On The Road Readers Sound Off on Truck & Trailers
T e Equiery asked its readers a series of questions related to the types of towing
questions related to the types of towing vehicles and trailers they own. T e responses were varied but one common theme seemed to shine through: buyers do a lot of research before purchasing and are loyal to the brands they currently have. Questions concerning towing vehicles and
trailers related to the make, model and year of the vehicle as well as engine size, towing power and “must-have” features. We also asked where they purchased each and why they chose that make and model. Finally, we wanted to know how satisfi ed readers were with their current towing package and if they would recommend either to others. Below is a quick summary of what we learned and quotes and comments from various readers. T ank you to all who participated!
What You Tow With
According to the responses to our survey, Ford is the make that is the most popular among our readers with 61.76% saying they tow with Ford pickup trucks. T e next most popular brand was Chevy with 23.52% followed by GMC with 8.82% and Dodge with 5.88%. Most readers who took the survey tow with a midsize truck in the 250/2500 model size. T e 350/3500 model and 150/1500 model size were tied. Christine Jennings of Bentwood Farm in
Owings bought her 2002 Ford F250 because of its power and previous positive Ford experiences. Brenda Senseney owns a 2009 Chevy ¾ ton Diesel Extended Cab and bought it because she loved GM products and said, “T ey are dependable, comfortable for long distances and have an excellent turn ratio.” In terms of sport utility vehicles, it was a dead tie between Ford, Toyota, GMC and Land Rover, though an overwhelming 89.47% tow with a pickup truck versus an SUV. Bernadette Kilcer of Brandywine tows with a 2005 Toyota 4Runner that she bought “because it was small, yet powerful, and in my budget. I love this one and have an excellent mechanic that keeps it in tip-top shape.” Denise Parsons of Boyds has two towing
vehicles, one of which is a 2010 Land Rover Range Rover Sport. “T e Range Rover is a great little truck for a two-horse bumper pull that can be used as a daily driver as well. It has plenty of towing and stopping power,” she said. Gas engines outweighed diesel 63.6% to 36.4% but what was interesting were the reasons people bought one over the other. Krista Martinko of
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Super Duty Extended Cab, said she would have loved to buy a diesel but she just does not tow enough to make the added costs worth it. Jeanne Bond (Halcyon Farm, Warwick) agrees, stating, “I don’t use my truck enough to warrant the extra expense of a diesel engine or diesel fuel.” Jeanne currently tows with a 2002 Chevy 2500 HD Extended Cab.
Frederick County, who owns a 2010 F Super Duty Extended Cab said shew
Only 11.11% stated that if they were to buy another vehicle, they would switch to diesel. T ere was a wide variety of engine sizes
reported from a 5-liter to an 8-liter and everything in between. For the most part, the size of the engine correlated to the size of the trailer. Larger trailers are being towed by larger engines, as they should be. However, there were a few readers who reported towing large trailers with small engines. T ose readers did comment that when purchasing a future vehicle, they want to upgrade to a larger engine with more towing capacity. Janine Borofka (Quiet Rock Farm, Frederick)
currently owns a 1996 Ford F150 but says she is dreaming of getting “the same but with an extended cab and bigger engine. Some hills are a strain [for the F150] and the small cab is tough for hauling people.” Buying a new vehicle versus a used one was nearly evenly split with 52.6% buying new and 47.4% buying used. Most vehicles in the survey were made in 2001 through 2005 (40.5%) with 24.3% being made in the 1990 to 2000 range and the same amount made in the 2006 to 2010 range. Only 10.8% of our readers reported owning a towing vehicle that was 2011 or newer. Most readers (42.9%)
who owns a 2010 Ford F250
T e most popular feature that people said they just could not live without was four- wheel drive. T e second most popular must- have feature was a large engine and maximum towing power. After that, readers liked having four doors and a full back seat for more interior carrying space. Jennifer Tanio of Avalon Farm in Sparks said she just cannot live without the full back seat and full four doors in her 2004 Ford F250. “I have two young kids who are often with me when I am trailering and so the full cab is essential,” she explained. Interior features like navigation systems and heated seats were also popular, with many people saying if they were to get a new vehicle, they would want both. Some readers even said cooling seats would be a great feature in a future vehicle.
What You Tow
Equiery readers own a wide variety of trailers but the top three most popular trailers according to our survey results were Adams (23.08%), Cotner (12.82%) and EquiSpirit (10.26%). Fifteen other trailer brands were mentioned, proving that trailer options for buyers are vast. Elizabeth Carey of Second
went directly to dealerships to fi nd their current towing vehicles while 31.4% found their vehicles through various online sites. T e rest of our survey participants either found their vehicles through local newspapers, auto auctions, Horse World Expo or friends and family. T e majority of readers (80.65%) purchased their vehicles right here in Maryland with Virginia and Pennsylvania being other states mentioned.
One of Bernadette Kilcer’s favorite features on her 2012 Bockmann Portax trailer are the adjustable chest and butt bars allowing her family to tow their 18.1 hand horse and 13.3 hand pony comfortably in the same trailer.
Wind Farm (Gaithersburg) is a big fan of her 2011 Adams 2+1 that she bought through H.R. Collins’ ads in T e Equiery. “It’s a great trailer that we bought for a great price at the time and it was priced lower than other goosenecks that I looked at. I love, love the way this trailer is made with the drop-down win- dows and side-loaded ramp. It is a very user-friendly trailer,” she said.
Cheryl Swing of Hidden Tides
Farm in Upper Marlboro had a 2010 Cox Signature (Warm- blood) by Cimarron basically custom made for her. “It was the most trailer for the money, even with the modifi cations and ad-
ditions,” she said, adding that plenty of room for her horses and good airfl ow were reasons for the purchase. More people reported owning gooseneck trailers than bumper pull trailers, though two- horse trailers were the most popular no matter which type. Just over 63% stated they bought their trailers new, with 36.1% saying they
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