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  • William Maley
    William Maley

    By William Maley •

    Chevrolet Silverado Adds Medium Duty To The Family

      For those who want something bigger than your standard Silverado

    Chevrolet had a range of medium-duty trucks (class 4, 5, and 6) known as TopKick up until a decade ago. But today at NTEA The Work Truck Show, Chevrolet is coming back to the segment with a familiar name - Silverado 4500HD, 5500HD, and 6500HD.

    The overall shape is similar to the Silverado HD, but the medium-duty trucks get a large grille and broad fenders. The models will only be built as chassis cabs with the choice of a regular or crew cab.

    Under the hood is a 6.6L Duramax turbodiesel V8 paired with an Allison transmission. Power figures stand at 350 horsepower and 700 pound-feet of torque. Before anyone asks, this is slightly different than the Duramax found in the Silverado 2500 and 3500HDs. This is due to the engine being tuned more for heavy grunt work such as delivering lumber or steel. Medium-duty trucks also have more stringent emission regulations. Chevrolet will be offering two and four-wheel drive.

    Chevrolet highlighted a few items that are said to make the Silverado medium duty a bit easier to live with. The front wheels can be turned to an angle of 50 degrees to not only allow for better maneuverability, but allows for easier access to the engine when servicing. The doors are inset and come tripled seal to cut down on noise and vibration. An optional rear air suspension to help smooth out the ride. Various tech features such as Bluetooth, 4G LTE with wi-fi, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatability; and wireless phone charging will be available.

    Order guides for the new Silverado 4500HD, 5500HD, and 6500HD will come out this spring, with pricing to follow in the summer. As for production, that will kick off sometime late this year.

    Source: Chevrolet
    Press Release is on Page 2

    CHEVROLET UNVEILS THE 2019 SILVERADO 4500HD, 5500HD AND 6500HD AT NTEA THE WORK TRUCK SHOW

    • All-New Silverado conventional cabs will be the most customer-focused medium-duty trucks of any major competitor
    • Easy to upfit: Clean, one-piece straight frame rails, seven Cab-to-Axle options
    • Easy to drive: Excellent maneuverability, factory air suspension
    • Easy to service: Lightweight clamshell hood allows "walk up" access to engine

    INDIANAPOLIS —Chevrolet revealed its first-ever Silverado Class 4, 5 and 6 chassis cab trucks today at NTEA The Work Truck Show – three supremely capable conventional cab models will be the most customer-focused trucks of any major competitor.

    “Chevy’s designers and engineers were obsessed with making this Silverado the most customer-focused medium duty truck of any major competitor,” said Ed Peper, U.S. vice president, GM Fleet. “By customer-focused, I mean work-ready trucks that are easy to upfit, easy to drive, easy to service and easy to own.”

    The Trucks Dealers, Customers and Upfitters Asked For

    The input of fleet managers, truck drivers, upfitters, technicians and Chevrolet dealers drove the development of the new Silverados.

    “It’s not just numbers on a spec sheet that make us different and better,” said John Schwegman, director of Commercial Product and Medium Duty at GM Fleet. “These new Silverados are designed to solve the most common upfit and ownership challenges fleets have with many of today’s medium duty trucks.”

    Challenge

    The Silverado Solution
    • Cost and complexity of upfits: Frames that rust; rivets, brackets and fluid lines that interfere with body mounting.
    • A factory-painted frame with one-piece frame rails, smooth, unobstructed top sections, and through-the-frame fuel fill lines.
    • Frame compromises: Frame rails that are too short behind the rear axle to accommodate longer cargo boxes without extensions and reinforcements. 
    • Seven Cab-to-Axle (CA) options ranging from 60 to 162-inches, along with five unique axle-to-back-of-frame (AF) lengths sized in 8-inch increments.
    • Service obstacles: Hood designs that force technicians to use ladders or remove vehicle components to access under-hood components for maintenance and repair.
    • A lightweight, front-hinged “clamshell” hood that, combined with a 50-degree wheel cut, allows easy “walk up” access to under-hood components.
    • Difficult to drive: Poor downward perspective for the driver, along with poor low-speed maneuverability due to narrow wheel cuts, and wide turning radiuses.
    • A precisely crafted and contoured hood optimizes the driver’s perspective of the road. Maneuverability is excellent thanks to up to 50-degree wheel cuts.
    • Noise, Vibration and Harshness: The need to retrofit aftermarket air suspensions to improve ride; loud, uncomfortable cabins.
    • An available, factory-installed rear air suspension, not on Ford and Ram; triple-sealed, inset doors to help reduce wind and road noise; huck bolts used throughout the frame for superior clamping force.
    • DEF tank placement: Poorly-placed and marked diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) tanks that can lead to refueling errors.
    • The DEF tank is conveniently located on the passenger side of the truck – the opposite side of the fuel fill.

