Old Guard 2007 GM trucks and Sundowner, New Kids on the Block Toyota Tundra and Lakota.

This month we pair trucks and trailers. GM has the trucks that have towed horse trailers for close to a century back before the Apache model and Toyota has towed horse trailers since the T100, 7 years ago. For the trailer team we have the new Lakota aluminum trailer, that I first saw at last years All American Quarter Horse Congress in Ohio, with their HUT bumper pull LQ. Then there's Sundowner's most popular trailer, the SunLite 727,  with a proven track record.

Home Team, Old Faithful

The all new 07 GMC Sierra SLT (1/2 ton) crew cab we used had a 5.3L V-8 gas engine equipped with a 4-speed auto transmission and 3.73 rear axle ratio. 5.3L V-8 , with iron block, rated at 315 hp  and 338 lb.-ft. of torque. It came with a Z85 handling/tow package. Standard equipment included tire pressure monitoring, Stabilitrak stability control for those slick roads, full size spare and new rack and pinion steering like your car. The 5.3L engine has Active Fuel Management which shuts half of the 8 cylinders off when you don't need power and you are on level highways to improve your miles per gallon. This gets the EPA rated fuel economy to 16 city and 20 mpg highway. The Sierra towed the 2 horse slant Sundowner 727 bumper pull with ease. A good match. GM does offer the 6.0L in the 1/2 ton class and the GMC Denali comes with a 6.2L gas engine and 6-speed auto.  I am tickled that the new GM trucks and SUV's don't have side terminal batteries anymore. It only took 30 years. Having the seat belts adjustable again and in the roof not the seat is great. On the extended cab, the rear doors swing behind 170 degrees with three indents for the door to stay open part or all the way. Great for parking lots and on the work truck interior, a double glove box add to the improvements. Yes there are two interior choices with different doors and dash.

GM has the first American truck fleet to average 20 mpg with 300 horsepower. The tire track is wider, the bed is about an inch taller, rack and pinion steering improves the feel. Now with up to 10,500 pounds of trailer towing for 2007 with a beefed up frame and wider springs. The remote start as with the full size GM SUV's is cool. The GMC Denali has a heated steering wheel option if you get too cool.

The new coil front suspension replaces the torsion bars on 1/2 tons. This is for a better ride but it also eliminates the chance of the long torsion bars puncturing the fuel tank in a crash. The truck frames are coated in wax. The 1/2 ton (1500) has boxes frame, while the 3/4 ton (HD2500/3500) has a C-Channel frame like a semi-truck.

Sundowner SunLite 727, Proven Horse Wheels

Sundowner uses SunCoat^™ on their steel framework and powder coats the frame. SunCoat^™ is similar to the spray-on liners used in truck beds. It is a polyurethane coating that was designed for Sundowner Trailers, and provides durable watertight protection.  SunCoat^TM is applied on walls, necks, breastplates and the floor for easy cleaning and long lasting protection. The 727 is a sharp looking trailer, I think they have some of the largest windows in the industry. Not hard to ventilate this trailer with those huge windows and encased and recessed bi-directional roof vents.

The SunLite 727 has painted  exterior aluminum skin, white aluminum interior skin, aluminum floor, and fenders. The one piece aluminum roof is sealed well in the extruded rail and corner caps.The hinges on the tack room and drop down doors are stainless steel. The rear door hinges are aluminum with aluminum full height cam latches. The 727 is 6'9" wide and 7' tall with no inside finder wells in the horse area. Of course torsion ride axles.  Collapsible swing out and removable rear tack can be moved to the dressing room. There are times when I haul a yearling colt, that having a movable saddle rack and collapsible wall will allow me to turn the colt around and walk out with them. Of course the 727 is low enough that backing out isn't a problem.

The 727 has large stalls which are 42 inches wide. The enclosed trailer has drop-down feed doors. on the head side, windows on the tail side.  Inside pads cover everything the horse can touch, the nose is protected with 24" aluminum tread plate. Bottom side of the trailer is undercoated.

Triple layered slant wall, and triple layered head and rump wall, protects horses when kicking or pawing and prevents exterior dings. You can spot single wall trailers with all the hail dents from the inside.

