Need advice on choosing another Tow Vehicle?

Atlee wrote:
I pulled a 24 ft bumper to ball trailer from Virginia to Los Angeles, CA with a 2005 F150 Supercab w/ 5.4, 3.73 rear w/ tow pkg earlier this year. I averaged 10.xx for the trip. One time I hit 12, but I was running on a flat highway with a trailing wind. I'd drop to 9.xx if most of the tank was used climbing hills and mountains.

On the back roads I'd drive between 55 & 60. When I was on interstates, I'd drive between 60 and 65.

Can't argue with facts. I guess I am just worried and making much ado about nothing. I have owned many vehicles in my life and I am a maintenance nut. I usually own my cars until they die and almost every car I have ever owned died because of automatic transmission failure no matter how well I maintained it. Personally, I am stick shift man, but my wife is totally incapable driving one (I know! I tried to teach her at great peril to my life), so I am forced to own Automatics so she can drive them. Never in my life had a stick go out on me, a clutch maybe, but never the trans.

Before this Silverado I had a 1993 F-350 with the 7.3 International Diesel and the E40D Autotrans. Blew that trans out hauling a 20 foot flat trailer of firewood 100 miles at 55mph. Piece of Junk!

I just have not had great results hauling loads with automatic transmissions. I pulled my trailer empty fro east Texas (about 300 miles) and my truck stayed in 3rd most of the way and my RPMs were up there; and this is in flat land Texas. I can't image how bad my truck will struggle once I load it up and hit the Rocky Mountains.