What's the best towing vehicle ?

[earthquake68]

Eric, ...somehow, I don't think a deuce and a half is the answer here.

I've used just about every vehicle there is for towing. (Including 5 ton Army trucks)

Keep these rules in mind when looking.......

-Ford, Chevy Dodge don't matter. They all have strong points and weak points.
-A longer wheel base will tow better and be less likely to get squirrelly on panic stops and turns.
-Dual rear wheel help TREMENDOUSLY on windy days to keep the truck and trailer stable.
-A small V-8 or big 6 will pull the load, but if you pull a long grade, plan on getting in the slow lane with your four way flashers on.
-A big v-8 or diesel may sound like over kill, but is actually preferable to keep you from being a road hazard.
-4WD is NECESSARY unless you are absolutely SURE your tires will never hit grass or mud. I can not count the times I had to hook my trailer to the 4x4 to pull it out of the back yard because the tow rig couldn't get traction.

If you keep all this in mind, you should do fine. The absolute MOST CAPABLE tow truck I had was one I built. It was a 1981 Chevy 1 ton, crew cab dually with a built 468 big block, TH400 and 3.73 gears in a DANA 70. I used a 1 ton single wheel Ford diesel that could out pull the gas engines, but single wheel truck got blown around on the highway more. I used a lifted 4x4 short wheel base Chevy truck, also. That truck could pull the trailer anywhere on the property, but was down right dangerous on the highway it was so unstable.

Keep the rules above in mind while shopping and figure out exactly how you want the vehicle to perform. Then make a decision based on that. You should be able to afford whatever truck you want.