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 Night Chat Leader
Posts: 13150
    
Location: Home....Smiling M Farms | This website has LOTS of great information about weight and towing and things of this nature. I wouldn't pull much of anything with a half ton truck. Don't get me wrong, I did for years. I had a 91 Chevy pickup that I pulled the guts out of until I ripped the transmission out....which is a whole different story but anyway. My truck was a 'heavy half' which meant it had the shock and suspension of a 3/4 ton truck. It was tough but I was hard on it and replaced lots of parts...lots of parts. I was pulling a 16 foot gooseneck stock trailer. Sometimes with 4 horses on it and sometimes a load of cows. It was a tough truck and I wish I still had it but knowing what I know now, I couldn't saved a ton of money on parts if I had went with a heavier truck.
Here is the link to the website
http://www.your-rv-lifestyle.com/vehicle-weight.html
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 Husband Spoiler
Posts: 4151
Location: North Dakota | Leo - 2015-02-19 6:54 PM suzy2qtee - 2015-02-19 5:58 PM I'm slightly confused on the STOPPING capacity statement... If the trailer has breaks (which in my opinion all trailers should have breaks) Why would the TRUCK have to be bigger to get it to stop??? I'm not being a pain just confused. It's called inertia. Inertia is the resistance of any physical object to any change of it's state of motion, including speed and direction. A half ton truck may have brakes but the truck can't stop the trailer. The load is too heavy, the trailer jack knifes or just push the truck because the truck doesn't have the capacity to stop something that heavy moving that fast. A bigger, heavier truck that is built to handle the load will be able to do much better. The half ton will stop but it might take forever, tear up your truck, or worse. It's the same concept as trying to stop a train, you don't just need the first car to stop, you need the whole thing to stop. Hope this makes sense 
Also if you trailer brakes should ever fail (which they often do) I would want a truck that I know can stop my rig in an emergency. |
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  Playing the Waiting Game
Posts: 2304
| Just Bring It - 2015-02-19 7:03 PM Leo - 2015-02-19 6:54 PM suzy2qtee - 2015-02-19 5:58 PM I'm slightly confused on the STOPPING capacity statement... If the trailer has breaks (which in my opinion all trailers should have breaks) Why would the TRUCK have to be bigger to get it to stop??? I'm not being a pain just confused. It's called inertia. Inertia is the resistance of any physical object to any change of it's state of motion, including speed and direction. A half ton truck may have brakes but the truck can't stop the trailer. The load is too heavy, the trailer jack knifes or just push the truck because the truck doesn't have the capacity to stop something that heavy moving that fast. A bigger, heavier truck that is built to handle the load will be able to do much better. The half ton will stop but it might take forever, tear up your truck, or worse. It's the same concept as trying to stop a train, you don't just need the first car to stop, you need the whole thing to stop. Hope this makes sense
I understand that explanation withOUT brakes on the trailer. But when the brakes on the trailer are in working order WHY it is an issue... I also understand that brakes can become incapacipated for one reason or another. BUT IF everything is working is the size of the truck really an issue?
SO kind of you really didn't answer the question I was wondering about. |
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 Bulls Eye
Posts: 6443
Location: Oklahoma | Suzy I want to know that IF my trailer brakes were to fail, I have a truck big enough to stop the trailer. The rear end ratio, the gears, etc are all beefed up on 3/4 ton trucks and heavier. Trailer brakes are on trailers by law, however, you cannot rely on your trailer brakes to stop the truck. Trailer brakes are to assist in the stopping of a trailer so the trailer doesn't jerk back on the hitch. Yes, many people do pull with a half ton truck and have no problems. It just isn't something I'm willing to risk personally. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 1182
Location: Do I hear Banjos? | One other thing to consider when hauling a gooseneck trailer with a half ton (or any truck really) is the payload rating/weight. You need to know how much weight is being put down in the truck from the weight of the trailer onto the hitch. When figuring the payload keep in mind you must add the weight of passengers and anything else you haul in the bed of the truck.
I would also venture to say that it's the marketing department that makes all of the touted claims of payload and max towing capacity...not the engineering department. I just assume these numbers are pencil whipped to look as good as they can make them...and stay well under their stated numbers.
