This message is from: Robin Churchill <rbc...@yahoo.com>
I pull a 4-star 3 horse gooseneck trailer and fairly frequently I have 3 horses in it, one of which is a 1500 pound warmblood. I have to trailer to the farrier once a month plus any other clinics, etc I do. The trailer weighs I think about 4500# empty and I put 3500# of horse in it plus whatever else is in there. I imagine it usually weighs about 10000#. Right now I have a Ford F350 diesel that we bought new. It is a 2005 and besides seeming to go through a lot of batteries, I never had any problems with it until the last 6-8 months and it seems like it has been one thing after another. People say this year was one of the worst for Ford engines and that the new 6.7 liter diesel is a lot better. I think I want to stick with a diesel because I don't want to be close to the towing limit, although my husband thinks diesels now are more trouble because of all the emissions control equipment they have. On this truck, I have had problems with the brake calipers on the front wheels (got stuck 2 different instances when I was pulling the trailer--now both replaced), oil cooler, turbo, transmission fluid sensor. All the stuff got fixed but it was a hassle and now I don't trust the thing. I test drove a new one the other day and it obviously is a lot nicer but it had a long bed and I have a very difficult driveway to get out of (thanks to hubby's landscaping--sometimes I just get mad and run over it) and the long bed would probably make it near impossible so I think I want to stick with the short bed. The truck I have now is a crew cab but I was thinking of just going to an extended cab because I rarely have anyone travel with me but there are not as many of those available it seems. Also trying to decide whether to try to get a good deal on a 2013 or wait until 2014 and have a newer model but that kind of goes against my nature because I like to get a good deal and I think that seems unlikely if I get one just as they come out new. Some people swear by Dodge others hate them. Ditto for Chevy. No one has recommended a GMC. My advice to anyone who is looking at a used Ford with a 6.0L diesel is to pass based on my experience. Robin Important FjordHorse List Links: Subscription Management: http://tinyurl.com/5msa7e FH-L Archives: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw FH_L Shirts: http://tinyurl.com/8yky94l