    Proven Power

    The Silverado will be available in 2WD and 4WD and will be powered by a 6.6-liter Duramax diesel engine with 350 horsepower and 700 lb.-ft. of torque and Allison transmissions with a Power Take Off (PTO) option.

    “When you consider all of the flexibility, capability and durability we have engineered into the Silverado, along with the proven power of Allison transmissions and the Duramax diesel engine, we have a medium duty truck line that will appeal to both Chevrolet loyalists and competitive owners alike,” said Schwegman.

    The Most Connected Medium Duty Truck

    The Silverado will also be the most connected commercial truck available, thanks to options that include OnStar and Commercial Link, a built-in 4GLTE Wi-Fi hotspot (paid data plan required), wireless cellphone charging, Bluetooth and support for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

    Production and Ordering

    Production of the new Silverado begins in late 2018. Order guides will be available this spring and pricing will be announced this summer. More than 400 commercially-focused Chevrolet dealers are expected to carry the new Silverado line.

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    User Feedback

    Recommended Comments

    ccap41

    Why would they use a detuned, less clean, version of an engine they already have? Wouldn't the extra power benefit these trucks way more than Average Dave hauling himself and his wife around in an empty-bed 3500HD? 

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    Robert Hall
    41 minutes ago, dfelt said:

    SWEET :metal: I could see myself owning and driving a medium duty pickup truck. I like that King Cab version. Sweet! :metal: 

    Cadillac need an Escalade HD version of this...

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    G. David Felt
    4 hours ago, ccap41 said:

    Why would they use a detuned, less clean, version of an engine they already have? 

    Extra power is always nice, but I think you miss read the story Bill wrote. There is emission requirements for the medium duty class and the full Duramax Power clearly in a Medium Duty format would exceed those emissions. As such a detuned version. This also leave 3rd party open to offering performance upgrades and also the ability to just reflash the chip to the higher value after being sold by the owner.

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    smk4565

    They could add an electric assist of some sort if people wanted more pulling power or torque.  Diesel-electric hybrids work quite well for that sort of thing.  

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    Carguy

    It seems to me this should be GMC instead of Chevrolet at least initially being GMC is Professional Grade and all that. But its still good to see GM do this all the same. ;)

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    balthazar

    Agreed: medium duty trucks should all be 'GMC's. If there are no GMC dealers in some areas, load some GMC MD's on the transport truck and ship them to Chevy dealers.

    • Haha 1
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    Robert Hall

    GMC is about luxury w/ the Denalis, these really don't fit that marketing message.  Chevy can have the commercial use focus.  Though I assume GMC will get some of these also?  

    Edited by Cubical-aka-Moltar
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    smk4565
    1 hour ago, balthazar said:

    Much like -say- Mercedes; GMC can go in more than 1 direction.

    Besides : "Professional Grade". :D

    Yes they could.  If they build that image of building commercial grade trucks they could do both.  Volvo builds trucks too.  Tesla will also.

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    Robert Hall
    11 hours ago, smk4565 said:

    Yes they could.  If they build that image of building commercial grade trucks they could do both.  Volvo builds trucks too.  Tesla will also.

    Volvo trucks today are unrelated to Volvo cars (though at one time that were parts of the same company, long ago). 

