Well, Butch, I"ve been pulling a 4500 lb. boat and trailer with a 91
Ford F150 w/5.0 L engine for the past 11 years. It has the 3.55 rear
axle and overdrive. Its the standard size cab and box, wish I had
gotten the extended cab, but the deal was so good, I couldn't pass it
up. It pulls the boat with no problem, gets it out of the hole easily.
I would avoid a manual transmission for trailering , tho. Getting it
out of the ramp is pretty hard on a stick shift & clutch. Now for the
bad news: I"ve had a lot of inordinate problems that shouldn't have
occured in the 80K miles that its been in service. I take very good
care of it and its never outside for very long.
..
Problems: A/C quit just after warranty ran out. Transmission had to
be worked over . Main fuel tank developed a leak. Oil pan developed a
leak. Ball joints had to be replaced. Other irritating things like left
hand turn signal won't cancel. Door lock has stopped working.
The four major problems came to over $3000 in repairs that I felt
shouldn't have happened. Its been a good running drive line, but if I
had it to do over, I"d opt for the GMC. I have friends with GMCs and
haven't put half the money into them and some have over 110K miles on
them.

I'm planning on getting another car soon and I think I'll go for a lease
deal. I don't put enought miles on a car to go over the 12K mile
limit, so at this stage in life, I want a car that that doesn't require
a lot of maintenance .

I'll make you a good deal on an 82 Camaro Z28 if you're interested
:-) But, seriously, folks,.... you might look into a lease deal for
your pickup. Also, we're at the end of the 2003 model year and you
might find a good deal on one of the last of the run along about Dec. or
there abouts. I bought my 91 in Feb. 1992 and it was about the last 91
left in the area. I got it for about $4000 less than I would have
paid for a comparable 92.

Good luck on the truck hunting..
======
Norm