Wow, that's where the expression "old wives tale" comes from!!
That's the silliest and wrongest reason to not get a diesel I've ever heard.
You have hundreds of friends right on here who travel all over everywhere with diesels!
No, you don't need a diesel one-ton to pull that trailer, the wimpy "trucks" you're looking at will do it.
Just don't get bigger-trailer fever later on! I'd buy a 3/4 ton if I were you.
There's something the numbers in the brochure don't account for: stress and fatigue.
When you drive a lighter truck loaded close to or at its capacity, the drive isn't as easy and relaxing. It always feels heavy and loaded and your fatigue level increases.
When you have a good stout truck that isn't working so hard to do the job, the drive is easy and stress free. You have a much nicer time driving it.
Yes, the half-tons are entirely capable of pulling a decent size trailer, but things aren't always about brochure math.