The base Comanche was a 3/4 ton (14xx pounds). Mine has the optional rear axle and springs -- it's rated for 2200 pounds.
I had an '86 that I bought as a loss leader off the lot, 4 banger, manual, that I drove for 14 years. As I recall, they were supposed to be "larger than a mid-sized, but smaller than a full-sized". Mine had a 7' bed. To G98's point, it wasn't just salt spray - pretty much every Comanche that I ever saw, including mine, had the paint on the hood and top go to crap. I never had a mechanical issue with mine, and bet I could have gone another 100K easy without one, but I was getting nickel and dimed by non-drivetrain stuff on it towards the end. Sold it and got a base six cylinder manual F150, which is the only vehicle I've ever had that I didn't keep for a long time, mostly because it ended up not being load rated enough for me. Traded it for an F250, in which I make one trip to the gravel yard versus three with the F150.
Hawkmoon, does it have to be 4WD? My F250 is 2WD and sits a good bit lower than the 4WD model does. Not that sometimes I wish I would have gotten the 4WD, but if you don't absolutely need it, or only in a limited way where you can get by putting chains or go-claws on the tires, the 2WD is probably at a good height for you.\
EDIT: Actually I remember now that the Comanche bed was 7 3/4 feet because it was advertised to carry studs with the tailgate up. Part of the marketing strategy as a "work truck".