Anastasia Dressage

The short answer with trailer brakes and controler is yes.....(my opinion)! You will get a better more detailed answer if you list the tow rating of the truck. If you can't find that information if you state the wheelbase. Is it long or short, 4x4 or 2x4, auto or manual, engine size, and towing package. All those combinations help in the answer.It would be nice to get the mfg. tow rating for future use. 

I have a 1994 F-150 extended cab long bed 4x4.  It has a 302 V-8 engine.  Not sure of the rear-end gear?  I think that it had the towing package.  My trailer is a steel Bee 2-horse slant load stock combo that weighs 2,500 lbs. before I add my 1,100 lbs. TN Walker & all of my other stuff.  I had a wreck in May 2004 when a lady ran a red light in front of me & messed up the front end some.  The radiator seemed fine after the wreck but the temp gauge was getting hot when I was hauling.  I replaced the clutch on the front of the fan & also dropped in a new heavy duty 2-core radiator.  The temp never gets off of the letter 'N' in normal now whenever I haul.  I can't go very fast up some highway grades but that is normal with a smaller gas engine.  Climbing the Saluda grade on I-26 in outside of Hendersonville, NC, I have to slow to about 25 mph before I get to the top. 

A suggestion, if you are having a high temperature problem while toeing, maybe change the fan clutch & also see if you can put in a heavy duty 2-core radiator.  Depending on what all is already on the engine block, will probably dictate if there is enough room to add a larger radiator to your truck.  Another good thing about having a bigger radiator along with your toe package is that it also keeps the oil & transmission fluid cooler.

Good luck & happy haulin'. 

We have a 2000 F150 4X4 7700 package, 5.4L gas engine with all the extra coolers, etc for hauling. We pull 2horses in an 04 Exiss 3H that's 4400 lbs empty.This truck does just fine. Is it a powerhouse? No. Is it safe and does it manage the load well? Yes, very much so. Getting a good Prodigy brake controller has helped me enjoy pulling it more.

I wouldn't add a 3rd horse unless it was some random emergency, but I am comfortable with the current situation.

sure are quiet a few people hauling with the 1/2 ton, amazing.

lankyman,

that is a fair grade(saluda) for this side of the country. have you pulled it going up hwy 25?

As long as it's properly equipped the truck should work fine.

I have looked at it on the map & made it some with just my truck, but I don't think that I would want to try it while hauling anything.  I've got an automatic transmission & that much of a haul would probably kill it.  Ha, ha!!  Also, the trip back down it would kill the breaks.  When I have went up the Saluda grade on I-26 my truck pulls good but I slow down to about 25 mph before I get all the way to the top.  It only takes me about 3 - 4 minutes to climb the steep part of the Saluda grade.  On the way back down it, I try to keep my truck going about 45 mphs & not let it get to rolling much past 50 on the way down.  When I am hauling, I keep my overdrive turned off so it doesn't switch back & forth between gears.  I have about 200,800 miles on my truck.  This particular transmission has about 136,000 miles on it.  I have changed the transmission filter & fluid about 5 - 6 times since I bought the truck used in 1996.  That has seemed to help the transmission last a lot longer than some other ones have.  I have hauled up there into NC & rode Dupont 2 weeks ago.  I have some friends in Hendersonville that went up to Grayson Highlands in VA over the 4th holiday & I rode with them so all I had to do was haul to Hendersonville & then load up in their truck for the rest of the trip.  I have not hauled up to ride the trails over in the western corner of SC yet.  Maybe this fall, I'll get over there & ride some.  About the furthest west in SC that I have hauled is over to Fants Grove in Clemson, SC, but they don't really have any hills to climb getting there.

i was just curious, been kicking around a trip to dupont. ive got access to a diesel, but its not as well maintiained as my suv.  i pulled my trailer down saluda on i26 empty(3600#)back when it was new, i tow in 3(in a 4speed auto), coasted down at about 50-55mph and didnt even have to use the brakes until the curve to the right at the bottom. i talked to another guy who pulled a similar trailer (2h sl w/dress) through there with a toyota tundra(?), any way it had a 190hp V6(that i did check), he said he had no problem. my inline 6 makes 270hp so between that, my hp/grade calculator and some peoples "experiances" its still up in the air. ive heard dupont is really nice.  got a few places around here to hold me over down here, private land, croft, clemson, 5 acre, brickhouse etc. until i decide, or maybe ill just buy a diesel.  thanks for replying.

One suggest that you might want to try one weekend is to just pull your trailer up to Hendersonville with everything loaded EXCEPT your horse(s).  This test would let you see what your vehicle would do climbing the Saluda grade.  If you think it does OK, then just mentally add 1,000+ lbs per horse & think through how your vehicle would handle the added weight?  With my particular truck, I don't think that I would try to haul 2 horses in my trailer at the same time.  My truck might handle it OK, but with the higher mileage that I have on it, I don't want to take a chance on putting too much strain on it.  Right now, it pulls OK for my one horse, the wheels still roll good & more importantly - it is PAID FOR!!  Ha, ha!!!!  By running that test on your vehicle, you can see if it will pull the grade OK without endangering your horse(s) if it was to break down on the side of the road.  Dupont is beautiful & this time of year, there are a lot less bugs than down here in SC, that is for sure.  Good luck & hope you get a chance to go up there into NC & ride some.  There are some nice trails up there.  Another good place is North Mills River, kind of NW of Hendersonville.  It is part of the Pisgah National Forest. 

http://www.cs.unca.edu/nfsnc/nfnc_fishing/north_mills_river_area.htm

I can remember ridin' with my grandparents on Sunday afternoons after church going up to the family farm in Liberty, SC.  My grandfather had a full size 1969 F-100 Ranger & had cattle racks on the back of it.  There were many a day when I rode back there with my brother & or sister as we drove out to the country.  Man, those were the good ol' days.  A lot has changed since then, unfortunately.