque to pull the heavier loads. I currently tow a 3h w/8' lg with a 2005 Chevy 3500 dually with an 8.1 (gas engine). I started doing research to see what other gas engine could pull my trailer since they don't make the 8.1 any longer. The Chevy 6.0 with the lower gear ratio should be able to do it. Although going up hills has me concerned. I go to a series about 3 hours away that the one section of intersate is a lot of long up hill grades.

I like my trailer, so I'm not going to sell it at the moment.

The truck I'm looking at is a 2006 Chevy 2500 (gas). 4.10 axles. 6.10 liter. Is not set up at the moment with trailer brakes. Would have to install a gooseneck hitch. 

The seller is trying to help me figure out if it will safely pull my trailer, but we are just confused. I will only ever haul 1 horse in the trailer. 

I talked to Bison yesterday, and my trailer weighs 9,000lbs empty. The seller said he called Chevy and the truck is capable of towing 10,000 lbs. So wouldn't I be over once I put horse and tack in there? Or is this where I need to figure out the GCVW? The seller does not have the owners manual for the truck. 

I went on Carmax.com and it says for the truck the max towing capacity is 12,000lbs. The GVW for the truck is 9,200lbs. And the payload capacity for the truck is 3317lbs. 

Sorry for all the questions, I'm trying my best. 

You should be able to put airbags on a 3/4 and be ok, but it would be preferable to step up to a 1 ton, whether it's SRW or DRW.   It's not just about how much you can pull, but how much truck you have brakes and springs-wise to keep control during a hard stop or evasive maneuver. 

Airbags do not increase towing capacity or ability. THey simply keep a truck level when they are overloaded. Legally, a truck can only haul what the manufacturer has rated it to tow. I really do agree that a 3500 might be the best option. 

I'd rather be "over trucked" than under trucked. The braking, suspension, etc needs to be able to handle the load you are towing so you can safely travel down the road. That being said I wouldnt tow your trailer with anything less than a one ton. And you couldn't pay me to own another 6.0L Ford. Unless you have unlimited funds I would run.....very fast..... in the opposite direction and don't look back.

Thank you all! I appreciate your help! I'm going tomorrow to look at a 2003 Dodge Ram 3500 Diesel. Has a flatbed with two toolboxes on it. 4d door truck. Seller does oil undercoating, so has been oil undercoated for the past 5 years. Slight rust chips on passenger side door from gravel, but not holes. How would I fix this? Does anyone have experience with these trucks? 

We have a Dodge Dually 3500 and it pulls our 5 horse 47 foot trailer just fine

That's why I said airbags would help you get by, not that they would magically make a 3/4 safer or more capable.  They don't just level though, they can keep an overloaded truck from beating the teeth out of your head. LOL 

I've always been told there isn't a whole lot of difference in towing between the F250 and F350 except for some things about the suspension system. When both my dad and brother were truck shopping (different years) they asked a lot of questions about the two. Of course, the F250 was cheaper. Granted, I don't have a living quarters yet, and neither do my family, but they've used both trucks over the years to haul tractors and I can about imagine how much they weigh. Of course, they were not hauling from rodeo to rodeo with them, but still!

I've got a gas GMC 2500 to pull my non-LQ 3 horse gooseneck. It does alright, unless it's full with 3 horses and there is a 35 mph wind.... Of course, I just make sure to leave in plenty of time so I am not rushed.

EDITED to fix my typos.

I had that exact trailer that you have right now and I pulled it just fine with 3 horses in it with an F-250 that has the 6.7 diesel in it. The 6.7's are fantastic engines so if you could afford anything 2011 or after, I highly reccomend them. I would also pick a diesel over a gas for pulling anyday.