Ill be the first to admit that numerous times I have hauled way more than I should've back when I had my 97. Whenever I hook up a trailer I am always aware of roughly how much weight I am hauling and take into account how far I'm pulling it. One major thing we do need to take into account on our aging trucks is the integrity of the hitch. On my 97 it rotted away from the inside out. I got lucky and it fell apart when I put a little too much tounge weight on it. Luckily I can weld and fab so I made a new one better than factory spec.

I now inspect my hitches as part of regular maintenance and spray the inside down with lightweight oil. I also try not to haul more than my truck can handle often.

 

My truck for years was a daily driver. It did get used a lot (and one of the main reasons I purchased it new in 1996) for flat-towing my ****** Jeep (and hauling camping gear and tools in the truck's bed at the same time). It is no longer my daily driver, but it still gets used for flat-towing my ******, and my little adventure trailer I made. And yes, it was repainted a year-or-so ago with 2015 Corvette Shark Gray.

 

Hauled some hogs last month.