I've got a 2010 Tundra Crewmax with the 5.7 V8 now and pull my 45 hp tractor on a 24' gooseneck fairly often on 120 mile round trip. I've had a 10-12K load behind it several times and pulling it 60 mph for short trips is no problem. If you want to go faster, it will do it, but will start to gear hunt non stop. If I had to pull more than 100 miles one way on the Interstate, I'd get another diesel. But the Tundra gets my jobs done with no issues and I can't complain. The room in the cab of the crewmax is great for my kids. I've done nothing but oil changes and air filters and it has 83,000 miles on it.
In the past, I've owned a 2002 3/4 ton dodge with a 6 speed manual and a 2003 3/4 ton dodge automatic. For pulling, there is no comparison, the diesel is in a league of its own. The 2002 6 speed was very strong. I had to replace fuel pumps, injector pumps, front end components, ac problems, water pumps, and other little things starting around 125,000 miles. To me it was a love/hate relationship, for example, when you hit a hill running 70 with a 8-12K load in tow and all you hear is a little turbo noise and it holds speed, you love it. But when you get stuck 12 hours from home and have to pay for an injector pump and fuel pump failure, you hate it or I did anyway. Oil changes and fuel filter changes were easy, but injector pumps were above my skill level at that time and especially 12 hours from home. I imagine the newer diesels pull better than the old ones and may be more reliable than the ones I had.
If money was no object, I'd still drive a diesel. But, I don't work away from home anymore and would rather drive the Tundra and buy more stuff for my kids and occasionally something for my wife. I don't know how my current Tundra will hold up in the long run, but I had an '04 Tundra that I drove until February of this year when it was totaled out with 319,000 miles. It was a much smaller truck and I routinely towed 8K loads and never did any maintenance except for oil changes and a timing belt/water pump and I feel like I could have drove it at least another 100,000 miles or more. I hope my 2010 is as good as my 2004.
Good luck in you search for a truck.
