Hello all, in a coupld of years I am thinking of buying a couple of horses.And I have a 05 scab with the 5.4, 4x4, and 3.55 ls. I am thinking of putting 4.10s in it. Should I modify this truck any or should I just think of upgrading to a 250 or a 350? Also, what kind of mods should I do?
Thanks,
Chris

 

Depends on what trailer - brand and model - you plan to haul. And of course the type of horse. I was in that business a long time.

 

Ok, i have been looking and at the trailers that I have been looking at they have been around 2500lbs, empty. And Im not talking clydesdales, belguims, perchons or a huge horse like that. I can tell you about cows, not horses..lol. So im figuring on a horse to weigh anywhere between 600 and 900 lbs, so that would be 1800lbs on the heavy side with horses So thats 4300lbs, no gear. I should be alright?..at least if my figuring is right.
Chris

 

Yea you should be fine if your figures are right.

 

2 horse bumper pull trailer loaded with 2 15-16HH QH's will weigh in at about 5 - 6K lbs fully loaded. Well within the range of your F-150. Have you ever towed livestock before? It's a bit different. Kinda weird when the load your towing gets angry while sitting at a stop light and starts to bump enough to push the truck forwards a bit...

 

That right there made me laugh...

I can only imagine an angry horse kicking the side of the trailer while some lady in her Honda Civic is right next to it... something about that picture makes me laugh as well...

 

Even more exciting is when you are driving 60MPH down the highway and both horses decide (for some reason) to shift all their weight to their back legs, and suddenly transfer 1000lbs from in front of the trailer axle to behind the axle.

 

Eh, its best when you're sitting at a red light and yelling at the horses to stop kicking. People think you're nuts.

 

OK, first, weigh the trailer. Horse trailer manufacturers are virtually always very light in their weight estimates, I've seen them as low as 50% actual.

Second - live load. Margin for error is huge because it can change it's position. The rearing up and removing a bunch of tongue weight is real. As is the reverse. Figure the reality is 2/3 of rated (rated 7,500, you have 5,000# to work with). I know, lots of guys that have never pulled horses will tell you that it's fine to go to the limits. Having clocked over 100,000 miles with horses in various trailers, I would beg to differ. You have to plan for the one time the horse panics over something. Slant trailers can push the limit a little closer than straight loads.

Quarter horses you can figure around 1,000# each plus 200# for gear and feed. Some are lighter, but that's a a safe limit.

You'll be hard pressed to find a two horse trailer with a dressing room that is really inside the capabilities of a 1/2 ton truck (other than max capacity reg cab type set up). Most trailers like this are closer to 4,000# in my experience.

 

We hauled our cow to visit the bull once in a stock rack in the back of our old light half ton Chevy. She would shift the weight around and really move the truck around going down the highway (Boog in the back of the jeep on "Open Season" was similar), it was a little on the scary side most of the trip. However on the plus side some of the other things she did back there greatly discouraged tailgating. Needless to say after that trip we have somehaul her with a trailer, 10x safer and much easier to load/unload.

 

Thanks guys. Yes I have hauled livestock before. Cows, never horses. Im a little worried that this 1/2 ton will have to go. Oh well...i should just move up to a one ton dually..lol. thanks again.
Chris

 

A 3/4 ton is excellent for 2 horses. Lots of people pull with 1/2 tons, but with a dressing room, they are mostly pushing their luck. More a matter of when they'll get in trouble, not if.

 

If the trailers he is looking at are 2500 empty plus 2000 for 2 critters that equals 5500, which is well within the relm of a F-150 with a fair amount of gear.

 

If #1, it won't be 2500#. Horse trailers virtually always way over the manufacturer's weights.

Live loads are not the same as normal loads. Take 2,000#s and start moving it around while you tow.

5500# live load is more like an 8000# load than a 5500# load.

 

Weightwise he should be fine though, if nothing else he can try it and see what he things before he dumps 20-30k in a truck he may not need.