Hi All, I'm shopping for a used 5500 crew cab 4x4 flatbed as a company vehicle. I need something that can tow heavy equipment (multiple mini-excavators & skid steers), carry large payloads from time to time (sometimes equipment loaded on the flatbed), and handle daily driving simultaneously. A 5500 seems to fit the bill to be able to handle the max loads we can throw at it and still function as a normal pickup. One day we'll add a semi to the mix, but we need this truck to bridge the gap in the meantime. I expect to keep this truck indefinitely. My current 2000 7.3L F350 SRW crew cab 4x4 flatbed has 350k miles and still running good with necessary maintenance and I expect whatever I buy to do the same.

Anyway, I'm looking at trucks in the 100k mile range and $35,000 or less. This seems to cover anything from a 2012 Laramie to a 2017 Tradesman. If price and miles are equal, is a 2017 a better truck than a 2012 just based on being newer? I realize Ram increased power slightly during that time, but am I going to notice a difference in a stock truck? Is there a certain age where I shouldn't consider? Is 100k in hot shot miles something I should avoid? Is 100k miles going to mean a delete is a priority in the near future? Any advice is appreciated.