Towing back in 1959

[1project2many]

"Any". If the rest of the truck is set up right it's usually not an issue. Launchability on the grade is kind of the final pass/fail criteria.

The other criteria are ride and handling (the ability to handle the load) and braking.

And "Marketing" considerations.

My grandfather had a trucking company from the '50s to the '80s. He used medium duty straight jobs for many years. He used many makes from Diamond Reo to Brockway to Ford and he even had a couple of Dodge outfits. When I asked him about GM trucks he told me he didn't like them. He said the trucks would pull anything you wanted but stopping at the other end was always an issue. Years later I have to wonder how the trucks were spec'ed, but the impression I grew up with was that GM trucks could climb a mountain jut don't ask them to drive down the other side.