I'm new to this forum, so forgive me if this question has already been addressed. Tow vehicle is a 2002 6-cylinder, 4-door Ford Explorer with heavy duty tow package (Class III/IV), trailer is a 2H 2200# BISON Alumasport, and I use a WDH.

Is my Explorer too light, etc. to safely haul 1 horse (950#) in my trailer on 5 to 25 mile trips? It seems to pull and stop fine, but I'm new to hauling so have nothing to compare. Would like to get a trailer with a dressing room in the future and that would weigh approx. 800# more. Am I safe or do I need to buy a 150 truck at minimum? Thanks in advance.

Taximom

My opinion is you'll be fine with that weight and a WDH. I'm assuming you have a good trailer brake controller. I like the leaf springs in the older Explorers, I think your's is the first year of the independent rear suspension. I wouldn't go over 5000#'s total trailer weight.

Yes, I have a good digital brake controller. Thank you for your reply. My husband will be very relieved to hear that !!

Hi Taximom ...
Welcome to the forum.
Is your horse trailer a straight load? Then do you load your single horse on the driver's side of the trailer? The conventional wisdom is to have the trailer heavy on left or driver's side. Two reasons; The road is usually crowned in the center to shed water. Any accidental running off the road will be the right side first. Having the horse on the left will help return the trailer to the road and prevent roll-over as the right side wheel drops off the pavement.

Hi Hosspuller - thanks for the welcome. Yes to both questions

Taximom

Taximom. Congratulations...
You're doing the simple things. Safety is a state of mind. Your state of mind is the most important part of towing. Realizing the vehicle will be different in braking, driving, and moving versus without a trailer is key. Your Explorer will be at the limits of its tow capacity with a horse. Maybe not by the published numbers... My experiance with horse trailers says that horse/s are a far different load than Ford's design engineers had in mind when they set the tow ratings. Ever have a load of bricks rock the vehicle while at a stop?
Keeping asking question, knowlege is safety.

So yes, my Explorer can pull my trailer and horse, but you're opinion is IT IS NOT THE SAFEST choice as a tow vehicle, right? So I'll be looking for a used truck now. Read feedback on this site re 150 versus 250 and it sounds like 250's are sturdier. So, which do you recommend for me, given that I do short runs to trail ride with friends, 5 to 25 miles and an occasional longer haul on flat roads?

This message has been edited. Last edited by: taximom,

quote:

Originally posted by taximom:
So yes, my Explorer can pull my trailer and horse, but you're opinion is IT IS NOT THE SAFEST choice as a tow vehicle, right? So I'll be looking for a used truck now. Read feedback on this site re 150 versus 250 and it sounds like 250's are sturdier. So, which do you recommend for me, given that I do short runs to trail ride with friends, 5 to 25 miles and an occasional longer haul on flat roads?

Taximom ... "SAFEST" is a misnomer. Yes. a two horse BP is safer behind a 12,000 pound Kenworth semitractor. But Safest ? Depends more on the driver's skill and luck.
There is a better question for you. What is your need?
Some history: We (wife & I) started out with a single horse. After, I got interested, another horse... we then decided a truck would be useful for buying hay. We bought a used 3/4 ton truck not because we knew better, it was priced right. Then an old GN trailer. (After using a BP trailer first) After seeing our friends with 1/2 ton trucks have various trouble, we figured the heavier truck was the difference. We paid a price in fuel. The heavy truck was a gas guzzler. But we had other vehicles for daily driving. The upside was we had less than $8,000 in both the truck and trailer.

So .. back to you... Let's talk about your needs. What do you want to do with your horse? Is there a possibility you'll want to haul two horses? Do you want to camp out? (The absolute best time we have is camping and riding in different areas)

NC is a great place to ride, went on 2 riding trips there, came home with a new dog. Just want to meet up with friends in the area to trail ride, maybe some weekend camping. Any reason why a F150 Lariot 4x4 wouldn't do the job? My preference is same car to tow as to drive everyday, more practical b/c we have limited driveway space, more costly b/c of gas prices, albeit 2 vehicles is more costly too, can't win!
What's your opinion on towing with an Expedition or Tahoe?

This message has been edited. Last edited by: taximom,

It's good to have several opinions to choose from. I find that veteran horse folks are conservitive and want to be on the cautious side of decisions. I respect Hosspuller's opinion, which is why I asked him to moderate here with his well thought out opinions and advice. My recomendation is the other slant on matching the tow vehicle to the trailer.

I recommend being 15 to 20% below the max trailer capacity as published by the auto manufacture, when towing live animals such as horses with a high center of gravity. So when you are inside of that 20% and have a good weight distributing hitch, I can recommend SUV's for a 2 horse trailer within those limits. I'm an automotive journalist, flying somewhere each month to drive the new trucks and SUV's. I get over 15 new trucks and SUV's a year that are delivered to me and I tow trailers with them in the Rocky Mountains. I review horse trailers and their factories and test some proto-type horse trailers.

So my yard is full of trailers and trucks. I tow trailers because I know most folks don't get to try a truck or SUV out before they buy, so I do. So you will see Hosspuller and me have different opinions occasionally. He tends to look at the whole picture and I tend to give quick answers.

You didn't need to edit your post, my feelings weren't hurt, we'll all looking for answers that work for us. I have recommended towing with some SUV's in the past. I know it's hard to make payments on two vehicles and sometimes there are good compromises on one do it all vehicle, kind of why SUV's came about as a Suburban from the fifties.

quote:

Originally posted by taximom:
NC is a great place to ride, went on 2 riding trips there, came home with a new dog. Just want to meet up with friends in the area to trail ride, maybe some weekend camping. Any reason why a F150 Lariot 4x4 wouldn't do the job? My preference is same car to tow as to drive everyday, more practical b/c we have limited driveway space, more costly b/c of gas prices, albeit 2 vehicles is more costly too, can't win!
What's your opinion on towing with an Expedition or Tahoe?

Taximom ...Here's my opinion. When you get to the likes of a Tahoe or Expedition... the gas mileage is about equal to a F150 truck. Either truck or large SUV are about 5000 pound vehicles. A few MPH either way isn't much to make a decision on. BUT as for your USE. Would it be more useful to haul lots of hay or lots of people? Seems that would have more bearing on your choice.

Something you said before, makes me wonder about the SUV though. You want a bigger dressing room. For sleeping / camping purposes? If so the GN trailer was a better choice for me, maybe for you too. Consider your needs. Is having the bed always available a value? With a BP dressing room the space is always used for stuff. You'll have to clear the stuff for a living area.