I have been in and out of the barrel racing game for the last few years so have just been using my half ton pick up to pull a smaller trailer around as needed. We just bought a brand new 2020 F150 this spring and really weren’t planning on buying something different anytime soon.

 Turns out I have definitely been more dedicated this year and have been hauling way more than I planned. We have thought about looking into a small living quarters. Which would be nice to have as well for camping weekends, even without horses.  We would only need a two or three horse and my biggest things I would want would be air conditioning and a toilet.

 Has anyone hauled anything like that with a half ton pick up? I know the main thing is being able to stop it not just able to pull it. I have seen trailers for sale that claim they are half ton friendly but I just thought I would ask for peoples actual experiences. 

what is your truck rated for?  You have to go by that, not what someone else has done or says.  And remember it is loaded weight - horses, tack, passengers, all supplies, etc & not wise to push the limits.  Also keep in mind that if you are overweight & you have an accident, many insurance companies will pull your coverage and you will be stuck with all expenses - damages and liability.

I just looked up the gross combined weight rating of a 2020 F 150. The towing capacity , depending on your engine and options , is 11,100 pounds. Even the smallest of LQ trailers will have  two 7,000 pound axles for a 14,000 pound GVWR.  Does not matter if you actually load it to 14k or not, that's what's on the Weight plate , and that's what Insurance's would look at. Any LQ would be to big and heavy for an F150. If you wanted a smaller LQ an F250 would probably work. Even then , be careful. It's close. An F350 is going to be the safest , legal, option. 

Also take into consideration how the load will effect your truck.  Maxing out the truck's capacity will definitely make an impact on the the longevity of the suspension,  transmission etc.

I hauled with my half ton for YEARS (2013 1500 Chevy) but I wouldn't have ever pulled a true LQ.. My 3h aluminum and my 3h steel with a bigger dressing room *we made into a weekender* was SO heavy and hard on the transmission. I believe the chevy 1500's for that year had a hauling capacity of 11,000lbs. I had to check the transmission oil before every haul and we changed it at LEAST every 2-3 months. My shocks were replaced annually. rear tires were tore down MUCH faster than the fronts so rotating tires was key. Brakes? LOL Brakes had to be replaced SO much. Keep in mind, mine also got a tow package along with it, and we also went in and made it not 'stock' so it would haul better, so it wasn't even a 'stock' pickup and still having these issues.

I still have that pickup and I still drive it, but it definitely has some issues due to pulling a trailer so much. 

I wouldn't recommend it. If I needed a trailer hauled in emergency and had nothing else, sure. But all else? No. 

It can be done but not wise, going to be alot of wear and tear on that F150. If on flat land your truck will do just ok but if on rolly/hilly areas you better be perpared for slower going and thats with just a little trailer maybe a 2 horse, but one with LQ I cant see it happening pulling with a F150..

"Pulling" is never the problem....."STOPPING" is almost always the problem.

I wouldnt advise that. I have a 3 horse with the smallest LQ they makes (6ft shortwall), no bathroom and pull with my 2500HD. Its HEAVY with 2-3 horses. I wouldnt even consider pulling it with a 1500. 

1/2 tons are not advisable to pull any sort of gooseneck with LQ. It is never the pull that is the issue, usually the stop. Also depending where you live hills could be a majjor issue. I'd always rather have too big of truck for my trailer than the other way around. Also your insurance might cause issue if any accidents were to ever happen. Not sure if a cop would ever catch on that you are over loaded but never know.

I'd rather have too much truck than not enough, and I think that your F150 isn't enough truck for what you're wanting to do.

I always want my truck to be the boss of my trailer -- always better to have too much truck rather than not enough. 

For myself personally, I wouldn't pull any LQ with a 1/2 ton.

When I started out, I used the hubby's short box 1/2 ton pickup to tow my current trailer. It's not a living quarters but it does have a large dressing room. Normally, it would do fine. But on a windy day, forget it! I would plan extra time for my trip if it was a windy day, because I was not going 75 mph down the interstate.   Then got the gas 3/4 ton I use now. It doesn't have quite the same power a diesel does but it works well for what I have and tows good. (Hauls our Bobcat around in the winter too to move snow.)

So just comparing the towing difference of my trailer with the two different pickups, I personally would not feel comfortable towing a LQ with a 1/2 ton. Even if you can find a super small weekender or something like that, it adds so much weight to the trailer to have the LQ.

So you let me know any time you want to split a hotel room at a barrel race because I don't have a LQ either, haha.

I know you see people pulling LQ trailers with 1/2 tons all the time, but again, you really have to think about safety. (Good grief, at the horse show yesterday, there was a HUGE slide-out 4 horse LQ trailer hooked to a 1/2 ton. I couldn't believe it.)   Someday I'd like to have a small LQ too, but I honestly think I would want to upgrade our pickup too before I do that. But my truck and trailer are paid off so I'm not changing anything anytime soon.