HMMMM.....!! Terri I have a 2003 2500 4x4 auto 3:73 CTD and I think you have a higher tow rating than mine.....???? I think my manual said 9,980 or there abouts....I think I'll go look at it again...

http://dodgeram.info/2003/load-tow/2500.html

http://dodgeram.info/2003/load-tow/1500.html

I guess mine is 10,800....but yours is a bit less??!

youre wasting your time reg.  physics elude some people. and again we are splitting hairs, but i have nothing better to do.

if i remember correctly most unladen pickups stop from 60 mph around 150 feet a full grown 18 wheeler @80000# needs around 350 feet.  im guessing the loaded trucks were talking about fall somwhere in between. so again im speculating, were only talking about a few feet either way, between small horse rigs vs. larger horse rigs. and im still holding to heavier GCWR taking longer to stop.

i will disagree, partly, with the "trouble quicker with the lighter vehicle" statement though.  the lighter vehicle will not have any heavier a load in relation to its own weight. in fact it will likely be less percentage than the heavier 1 ton.  and again it also has less total weight to stop with probably similar sized brakes.

1/2 ton 5200# 9300# trailer = 9300/5200=1.78

1 ton 7500# 15600# trailer =15600/7500 =2.08

 the only technical advantage may be in the dually with the 2 extra contact patches.  the tires on even the smaller trucks are still in the 245mm width.

the 450 does have 15" rotors as compared to 13" on the smaller trucks. this would likely make some difference when switching from "to heavy for 350" that would be at the bottom of the 450's load capacity. which in turn would be like saying my truck stops better with a lawnmower on a utility trailer than it does with my 6000# horse trailer.  and you could go a little farther and say my truck stops really well with no trailer, does that make it safer?  (well actually it does.) an accurated statement, but not really relavant.

 sorry, posted twice.

Maybe this is a dumb answer, or maybe it's too obvious, but I see a lot of horse folks come on this board (and on the trailer lot!) trying to match up a 1/2 ton or 3/4 ton truck with too big of a trailer.....So, instead of crunching numbers, if you want to safely haul your horses, why don't you just go trade for a 1 ton truck and be done with it??? 

I think if you can afford to own horses, and land, or board a horse, buy feed, equipment, entry fees, fuel, vet bills, trailers, etc, then surely you can afford a truck that hauls them safely.  I wouldn't own a 1/2 ton truck and pull ANYTHING bigger than a 2 horse BP trailer with a horse in it...sorry, but JMO.  Flame away, I have a tough hide. 

Cindy

No flame here!....I agree....This thread got side tracked.....and I even helped! 

Cindy of Oklahoma posted:  "So, instead of crunching numbers, if you want to safely haul your horses, why don't you just go trade for a 1 ton truck and be done with it??? "

And, as I have said before, will you make my truck, fuel, registration, and insurance payments?

By the way, I drive 44 miles round trip, everyday, for work. I only have 1 vehicle. If I had a bigger truck, I couldn't afford to have a horse and go anyplace.  

If you can't pull safely, DON'T PULL! That's really the bottom line. If you are worried about your truck pulling the trailer, maybe you should take it for a "test pull," most dealers will let you.

I'm not an expert on any of this, but most 19 year olds aren't. That's why I'm not saying yes or no, but it seems to me there are some people here that think they know way to much (or at least more than what they DO know). I would rather take advice from someone who has a cdl or drives trucks/trailers for a living than some know-it-all who pulls a few times a month which makes them an "expert." If you think bigger is better, more power to you, but it seems like a pretty general idea that may not always be true.

Also, just for the record: Financing for a brand new truck with no trade and no down payment: I figured using prices from a 2005 Dodge 3500 and a 2005 Dodge 2500 and a payment calculator on Fifth Third's website and the difference between the two was a whole $68.00. Doesn't seem like a whole lot to me when it comes to the safety of my horse! 

Just my two cents, I'm sure some of ya'll think different, but I suppose that's why we live in America!

Also, just for the record: Financing for a brand new truck with no trade and no down payment: I figured using prices from a 2005 Dodge 3500 and a 2005 Dodge 2500 and a payment calculator on Fifth Third's website and the difference between the two was a whole $68.00. Doesn't seem like a whole lot to me when it comes to the safety of my horse! 

It's not just the $68 a month.  There is the difference between what is owed on the old truck and the trade in value, which is added to the new truck and the extra year of payments.  The extra gas driving 30 miles one way to go to work and finding a parking space at work.  I would love to have a bigger truck, but right now its not possible and since (according to dodge) I am not overloading my truck, it will have to do.

Erin -

While $68 a month for 5 years might not seem like a great deal regarding the safety of my horse... I must also consider all the other related factors as others have previously pointed out. A larger vehicle means MUCH higher insurance payments, higher registration costs, more fuel (and it's not just the money of more fuel... it's all the political crap that the reliance of more fuel puts on the US and the world).

$68 a month would help me pay for a better barn that would be safer for my horse than the 150 year old one that threatens to drop on his head whenever there's a big snow storm.

$68 a month pays for my cell phone that provides safety for ME - a person living alone and on the road more than 2 hours everyday.

I trailer my horse about 10 - 15 times a year. The truck I have rides so rough when it's empty - it sucks. It's a half-ton with a tow rating of 9300 pounds. I do my best to keep my towed load under 8000 pounds.

Life is all about compromise (give & take) and taking responsibility for our actions. So, for many folks, using a 1/2 ton and towing something that's UNDER the manufacturer's stated limits and within a certain margin for error, is the compromise that we make. Knowing that we have to take responsibility for those actions. It's those that won't accept the responsibility of their risk taking that causes the lawsuits and similar stupidity in the world.