A bike that might be worth looking into for a couple of hundred more bucks would be the Kona Hoss. It is a h/t that would be burly enough for towing a trailer and hitting the rougher stuff, but also friendly on the regular trails. Just a thought. Here is the link to it if you want to check it out.
http://www.konabikes.co.uk/2k7bikes/hoss_2k7.php
Sorry, the link is for their Europe site, but you will still be able to get the details. I think it is about $899 US. Also I was told by the Kona dealer that I deal with that there are some 2006 Kona Hoss left overs at Kona going for a great price.
Let us know what you get.