For what it's worth, my father in law had a mid (I think) 90's S10 with the 4.3. The first time I towed my pop up camper with it, I was AMAZED! I had no idea what the size of the engine was, and it all made sense when I got to the campground and popped the hood lol. I honestly could not tell the camper was on the back. It never rocked the truck, made it sway, etc. It pulled that thing like there was nothing hooked up to the truck. Great motor.
Only thing I will say is that the brake feel sucked. WITHOUT anything on the hitch, it still felt like I had to stand on the brake pedal to stop it. Not literally, but you get the point. The rotors in the front are pretty small for a truck, allbeit, a smaller truck.