Posted 2015-02-01 8:37 PM (#162436) Subject: Which Dodge Ram is best for pulling a GN horse trailer
New User
Posts: 4
Location: Issaquah washington
I am shopping for both a 3 horse gooseneck with LQ and a Dodge Ram to pull it with. I would like to get the Dodge Ram 3500 with the Mega cab and a shorter bed rather than the quad cab with a long bed figuring the interior space is more usable for saddles/tack/ people than the outside bed of the truck. Any issues with this choice that i'm not aware of? all duallys are long wheel base.Appreciate any feed back, my wife and I are new to the whole trailer world.
Posted 2015-02-02 7:02 AM (#162441 - in reply to #162436) Subject: RE: Which Dodge Ram is best for pulling a GN horse trailer
Elite Veteran
Posts: 690 Location: missouri
Depends on the size and weight of the trailer you are buying... very large LQ's need a Medium duty aka/FL-60, IH 4700-4900 with air ride and braking power... otherwise, stay within about 18'-20' on the box/floor.
Posted 2015-02-02 12:32 PM (#162442 - in reply to #162436) Subject: RE: Which Dodge Ram is best for pulling a GN horse trailer
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 560 Location: Mena, AR
I'm not sure from your post, but it sounds like you might be thinking of having saddles and tack inside your truck. I would recommend you not do that because wet saddle blankets can really smell up the inside of a truck fast.
I drive a crew cab long bed, single axle 2013 one ton Dodge RAM Cummins. I pull a 3 horse LQ that weighs in at about 10K without horses. It works very well for me. The longer the wheel base the more stability you have.I do not use my truck for everyday. You need to consider the size of your trailer first, then match it to the right truck. Have fun shopping!
Posted 2015-02-03 7:01 AM (#162451 - in reply to #162436) Subject: RE: Which Dodge Ram is best for pulling a GN horse trailer
Expert
Posts: 1989 Location: South Central OK
Shopping for a similar rig and what I've seen is, the Mega Cab only comes with the 6' bed. Local dealer has a nearly new one sitting on the lot after the owner crushed the cab taking a turn too tight. (The 6' bed and an 8' wide LQ trailer didn't quite turn like she thought!) 8' beds haul better/smoother and turn better. (I've hauled with both FWIW.) Some trailer dealers will tell you that you can haul more trailer than you safely should in the eyes of most really experienced haulers. Just because your truck says 14K towing capacity, does not mean you can hook up a 14K trailer and have any margins for safety. Just because your truck can make the trailer move does not mean that's it's suitable for highway hauling. If you are dragging around a trailer why wouldn't your tack be in it? GET THE STORAGE YOU NEED, or you'll regret buying the trailer. I still wonder where the mid-tack went and why it's not on most LQ trailers. Lots of folks get blinded by the LQ and forget that it has to work as a functional horse trailer first and foremost. Nothing says a fun week with the ponies like not having a place to put your hay/feed and equipment. Enjoy the shopping and don't rush the outcome, there are plenty of trailers out there and the right one can be had.
Posted 2015-02-03 7:20 AM (#162452 - in reply to #162436) Subject: RE: Which Dodge Ram is best for pulling a GN horse trailer
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 350 Location: Penrose, Colorado
if you go to a mega cab, with the short box you will for sure have to get a ball mount that extends towards the rear about 6" I have several friends doing this with large LQ's and they are not happy with the results for several reasons, buy a long bed and solve most of your problems at the start of buying.
Posted 2015-02-03 8:09 AM (#162453 - in reply to #162436) Subject: RE: Which Dodge Ram is best for pulling a GN horse trailer
Regular
Posts: 58 Location: Clearwater, MN
We just bought a Ram with this set-up, the mega cab on a 6' box. Our last truck was a Chevy crew cab with a long box, just for reference. The first thing we did was hook up and try to jack knife the trailer to see the turning radius. I was impressed. It turned way sharper than I would have ever tried, ours is an 8' wide trailer. When we park the trailer we get it pretty close to a 90 degree angle and the Ram handled it fine. It pulls very well (we have the Cummins) and I really like how the g/n hitch is integrated into the frame instead of an aftermarket addition. We also got the option of the camera in the rear cargo light so you can watch the g/n hook up. I am too short to see when I am over the ball, so this is great. We went with the mega-cab because we still use the truck as a daily driver. We figured we would rather have the interior space. We had a 12 hour drive in the Chevy and the back seat was miserably uncomfortable. The mega cab has the reclining seats in the back, I'm anxious to try it on a road trip!
