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kat from Orange County writes:
> 1) Very good breaks on the trailer with a brake controller that contains
> an intertia switch rather than on that relies upon the brake pedal.
> 2) MANUAL transmission!!!
Hey kat! I agree totally with #1... Brenderup's braking system would
probably work for minor towing. Unfortnately, the Sierra is anything
but minor towing.
However, with #2... we have a Cherokee. It has a manual transmission
and is only rated to tow 2000 lbs. No way it can handle a horse. The
auto-transmission is rated for 5000. But then we get back to wheelbase.
Lucy, what is the concern here?
Price? Cherokees and especially Grand Cherokees are every bit as expensive
as a truck, if not more.
Gas Milage? We get about 16 mpg. A new truck can get around 12 or 13.
Personally, I would not sacrifice safety for 2 or 3 mpg. And you can
get a new desiel truck that gets 20 / 23 mpg. They cost, but so does
the Grand Cherokee.
Size? In here lies the rub doesn't it. The larger the vehicle, the
harder it is to park. But the smaller the vehicle, the less stable it
is for pulling horses. I have driven behind a long wheelbase, extended
cab truck pulling a standard stock trailer and watched *MY* horse rock
that trailer back and forth. (He was doing the church lady... I can tell
you *after* the ride he stood nice and quiet). Maybe he could flip a small
rig all by himself... maybe I don't want to find out.
The "Tahoe" / "Mini-Suburban" option is much better. More parkable
and a vehicle of sufficient size to properly handle a trailer. But
they do not get any better gas milage than a full size truck.
Yes, in other countries they pull with cars. They don't have trucks
or space and gas is much more pricey. But we don't live there. We
live here. And trucks are plentyfull. And Gas is relatively cheep.
And the Sierra's are steep with lots of narrow roads.
If you go the Cherokee route, be sure to do the Brenderup. But even so
I'd imagine you'll burn that puppy out on the Sierra's. Ours hasn't
pulled a thing (it's great for off-road) and I don't think it would last
very long trying to pull a horse.
I have ruminated on this for a couple years now (still no truck... still
looking for that lottery win I guess) and I personally just cannot justify
anything less than a full size 3/4 ton pickup with sufficient wheelbase.
Screw the price and gas milage... I'd rather have me and my horse safe.
:) - kat
... in No. Cal
with Magnum the TB ex-racer
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