Hokay… I have been doing some research into the various trucks with crew-cabs available for towing at the least a two-horse trailer. Here are my findings:

TOYOTA Tacoma: At first glance the $15k starting price looks awfully tempting. But when you get to where you can tow a trailer, the price leaps to $29k. However the gas mileage is a nice 20/26 city/highway… presumably empty of all but the jockey. Uhm driver.
[url:2yd7ccog]www.toyota.com/tacoma/features.html[/url]

Now when you look at the beefier Tundra, the price leaps to $31k ($35k with options), and the mileage drops to 15/19 …but you can at least pull four horses now.
[url:2yd7ccog]www.toyota.com/tundra/features.html?trim=8260[/url]

FORD Trucks! The Ranger~~ With a towing capacity of up to 6,000 pounds, this will handle the two-horse trailers pretty well. Add the fuel economy of 21-26 mpg and you wonder what the heck happened with Toyota’s gas mileage? Price to tow two-horses leaps to $25k. No hint at what gas mileage drops to, but I suspect it is around 14/19 range.
[url:2yd7ccog]www.fordvehicles.com/trucks/ranger/?space=Trucks[/url]

Now for the cowboy favorite… the F-150 ~ First off, there is a $3k difference in price from the 08 and 09 series. I am going with the 09 starting around $25k. With the 5.4 liter V8 6-speed automatic transmission, you have a towing capability of up to 11k pounds. Now this looks like the best over-all, truck for my wants as it can pull a four-horses with relative ease… but gas mileage starts at 15/20 mpg city/highway, and with the super-cab it drops to 14/19, while the price as I want it goes to $33k, which I find I can live with.
[url:2yd7ccog]www.showroom.fordvehicles.com/Showroom.jsp?space=Trucks[/url]

I have looked at the Dodge Dakota and Ram series, the Honda Ridgeline **bet ya didn’t know Honda made a truck! I sure didn’t** and Nissan’s Titan as well. All of those are similar in tow capacity and mileage, but the price is far more than what they offer over the trucks listed above.

After all is said and done, I am finally looking at the most affordable truck available. One that meets my innermost child and sense of adventure... The HESS truck!
[url:2yd7ccog]www.hesstoytruck.com/[/url]

I can help with the rangers a bit. My first Ranger was an \'84 4x4 2.8 carbureted v6 with 5spd manual. I got 16 around town with that, and 20 on the highway. It had beefier rear springs and such, so it could haul way more than the standard Ranger. My current one is a 98 with automatic, 2wd and 3.0L v6. It gets 20 around town and 22 hwy approx. My cousin who has a 4.0L V6 98 Ranger 4x4 with automatic says he can get about 16 around town, and almost 20 on hwy. He tows a trailer full of sound equipment that is longer than the truck, and weighs about the same as a loaded horse trailer.

Never needed a 4x4 so far, so that\'s out mainly because of the extra headache that 4x4\'s pose mechanically.

Anywho, I have decided on the 09 Super-cab F-150 2x4 with the longer bed, front and back bench seats, shift on the column, and cloth interior. After all is said and done with discounts and such, it should weigh in around $24k, including set up for all but the tow bar.

Whew, now all I gotta do is get the down payment for that, another trailer and horse to go in it.

Did ya do any research on Chevrolets?

~Chevy Girl

Yup... the big decider was exactly what I looked for in gas, comfort and reliability... That and the Chevy guy was not only way too overly aggressive in his pitch (desperate maybe would be a better word), but his lack of knowledge of the stock in general, and truck in particular helped sway me back to Ford\'s.

Good choice Chase, I\'m glad you managed to see the light. lol. F-150s are a good truck.

gage52 wrote:
Thank you very much for the confidence.

My only other choices were the Hess and Sheets Christmas Custom builts, but the cabs are too short for even my minuscule frame to fit in.

Shell, BP and Texaco didn\'t even weigh in this year.

Great information, Chase. Gotta love the Hess trucks!

At the risk of sounding stupid, does someone have a link for the Hess trucks? I haven\'t heard of them before.

Thanks.

Chevy. Chevy. Chev-Y.

Chevy. Chevy. Chev-ieeee!

…Oh wait. Are we the only ones dancing, Stormy?

*runs to barn*




“G-Meow-C . G-Meow-C. G-Meow—“

Stormy!