Key Numbers A 2026 Colorado is 214 inches long, roughly a foot and a half shorter than a half-ton crew cab. Height runs 78.8 to 82.7 inches against a standard 84-inch garage door opening. A properly equipped crew cab tows 7,700 lbs; the bed is 5 feet with 41.9 cubic feet. All six trims share one engine: 310 horsepower and 430 lb-ft. EPA combined runs 21 mpg in 2WD down to 16 on a ZR2 Bison. Every spring in Hot Springs the same conversation happens on this lot. Somebody has been driving a half-ton for eight years, the kids have moved out or the business has changed shape, and they have started to notice how much of the truck they are not using. It parks badly at the Central Ave shops. It fills the carport. It drinks. And the trailer behind it on the weekend is a bass boat that weighs less than the truck's own payload rating. That buyer is not downsizing. They are right-sizing, and the 2026 Chevrolet Colorado is usually the answer. Here is what actually changes when you move from a full-size truck to a midsize in Hot Springs, based on the questions we get asked across the desk rather than on a spec sheet. You lose about a foot and a half, and you notice it every single day A 2026 Colorado measures 214 inches long on a 131.4-inch wheelbase and 84.4 inches wide including the mirrors. A half-ton crew cab is roughly a foot and a half longer. That sounds academic until you try to park both in a downtown Hot Springs space or back both into a carport poured when a sedan was the assumption. Height is the one people forget to check, and it is the one that matters most in an older Garland County house. The Colorado runs 78.8 to 82.7 inches tall depending on trim, and a standard residential garage door opening is 84 inches. Everything in the lineup clears it. A lifted trim clears it by inches rather than feet, and a roof rack spends those inches. Go measure your opening before you shop, not after; the full dimension set is on the Colorado specs and dimensions page. You do not lose the engine you were worried about losing This is the part that surprises full-size owners. Every 2026 Colorado, from the $32,400 Work Truck to the ZR2, uses the same 2.7L TurboMax turbocharged four-cylinder making 310 horsepower and 430 lb-ft of torque through an 8-speed automatic. Every one of them is quick. The trim ladder buys drivetrain hardware, ride height and equipment, and it never buys power. Coming out of a V8, the number to look at is torque rather than cylinder count. 430 lb-ft is real, it arrives low, and on the grade out of a boat ramp it is what you actually feel. The Colorado overview walks the whole lineup if you want the wider picture first. The honest question is what you tow, and for most people here the answer fits A properly equipped Colorado crew cab is rated at 7,700 lbs in 2WD or 4WD, and every 2026 Colorado is a crew cab, so that is the figure that applies to the truck you would actually order. A ZR2 crew cab is rated at 6,000 lbs. Set that against what genuinely goes out to Lake Hamilton and Lake Catherine on a Saturday: an aluminum bass boat on a single-axle trailer, a pair of side-by-sides on an open deck, a teardrop camper. All of it sits inside the rating with margin. Where a midsize stops is a two-horse gooseneck or a car hauler with a car on it, and if that is your weekend then you want a Silverado and we will tell you so. Everything in between is worked through load by load on the Colorado towing capacity page. One thing worth knowing before you sign anything: payload counts passengers, fuel and tongue weight, not just what is in the bed. On a midsize that arithmetic is tighter than you are used to. A WT, Custom or LT in 2WD carries 1,710 pounds, and the range across configurations runs 1,445 to 2,046 pounds. The bed is shorter, and the tailgate is smarter about it Five feet, on every trim. If you have been carrying eight-foot material in a six-and-a-half-foot bed you were already dropping the tailgate, and the Colorado's mid-position tailgate stop is built for exactly that: it holds at an intermediate position rated to 500 lbs so the load rides supported rather than balanced on the tailgate edge. Around it you get 41.9 cubic feet of bed volume, up to 17 tie-downs, a built-in measurement tool stamped into the tailgate, cargo bed lighting and an available 120-volt outlet. A spray-on liner is a $475 option and it is the one most work buyers take. You gain the screen, and you gain it on the cheapest one An 11.3-inch touchscreen with Google built-in and an 11-inch digital driver display are standard on every 2026 