4WD let's you get farther into the boonies before you have to call someone to pull you out.
I've made that call and I've taken the walk out. More than once... When I was a kid long before cell phones we decided that walk was an additional ten miles. I grew up in rual Idaho and most of us had four-wheel-drive toys to keep us out of trouble on weekends.
But Jeff is right, these days if I'm off the pavement its generally pulling a trailer and chasing rusty iron. With the amount of rain we get here, especially in the last couple of weeks, being able to engage a second axle has a lot of appeal.
While I've been using a four-wheel-drive as my tow vehicle for quite a while, I'm not committed to staying that way. Three of my four proposed options are two wheel drive based. And while I may not have said so, all four assume the 18 inch dually type 1-ton wheels, even though that might create some other challenges.
I have most the frame and running gear parts mentioned in my four approaches so collecting and paying for parts isn't a big problem. Time and complexity are factors in the choice more than money, and those might appear to favor option four, because most the pieces are aleady in place. But since the suspension needs to be rebuilt it will all come apart anyway, so making changes may not be a lot more work.
My primary concern is feeling comfortable the resulting truck will handle the load safely. I've never seen a tow rating spec for a truck this old, and kind of doubt anyone has published one. My current trailer limits load at 7,000 pounds but I don't want to loose the ability to pull more.
Grigg I have no question you are building a truck capable of pulling a heavy trailer, but what I don't have is anything I could show a trailer rental place proving either mine or yours is adequate to the task. Its not that I expect either of us to rent trailers, but expressing it that way seems a good way to illustrate what I'm seeking.
Thanks for the responses guys!
