Virtually all of the vehicles mentioned here are in the "mini-truck" category. Most of these are "rated" for "quarter ton" payload, or about 500 pounds. The "rated load" includes fuel and passengers, along with what you put in the back end.
Experience shows that you can go "way beyond what it says on the post," but a front loader will typically drop 800 to 1200 pounds of topsoil (or fertilizer) on you, if you don't show some restraint.
You can get 3/4 ton rated vehicles in the same "body styles," but they don't look much different on the outside. (In some model/year combinations, you might find a 1 ton.) You need to check the load rating plate that's usually mounted to the door frame - frequently on the back post at the drivers door. This will tell you what load the vehicle is intended to carry, and also what tire size and inflation it should use.
Factory equipment for trailering sometimes includes a beef-up of some suspension components, and often a different tire size or ply rating. The information on the doorpost should show what the vehicle is good for including any factory mods. Trailering packages sometimes also include a higher ratio rear-end unit, but it can be very difficult to tell what's installed there unless you know, or can look up, specific part numbers.
I have friends who insist that Ford is no longer an acronym for "Found On Road Dead" or even "Fix Or Repair Daily." I once had a friend who bragged that his Ford would run with more things wrong with it than anything else on the road. The stock answer to that was "It always has more things wrong with it than anything else on the road." I think they've improved a lot lately.
Smart shoppers - especially for cheap transport, will NOT look for a brand name. The specific individual vehicle and it's current condition is all that matters. (Well, there is "What kind of deal will you cut me?")