Wondering if there are any 3 horse trailers light enough to pull comfortably with an '02 F150 (tow package, off road package, 4x4, crewcab)?  I am planning on buying a 2 horse bumper pull trailer, but now my wife's sister says she would like to join us on some trips.  If I had planned on pulling a 3 horse, I would have gotten an F250.  I don't plan on trading trucks for a while, so is there a trailer out there that would not be too much for the F150?  Are all 3 horse trailers strictly gooseneck/fifth wheel? I'm guessing about 3,000 lbs for the 3 horses and maybe another 3,500 lbs minimum for the trailer, which puts me closer to the 7700 lb limit of the truck than I would like.  Although I won't be towing every weekend, I don't want to risk safety or driving my truck to an early grave.  If the lightest 3 horse trailer is way over 3,500lbs, no problem, I'll just stick to my original 2 horse plan.  Thanks for reading.

Your weight guesstimate on the three horse gooseneck is way too low.  Better figure on close to 5000#, maybe a bit less if a stock combo aluminum.   We do have a number of customers pulling small (3' or 4' dressing room) three horse goosenecks with 1/2 ton trucks, with no reported problems. 

Your truck should be able to handle a 3H - keep an eye on weight though.

My father actually hauled a 4H steel w small LQ with an F150.... Crazy - but nothing bad happened other than wear and tear on the truck - but nothing safety related - it was hard on the cooling system.... though I DO NOT recommend that - that was not safe at all - way over limits.

I remember looking at the the pamhlet for a 3H CM aluminum with 4ft dress and the weight listed was 4500lb and change.... and it's built like a tank! Not too many aluminum trailers that size would weight more than that.

I would suggest going to a GN in a 3H if you can - you'll get much better stability than with a BP, and if you have the pick up anyway - why not. You can get a removeable or foldover hitch so you don't use any space in the box.

with that tow vehicle, you probably have only a 5' bed...which will make a GN a shopping effort, but there are short-nosed and slant nosed GN that could be compatible with your truck.

As MIFarmBabe said.. if you are going to haul 3 horses, a GN is far safer setup than a BP. If you DO have to go with a BP... do a weight distribution hitch setup.

Look for alum on steel frame, fiberglass roof/fenders, look for a stock-type or stock-combo. The EMPTY weight of the trailer is NOT shown on the data plate so be sure to ask/tell any salesperson that you want to see the title to see what the empty weight is - which won't be EXACT but very close.

Another factor that you need to consider is your truck weight with a driver and 2 passengers and "gear" .... you need to look at your gross vehicle weight and payload.

AND... FYI. I have a 2004 F150 with 9300 pounds towing capacity. If I haul 2200 pounds of horse with a 5200 pound (empty) 3H stripped down steel trailer, and passenger and associated camping gear and feed ... I can haul OK.... but I also feel the trailer. I lose a little speed on some hills ... but I don't necessarily put my foot into it either. Not too many big hills in this area of MI...

I have opted to add some insulation and paneling to my 4' shortwall (adding weight) and only haul 1 horse when I go camping. Sometime in the future I'll upgrade the truck and maybe then I'll invite a friend to go with me again.

I think Gabz was referring to my post.

As for the Short box - you'll do just fine, will not look funny either as the distance from axle to end of box is very similar across the trucks - it's the distance to the cab that is the big difference, and also where the problem is.  Nothing unsafe about a short box and a GN, just reduces your turning radius - My mother hauls with a 4 door short box  and has no trouble, the trailer has a tapered nose, but she's hauled a flat front trailer as well and never had a problem - you just have to be extra careful and know where the trailer is when turning and backing up - backing up being the big one. If it bothers you there are products that will offset the hitch and give you more room, but that a personal choice, it can be done with out it.

Yes, sorry. I meant MBRA not MIFarmBabe...

can't see multiple posts when replying ...

At least you remembered it started with an "M"   LOL

well that took a lot longer that i thought before someone brought up this nonsense.

"well that took a lot longer that i thought before someone brought up this nonsense."

As always, Chadsalt, you insult anyone that has an opinion based on personal experience that differs from your opinion.