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    William Maley
    On 3/9/2018 at 6:45 PM, Cubical-aka-Moltar said:

    GMC is about luxury w/ the Denalis, these really don't fit that marketing message.  Chevy can have the commercial use focus.  Though I assume GMC will get some of these also?  

    Nope, these will be only available as Chevrolets. From Automotive News,

    Quote

    Unlike a decade ago, GM has no plans to sell a medium-duty GMC truck, according to execs.

     

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    Robert Hall
    7 minutes ago, William Maley said:

    Nope, these will be only available as Chevrolets. From Automotive News,

     

    Makes sense..Chevy is the broad truck brand with work trucks and personal use/family trucks, and let GMC focus on the luxury trucks and try and minimize overlap.. 

    Edited by Cubical-aka-Moltar
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    ocnblu

    Nice rig.  I see there will be more than one transmission available.  Has it been mentioned if there will be a manual transmission in the mix?  I am surprised at how luxurious the interior is on this truck... maybe there is a more plebian, workmanlike interior available, but not shown on these debutants.

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    ccap41
    On 3/7/2018 at 6:56 PM, dfelt said:

    Extra power is always nice, but I think you miss read the story Bill wrote. There is emission requirements for the medium duty class and the full Duramax Power clearly in a Medium Duty format would exceed those emissions. As such a detuned version. This also leave 3rd party open to offering performance upgrades and also the ability to just reflash the chip to the higher value after being sold by the owner.

    No I understood it. They're continuing to use the "old" engine instead of the one in the 2500/3500's and with that they don't have the stricter emissions requirements as it's pretty much commercial use only where there are less regulations.. why not use the more powerful and cleaner engine they have available? I know you're an advocate of cleaner vehicles and I'd think you'd want the cleaner option as well.

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    G. David Felt
    1 hour ago, ccap41 said:

    No I understood it. They're continuing to use the "old" engine instead of the one in the 2500/3500's and with that they don't have the stricter emissions requirements as it's pretty much commercial use only where there are less regulations.. why not use the more powerful and cleaner engine they have available? I know you're an advocate of cleaner vehicles and I'd think you'd want the cleaner option as well.

    I am all for cleaner but in reading it again based on your reply, the engine is the same in both auto's just a different tune that allows it to meet the emissions requirements for the weight class. 

    That is how I read it myself.

    @William Maley Bill is it two different engines or the same engine with two different tunes?

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    G. David Felt
    1 minute ago, ccap41 said:

    It's previous gen vs new gen, I think. I think it might have been pre-diesel exhaust fluid vs diesel exhaust fluid. 

    Good thoughts, be interesting to find out, if the engine is a pre exhaust fluid, then they should have updated to the current tune with exhaust fluid. All commercial companies love torque to tow and move their loads. Be interesting to see what Bill digs up. 

    Thanks :) 

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    William Maley
    1 hour ago, dfelt said:

    I am all for cleaner but in reading it again based on your reply, the engine is the same in both auto's just a different tune that allows it to meet the emissions requirements for the weight class. 

    That is how I read it myself.

    @William Maley Bill is it two different engines or the same engine with two different tunes?

    It is the same engine as the 2500/3500HD, but with a different tune and parts to meet emissions.

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    ocnblu

    ocnblu 3,552

    Posted (edited)

    1 hour ago, ccap41 said:

    So yes or no on the diesel exhaust fluid? 

    The DEF fill ccap is on the lower portion of the RH fender, you can see the little blue ccap.

    Edited by ocnblu
    • Thanks 1
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    ccap41
    10 minutes ago, ocnblu said:

    The DEF fill ccap is on the lower portion of the RH fender, you can see the little blue ccap.

    This little guy? Thanks! 

    Good to know. :thumbsup:

    DEF cap.PNG

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    ccap41
    15 hours ago, dfelt said:

    OK, so then our basic HD trucks pollute more than these medium commercial trucks and so they have to be detuned? :blink:

    Yeah, it still seems a little odd to me but they're the profiting multi billion dollar company..not me. 

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