tell me about your truck...

[welkin]

I'm toying with the idea of getting a new vehicle next year, and it makes "sense" to get a truck (it would only make sense to us horse people, wouldn't it lol).

I will definitely be getting used, not sure exactly how much I can spend yet but it won't be substantial.

So looking for something that will haul a small-to-mid sized 2 horse trailer locally and occasionally 3-4 hrs. I want safe and reliable, I don't care about much else.

So what are all the cool folks driving these days??

[kelly]

I currently have a 2006 1 ton Dodge dually turbo diesel which is much too much truck for your needs.

I did have a 2000 3/4 ton Dodge turbo diesel that was awesome. It pulled my two horse bumper pull like nothing. No problems at all. I do miss that truck sometimes. The dually is not exactly easy to drive around town. We sold that truck for $13k in one day. It had 112,000 miles. I thought we priced it too low but hubby didn't want to mess around.

I had a Dodge 1500 gas truck. It pulled the 2 horse trailer fine but the difference between this one and the 3/4 ton was huge. I felt much safer in the 2500.

My friend used to pull her 2 horse with a Durango. She absolutely hated it and never felt safe.

[TeachU2Ride]

I have an F350 diesel. Love it. Someone told me long ago, "You should always have more truck than you need."

Seriously, don't underpower yourself. Your transmission especially can take a beating from hauling, so going with a truck designed to really pull is most cost-effective in the long run.

Weight and wheelbase are also something to consider. You need to be able to stand up to any high-jinks your trailer may get up to... swaying, pushing your truck when braking (especially on a downhill slope), etc.

[ZenRider]

I don't know about the cool folks, but I have a 1994 GMC extended cab, long bed, 3/4 extreme heavy duty, 4x4, 6.5 turbo diesel. Which yes has been in the shop a bit lately. Turned out not nearly as bad as I was expecting. If I get another couple or more years out of the old truck, I'll be pretty happy. Am pretty optimistic now. It has over 300,000 miles on it, so cut it a little slack. That said, I really wouldn't look for one that old, but let's say the '94 with the F engine is the better bet. Biggest draw back with any big truck is pretty much having to give up on trying to find close up parking spaces.

I have to agree, after having a big 3/4 ton it would be hard to go back to anything smaller, but having what I have had in the past, it doesn't mean you can't have something else and not be safe. My old Grand Wagoneer towed a small two horse just fine and was stable, but it was fairly wide, long, heavy, and close to the ground with an AMC 360 V8, then a lot of the SUV's out there now. The smallest thing I ever towed with was a '91 S10 (before they shrank them and mysteriously lowered the fuel economy and power at the same time. that was my first tow vehicle), but was towing the same small two horse and installed some helper springs. It towed just fine and got 24 mpg towing, 29 not towing. And thankfully the speed limits were 55, so was easier on the truck too. I kinda regret getting bigger horses and selling that little truck sometimes. However I loved towing with a 3/4 ton conversion van. Only vehicle I didn't love towing with was an '87 K5 Blazer. Loved the Blazer and it did the job OK and safe enough, but with a relatively short wheel base and even not raised, was a bit high profile, just never felt right. Though by then I had bought the 16', 7' tall stock trailer to better accommodate Zen. Then came my current truck and well... I think it would be hard to go back to anything else. Granted some of it has to do with the truck camper.

Lisann, who used to post here, borrowed my 16' stock with her Chevy K1500 with the Z71 package (which has a beefed up suspension making it a heavy 1/2) and did just fine.

If you aren't going to tow a lot, don't go out of your way to get a diesel. I happened to luck into mine, but replacement parts can be a bit more expensive for them. And well, the new ones price stickers will make you think about buying a condo in Florida to rent out instead.

My parents have a 2003 Chevy 2500HD 4x4 gas engine that does a really great job. Not the fuel economy of the diesel, but it's been an incredibly reliable truck. They tow a Trail-et 3 horse gooseneck with dressing room easily with it. I believe Pam just bought the new version of that and it's really nice.

BTW, if you do get a dually for some reason, don't do like one of the boarders and loan your new-to-you 1 ton dually to a non horsey, non truck driving friend without giving explicit instructions on where it can and can not fit. Yup, non horsey friend tried to take it through a drive thru, that, well, it couldn't drive through.

Don't know if this helps. Best of luck finding the right truck for you.

[numerologist]

My F150 burned up in my driveway for no apparent reason in the middle of the night.
My Chevy Suburban needed this joint or that joint every 6 months.
My Dodge Durango overheated routinely, with or without the trailer. We got rid of that in less than 2 years, taking a huge loss.