Jackbrat

I fail to understand your logic and this is what scares a lot of people about asking questions about towing.  When you gived an uninformed answer to a question you are placing your ignorance/fears on others.  Yes a half ton can safetly pull a 3H GN within the vehicle specs. I am not saying all 3H GN's but there are some made lite enough to do it.  A properly set up rig no matter of the size should be able to bring the rig to a halt.  Its as simple as the trailer brakes stop the trailer and the truck brakes stop the truck.  This is how things are all the way from the half ton truck to the semi truck on the road.  But I guess in a perfect world we would all have dooleys to pull our toys and pets. 

Thanks for all of the thoughtful discussion on this topic.  It is very helpful to hear the differing opinions and ensuing discussions. My main take aways so far are that:

1. Safely towing a 3h trailer with a 1/2 ton truck is possible if set up properly: well within weight ratings, well maintained vehicles (especially brakes, both truck and trailer).

2. A good quality, properly adjusted brake controller is esential for safety.

3.  Take it easy and think ahead when towing, especially in hilly terrain.

3. A safe 3h setup is going to cost me considerably more than a 2h setup, and the 2h may be less expensive to haul in the long run.

"...is usually other peoples "in-experiance" that causes me to start throwing facts around."

Why are you assuming that Jackbrat is inexperienced?  Just because he feels better towing with a 3/4 T?  I don't call that inexperience, I call that being cautious BECAUSE of his experiences. 

Ok, from my perspective and experience having hauled a number of trailers with 1/2 ton, 3/4 ton, 1 ton, and 2 1/2 ton trucks. The off the rack F-150 is not by design built to be a pulling machine. It is for the average guy that wants to tow on occasion. The wear and tear of continuous heavy towing on an F-150 could considerably shorten the replacement time for many parts due to wear. Also, Ford does make a specific point of mentioning the problems of towing a fith-wheel / gooseneck right in their towing selection literature. If you want to tow, fine, but don't expect to have the control, or power to accellerate that you would have with a 3/4 or 1 ton truck. Here is the link to Fords towing guide, and the note about SuperCrew is directly below the F-150 Fifth wheel towing capacities.

https://www.fleet.ford.com/showroom/rv_trailer_towing/2002/2002_F150_Ranger.pdf

youre certainly free to call it whatever you like. but the statement, "Your half ton brakes are not heavy-duty enough!" is not the voice of experience......well actually it is the voice of that persons experience, but you can be all but certain, mistakes were made during that "experience" and caused incorrect conclusions to be drawn.

yes, you may.

just kidding,  my current rig is a 2002 chevy trailblazer with a BP 2h slant w/dress that comes in at 6000# with horses and tack. i use an "equal-i-zer"  WDH and a prodigy brake controller. it does not sway, is not pushed off the road by 18 wheelers, stops with no fuss, and i suspect it will accelerate beside any FULLY loaded diesel dually.  that being said, i will have a larger truck in the near future, was going to be sooner but this pitiful little beast did so much better than i thought it would, the plans got pushed off.  there are certainly better tow vehicle choices out there, as at the very least i dont consider an automatic transmission appropriate for towing.

i would agree with the "wear" issue, but since the OP stated it would not be every weekend(myself and many others also in this same situation) that will likely not be an issue. and accelerated wear is not a saftey issue unless proper maintenance is not followed.

as for "control", i fail to see what advantage a 1 ton has over a 1/2 other than 2000# pounds? take loaded 3h trailer,say 8000# and a 1/2 ton 5000#....13000# total. so with the 1 ton we have 15000# total. heavy wind in the open sucks, period, ive driven through the west side of the country for about a year and even 80000# of tractor/trailer is not immune.

JUST SPECULATION.......now ive never blown 2 tires at once, but i doubt i would even concern myself with how heavy my truck was at that point.  just have to rely on the training.....do NOT stomp the brake, look where you want the vehicle to go, slowly release the throttle, slowly apply the brake so as not to disturb the vehicle supsension/vehicle attitude and in theory pull to the side of road......served me well over the years. small truck, big truck, heavy load, no load.

so when handing out advice, which would you rather have in the hands of a novice(not refering to OP), 13000# out of control or 15000#??? doesnt make much difference to me. training/experience is what matters