Colorado, including the Work Truck. So are wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and so is Chevy Safety Assist, a package of six driver aids. Blind spot detection is standard too. If your current truck is eight years old, this is the single biggest day-to-day upgrade in the move, and it is worth understanding that none of it is a trim you have to climb to. Google Maps and Google Assistant run natively in the truck, so navigation works whether or not your phone is connected. The tech and safety page has the full feature grid and both sets of crash-test results, published in full. So which one should you buy? For most people making this move in this market, the Trail Boss, from $40,500 before destination. It is the one step in the lineup that adds four-wheel drive as standard, a two-speed transfer case with low range, a 2-inch lift, 32-inch all-terrain tires and a transfer case shield together, and it is what tends to be on our ground. It is also the trim that handles the thing a full-size owner will miss least: standing water across the low crossings after a spring storm, and the gravel county roads that feed both lakes. If your truck is mostly a commuter with a trailer on weekends, the LT is the better match and the ride is quieter on all-season tires. If you want the look without the off-road hardware, the Custom is $1,145 over the Work Truck. If you have somewhere real to wheel, the ZR2 adds locking differentials at both ends and 10.7 inches of clearance. All six are laid out with what each step adds on the trims and pricing page, and the Trail Boss and ZR2 are compared directly on the ZR2 and Trail Boss page. What it costs to live with Running cost on this truck is almost entirely a drivetrain and tire decision, because the engine never changes. EPA combined is 21 mpg in 2WD, 19 in 4WD, 17 on a ZR2 and 16 on a ZR2 Bison, per fueleconomy.gov. Coming from a V8 half-ton, that is the number that will make you happiest about the move. Maintenance runs off the Engine Oil Life System rather than a fixed mileage, tires rotate every 7,500 miles, and your first maintenance visit is covered in the first 12 months. Coverage is 3 years or 36,000 miles bumper-to-bumper and 5 years or 60,000 miles on the powertrain. The maintenance page covers the ownership side properly. Come drive one against what you have now The best version of this decision takes about twenty minutes. Bring your current truck, drive a Colorado, and park them next to each other in our lot at 4573 Central Ave. Most people know inside a mile. We have been selling trucks here since 1967, and buyers make the run from Malvern, Arkadelphia, Benton and Little Rock to do exactly this. Start a trade appraisal before you come and we will have a real number waiting; get pre-approved and the financing is settled before you drive anything. Call 501-881-4274, schedule a test drive, or just look at what is on the lot right now. Questions we get about moving to a Colorado Will I regret the shorter bed? Most people do not, because the mid-position tailgate handles long material and the 5-foot bed is 41.9 cubic feet. If you regularly haul full sheets flat or need a second cab configuration, that is a genuine reason to stay full-size. Is a four-cylinder enough after a V8? 430 lb-ft of torque is the figure to judge it by, and it is standard on all six trims. It arrives low in the rev range, which is where towing and merging actually happen. Does the Colorado hold its value? Resale depends on trim, condition and mileage more than on nameplate. Bring us your current truck for a written appraisal and we will show you the numbers side by side rather than guess. Which trims come with four-wheel drive? Trail Boss, Z71 and ZR2 have it as standard with a two-speed transfer case. WT, Custom and LT are rear-wheel drive standard with four-wheel drive available, and that available system is single-speed with no low range. How is servicing different from a full-size truck? The interval is set by the Engine Oil Life System rather than a fixed mileage, and it takes dexos1 full synthetic. A turbocharged engine is worth taking that indicator seriously on. You can book service with us whether or not you bought the truck here. Where can I actually use a Trail Boss or a ZR2 around here? The Talimena Scenic Drive and Highway 7 through the Ouachitas are excellent long runs with gravel spurs off them. For the national forest, check the current Forest Service motor vehicle use map before planning a route; designations change and a road on a map is not permission to drive it. Is there a Colorado question you have not answered? Probably not. The Colorado FAQ page runs to thirty-nine of them, and the Colorado research hub collects every page in one place.
