Ram Problems

The rule of thumb is that a float with two horses on board is around the 2000kg mark, so that’s the absolute bare minimum towing limit you’d be looking at. Even then, by the time you add a couple of saddles, some feed bins and whatever else it is horsey people cart around, you could easily be looking at 2.5 or even three tonnes.

With that in mind, the smart move would be to buy a dual-cab ute with as much towing capacity as possible. The good news there is that many of the popular choices can tow a braked trailer weighing anything up to 3.5 tonnes. Think about it; if a ute can tow 3.5 tonnes, it should cope easily with two tonnes.

If, on the other hand, we’re talking a three-axle float and a pair of Clydesdale horses, you might have to look at one of the US-made utes from the likes of RAM or other US-market brands. And even then, you need to be careful: Even though some versions of the RAM ute can legally tow 4500kg with a braked trailer, to do so and not exceed the GCM (the combined mass of the vehicle and trailer) the payload in the tray falls to less than 100kg.

It’s not legal to use a 3500 kg rated tow vehicle to tow 4500 kg, and your insurance wouldn’t cover you in the event of a crash. Step up to the bigger vehicle, or maybe look at something like a RAM pickup.

Ram is owned by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA). FCA own Dodge, Jeep, Alfa Romeo, Abarth, Maserati, MOPAR, Lancia and SRT as well as their namesakes Fiat and Chrysler. Ram manufactures trucks out of Saltillo in Mexico (where Australian Rams originate), Warren Michigan in the US and, for the European market, Bursa in Turkey. 

The Ram brand used to be called Dodge Ram. The name originated as a model of the Dodge truck. Following a restructure of the Dodge brand by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles in 2009, the Ram brand stopped being referred to as Dodge Ram after their 2010 model was launched.