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It sounds like you want a truck to do 'truck stuff' with, rather than all-purpose or a daily driver. It sounds like you're wanting to do a fair bit of towing, so a 3/4 or 1 ton is the way to go. A manual transmission should be a given. Whether you want/need a 4x4 is up to you. Your follow-up post mentioned snow plowing and wagon towing as well. I'd want a diesel for sure to do that work. Diesels can cost a lot more for parts, but seem to require much less maintenance (replacing parts, etc...) than gas engines. If you decide to go for diesel, Ford or Dodge would be my preference. Dodge has the Cummins. Ford's diesels (all by International I believe) have a pretty good record. We had 1984, 1985 and 1988 F-350 diesels that worked great on our farm. Dad switched to Dodge in 1993 for the Cummins and traded in 2000 to get the new high-output version. From our experiences in the early '80s and what neighbors and mechanics around here have said, GM hasn't put a reliable diesel on the market. However, if you decide to go with a gasoline version, I'd have to put a word in for GM. You can literally build 'Chevy' V-8 engines from all aftermarket parts, and build several complete engines without using the same manufacturer's parts twice. That means parts are abundant and possibly less expensive than parts for other brands. There are lots of aftermarket parts for Ford too (not as many for Dodge), but the aftermarket GM parts pool is more like an ocean. Good luck shopping, and I hope you find a good deal. You might want to pay for a title check (like Carfax) on any truck you're seriously considering so you know how many times it's run down some oak trees or been at the bottom of a river. When pulling a trailer, having dual rear wheels makes an enormous difference in handling. You may want to check prices on those when you're shopping as well. Also, 1-ton duallies with a diesel engine and manual transmission should be fairly common, compared to a 3/4 with that equipment.
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