Hauling Horses to Oaklawn in a Silverado 2500HD
A loaded three-horse gooseneck rig sits comfortably inside what a 2026 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD will pull, and for most people hauling around Hot Springs the deciding question is not whether the truck can do it but which cab, bed and engine you want under you for the trip. A Crew Cab 2500HD is rated to 18,500 pounds on a conventional hitch when properly equipped, and a Duramax truck with the Max Trailering Package and a long bed reaches 22,050 pounds on a gooseneck or fifth-wheel hitch. We sell trucks to people who haul livestock for a living and to people who take two horses to Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort a few times a season, and those are different trucks. This post walks the haul the way you actually do it — the hitch on the ball, the rig behind you, the road between your barn and the paddock — and lands on which configuration fits which version of that. A properly equipped Crew Cab 2026 Silverado 2500HD tows up to 18,500 pounds on a conventional hitch. Properly equipped with the 6.6L Duramax and the Max Trailering Package, the lineup maximum is 20,000 pounds conventional and 22,050 pounds on a gooseneck or fifth-wheel hitch. A gas Crew Cab carries 3,426 pounds of payload; the lineup maximum is 3,926 pounds on a Work Truck Regular Cab long-bed rear-drive with the gas V8. An integrated trailer brake controller is standard on all six trims, including the entry Work Truck. The 6.6L Duramax turbo-diesel makes 470 horsepower and 975 lb-ft and pairs with an Allison 10-speed automatic. What a Horse Trailer Actually Asks of a Truck Livestock is live weight. It shifts when you brake, it leans into a curve, and it does not settle the way a boat or a stack of lumber does. That puts the demand on three numbers rather than one, and towing capacity is only the first of them. The second is payload, because a gooseneck hitch puts the trailer's pin weight straight down onto your rear axle, and that weight comes out of the same budget as passengers, tack, feed and anything in the bed. A gas Crew Cab starts with 3,426 pounds of payload to spend. The lineup maximum of 3,926 pounds belongs to a Work Truck Regular Cab long-bed rear-drive with the gas V8, which is the lightest truck in the range and therefore the one with the most left over. The third is the hitch itself. A bumper-pull two-horse trailer rides on a conventional receiver; a three-horse or four-horse with living quarters almost always rides on a gooseneck, and that is a different rating and a different bed. The full ladder by cab, bed and engine is laid out on our Silverado 2500HD towing and payload page, and the specifications page carries the bed lengths and weights those ratings depend on. The Three Configurations Worth Looking At Every 2026 Silverado 2500HD can be ordered with either engine, on any trim, so this is a question about cab, bed and powertrain rather than about badge. Three builds cover almost everyone who pulls a horse trailer in Garland County. Build What it suits Headline figure Gas V8 Crew Cab, standard bed Two horses on a bumper-pull, a few trips a season, family in the back seat 401 hp, 464 lb-ft; 3,426 lbs payload Gas V8 Crew Cab, long bed A gooseneck three-horse, weekend distances, room for the hitch in the bed Up to 18,500 lbs conventional, properly equipped Duramax Crew Cab, long bed, Max Trailering Living-quarters trailers, sustained highway hauls, hauling for a living 470 hp, 975 lb-ft; 22,050 lbs gooseneck The gas 6.6L V8 makes 401 horsepower and 464 lb-ft and is the standard engine across the range. The available 6.6L Duramax turbo-diesel makes 470 horsepower and 975 lb-ft and runs through an Allison 10-speed automatic. The difference you feel with a trailer behind you is torque low in the rev range and how little the truck has to work to hold a speed, which is the whole subject of our engines and performance page. Which trim you wrap around that engine is a separate decision, and the trims and pricing page prices every rung from the $45,900 Work Truck up. The Roads You Will Actually Be On The haul from a barn outside Hot Springs to the Oaklawn paddock is short, and short hauls test a truck in ways a spec sheet does not show: backing a gooseneck into a tight lot, holding a lane on a crowned two-lane, stopping a live load at a light you did not expect