Posted 2008-07-11 2:53 PM (#87305) Subject: Thoughts on truck pulling this
New User
Posts: 4
Location: SE Wisconsin
Folks,My wife and I own the 2005 Silverado 1/2 ton Z71/4WD with towing package and the gasoline V8 5.3 engine. We are looking at a GN 2 horse slant load with living quarters, steel trailer with a GVRW of 5761. I am wondering if anyone would know if loading this with two horses would be too much for the truck. Thank you in advance.Ed
Posted 2008-07-11 3:34 PM (#87310 - in reply to #87305) Subject: RE: Thoughts on truck pulling this
Expert
Posts: 3853 Location: Vermont
Originally written by EDEd on 2008-07-11 3:53 PM
Folks,My wife and I own the 2005 Silverado 1/2 ton Z71/4WD with towing package and the gasoline V8 5.3 engine. We are looking at a GN 2 horse slant load with living quarters, steel trailer with a GVRW of 5761. I am wondering if anyone would know if loading this with two horses would be too much for the truck. Thank you in advance.Ed
GVRW of 5761???....And steel to boot!?!....Are you sure about that number?
What does the living quarters add to the total wt of the trailer?
Posted 2008-07-11 4:06 PM (#87314 - in reply to #87305) Subject: RE: Thoughts on truck pulling this
Location: Colorado
I am assuming the weight of 5761 is off the plate on the trailer. I would ask the salesman to weigh the trailer. Actually, I'd try to get the whole rig weighed with separate axle weights. Then go back with the tow vehicle and weigh your axles again. If you do that, you can figure out how much weight it will put on your truck.
Posted 2008-07-11 8:12 PM (#87319 - in reply to #87305) Subject: RE: Thoughts on truck pulling this
Member
Posts: 40
I'll back Ed up on the weight of the trailer. My first Trailer was 18 foot on the floor 4 horse slant with small dressing room/tack area up front. 7 foot 2 inch ceiling, 80 inches wide All steel trailer. Gross vehicle Weight was 3780, and yes it was really that empty.
I recently bought a new trailer from the same manufacturer, all steel, same height, but 20 foot on the floor. The new Trailer is 4450 gross vehicle weight, mostly because it has a rear tack which is an extra set of steel walls. I have not weighed the new trailer, but I have watched the manufacturer run the trailers onto a truck scale before they fill in the title information. I think the weights are accurate. If Ed's trailer is only a 2 horse the 5761 may very well be accurate.
Having said that, I would still chose a 3/4 ton truck over a 1/2 to pull the trailer in question.
Posted 2008-07-15 1:17 PM (#87482 - in reply to #87305) Subject: RE: Thoughts on truck pulling this
Veteran
Posts: 150 Location: Farmville, VA
We pulled a two horse gn with 5' dressing room with lots of extras for years with the same style 1/2 ton 4wd truck. BUT, it was all alumn. We now have the GMC 3/4 ton with the same towing package and have to drive it daily. Gas mileage stinks to say the least (12 miles per gallon on a good day going down hill!). If you stick with the smaller truck, try to find something not solid steel, at the least, alumn.skin. Your gas milage and resale vaule will pay off and make up the difference in the long run. Lots on this site to help and with the decline in the overall economy, I'm sure your'll see more. Good luck!
Posted 2008-07-15 3:09 PM (#87488 - in reply to #87305) Subject: RE: Thoughts on truck pulling this
Veteran
Posts: 235 Location: Bucksport, Maine
Originally written by EDEd on 2008-07-11 2:53 PM
Folks,My wife and I own the 2005 Silverado 1/2 ton Z71/4WD with towing package and the gasoline V8 5.3 engine. We are looking at a GN 2 horse slant load with living quarters, steel trailer with a GVRW of 5761. I am wondering if anyone would know if loading this with two horses would be too much for the truck. Thank you in advance.Ed
I have essentially the same exact truck... 2004 GMC 4x4 Z71 with 5.3L V8 in the Ext Cab / Short Bed model. With a GN it is rated to pull 7800# if I remember right. "They" say with live cargo you should aim for 80% of the rating, which in this case would be 6240#.
I haul a 2h slant-load GN with 4.5' shortwall but NO LQ. The sticker says it weighs 5000#. My horse weighs 900# and so far I have only ever hauled one horse. That leaves me only a few hundred pounds for passengers and gear. Your trailer weighs 700# more than mine.
I live in Maine and I haul to Vermont a lot, through the White Mountains. I would not want to haul two horses through the mountains with my truck and trailer. I'd haul them in a pinch, but only in more flat land.
Posted 2008-07-15 4:12 PM (#87495 - in reply to #87305) Subject: RE: Thoughts on truck pulling this
Expert
Posts: 1205 Location: Arkansas
Are you pulling with an automatic or standard tranny? Auto tanny should have cooler on transmission. What gear ratio is the rear end? These are also things I would take into consideration... good luck in your decision...
