I have three horses and have decided it is time for a truck & trailer.

I've been researching trailers some, but also found one 3 miles from my house that I can rent inexpensively.  I still need to check it for safety, etc.

My big problem is the truck.  I don't know much about vehicles in general, but have been doing some reading.  I need to be able to tow at least 5,000 pounds (2 horse straight load, 2 smallish horses).  I'd like to be able to tow 8,000 pounds which would give me more flexibility if I ever want to tow a 3 horse slant load.

Most of my hauling will be not over 2 hours each way and I won't haul every week - maybe monthly or twice a month during good weather.  However, I really want to be able to take two horses from Houston to Missouri next October - about 700 miles each way.  This truck will not be my primary vehicle.  I'll drive it pretty much weekly to keep it in good running order, but not long distances.

Since I don't know much about mechanics, I need a reliable truck.  I do have regular maintenance done on my vehicles.

From what I've been able to read, I could get by with something like a F150 or C1500 IF it has the factory towing package.  However, I don't know how to tell if it does have the towing package.  I think any F250 / C2500 would be able to tow over 8,000 pounds - right??

I want the weight distribution hitch, but don't know how to tell if it is already on the truck vs a regular hitch.  Obviously if the hitch is fastened to the bumper, that isn't the right hitch.  Other than that, I'm lost.  I understand that it can be added afterwards - any range of cost?  Under $500?

Sway bars are not automatically included with the WDH, right?

I'm used to thinking a car is "older" at 100K miles, although I'm currently driving a CR-V with 82K and plan to keep it another 100K miles.  How many miles is too much for a 3/4 ton (F250 / C2500) truck?  I haven't been looking at anything over 70K miles.  Is a lot more miles OK if the engine is in good shape, etc?

I'm going to ask someone at church that I think knows about trucks - or at least general mechanics.  I will see if he will help me look and will be getting the truck checked out by a mechanic before I buy.  However, I'm having trouble figuring out what to even consider. 

Sorry this got so long!  Any thoughts or advice would be much appreciated!

Thanks!  I'm looking at CarMax (specifically right now they have a 2001 F250 extended cab with only 34K miles for $14K).  I'm also looking at the dealer's used inventory and AutoNation.

I considered gooseneck, but think I will just do bumper pull for now - mostly because it is easier to find the smaller trailers and easier to borrow another tow vehicle should mine be out of order.

http://www.autotrader.com/

Here's what you want to know about WDHs...

http://www.etrailer.com/faq_weightdistribution.aspx

I pulled a 3 horse steel bumper pull for several years with a F250, and I still tow a large dump trailer and equipment trailer with my F350 ( almost daily and with skid loaders or Mini Excavators loaded they weigh 12000 to 13,000lbs) and never ever thought about a WDH.  Get the truck and trailer and see how they pull and decided if your need the extra hitch. I'm not saying you shouldn't have a WDH, But I suspect each truck/trailer combo will behave differently, evaluate your set up and ten decide.

Most 3/4 and 1 ton trucks will come with the heavy duty reciever bolted to the frame. So you are right, don't put ball on the bumper.  The reciever, stinger and ball will all be stamped with a weight rating. Just verify they are sufficent for weight you will tow.

I agree with Rose, a gooseneck pulls SO much better than a bumper pull.  Don't exclude them from your trailer search. You don't need to look at 12' living quarters.  Just find a little 3 horse with a short dressing room.

Full size trucks are really low in price right now because of the jump in fuel. Shop around, you may a great deal on a full sized truck. I think the last Gas F250 I owned, the engine was rated at 150,000miles. The diesel that I have been driving for the last 10 years  are rated at 250,000 to 300,000 miles. I get the same kind of mileage towing 12,000lbs as a lot of the gas trucks get driving empty. If you can find a great deal on a diesel, I think they are worth the extra 50-60 cents a gallon you will pay for fuel.

Please take the time to read these threads. http://www.horsetrailerworld.com/forum/thread-view.asp?threadid=9960&posts=13

I think you will find that the consensus is to get at least a 3/4 ton up front, instead of upgrading as you outgrow a smaller truck. Many other postings in this forum are of a similar theme.

Gard

Hi Dorothy,

I have been in the used car business since 1983 and the last 5 year deal mainly in heavy duty type trucks (3/4 tons, 1 ton's).

yes most 3/4 ton's are able to tow around the 8-k range.  Most all 3/4 ton and 1 ton truck that have a frame mounted reciever hitch is going to be a tow package and most of the time will include a sway bar, trans cooler (if it's a automatic).

This is the fun part!  "MILES"  I have had trucks with anywhere from 60-k miles to almost 400-k and to tell you the truth some of the higher mile trucks have been the better one's.  But depending on going with a gas engine or diesel also.  Yes, diesel cost more to buy but you can double your miles between services, most of the later models get better fuel mileage and the overall life is doulbe plus!  Fuel mileage, most all Dodge diesels 2004 and older 3/4 tons with automatic transmissions will avg. 18/20 mpg all day long.  I just sold a 01 quad cab dually with a HO 5.9 Cummins and a 6 speed trans. that I drove myself for a month or so and I was avg. 21 mpg and towing a 3 horse S&H gooseneck with 3 horses would avg. 18!  I sold that truck on craigslist for 7500 with a 171-k miles.  I am driving a 94 FORD F-250 extending cab 4x4 XLT with 7.3 turbo diesel, automatic overdrive, gooseneck, reciever hitch, trailer brakes and a nice truck with 137-k miles and I am getting around 16 mpg out of it just in town driving.  It is on craiglist now for 5700.

So the actual answer is the miles do not matter as long at it has been taken care of, check for leaks, on diesels remove the oil cap with the engine running and see if it is blowing smoke out of the cap or not.

Good luck!  

We actually drove that 34K Carmax F250 about a week ago (Black, North Freeway location, right?) (Unless of course it has a twin). But we had just driven a 2003 Dodge 2500 Hemi right up the road, and it just felt so solid we bought the Dodge instead even though it has 78K miles on it. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with the Ford or trying to sell Dodge....just weird that we drove that same truck. I'm just starting out too--have been getting good info here about trucks and trailers. The two trucks really did have a different feel to them--you may want to look at trucks from different manufacturers just to see if you have a preference for one over another. Good luck!

P.S. Print the trucks from autotrader.com and carmax and carry them around with you. That way they can't put their starting price higher than what they already posted on the internet. And when the Dodge dealer saw our printout on the Carmax 34K F250 and knew we were going to look at it before deciding, he dropped the price on the Dodge we ended up buying.

Jennifer (North Houston/Tomball)