I now have a Toyota Tacoma, 4 door, long bed. Rated to pull 6500 lbs. It does fine with my 2 horse BP Cotner (2500 lbs) and one horse. If you are routinely pulling 2 horses, I would go for the Toyota Tundra.

Good luck!

[Big Tee©]

I also have 1994 Chev like Zen, and mine is a standard. Runs great. Get around 30mpg empty and probably got around 20 loaded (huge trailer w/living quarters). Tough trucks, those Chevs; most of the old trucks in use in this area are Chev/GMC, then Dodge/Fargo, not so much with Fords.

Anything you look at, make sure it is a work truck, not a fancy schmancy lookit what I got truck. Need heavy duty suspension and tow package.

[hfhopper]

We just upgraded from a 2001 Ford F150 to a 2006 Dodge 2500HD. Wow, what a difference!!! I have a Featherlight Steel 2 horse slant/stock bumper pull with a small dressing area. The Ford pulled it ok, but I always felt like it was a struggle. I don't even know it's hooked on with the Dodge! You can get away with a 1/2 ton truck to tow, but IMHO you're much safer in at least a 3/4 ton. My DH is a mechanic (both light and heavy vehicle), so I trust his decisions too. We initially looked into the diesel option, but for the $$$ we got a lot more truck going with the gas engine. But that's a personal preference. And if you're going to do any driving in the winter with snow, don't scrimp on the 4X4.

[ZenRider]

OK, Big Tee, I definitely need to visit you and your mechanic, because I don't get 30MPG with mine, but it holds it's own with some of the much newer and supposed to be more fuel efficient ones at the barn. And yes, I lucked into buying the camper edition of the year, so it has heavier brakes, springs, and such. Meaning it tows and such really easily even when I have the camper in the bed of the truck.

[jenarby]

We have a 2004 f250 short bed with four doors. It handles both gooseneck
trailers just fine. Hubby has a 2002 dodge dually, one ton. He has it soiled
up though. It is loud and obnoxious but will haul just about anything.
I think if you opt for a 3/4 ton in anything you will have plenty of truck.
Try and stay away from fords from '04-'06. Lots of tranny issues. I also
highly recommend going with a four door rather than an extended cab.
The difference in the amount of room inside is super.

[luckymite]

Ooh! Great thread, because I LOVE talking about my truck-- I never thought one could literally be in love with their truck... but I am! I have a 2011 Chevy 2500HD with a Duramax and NOTHING slows her down going up a hill, she's a super smooth ride, seems to think FOR me when towing the ponies, gets 20 mpg empty (and yes, even with the lift!) and about 16 fully loaded with 3-4 horses behind it. Comfy AND pretty! And yes, these trucks are VERY reliable... especially if you take the emissions off, but that's another story...

Here she is!


Granted, this would be a lot of truck for a 2 horse trailer, but with the mileage it gets, why not go big...? (I often ride with a friend of mine who has a gas explorer and I CRINGE when she talks about her mpg!) And you'd never have to upgrade your truck if you decided to tow something larger. But I do have to add that when looking for a truck, if you want any decent mileage, you HAVE to go with a diesel engine! Happy shopping! ;D

[luckymite]

Aug 3, 2012 22:17:37 GMT -5 TeachU2Ride said:

Someone told me long ago, "You should always have more truck than you need."

EXACLTY!!!!!

[welkin]

Thanks for all your input! Looks like I have a lot of research to do

[Big Tee©]

Zen, there is no way in H-E-double hockey sticks you are going to get 30mpg unless you swear off that silly, small US gallon and go with real,......er...um Imperial measure. Off the top of my head, without a calculator, that would be around 25ish mpg in puny US gallons. I keep forgetting that you guys have a puny, undernourished gallon!!!LOL

[ZenRider]

Aug 5, 2012 19:01:05 GMT -5 Big Tee© said:

Zen, there is no way in H-E-double hockey sticks you are going to get 30mpg unless you swear off that silly, small US gallon and go with real,......er...um Imperial measure. Off the top of my head, without a calculator, that would be around 25ish mpg in puny US gallons. I keep forgetting that you guys have a puny, undernourished gallon!!!LOL

Sigh, yes I do forget, but it's also one of the ways they, you know 'them', have us conned into thinking we pay less for it too. That said, 25 is still pretty good. Will wait and see how the new parts help my mileage. ;D

[ZenRider]

Oh yeah, not a great picture, but this is a great way to travel, though Zen's sore and I'm not sure Guy would survive a night at a campground. That said, it does work pretty well for that rare show since my trailer doesn't have a dressing room.