Posted 2008-07-16 9:17 AM (#87527 - in reply to #87305) Subject: RE: Thoughts on truck pulling this
Veteran
Posts: 296 Location: Tennessee
Our 3H GN steel with an unfinished tack room weighs 5300 lbs empty and has a 10,000 GVWR. A 2H GN steel trailer with a GVWR of only 5761 lbs? Subtract 2 average horses from that and you'd have to have a trailer that weighed somewhat less than 3700 lbs empty.
Something seems wrong with that weight rating. I'm guessing that's the empty (curb) weight.
Posted 2008-07-17 4:25 AM (#87586 - in reply to #87305) Subject: RE: Thoughts on truck pulling this
Expert
Posts: 1205 Location: Danielsville Georgia
None of the tags on any of my trailers show the trailer shipping weight.My CM had a bill of laden with the shipping weight printed on it.3 horse,oversize dressing room,7 tall had a shipping weight of 5600lbs.My CX300 aluminum had a shipping weight of 4600lbs.
Posted 2008-07-17 5:09 AM (#87589 - in reply to #87305) Subject: RE: Thoughts on truck pulling this
Veteran
Posts: 282 Location: southcentral pennsylvania
I pulled a 2 horse GN steel trailer with a 1/2 ton pickup (150) I believe it had a 3.73 rear end, and a small V-8 engine, as I don't think they make the BIG ones as in the 1960's anymore...what was it, a 454 in the Chevy's (forget the specs)?. The dealer told me when I bought the truck I would NOT be happy, as it was not enough truck for the job. He suggested a 250. As a stubborn female, what did HE know?? :) 2 years later, as I upgraded my truck, I admitted he was right. I tired of climbing mountains at 10mph, and not being able to accelerate safely on the ramps of the interstate, etc. Additionally, that all important margin of safety was not there if my trailer brakes failed, and I needed to rely on my truck brakes.
Posted 2008-07-17 7:17 AM (#87590 - in reply to #87305) Subject: RE: Thoughts on truck pulling this
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 350 Location: Newton, NJ
I agree with Sharon... I have an 03 GMC 1500 - same specs as Sharon. I tow an all aluminum Silver Star 2H slant GN with a 3 1/2' short wall DR. The trailer before building in some cabinets, adding insulation and panelling, weighed in at about 3300#. I took two horses upstate NY along with tack, feed, hay, etc. It was a tough haul. Now I only haul one horse and I don't have any major problems. I believe my truck is rated for a 7900# GN load. I think you're not going to be happy trying to pull a steel trailer with a minimum weight of 5761#. My truck gets an around town mileage of about 15.5 mpg. Towing the trailer I'm luck to get about 11, but that's still not too bad.
Posted 2008-07-17 8:00 AM (#87594 - in reply to #87305) Subject: RE: Thoughts on truck pulling this
Expert
Posts: 1205 Location: Danielsville Georgia
Buddy has a 2000 Z71 4x4 auto.It worked HARD to pull a empty 4 horse aluminum Sooner with standard dressing room,rear tack. With NOTHING in it.He said with a horse or two it just was not going to cut it.Empty on moderate hills was gutting it.
Posted 2008-07-17 9:11 AM (#87602 - in reply to #87305) Subject: RE: Thoughts on truck pulling this
Regular
Posts: 84 Location: Crestwood, KY
CAN your truck pull it? Probably.
SHOULD it? Probably not.
A 1/2 ton is a light duty truck, not really meant for serious/regular hauling. Not only is it less safe (smaller brakes, etc), but hauling that much will really beat on the truck and shorten its life significantly.
You can look in your owners manual to get exact towing ratings on your truck. Take the truck/trailer weight, add horses weight, tack, hay, water, people, everything else, etc... and you'll find that you end up way over the limit.
Posted 2008-07-18 5:42 PM (#87700 - in reply to #87305) Subject: RE: Thoughts on truck pulling this
Member
Posts: 6
Location: Oxford,NY
Had a similar setup with no problems until the two horses started screwing around at 55 mph.It was like throwing the steering wheel out the window.Now have chev 2500 HD.
Posted 2008-07-23 8:03 PM (#88125 - in reply to #87305) Subject: RE: Thoughts on truck pulling this
Elite Veteran
Posts: 662 Location: Vanzant, Missouri
I have a Exiss 2H SL with a LQ 7ft sw 12 lw (DIY) aluminum /steel frame 26ft total length and pulled it with a F250 CC 5.4. It was ok on the flat but really strained in the mountains. I hooked it up to my 1500 ram 5.2(just to see) and it struggled. I now have a F250 diesel no more struggles. I wouldn't tow with less than a 3/4 ton p/u now. JMO
Thoughts on truck pulling this