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 The Bling Princess
Posts: 3411
Location: North Dakota | 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. |
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 I'm not opinionated
Posts: 4597
Location: Online | 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". |
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Husband Spoiler
Posts: 4151
Location: North Dakota | Let's just say they make larger pickups for a reason. If a half ton was capable of doing what a 3/4 and one ton do then there would be no point in building three different sizes. To me a half ton pickup is a car with a bed. Yes, they have beefed them up a little over the years but I still would never pull my horses with a half ton. That is my personal feelings. I think half tons are pointless trucks. We just bought one for the first this winter for $500...lol. Its just an old pickup to use around the farm so we can put our fuel tank, tools, etc in it for running around when putting up hay since our hay fields are all over the place and when I have the trailer at a rodeo my hubby wants a pickup at home. |
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 Good Grief!
Posts: 6343
Location: Cap'n Joan Rotgut.....alberta | suzy2qtee - 2015-02-20 9:35 PM Just Bring It - 2015-02-19 7:03 PM Leo - 2015-02-19 6:54 PM suzy2qtee - 2015-02-19 5:58 PM I'm slightly confused on the STOPPING capacity statement... If the trailer has breaks (which in my opinion all trailers should have breaks) Why would the TRUCK have to be bigger to get it to stop??? I'm not being a pain just confused. It's called inertia. Inertia is the resistance of any physical object to any change of it's state of motion, including speed and direction. A half ton truck may have brakes but the truck can't stop the trailer. The load is too heavy, the trailer jack knifes or just push the truck because the truck doesn't have the capacity to stop something that heavy moving that fast. A bigger, heavier truck that is built to handle the load will be able to do much better. The half ton will stop but it might take forever, tear up your truck, or worse. It's the same concept as trying to stop a train, you don't just need the first car to stop, you need the whole thing to stop. Hope this makes sense
SO kind of you really didn't answer the question I was wondering about.
m
may be a good idea for a few ppl to go take even an air brakes course...just saying
Edited by mruggles 2015-02-20 9:15 AM
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Husband Spoiler
Posts: 4151
Location: North Dakota | 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. |
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 Experienced Mouse Trapper
Posts: 3106
Location: North Dakota | 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! |
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 Warmblood with Wings
Posts: 27846
Location: Florida.. | Leo - 2015-02-19 7:54 PM suzy2qtee - 2015-02-19 5:58 PM I'm slightly confused on the STOPPING capacity statement... If the trailer has breaks (which in my opinion all trailers should have breaks) Why would the TRUCK have to be bigger to get it to stop??? I'm not being a pain just confused. It's called inertia. Inertia is the resistance of any physical object to any change of it's state of motion, including speed and direction. A half ton truck may have brakes but the truck can't stop the trailer. The load is too heavy, the trailer jack knifes or just push the truck because the truck doesn't have the capacity to stop something that heavy moving that fast. A bigger, heavier truck that is built to handle the load will be able to do much better. The half ton will stop but it might take forever, tear up your truck, or worse. It's the same concept as trying to stop a train, you don't just need the first car to stop, you need the whole thing to stop. Hope this makes sense
agree..trailer loaded will PUSH the truck.. anywhere |
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Industrial Srength Barrel Racer
Posts: 7264
| Just Bring It - 2015-02-20 9:08 AM
Let's just say they make larger pickups for a reason. If a half ton was capable of doing what a 3/4 and one ton do then there would be no point in building three different sizes. To me a half ton pickup is a car with a bed. Yes, they have beefed them up a little over the years but I still would never pull my horses with a half ton. That is my personal feelings. I think half tons are pointless trucks. We just bought one for the first this winter for $500...lol. Its just an old pickup to use around the farm so we can put our fuel tank, tools, etc in it for running around when putting up hay since our hay fields are all over the place and when I have the trailer at a rodeo my hubby wants a pickup at home.
