We currently have a 2004 2500HD with the D/A and we pull a 4 horse gosseneck trailer. I had the rig weighed this weekend without the horses and the whole rig is just under 14000lbs. Rear axle weight is 4600 lbs.
The horses will add about 4000lbs total. Do I need a dually?
Opinions?

14,000 was your gross combination weight? Or just unloaded trailer weight?

REAR Axle at 4600 leave you ~1400 of available pin/hitch weight for a 2500HD per stock specs...

2004 tow rating are available here -starting at page 55 for fifthwheel/gooseneck
http://www.trailerlife.com/images/elements/883783_Towing_Guide.pdf

Do you NEED a dually? Probably not.....BUT.....you should WANT a dually!!! I transport show horses covering the eastern third of the country and canada....drive approx 100,000K per year. I would not even consider doing it with a single rear wheel. The stability of a dually can not even compare to a single rear wheel.....I have also had numerous blow outs and flats, it's really nice to have that second wheel for support!!!

If you buy a new truck I would get a dually- until you haul with one you really have no idea what you are missing.

Having said that- if your truck and trailer is 14k and you are gonna add 4k to that- no problem using the 3/4 ton. If on the other hand the trailer alone weighs 14k and you are gonna be 18k trailer alone (loaded with horses)- I would vote for a dually!

Trailwhal. Truck and empty trailer together is just under 14000lbs.

Stick with the 3/4 ton- you don't need a dually for that load. A dually would be nice but is in no way required.

Your sig does not say configuration of 2500HD, but assuming it is a CC 4wd SWB it is going to weigh around 7100-7300 lbs empty (that is what mine weights depending on how much fuel I have on board). That means your empty trailer weighs in just under 7000lbs for sake of round numbers. Add the four horses and you are pulling around 11k pounds.

this is well within the published ratings for the truck and even more within its physical capabilities (not that I am advocating ever pulling more than the published ratings????). Unless that trailer has an unusually high pin weight when loaded, you should be okay.

Trailwhale is correct in that your empty trailer leaves about 1400lbs of pin weight to get to the rated rear axle capacity. However, my guess in that when you load that thing up with 4k lbs of horses that 35% of that added weight (1400lbs) will not be going to your pin.


I've pulled just over 10k lbs on a tandem axle utility trailer with a conventional tow setup on the receiver hitch without sway bars and weight distribution (shame on me) and have no problems with that running up and down the mountains here in Colorado. The load is the tandem trailer and a high profile off road truck so I catch plenty of wind if its blowing. Truck does fine and I've never unstable at all, its a real pleasure to drive.

If you are near the upper end of the gooseneck/5th wheel ratings and/or pulling a very high profile/wide load like those giant 5th wheel toy haulers, then a dually starts making sense to me, not for your situation.

Get one, tow with one and you will never want too tow without one! (my .02) Too much truck is a good thing!!!

One thing you didn't mention is if you are already in the market for a new truck???
If you are shopping and you might upgrade your horse trailer or add larger "toys" to your towing inventory, then dually might be worth the premium over SRW if cost of a new vehicle is already in the mix.

However, I interpreted the question such as "do I need a dually to tow what I currently have/plan on towing" and to that my answer is still a big NO.

Not having one, I have to wonder - my 2500 CC is large enough to not fit in most parking places AND get the doors open, and has about 2 inches on either side of the batwing mirrors fitting in my garage door - how does a dually work in the real world?

Let me answer a few questions...
The truck I have now is a 2500 HD D/A 4x4 CCLB.
I am not really in the market now unless I need a dually, so your replys are helping me decide if I am in the market.

IMO you don't "need" a dually for the intended load as described.

My signature truck and 5er run right at 22k. Never have felt the need for a dually towing all over Washington, Oregon and Idaho. Roads range from Freeway to single lane steep Forest Service gravel/dirt.

YMMV