Attention: TDR Forum Junkies 
Jason,
IMHO, 4x4 vs 2x4 will mostly effect your gross weight. Reverse gear in the manual is kind of high. It's nice to have low range to get that trailer into a tight place. You can add a switch to lock out the vacuum controlled front end too. That way, you can use lo range but the front won't engage and cause binding. I bought my 97' with 62k and have 112k now. No 5th gear problem as of yet but maybe it was fixed already? I tow in 5th but keep the rpm's up otherwise I drop back to 4th. If you tow that amount of weight alot, you may eventually want to add an auxilery overdrive transmission for about $2500.
IMHO, 4x4 vs 2x4 will mostly effect your gross weight. Reverse gear in the manual is kind of high. It's nice to have low range to get that trailer into a tight place. You can add a switch to lock out the vacuum controlled front end too. That way, you can use lo range but the front won't engage and cause binding. I bought my 97' with 62k and have 112k now. No 5th gear problem as of yet but maybe it was fixed already? I tow in 5th but keep the rpm's up otherwise I drop back to 4th. If you tow that amount of weight alot, you may eventually want to add an auxilery overdrive transmission for about $2500.
