To answer the original question...an f350 6.0 turbo diesel crew cab long box 4x4 2005 model. Before that an f350 7.3
turbo diesel crew cab long box 4x4 1997 model. The 1997, which I still have, turned 275,000 recently and my whole investment in the shop with it is still under $300. That's not counting regular maintenance of course. I'll take a diesel for towing (which I do a LOT of) any day. I hope the new one holds up as well.
Regarding the u-haul thing......It boils down to a spitting match between a couple of over aged rich boys who are more concerned with oneupmanship than customer relations. If you pull up towing info for Mercury's suv that is identical to the ford explorer, and practically made on the same assembly line, you'll find that it is acceptable to tow with it. I've been a u-haul dealer, as part of my business, for about 15 years now and the whole explorer issue is a royal pain in the tush.
Unless you need a one-way rental, look to a local rental house like Nations Rent, Grand Rental Station, etc. Many have their own vehicle hauling trailers for rent and don't put the explorer restriction on them. You should be familiar with your vehicles curb weight, however, as you do not want to be towing a heavier load than you weigh in at. It kinda sucks when your load stuffs you into oncoming traffic at an intersection.......If that turns out to be the case, you'll need to look into having a trailering brake system on your vehicle, but you'll probably have a hard time finding a rental auto hauler that has any compatible brake system other than surge brakes, which are not really adequate.
I could go from here into what I WANT to be driving, but.......