Posted 2015-02-03 8:42 PM (#162454 - in reply to #162453) Subject: RE: Which Dodge Ram is best for pulling a GN horse trailer
Expert
Posts: 3853 Location: Vermont
Originally written by rkranchgirl on 2015-02-03 8:09 AM
We just bought a Ram with this set-up, the mega cab on a 6' box. Our last truck was a Chevy crew cab with a long box, just for reference. The first thing we did was hook up and try to jack knife the trailer to see the turning radius. I was impressed. It turned way sharper than I would have ever tried, ours is an 8' wide trailer. When we park the trailer we get it pretty close to a 90 degree angle and the Ram handled it fine. It pulls very well (we have the Cummins) and I really like how the g/n hitch is integrated into the frame instead of an aftermarket addition. We also got the option of the camera in the rear cargo light so you can watch the g/n hook up. I am too short to see when I am over the ball, so this is great. We went with the mega-cab because we still use the truck as a daily driver. We figured we would rather have the interior space. We had a 12 hour drive in the Chevy and the back seat was miserably uncomfortable. The mega cab has the reclining seats in the back, I'm anxious to try it on a road trip!
Tell me the distance from the back of your cab to the center of the hitch...if it is less than 48"(half of the 96" trailer width) there is no way you got that close to 90 degrees...and if you are making a sharp turn with the tow vehicle on a rising slope your angle of turn will be even less before impact...
Posted 2015-02-09 6:37 AM (#162497 - in reply to #162454) Subject: RE: Which Dodge Ram is best for pulling a GN horse trailer
Regular
Posts: 58 Location: Clearwater, MN
Originally written by PaulChristenson on 2015-02-03 8:42 PM
Originally written by rkranchgirl on 2015-02-03 8:09 AM
We just bought a Ram with this set-up, the mega cab on a 6' box. Our last truck was a Chevy crew cab with a long box, just for reference. The first thing we did was hook up and try to jack knife the trailer to see the turning radius. I was impressed. It turned way sharper than I would have ever tried, ours is an 8' wide trailer. When we park the trailer we get it pretty close to a 90 degree angle and the Ram handled it fine. It pulls very well (we have the Cummins) and I really like how the g/n hitch is integrated into the frame instead of an aftermarket addition. We also got the option of the camera in the rear cargo light so you can watch the g/n hook up. I am too short to see when I am over the ball, so this is great. We went with the mega-cab because we still use the truck as a daily driver. We figured we would rather have the interior space. We had a 12 hour drive in the Chevy and the back seat was miserably uncomfortable. The mega cab has the reclining seats in the back, I'm anxious to try it on a road trip!
Tell me the distance from the back of your cab to the center of the hitch...if it is less than 48"(half of the 96" trailer width) there is no way you got that close to 90 degrees...and if you are making a sharp turn with the tow vehicle on a rising slope your angle of turn will be even less before impact...
I would say this is pretty close to 90. And we were on a slope, which you can see by the last photo.
Posted 2015-02-09 6:44 AM (#162498 - in reply to #162436) Subject: RE: Which Dodge Ram is best for pulling a GN horse trailer
Regular
Posts: 58 Location: Clearwater, MN
To the OP, my point was simply I was impressed by the mega cab. 12-15 couples that we regularly camp and ride with pull goosenecks and not one of them uses the extenders. Our last three trucks have been long boxes and we were a little leery of going not only to a short box, but also to a mega cab. We are very happy with our set up. I think any time you are driving a rig you have to be aware of the situations you are getting into just to make sure you can safely get out.
Posted 2015-02-09 7:15 AM (#162499 - in reply to #162436) Subject: RE: Which Dodge Ram is best for pulling a GN horse trailer
Regular
Posts: 58 Location: Clearwater, MN
Sorry, not being able to edit the posts is new to me. On my post above, every couple we camp with have short boxes and goosenecks without using the extension. We were always the odd one with the long box and that seemed weird!
Posted 2015-02-09 7:31 AM (#162500 - in reply to #162436) Subject: RE: Which Dodge Ram is best for pulling a GN horse trailer
Expert
Posts: 5870 Location: western PA
The shape of the trailer's nose, will also determine how sharply it can be turned in a limited space. A square fronted trailer design will have more cab interference, than one with a tapered or rounded nose profile. An 8' wide trailer can cause more interference than a 7' wide trailer. There are many configuration variables, that allow some combinations to work, whilst others may not.
Which Dodge Ram is best for pulling a GN horse trailer
