A friend of ours here in our local ATHS Chapter has a '52 Ferd 2-ton with it's original drivetrain that he's completely restored and had Chevron mount a rollback body on it. It works great -- we convoyed with him to Winchester, VA for the show there when he was hauling his Model A truck on the back and he only slowed down some on the big hills. He might have put different gearing in the rear end.
Here's a picture of it Not that you need to go buy a new custom set up from a major manufacturer, just showing you that it's feasible without going crazy with the drivetrain. If you'd like to ask him about it, just pm me and I will put you in touch with John.
Regards,
John
