Could a 6 horse cherokee aluminum trailer with mid tack and front dressing room with 5-6 QH (average sized) horses be pulled with a chevy 1500 safely? Is it legal to pull it with a 1500? If not where could I find info on why?
Posted 2009-02-08 6:28 PM (#99042 - in reply to #99041) Subject: RE: Pulling ability
Expert
Posts: 3802 Location: Rocky Mount N.C.
NO!!! It won't carry the weight of the trailer. It's just too light of a truck. I wouldn't attempt that with nothing any less that a one ton truck....350/3500 dually.
Posted 2009-02-08 7:27 PM (#99050 - in reply to #99041) Subject: RE: Pulling ability
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 317 Location: Barnesville, Ga.
Based on this listing http://www.horsetrailerworld.com/home/trailerdetail.asp?ID=181450 the gvwr is 15,600#'s. If you have a properly equipped 1/2 ton chevy it appears to max out at 7,800#'s. If it were a 1500hd it would max out at 10,200#'s. These towing numbers came from Edmunds.com. You are way over weight and pose a danger to all around you. Please don't try and haul your trailer with this truck.
Using the weight chart from the above link, your max towing capacity, depending on the specifics of your truck, ranges from 8300-10500. If you haul 5, 1100lb QHs, you already have 5500lbs of weight. That means your 6h trailer with a mid and front tack would need to weigh not more than 2800-5000lbs to be within the max limits for your truck (again depending on the specifics of your 1500 truck).
If you pulled this trailer with your 5hd of 1100lb horses, your total weight would be 11240lbs. You are 750lbs over the max weight for the most beefed up version of a 1500 truck. That's with only 5 horses, and before you include any of your saddles, tack, feed, water, etc.
If you were stopped by a police officer while hauling this trailer, you could risk being ticketed for towing more than the maximum capacity weight of your vehicle. If you were stopped by an overzealous officer in some of the states with questionable commercial hauling enforcement (i.e. those places where they're blurring the line between what is and is not commercial hauling, and who it applies to), you could risk having your rig and animals impounded on the spot.
Aside from legal implications, you create a hazard on the road for yourself, your animals, and those around you. Even if you are able to get the rig to move, you signifiantly shorten the useful life of your truck and risk catastrophic failure of key systems while hauling down the road.
Posted 2009-02-08 8:40 PM (#99054 - in reply to #99041) Subject: RE: Pulling ability
Expert
Posts: 1205 Location: Arkansas
Not now, not ever. That would be illegal on weight ratings, unbearable to drive as you would feel very light in the front end, and stopping that in a situation where everything was not perfect....i.e., wet road, sudden stop, downhill stop, moment of inattention.....a jackknife is in the making. The suspension and transmission would be short lived. Just don't do it, think more of yourself and your animals, your equipment and others around you. Good luck.
Posted 2009-02-08 9:12 PM (#99058 - in reply to #99041) Subject: RE: Pulling ability
Member
Posts: 5
Location: Florida
My 2003 GMC Sierra 1500 (same truck really) with 4WD, tow package, extended cab, short bed with the biggest engine available (5.3ltr V8) has a limit of 7400lbs. If you have 2WD, I believe it goes up to 7800. There are several pages of charts in the owners manual that covers all possible engine/bed/wheelbase/drive combinations and what the limits are.
Posted 2009-02-09 5:31 AM (#99063 - in reply to #99041) Subject: RE: Pulling ability
Expert
Posts: 1205 Location: Danielsville Georgia
Feed store I deal with the owner has a 2000 5.2 or whatever Chev 4x4 with tow package.He bought a used 4 horse Sooner trailer,standard dressing room. He hooked up trailer empty to go get some bedding plants.He said never again.Said his truck was gutted trying to pull that Sooner on any type of incline etc.empty much less with a horse in it.Next time he used the trailer it was with his sons 3/4 ton Ford with Powerstroke and manual trans.It pulls it good except with 4 horses then it works a little hard also.
Pulling ability
It won't carry the weight of the trailer. It's just too light of a truck. I wouldn't attempt that with nothing any less that a one ton truck....350/3500 dually.