to catch. Longer runs change the calculus. Coming up from Arkadelphia or across from Malvern puts you on Interstate 30 with a loaded rig at highway speed, and that stretch is where the diesel's torque and the exhaust brake stop being a line item and start being the reason you arrive unbothered. An integrated trailer brake controller is standard on every trim, so the entry Work Truck leaves the lot ready to wire a trailer rather than needing a shop visit first. Cab choice matters more than people expect on these trips. A Crew Cab seats six, which covers the riders and whoever came to help load, and it is the cab almost everyone actually orders. A Regular Cab seats three and returns the most payload, which is the trade that makes it the lineup's payload champion. Which One Fits Your Season Two horses, a bumper-pull, a handful of trips a year. The gas Crew Cab is the right truck. It has the capability the rig asks for, the back seat gets used, and every dollar you do not spend on the diesel is available for the trim you actually want to sit in. A gooseneck three-horse and regular weekends. Go long bed. The bed length is what makes the gooseneck hitch work properly, and it is the harder thing to change later. Either engine will pull it; pick the engine on how far you go, not on the trailer. Living quarters, or hauling as work. Duramax, long bed, Max Trailering Package. That is the build behind the 20,000-pound conventional and 22,050-pound gooseneck figures, and it is the one that treats a long haul as routine. If you are still weighing whether you need a 2500HD at all, the Silverado 1500 and 2500HD comparison covers where the line sits, and the 2500HD and 3500HD comparison covers what the next step up buys. Service intervals and coverage for either engine are on the maintenance and reliability page, and if your season also involves a rough track to a back pasture, the ZR2 page covers the off-road hardware. Come Weigh It Against Your Own Rig Bring the trailer. Bring the weight slip if you have one. We will put your numbers against the cab, bed and engine combinations and tell you which build fits, and you can drive it with the hitch on before you decide. Start with the Silverado 2500HD inventory, schedule a test drive, or start financing when you have picked the truck. The full research set lives on the 2026 Silverado 2500HD guide, and quick answers are on the FAQs page. Every configuration and price is on the Silverado 2500HD overview. Horse Trailer and Silverado 2500HD FAQs Can a Silverado 2500HD pull a loaded three-horse gooseneck? Yes. Properly equipped with the 6.6L Duramax and the Max Trailering Package, the 2500HD is rated to 22,050 pounds on a gooseneck or fifth-wheel hitch, which a loaded three-horse rig sits well inside. Weigh your own trailer loaded, because water, feed and tack move the number more than people expect. Do I need the diesel, or is the gas V8 enough? Not for a bumper-pull two-horse trailer. The 6.6L gas V8 makes 401 horsepower and 464 lb-ft and is rated to 16,000 pounds on a conventional hitch when properly equipped. The Duramax earns its place on sustained highway hauls and heavier gooseneck rigs. How much payload do I have for pin weight and tack? A gas Crew Cab starts with 3,426 pounds. The lineup maximum is 3,926 pounds on a Work Truck Regular Cab long-bed rear-drive with the gas V8. Passengers, tack, feed and gooseneck pin weight all draw on the same figure. What comes standard on the entry Work Truck? An integrated trailer brake controller is standard on all six trims, so the $45,900 Work Truck is wired for a trailer as delivered rather than needing a shop visit first. What does servicing a Duramax involve compared with the gas V8? Both follow the same first scheduled visit at 12 months or 12,000 miles. The Duramax carries five years or 100,000 miles of diesel powertrain coverage, and the intervals and coverage for both engines are set out on the maintenance and reliability page. {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"AutoDealer","@id":"https://www.allentillerychevy.com/#dealer","name":"Allen Tillery Auto Chevrolet","url":"https://www.allentillerychevy.com/","telephone":"(501) 881-4274","priceRange":"$$","address":{"@type":"PostalAddress","streetAddress":"4573 Central Ave","addressLocality":"Hot Springs","addressRegion":"AR","postalCode":"71913","addressCountry":"US"},"areaServed":"Garland County, Saline County and Hot Spring County, Arkansas"},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://www.allentillerychevy.com/#website","url":"https://www.allentillerychevy.com/","name":"Allen