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cb1000rider wrote:We had the same truck. 5.7L, crewmax. I think ours was rated for 10.5k.
One thing that truck has - great brakes.. It's not like your basic 1/2 ton from 2000.
I've towed with it a lot. 6000 lb boat, no problem. 8500 lb trailers got heavy, especially when they were really tall (small toy hauler).
I high quality brake controller is a must - know what you want to buy before you go in and ask, otherwise you'll get sold what they carry.
No idea on the gooseneck thing, but that seems like something you'd want to look into up front.

The "gooseneck thing" is just that one of the big advantages of the gooseneck design (in addition to the weight distribution) is the ability to maneuver it because the trailer can swing past 90 degrees when turning and backing up...that comes with the risk of someone jackknifing it too far and actually hitting their own truck with the trailer which JMRA was referring to. Because the shorter bed doesn't position the downward "gooseneck" as far away from the cab as it's intended to be, the upper part of the "neck" will hit into the cab if you turn it too sharply...the same way a bumper pull trailer will hit into the rear bumper when you get past about 80 degrees from the ball.

jmra wrote:The Crew Max cab tundra will not accommodate a goose neck hitch. The bed is too short. I've seen a lot of cab corners crushed with 6.5 ft beds. The bed on the Crew Max is around 5 ft.

That can happen even on a 8 ft. bed...just easier to to do on a short bed. The most common indicator of someone pulling a gooseneck is the "bowed out" tailgate...lol

strider67 wrote:Thanks for the info!

OK, so option #2...if a switch is made to look at a "Featherlite" 3-horse slant gooseneck (same size as Sooner but aluminum), and I can pull 9,000 lb, then I think I'm covered. I found this on a Horsetopia Forum and I quote:

"Given that, I would imagine that 3,000 lbs wouldn't be too far off the mark for the trailer empty. Add 3 average sized horses (3 x 1200 lbs, or 3600lbs) and a few hunderd pounds for tack and feed and the whole rig not including the truck would be around 7,000 lbs.

If it is this simple, then that would leave me around 2,000 lb of my daughter's trophies to bring home, right? Thank you!

Just to be sure I looked up the trailer to check on the weight, because 3000lb sounded light even for aluminum, given the size. Their brochure lists the trailer weight for the #8541 from 4600 to 5400 lb depending on options such as width and height and doors, so you should still be within the weight rating (which are conservative), but might have to unload the trophies every every month or two

strider67 wrote:

jimlongley wrote: And be prepared to experience some surprises when the brakes activate until you get them fine tuned.

Thanks for the tip, Jim, will do.

Also, you'll quickly figure out that you have to allow greater margins for slowing down and stopping...even with good trailer brakes. It's just simple physics at work...the greater the mass (weight) the more energy it takes to get it moving AND to get it to stop moving. That's much more important when the weight involves live animals, because if you get in a situation where you have to lock it down, you run a good risk of injury to horses. That 2000lb trophy allowance is good too...grew up with two sisters that were top notch barrel racers and spent alot of time hauling them to rodeos on the weekends back in the 70's...the trophies stacked up quickly! good luck!

The GCWR uses the "curb weights" , which includes the weight of fuel, fluids, rated cargo and full passenger occupancy. The TWR of 9,000 lb is the maximum weight of the loaded trailer it is rated to handle....in other words, the truck by itself, with 6 people and full fuel tank, weighs about 6,300 lbs, so subtract that weight from the total combined weight rating of 15,300lb and you get a maximum trailer weight of 9000lb. loaded.