Can a Toyota Tundra Pull a Horse Trailer // Best Toyota For Towing

Have you ever wondered if a Toyota Tundra can pull a horse trailer? Look no more. We´ve got you covered.

The Toyota Tundra is known as one of the best trucks available in the United States. As a result, we all know that it is going to have absolutely no trouble pulling your average trailer. But, what about a horse trailer?

Can you use a Toyota Tundra to pull the average horse trailer? Yes, a Toyota Tundra with a towing capacity higher than 8,000 pounds can easily pull a horse trailer with 4 to max. 6 horses. However, you need to know that the horse trailer will weigh around 1,500 lbs and the weight of the Horse should be between 300lbs and 1000lbs.

To determine whether your Toyota Tundra is capable of towing, there are three pieces of information that you are going to need to know.

We will go through them in the next few sections! We will then help to answer the question of whether your Toyota Tundra is capable of pulling a horse trailer.

Table of Contents

The Toyota Tundra Towing Capacity

This is going to be highly dependent on the Toyota Tundra that you have purchased. There have been several different models of this vehicle over the years.

Throw in the fact that each of them can be customized slightly, and it is tough for us to tell you exactly how much a Toyota Tundra is going to be able to pull.

Generally speaking, the towing capacity of a modern Toyota Tundra is going to be between 8,000lbs and 10,000lbs. Of course, you will have to double-check the specification for your particular vehicle to know for 100% sure how much it is capable of towing. However, we reckon that it is going to fall within this range!

You do have to bear in mind that the towing capacity for the Toyota Tundra can be impacted based upon what you have in the vehicle.

A vehicle is only capable of pulling so much weight, after all.

So, if you have say, people, weighing a combined 800lbs in your vehicle, then the towing capacity of your vehicle will be reduced by 800lbs. Hopefully, this makes sense.

Toyota Tundra Towing Capacity >> Check out the video below:

We will go over some of the specs for the Toyota Tundra and Its towing capacity. What trailer should you get along with additional upgrades you can do.

The Average Weight of a Horse

Horses weigh different amounts depending on the breed and the age of the horse. Some can be as little as 300lbs, and some horses may go well over the 1000lbs mark.

Hopefully, you will have a rough idea about the size of the horse that you are planning on putting into the horse trailer.

In fact, you should have a good idea about the number of horses that you are planning on putting in the horse trailer.

This is because the Toyota Tundra is actually capable of towing multiple horses at once due to the higher towing capacity that it boasts.

The Average Weight of a Horse Trailer

Horse trailers can weigh anywhere between 1000lbs and 5000lbs. Obviously, it is going to be highly dependent on the size and quality of the trailer that you are buying.

Most Toyota Tundra models should be capable of towing most horse trailers. However, whether they are capable of towing a horse inside the trailer is a whole other story.

Thankfully, you shouldn’t have that much difficulty finding out the weight of the horse trailer. The weight is pretty important and it, should be included in all advertising for the trailer.

This applies even if you are planning on buying the horse trailer used.

Can a Toyota Tundra Pull a Horse Trailer?

So, now you have those three pieces of information, it is time to do a bit of math!

Add together the weight of the trailer and the horse
Add the weight of the people or equipment in your vehicle.
Subtract this number from the towing capacity of your Toyota Tundra

So, for example, if your Toyota Tundra has a towing capacity of 8000lbs and the trailer and horse weigh a combined 3,000lbs then, yes, you will be able to tow the horse trailer with your Toyota Tundra.

However, you will not be able to tow the trailer if you had 5000lbs of equipment that you were carrying around too.

Thankfully, because most Toyota Tundra models have such a large towing capacity, it is exceedingly rare that it won’t be able to tow a horse.

The only time that you will likely run into any issues is if you are planning on towing multiple horses, or if the trailer is a little bit heavier than your average trailer.

Should You Buy And Tow With A Toyota Tundra??? Find Out!!! | Payload Issues… | MPG Tow Test >> Check out the video below:

What Happens if You Go Over the Towing Capacity for Your Toyota Tundra?

