less. I've owned trailers that weigh up to 7500 pounds and have towed them with half ton trucks and suburbans, but it's not a great towing experience, especially when taking long trips down the interstate through several states. It's not a big deal if you do all of your camping within 100 miles, but if you're planning on towing long distances, you'll want a lighter trailer or a 3/4 ton truck.

What I'm most concerned about with a heavier trailer is the rear end. Towing a heavier trailer with a light-duty rear end WILL eventually cause your rear end to fail. I don't know what the common rear differential ratios are today. It used to be the light-duty differential had a 3.73 ratio and a heavy duty rear end had a 4.10 ratio (drive shaft spins 4.1 revolutions for every revolution of your tire). This was pretty standard across most manufacturers. The lower the ratio is, the more stress is being put on your differential. The stress gets magnified when you're towing and have a heavy payload.

I've had a number of problems with 3.73 differentials after extended and repeated towing of heavier trailers. I've never had a problem with a 4.10. Newer trucks have lower ratio rear ends that what used to be standard. I think Chevy uses a 3.23 and a 3.42 ratio rear end now. Both of those are putting more stress on the gears in the differential than even the old light duty 3.73. If it were me, I'd figure out what type of rear differential you have in your truck. If you have the light duty rear end (smaller ratio number), then I'd definitely steer clear of a heavier trailer and try to stay below 5500 pounds dry weight. If you have the heavier duty differential (larger ratio number (e.g., 3.42 in a Chevy)), then I'd be more confident about getting a heavier trailer.