Hauling with small trucks

[WashingtonCowgirl]

Could a small truck (like a Ranger, Toyota or Nissan) haul a two horse with two minis in it safely?

 

[targetsmom]

I was told that it isn't just the towing capacity that matters, but the length of the towing vehicle. That was one reason we bought a Ford F 250 extended cab to tow our two horse trailer with dressing room. The thing is you might get away with it for a long, long time, but then be driving down the highway on a windy day and have the trailer start fishtailing, and the whole rig flips over.

 

[WashingtonCowgirl]

That's what I'm worried about. I need something that is semi-gas efficient, not super spendy to start out with and has enough space. I'm considering an Explorer type vehicle as well as a van (but with a van I wouldn't need a trailer) but I can't find a van in my price range that would work. I hate vehicle shopping lol

ETA: Just found something, a littler further than I'd like to travel but we will see

 

[chandab]

I wouldn't pull a full-size horse trailer with anything smaller than a 1/2-ton pick-up and some of them don't have the power (mine just handles my 2-horse straight load Circle J trailer). If you have a mini trailer (as in designed for mini horses, and probably just 2-3 horse size), then a Ranger or S-10 might be able to safely pull it

 

[Minimor]

I agrees with chanda--for an ordinary two horse trailer a 1/2 ton is as small as I would go. If it were a tiny two horse a Ranger might be okay, but I have pulled two horse trailers that were not especially light and I wouldn't have wanted to tow them with a Ranger.

 

[dreamcatcher]

We hauled our mini trailer that weights 2200 lbs with our Ranger, but only on flat short trips before we bought a bigger vehicle (Dodge Durango). The Ranger handled well, but I would not recommend it if you plan on long trips. Now the Durango on the other hand, hauls fabulous. Even our 22ft 5500 lb travel trailer up the Siskiyou's with no problem. Oh how I would love a bigger truck someday.........

 

[stormy]

Another option is to convert a lighter trailer for use with the minis. Many folks have converted cargo trailers, they haul lighter and in my case my converted trailer hauls 2 minis and can be pulled by my car....I get to ride in comfort and so do the minis and gas milage is much better with the lighter load!

 

[Bluebell]

Our 2010 4X4 Ranger has a 4.0 engine, extended cab and the hitch that came factory on it is the same weight hitch that our 2000 4x4 Dodge Ram has on it. We pull our 2 horse trailer anywhere we want to go in any weather with a Mini hitch wagon loaded in the box. You don't even know it is back there. Just have to take it out of overdrive.Yes it takes a good long drink of fuel but so does the Dodge when we go. The 2 horse is older and does not have a dressing room but it is a regular 2 horse one. If you are going to do a lot of hauling a 1/2 ton is the best though. Our 1/2 ton Dodge Ram hauls the 5th wheel stock trailer that we haul our draft horses and cattle with. A lot of the Rangers have a smalller engine though then ours...i think. If we were doing a lot of hauling a 3/4 ton would be the best. But the Ranger is super for us.

Going to add that we aren't hauling in the mountains either. Mostly MN and WI.

 

[happy appy]

My concern is not if it can haul it but if it can stop it! I have seen a few accidents on the highways where a small truck or suv couldn't stop and the trailer pushed them into an accident or going down hill on a windy day and start swaying and roll. We use to haul a light 2 horse trailer with our Explorer. Everything was good until the windy day going down a slight grade. The brakes on the horse trailer failed and it caused us to go into a sway. We almost lost the SUV and trailer that day. Barely getting it stopped. We didn't even have horses in the trailer then. We were on our way to pick up shavings. That was the last time we hauled with the Explorer. My life flashed before my eyes. We went out and got a truck the next day, F350 diesel. That wasn't going to happen again. I wanted to know that if the braking system on the trailer failed again, that I could stop safely with the truck.

 

[Equuisize]

The weight and wheel base of smaller trucks in comparison to the weight of a trailer, loaded, can be the cause of problems.

Small trucks might do fine on the flat but living in Western Washington you know we don't do a lot of flat driving or stopping.

We're surroundded by hills whichever way we turn. Wet roads, in the rainy season, just add to the less than perfect conditions

for that combination of truck and trailer.

Problem with the smaller SUV is the same....to short of wheel base and not enough weight.

It's a gamble - where you might do just fine until you don't.

 

[Snapple]

Another option is to convert a lighter trailer for use with the minis. Many folks have converted cargo trailers, they haul lighter and in my case my converted trailer hauls 2 minis and can be pulled by my car....I get to ride in comfort and so do the minis and gas milage is much better with the lighter load!

