Thoughts on towing this with what we currently have

[nisaacs]

Good news. The wife is on board for trading the truck in for a 3500 dually. We shall begin the hunt next week. I didn't want to ruin it by reminder her when we bought this 2015 new that we should've gotten a 3500 dually back then when I suggested it then..

Bad news, the new horse trailer will have to wait a few more years..

You haven't said if your truck is gas or diesel. Any of the new trucks with diesel power will get you an exhaust brake, worth their weight in gold for a load that size.

Or down size the trailer and keep your truck. Maybe this one?

NEW 2023 Bison Ranger 11' SW 3H w/ Slide Out LQ Horse Trailer(1309) - trailers - by dealer - vehicle automotive sale -...

 

[nisaacs]

RAM suspensions suck

In what way? Please explain.

Ram has more suspension options than any other pickup truck on the market. They also have the largest rear axle on the market. The 3500 HO dually is massive.

2.5" spindle v/s 2" and 12 bolt axle flange v/s 8 bolt with a larger hub overall.

 

[5030]

Whatever... RAM coil spring suspension is mounted INBOARD of the frame rails and coil springs belong on a car, not a truck. Coils ride nice but impart sway when hauling or towing. Additionally, RAM or FCA or Stellantis or whatever you want to call them has the lowest quality bar of any automotive manufacturer. They buy ANYTHING so long as it's cheap.

How do I know that? Simple. I retired from the steel company that supplies 90% of their under sheetmetal steel so I got to see firsthand what junk they bought. They really liked the Russian and Chinese boat iron, the stuff with no chems because it was cheap.

Additionally, concerning quality control with ALL the automakers, Honda is on top. Honda actually came to the plant wit their QC people prior to shipment (Honda as well as tall the other automakers) bought steel from us and their QC people not only checked the chems on their material but checked how it was packaged for shipment as well. Honda is number 1, Fords is 2, GM is 3 and your beloved RAM is dead last. I worked there over 35 years so I know. We also sold steel to Titan Wheel and direct to Kubota for their Georgia plant and Titan as well as Kubota were very particular as well.

If I was to buy another pickup truck (which I'm not), Honda would be my first pick. Problem is, they don't build a full size truck with an 8 foot bed and I require a heavy duty truck with an 8 foot bed as it's a farm truck.

Everyone has their 'favorite' vehicles. I don't but your RAM truck is dead last on my bucket list.

 

[5030]

Gee, your pictures bear a marked resemblance to the rear member on my Ford F350 pickup truck I sold a few weeks ago.

 

[ruffdog]

OP...neighbor and their friends have big horse trailers like that. Neighbor had a F250 with the V10 gas and they had to put 2 extra leaf springs on each side to take the weight. The suspension was surly stiff but that trailer still shoved it down. They have since traded to a F350 SRW diesel and it is a huge upgrade. Some of there friends pull with trucks in the 650/6500 class too. Just say'un...a 2500 truck is a bit small for that trailer by what I have seen.

 

[nisaacs]

Gee, your pictures bear a marked resemblance to the rear member on my Ford F350 pickup truck I sold a few weeks ago.

Not even close. Your '97 Ford used a little bitty Stirling axle. It might have had a 10k gvw, the same as my '21 Ram 2500. My front axle is rated 6k, match that with your Ford.

So inboard coils on the Ram 2500 and outboard air bags. Support on both sides of the frame. Shocks both mounted forward and right next to the hub, plus rear sway and track bar, don't get any better. 11.5" rear axle with 4.250' axle tubes v/s your 10.5" and 3.5" tubes, Lol

You better stay on the porch if you want to truck with me. My 2500 v/s your ex Ford-350.

 

[dusty3030]

Cue up emissions and real farmer rant and go…

 

[bazman82]

Well we made the decision to wait and purchase a 3500 dually. I was thinking a SRW but if we getting something newer than what we have then we're going with the dually. It's what I wanted to do back in 2015 but we never did and guess what...here we are, looking to get something bigger.

So in a few years when we start looking again for the trailer, we won't be limited much to the size of what we're looking for. It'll make it much easier.

The Bison rangers are steel frame trailers and the 11' lq doesn't have the sofa plus dinette sleeper which is what we need so the kids have their own sleeping space.

 

[4570Man]

Well we made the decision to wait and purchase a 3500 dually. I was thinking a SRW but if we getting something newer than what we have then we're going with the dually. It's what I wanted to do back in 2015 but we never did and guess what...here we are, looking to get something bigger.

So in a few years when we start looking again for the trailer, we won't be limited much to the size of what we're looking for. It'll make it much easier.

The Bison rangers are steel frame trailers and the 11' lq doesn't have the sofa plus dinette sleeper which is what we need so the kids have their own sleeping space.

The difference in a 2500hd and a 3500srw isn’t enough to talk about. Get a dually if you’re going to upgrade.

 

[4570Man]

Not even close. Your '97 Ford used a little bitty Stirling axle. It might have had a 10k gvw, the same as my '21 Ram 2500. My front axle is rated 6k, match that with your Ford.

So inboard coils on the Ram 2500 and outboard air bags. Support on both sides of the frame. Shocks both mounted forward and right next to the hub, plus rear sway and track bar, don't get any better. 11.5" rear axle with 4.250' axle tubes v/s your 10.5" and 3.5" tubes, Lol

You better stay on the porch if you want to truck with me. My 2500 v/s your ex Ford-350.

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My 2000 F-350 has a 5200 pound front axel. There’s not much use in worrying about the build details of the truck IMO. If a 350 isn’t doing the job then get a 450 and if that’s not doing the job get something heavier yet. Putting a slightly bigger front axel in isn’t going to make all the difference. I just attempted to measure the rear axle tube and my caliper jaws are too small to do it accurately but it’s somewhere between 3.9 and 4”. And that on a 24 year old truck not a new one.