Vehicles have a maximum towing and weight capacity for a reason. In fact, vehicle manufacturers go to huge lengths to test the vehicles that they design to their absolute limits.

Trust us, the manufacturer is giving you the maximum trailer capacity for a reason.

Now, if you go 100lbs or 200lbs over, it is probably not going to make that much of a difference in the short term. However, towing weights in excess of the towing limits for the vehicle will be putting a huge amount of strain on the components.

We are positive that if you go over the towing limits regularly, your vehicle will have a far shortened lifespan.

If you go wildly over the towing limits, then there is a chance that the chassis of your vehicle can give way. This is pretty much going to be a write-off for your vehicle. In other cases, you simply will not be able to move the car at all.

Remember, even if you do not go over the towing weight limit for the vehicle, it is still in your best interests to try and carry as little weight as possible.

The more weight that you carry, the more strain is placed on the vehicle. This means that you will be burning off more fuel when you use your vehicle.

Basically, everything is going to get a lot more expensive for you to run.

Can You Pull the Horse Trailer Off-Road?

No. Well, you can, but we wouldn’t really recommend that you do it.

The reason why your Toyota Tundra is able to drive off-road is that it has the wheels and the motor for it. The trailer does not. In fact, it does not have any powered wheels at all. it is going to go wherever your vehicle goes.

Pretty much all that you can do when it comes to off-roading with a horse trailer is travel on flat dirt trails or slight inclines.

Basically, driving through files where your horse may live. If you go for anything more extravagant than this, then your horse trailer probably is not going to be working all that effectively.

In fact, you are more likely to cause an accident.

Is the Toyota Tundra a Good Towing Vehicle?

The Toyota Tundra is a Good Towing Vehicle. Since the Toyota Tundra is a truck, it has been designed from the ground-up to pull heavier loads. In fact, towing heavy loads from Point A to Point B is pretty much the main reason why people buy the Toyota Tundra.

As long as you regularly maintain your vehicle and do not go over the maximum towing limits for the model that you own, then you are going to be enjoying your vehicle for many, many years to come.

If you purchase a recent model of the Toyota Tundra, then chances are that you won’t have to do any upgrades for towing either. More modern versions of the vehicle will always come with a brake controller and a 7-way installed.

This means that all you really need to do is hitch up your trailer, configure that brake controller, and you are ready to go.

When a vehicle comes equipped ‘as standard’ with everything that you need for towing, then you know that you are going to be buying a decent towing vehicle.

Which Toyota Tundra is Best for Towing?

At the time of writing, the current model of the Toyota Tundra is the 2020 version. There are a few trims available.

Do bear in mind that if you are reading this at a later date, then always opt for the newest model of the vehicle. The trims do not change all that much each year.

No matter what year of Toyota Tundra you purchase, you should always opt for the SR or SR5 trims if you want the best towing capacity. In the 2020 model, for instance, both of these are able to tow a whopping 10,200lbs.

In the table below you can see some of the best Ford models for towing:

Year	Model	Towing Capacity (lbs.)
2021	5.7L V8 Toyota Tundra	10,200
2020	TRD Pro 4WD Toyota Tundra	9,900
2019	4.6-liter DOHC EFI Toyota Tundra	10,200
2018	4.6-liter V-8 Toyota Tundra	6,800
2017	5.7-liter Toyota Tundra	10,500
2016	4.6-liter V-8 Toyota Tundra	6,800
2016	5.7-liter V-8 Toyota Tundra	10,500

Conclusion

The Toyota Tundra is more than capable of towing most horse trailers, and even a couple of horses. You will still need to do a bit of math yourself.

This way, you will be able to work out whether your Toyota Tundra is capable of dealing with your horse or trailer.

However, unless you have a crazily large trailer, or you are carrying a lot of extra equipment in your vehicle, then we have no doubt that the Toyota Tundra will be capable of pulling that trailer.

In fact, your only real concern is trying to ensure that your vehicle has a brake controller installed. This way, you can be safe while you are driving on the roads.

References

https://www.toyotaofdowntownla.com/2020-toyota-tundra-towing-capacity/