Anyone have any pics of this? We have a Dodge Dakota with a max hauling capacity of 1900 lbs. We want to keep a few minis and some dwarf goats, so converting a small trailer would be ideal for us.

 

[happy appy]

Another thing I just thought of, With the smaller vehicles, you will need to put on a Tranny cooler. If you don't the transmission wont last long.

 

[HGFarm]

It's the whole weight/power/size ratio/balance of the load- the gross vehicle and axle loads with tongue weight... I would never use a tiny truck to haul horses/trailers with. Most times the load is just too much for the truck and you MUST make sure you have good enough suspension and brakes to handle the load.

A half ton pickup can probably haul 1000 pounds in the bed of it, but cannot support that kind of weight at the hitch area without special modifications. Dont forget your tranmission too- this is putting a strain on a small motor and your tranny that just isnt really designed for hauling a load.

 

[Marty]

No short wheel bases....nope

 

[lucky seven]

If anyone has a converted cargo trailer please post a photo? I traded my car for a Tuscon and could safely pull one of those for a short distance. I also have a Ranger but wouldn't pull anything for any distance with that.

 

[Lloydyne]

which I knew how to post a picture...I hauled my first mini in the back seat ( flipped up) of a full-size pickup. It worked perfectly. It was only for short hauls but he liked it and boy would people look. I would stop for gas and let him look out the window. lol I had a motorcycle ramp that he would walk up to get in one side...then he would jump out the other side when we reached our destination. Now I have a cargo mate, with windows and air conditioning, that I need to convert. I need ideas.

 

[WashingtonCowgirl]

Lol I currently haul Spanky in my ford Taurus, but now that I have 2 that just won't work anymore!

 

[Kim~Crayonboxminiatures]

I have a converted cargo trailer than I tow with a Honda Pilot. I bought this trailer already converted at a local auction, I was looking for one to convert myself when we found this one. Only thing I wish it has is a door at the front, to make it easier to get in and out quickly. And it's low inside, I'm 5' 3" and I have to bend down inside. Makes cleaning it out harder, and the taller B Minis don't love it, but if they are quiet they do fine. I've hauled a 37" & 38" minis that were fine, but had a client's 38-39" that refused to get in (he hadn't been trailered much).

**Edited to add, I rarely haul more than 30 minutes, mostly travel locally with my trailer. I am aware of the issues with a single axle trailer, but it fits what I need and what I can afford at this time. I have made longer trips with it, and the horses have always ridden fine, but I don't travel far on a regular basis. I do someday want to upgrade to a nice Mini trailer.**

The pictures are from about 8-10 years ago when I first got the trailer.

Back of the trailer:

Inside, the metal ramp that came with the trailer. It's a bit steep, so we bolted on a thin rubber mat so the horses wouldn't slip. It can be easily removed, but is a bit heavy.

Side view of the trailer, not including hitch. It has two side windows with screens that open halfway, two side airvents and two vents on top that can be opened.

Inside the front of the trailer, the front window is bullet proof! Shows the two side windows that open, and the tie hitches.

And this one a couple years ago, you can see the rubber mat I added on the metal ramp. I like that the ramp is a gate so you can keep the back door open for more air flow when parked.

 

[Charlotte]

Many years ago we bought a new 5 x 8 cargo trailer and had it converted to haul minis. Some things to consider....

1. the trailers are light weight making for a pretty rough ride for the animals

2. A single axel makes for a rough ride and in the event of a blow out you are in much greater danger of a wreck than with a double axel.

3. You will want to be sure it is structurally strong enough to suport the weight...especially the floor.

Having considered those issues, you want LOTS of ventilation. The one we did had pop up roof vents, vents in the back door, sliding bus windows on both sides, maybe a butterfly vent on the front (I don't remember now). rubber covered loading ramp, 2 dividers inside making 3 sections.

We used that trailer for a year or 2 before going to a custom mini trailer. I would suggest the converted cargo trailer for short hauls only.

 

[dannigirl]

We use a 4-door dakota to pull a small horse trailer. It is supposed to be a two horse, but there is no way two horses would fit. Maybe two med size ponies. I have no trouble stopping in good weather and am overly cautious in wet weather. Often we will use the big truck and trailer in bad weather. To be sure I could stop, we loaded with heavy boxes for a flea market. More weight than 3 minis and hit the brakes to see how quick I could stop. It did ok. It does have two axels and I would never pull a trailer with one axel that had any animal in it. We have had a couple of blowouts and while it was a bit scary and bumpy, I did not lose control. I only had one horse on the trailer each time and he wasn't happy, but he did stay safe.