Chevrolet unveiled the new 2019 Chevy Silverado 4500, 5500, and 6500 medium duty trucks at the 2018 Work Truck Show in Indianapolis, IN this week. The company is returning to a segment they left after the 2009 Chevy Kodiak trucks stopped production.
TFLtruck was there to bring all the latest information and details from the event (see our first highlights video below).
We recently received several questions about the announced weight ratings of the new medium duty trucks from Chevrolet. We forward the questions to the Chevrolet team, and below are the comments we received.
Question #1:
The maximum Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) of the new 2019 Silverado medium duty is 22,900 lbs. Why is this limit there? What is limiting the truck to this GVWR and not letting it get closer to the 26,000 lbs Class 6 truck limit?
TFLtruck comments:
It’s important to note that Chevrolet unveiled three (weight) classes of the truck: Class 4 is categorized at max GVWR of 16,000 lbs; Class 5 goes up to 19,500 lbs, and Class 6 is at 26,000 lbs. Chevrolet chose to span these three weight classes with one chassis. This means there are several factors, such as the frame, suspension, and wheel/tire combinations that can limited the vehicle’s gross weight rating. The 2019 Chevy medium duty is riding on 19.5-inch wheels.
Chevrolet comments:
Our frame design allows us to expand our GVWR into the Class 6 segment. Some competitors, like Ford, offer Class 6 trucks that are significantly more expensive because they’re on a different platform.
We can meet the needs of many Class 6 customers with our truck design at a price point that will be thousands less than competitors’ Class 6 trucks, which are built for much higher GVWRs.
Question #2:
The max Gross Combined Weight Rating (GCWR) of the new medium duty truck goes up to 30,000 lbs. What is its maximum towing rating of the 2019 medium duty? What limits the the GCWR to 30,000 lbs?
TFLtruck comments:
This is an interesting question because the GCWR relates to how heavy the truck is rated to tow. Competitive Class 5 trucks from Ram and Ford are have significantly higher GCWR (see screenshots below). The Ram 5500 has a GCWR of 38,500 lbs and the Ford F-550 is listed at a 40,000 lbs GCWR. For reference, the GCWR of a Chevy Silverado 3500 dually diesel is 31,100 lbs.
Chevrolet comments:
Yes, the [2019] Silverado has a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of up to 30,000 pounds, this is dependent on the application and the transmission selected.
The 2019 Chevy medium duty trucks come with a selection of Allison 1000 and 2000 6-speed automatic transmissions.
Chevrolet told TFLtruck that they are continously working to improve the product and increase the capability.