I'm with you. My dad is in a nursing home and I need to sell his 1/2 ton. I have a 1-ton and a car, I can use the tractor or 4-wheeler for chores, so to me, a 1/2 ton is worthless unless you live in town and need one to haul stuff in. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 319
| Thanks for all the replies. I've pulled my 4 horse stock BP for 10 years & honestly never realized that might be a problem. Pulled first with a Yukon, now with half ton. We customized it, adding front tack (entering thru escape door) and mounted cut gate on slant to make a more user friendly 2 horse BP. But now I need a three horse. Fell in love with sweet little 3H, front dressing room w/air & 4 ft short wall. Sounds like a no go though, but now am I hearing that a 3H BP is dangerous with half ton also? Realize a 3/4 ton would be better, but I never had any trouble towing 4H stock.
I do appreciate the replies and in the end I'll have to make my own decision. But I'm going with a 3H and half ton....question is only whether to get goose-neck or BP. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 762
Location: NC | I also think the question is where you are towing. We started with a 1/2 ton but i was only hauling local (up to 45 min away) and on pretty flat terrain. I drove that truck pulling my very loaded 2h aluminum bp down to TN (to college) and had to go a longer way with not as many mountains because it couldnt handle them. Even the hour commute to my trainers from where i was living the truck had issues with those hills. I really didnt want to kill the tranny so it was traded in for a 3/4 ton. The 3/4 ton made the trip up and down with no issues but eventually i got sick of the gas cost and know have a 1 ton dually diesel which pull the bp like nothing is there (eventually upgrading to bigger trailer) |
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 Veteran
Posts: 164
| If you are going to go with a half ton and a 3 horse, regardless of what anyone says...then I guess, go with the gooseneck. Sitting on your axle is easier on the truck than sitting on your bumper. I pulled a 3h steel bp on different half tons for years. It was not fun and it was not safe. Any long hauls were done with larger, diesel trucks. We got a new dually and I'm still hauling that same trailer. It's unbelievable the difference in how easy it is to tow now. You need to move your horses, I get that. You have to deal with what you have, and of course strive to get a bigger truck in the future, and hopefully only use this when needed. Look for aluminum of course, don't get steel. |
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Husband Spoiler
Posts: 4151
Location: North Dakota | Sell your truck and buy a 3/4 ton. Problem solved! lol |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 490
| I had a 99 3/4 ton. It was great until the block cracked on my way to work. I limped it home. Took it and traded it in that day. For an 08 half ton. NOT my first choice BUT with what I could afford in a note, the price range I wanted to stay in and the condition of the truck I could NOT pass it up. My husband has an f250 so hauling the gooseneck wasn't out of the equation. I pull our 2 horse calico trailer with my truck. Of course I am usually only going 15 mls from home with it and rarely have 2 horses in it. I do actually prefer hauling it fully loaded IMO it is a smoother easier haul. Do I miss my 3/4 ton? HECK YES! But I did what I could at the time. Don't overload your truck and you should be ok. I don't know about pulling a GN with it, but a BP should be ok. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 319
| HannahRodeoCowgirl - 2015-02-20 12:00 PM If you are going to go with a half ton and a 3 horse, regardless of what anyone says...then I guess, go with the gooseneck. Sitting on your axle is easier on the truck than sitting on your bumper. I pulled a 3h steel bp on different half tons for years. It was not fun and it was not safe. Any long hauls were done with larger, diesel trucks. We got a new dually and I'm still hauling that same trailer. It's unbelievable the difference in how easy it is to tow now. You need to move your horses, I get that. You have to deal with what you have, and of course strive to get a bigger truck in the future, and hopefully only use this when needed. Look for aluminum of course, don't get steel.
Well, this thread has opened my eyes. I can only get a trailer now, not truck & trailer... So...I get the trailer I want and haul with the truck I have (and replace that down the road) or get a trailer I don't want which is lighter but still a 3 horse and probably a BP. Although I can get the BP & horses below tow capacity n the current truck, it's sounding like that might be worse? I'm not trying to ignore advice, I have heard the warnings but I know how my life works. RIght now I have the opportunity to replace my 22 year old stock trailer. I now have 3 horses. I have a half ton pickup. Sounds like I'll have to replace the half ton down the road for any type 3H, so is goose-neck or BP better? I've never pulled a GN, but what Hanna says about weight over the axle makes sense.
Thanks, |
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Bulls Eye
Posts: 6443
Location: Oklahoma | between a bp and a gn, I'd take a gn. More stability in the trailer. |
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