Heavy Duty 10 gauge wire for brakes and ground with 14 gauge throughout the trailer with junction boxes like your house. Tack room has 34" short wall for room for all the junk you can't live without, again a larger window and a large door you can walk through with a saddle straight ahead. I don't like going sideways through a door.

New Kids on the Block

We reviewed the new 2007 Toyota Tundra in detail with the May issue. For this project I had the Tundra LTD 4x4 Double Cab with the new 5.7L gas engine, 6-speed auto, with tow package which gives you the 4.30 rear axle ratio. The 5.7L has 381 hp and 401 lb.-ft torque. The frame is boxed under the engine and rein-forced C-Channel on the rest. Vehicle Stability Control, tire pressure monitor and telescoping steering wheel with rack and pinion steering put equipment similar to the GMC. The Tundra Double Cab is Toyota's version of an extended cab. The doors just open the same direction as a crew cab. The Tundra 5.7L gas engine is rated by the EPA at 14 city and 18 Highway mpg. Towing a heavier trailer, the Tundra handled the Lakota HUT (Horse Utility Trailer) 2 horse slant LQ bumper pull trailer well.

I first saw the new Lakota HUT (horse utility trailer) at the All American Quarter Horse Congress in Ohio last Oct. The beautiful horse graphics covering the trailer, catch your eye. What was different from other bumper pull Living Quarter trailers that I've seen over the years, was a mechanical tip out room. The tip out panels open by hand with the help of hydraulic struts. This allows for the couch to fold out into a bed. The couch also doubles as seating for the dinette.

Surprising amount of room and all the necessities like a bathroom with toilet and shower. Stove, refrigerator and sink, what else would you need. A trail riders dream. Some of the national forests and back country make a large LQ trailer impractical. Until now the other solution was a truck camper and trailer. Lakota's compact 2 horse slant with a folding rear tack room, is well laid out and very similar to a large LQ. It even has the rear LQ access door to the first stall.

It's not a stripped down trailer either but a well equipped enclosed, lined and insulated aluminum rear ramp model. The slant dividers are padded, the aluminum floor is covered with rubber mats. It comes with a 2000# electric tongue jack, two 5200# torsion axles with 16" wheels. The lights are LED, it has drop down feed doors, Sun Chaser awning, outside water spigot, outside speaker, light for the hitch and porch.

Inside the LQ are hardwood cabinets, linoleum floors, 2 burner range, 3.0 cubic ft. refrigerator and microwave. A comfortable retreat after a hard days ride with AC, heat and hot water.  45 gallon water fresh water tank, grey and black tanks, deep cycle battery and two propane tanks.

I towed the Lakota with the all new 2007 Toyota Tundra. They looked good together, booth in silver. Living Quarter horse trailers as well as toy haulers, are tongue heavy. When loaded with horses or ATV's, they balance out. But because of the empty tongue weight I'd suggest a weight distributing hitch for a 1/2 ton truck. A 3/4 ton truck or SUV would be ideal. I used a Hell-Ya hitch helper for the extra tongue weight since I couldn't add a weight distributing hitch to a new trailer I didn't own. Hitch Helper is an easy and fast way to stabilize a tongue heavy trailer.

All of the Lakota HUT trailers have ramps. This trailer is already low to the ground so the ramp is a slight slope, good for horses learning to use a ramp. The ramp is built in not added on, all three doors seal up.

 In the last 2 years, 1/2 ton truck tow ratings have increased to 10,000 to 11,000 lbs properly equipped, which allows more trailer choices like the Lakota Hut bumper pull horse trailer. The amount of room will surprise you too.

Special thanks to Triple T Sales of Franktown www.tripletsales.com/  for providing the Lakota trailer. Horse model, Fire Starter is an Arabian provided by Chuck Mangan and Castlewood Equestrian Center, 303-660-9509 Franktown. The Sundowner SunLite 727 is from Parker Trailers www.parkertrailers.com, Hell-Ya Hitch Helper at http://www.stingerhitch.com/   and horse model from Double T Stables in Parker www.doubletstables.net