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I say front too. THen you have more trailer and overhang if need for a larger or longer load. Put it on the back and you severely limit the size of the load you can carry. Plus then the weight of the crane is over the drivers.
More justification...
It looks to me like the trailer frame is narrower than the truck frame, sitting inside the wheel spread. If you mount it on the back, seems to me like it would be pretty unstable, with some of the weight out over the end of the wheels on the trailer.
Sorry to pull it off track, but what kind of trailer/van was it? I was looking in the TMs at some M749/M750 trailer vans, but it listed them weighing about 5K more.
As to the question, front all the way. If you're going to have a bed area on the rear, the crane can assist "dragging" whatever onto the bed easier that way.
Plus the trailer could be loaded from either side or the rear. Dunno how you plan on powering it either. But if you're going to do a wet line from the truck, that's less hose as well.
I constantly wish I would have mounted mine on the back of the truck but as said I think it would be far less stable. I wish mine was back there so I had more reach (currently 30ft). Even though the back would be way nicer, Im voting front for saftey.