Tillery Auto Chevrolet","publisher":{"@id":"https://www.allentillerychevy.com/#dealer"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://www.allentillerychevy.com/searchnew.aspx?Make=Chevrolet{search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.allentillerychevy.com/hauling-horses-to-oaklawn-in-a-silverado-2500hd#webpage","url":"https://www.allentillerychevy.com/hauling-horses-to-oaklawn-in-a-silverado-2500hd","name":"Hauling Horses to Oaklawn in a Silverado 2500HD","isPartOf":{"@id":"https://www.allentillerychevy.com/#website"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https://www.allentillerychevy.com/hauling-horses-to-oaklawn-in-a-silverado-2500hd#breadcrumb"},"datePublished":"2026-08-20","dateModified":"2026-08-20","inLanguage":"en-US","about":{"@id":"https://www.allentillerychevy.com/hauling-horses-to-oaklawn-in-a-silverado-2500hd#vehicle"},"mainEntity":{"@id":"https://www.allentillerychevy.com/hauling-horses-to-oaklawn-in-a-silverado-2500hd#faq"}},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https://www.allentillerychevy.com/hauling-horses-to-oaklawn-in-a-silverado-2500hd#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://www.allentillerychevy.com/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Blog","item":"https://www.allentillerychevy.com/blog"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Hauling Horses to Oaklawn in a Silverado 2500HD","item":"https://www.allentillerychevy.com/hauling-horses-to-oaklawn-in-a-silverado-2500hd"}]},{"@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https://www.allentillerychevy.com/hauling-horses-to-oaklawn-in-a-silverado-2500hd#article","headline":"Hauling Horses to Oaklawn in a Silverado 2500HD","datePublished":"2026-08-20","dateModified":"2026-08-20","author":{"@id":"https://www.allentillerychevy.com/#dealer"},"publisher":{"@id":"https://www.allentillerychevy.com/#dealer"},"mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https://www.allentillerychevy.com/hauling-horses-to-oaklawn-in-a-silverado-2500hd#webpage"},"about":{"@id":"https://www.allentillerychevy.com/hauling-horses-to-oaklawn-in-a-silverado-2500hd#vehicle"},"articleSection":"Buyer's Guide","inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Car","@id":"https://www.allentillerychevy.com/hauling-horses-to-oaklawn-in-a-silverado-2500hd#vehicle","name":"2026 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD","brand":{"@type":"Brand","name":"Chevrolet"},"manufacturer":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Chevrolet"},"model":"2026 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD","vehicleModelDate":"2026","bodyType":"3 styles: Regular, Double, Crew","vehicleEngine":{"@type":"EngineSpecification","engineType":"6.6L V8 (L8T)","fuelType":"Gasoline"},"cargoVolume":{"@type":"QuantitativeValue","value":"83.5","unitText":"cu ft"},"fuelCapacity":{"@type":"QuantitativeValue","value":"28","unitText":"gal"},"vehicleConfiguration":"6 trims: WT, Custom, LT, LTZ, ZR2, High Country","offers":{"@type":"AggregateOffer","priceCurrency":"USD","lowPrice":"52600","highPrice":"52600","offerCount":"1","availability":"https://schema.org/InStock","seller":{"@id":"https://www.allentillerychevy.com/#dealer"}}},{"@type":"FAQPage","@id":"https://www.allentillerychevy.com/hauling-horses-to-oaklawn-in-a-silverado-2500hd#faq","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"Can a Silverado 2500HD pull a loaded three-horse gooseneck?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Yes. Properly equipped with the 6.6L Duramax and the Max Trailering Package, the 2500HD is rated to 22,050 pounds on a gooseneck or fifth-wheel hitch, which a loaded three-horse rig sits well inside. Weigh your own trailer loaded, because water, feed and tack move the number more than people expect."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"Do I need the diesel, or is the gas V8 enough?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Not for a bumper-pull two-horse trailer. The 6.6L gas V8 makes 401 horsepower and 464 lb-ft and is rated to 16,000 pounds on a conventional hitch when properly equipped. The Duramax earns its place on sustained highway hauls and heavier gooseneck rigs."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"How much payload do I have for pin weight and tack?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"A gas Crew Cab starts with 3,426 pounds. The lineup maximum is 3,926 pounds on a Work Truck Regular Cab long-bed rear-drive with the gas V8. 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