Chevrolet Class 4/5/6 Silverado

[RoadwayR]

And I suspect there will be more GM/Navistar joint venture trucks.

[TS7]

There is 100+ acre site in Pontiac Michigan that is a fenced in flat slab now that was the GM Truck and Bus plant ( heavy trucks ). GM sold out to Volvo, how did that work out? That plant then built GM pickups till around 2009, then production was moved to Mexico. The plant was Shut down and torn down. GM Truck engineering in the same area shut down and sold off. I could go on and on about GM and what they have done to GMC and there truck business. The fools that have run (into the ground, saved by the US taxpayer) GM the last 30 years could not run a two man circle jerk. And Ford is not much better. 

[Bullheaded]

Don't matter what GM has done in the past, International has OWNED the medium duty market for many years. And this truck is better and has a better engine than the Terrastar it is replacing, so their market share will only get better. This truck is going to be a win-win for both companies.

[Red Horse]

10 hours ago, Bullheaded said:

Don't matter what GM has done in the past, International has OWNED the medium duty market for many years. And this truck is better and has a better engine than the Terrastar it is replacing, so their market share will only get better. This truck is going to be a win-win for both companies.

No doubt this class 4, 5,6 truck will help International.  But hate to say it, F'liner is the gorilla in class 6 and 7, not International.

[Bullheaded]

Ya, Freightliner recently after the Maxxforce scare. But before that it was all International, in the class 8's also. FL was #2 at one point in time.

But people are slowly regaining confidence in international, as their annual revenue and profits are starting to gain with each year again.

I'm a Ford guy and I think the F650/750 has the nicest interior of all the medium duties, but I'd still buy the international/Chev. Nice interior don't pay the bills.

[Red Horse]

3 hours ago, Bullheaded said:

Ya, Freightliner recently after the Maxxforce scare. But before that it was all International, in the class 8's also. FL was #2 at one point in time.

But people are slowly regaining confidence in international, as their annual revenue and profits are starting to gain with each year again.

I'm a Ford guy and I think the F650/750 has the nicest interior of all the medium duties, but I'd still buy the international/Chev. Nice interior don't pay the bills.

IMO, the International dealers will have a huge edge-in particular with operators that run class 4-7 which I think covers a lot of utilities.

Just think of the old days when GM, Ford IH and for that matter to a lesser degree Dodge covered 1-8. From a dealer perspective at least here in the Northeast, Ford and IH covered that the best but that is yesterday's newspaper.

[TS7]

Ford sells more Class 3-6 than anyone. FL could own class 3-7 if they still had Dodge Truck, they do not. There are way more Ford dealers selling class 3-6 trucks than anyone else. Most class 3-6 trucks are sold to user's that do not own class 7-8 or need them.  I have said this before go to any class 7-8 truck dealer and see how long the wait is to get repairs done. Navistar and GM will sell trucks, but let's see how they hold up in a few years and how they get along. Ask Cat and Ford about that. Both GM and Navistar have a bad history with truck owners. History always repeats it self. I learn from it. 

[kscarbel2]

The all-new Chevy 5500HD has just landed at Unicell Body Company's Buffalo Plant.

.

[Bullheaded]

I like them. Both versions. I would buy that before I buy another HD pickup.

[kscarbel2]

 

[kscarbel2]

[kscarbel2]

The big bulbous hood just doesn't pair with the small pickup truck cab......does it?

It needs a wider, larger dedicated commercial cab.  And with combined Chevrolet and Navistar sales, there's an argument for that. Given how inexpensive cabs are to design and produce today...........

The 6500HD is the smallest Class 6 I've ever seen.

[Rob]

They could do a lot better with the sheet metal IMO.

[Maddog13407]

still has that shitty Isuzu/Kodiak look of the 2003-2008 Chevy Kodiak trucks that mostly Schwanns used. I dunno we are waitin for the word that ours is in. have the new tow body waiting in the shop for install

[41chevy]

10 hours ago, kscarbel2 said:

The big bulbous hood just doesn't pair with the small pickup truck cab......does it?

It needs a wider, larger dedicated commercial cab.  And with combined Chevrolet and Navistar sales, there's an argument for that. Given how inexpensive cabs are to design and produce today...........

The 6500HD is the smallest Class 6 I've ever seen.

 I feel the issue is not the cab size but the severe laid back windshield throws off the over-all perspective of it and makes the cab look too shallow. Cab looks acceptable in the 3/4 front shot on the assembly line.

[RoadwayR]

I like a larger cab on a medium duty truck.  However, I was told a lot of the market research indicated that many medium duty ruck users are concerned with overall cab height.  I imagine GM and NAV considered that along with the economies of using an existing pickup truck.  I know tow truck operators that didn't like the old Kodiak/TopKick 4500/5500 because they would not fit into many parking structures.   

[TS7]

Kscarbel you are right on cab size. I still think that the old Ford HN80 cab would have been a great on a class 4-7 truck for Ford.  

[Maxidyne]

If that truck had proper "west coast" mirrors with spot mirrors there's no way you could see the whole mirror, especially on the right side. Just another reason pickup cabs don't cut it on real trucks...

[RoadwayR]

7 hours ago, TS7 said:

Kscarbel you are right on cab size. I still think that the old Ford HN80 cab would have been a great on a class 4-7 truck for Ford.  

That was the plan, but..........

[Red Horse]

Well Ford jumped the gun today in announcing the new 7.3 pushrod V-8.  A true ground up medium duty gasoline truck engine.  Surprised they did not wait until the Work Truck show first week of March.  I was told they will have "big news" then-perhaps a cab to go along with the motor??

 they will have to have something to counter the GM/International hype at that show.

[TS7]

Roadway true, but HN80 was to be class 6-8(new L series 1997 ). I saw a mockup of a L-6500 or L-7500 with a sloped hood in 1996. I think that there was never to be a new 1999 F-650 or F-750 back in 1996. The fools running Ford today cannot see that a larger cab for class 4-7 trucks would sell great, I hope I  am wrong. The 7.3 gas V-8 will sell big.

[Hayseed]

4 hours ago, RoadwayR said:

That was the plan, but..........

Yep, one of the all time  WORST decisions ever.. IMHO

[RoadwayR]

1 hour ago, TS7 said:

Roadway true, but HN80 was to be class 6-8(new L series 1997 ). I saw a mockup of a L-6500 or L-7500 with a sloped hood in 1996. I think that there was never to be a new 1999 F-650 or F-750 back in 1996. The fools running Ford today cannot see that a larger cab for class 4-7 trucks would sell great, I hope I  am wrong. The 7.3 gas V-8 will sell big.

That was indeed the plan, there was to be a medium duty HN80 to replace the medium duty F series for the 1999 model year.  When Ford abruptly sold out the HN80 in 1997, they continued the medium duty F's for a couple more years.  Ford cleared out the medium/heavy line at Louisville and and brought up F-700's from Mexico.  Those trucks were junk, limited options, Cummins 5.9L only.  Freightliner eventually created what would have been the 1999 HN80 medium duty when they brought out the Acterra line.  In 2003 Ford stuck a Super Duty cab on the Mexican F-700 chassis for 2 years before giving up and letting Navistar build them a medium duty.

Regardless of who built them, HN80 was a pretty big disappointment.  Best way to describe them was a poor execution of a good design.  Even if Ford had not sold the design to Freightliner, I don't think they would have amounted to much.  I remember hearing horror stories from the fleets around here that ran Sterlings.  Rare to see one now. 

BTW- the really interesting HN80 was the long-nose line-haul conventional Ford was planning.  One was built, and it was shown only once.  I don't remember what truck show it was, but it was right before the Freightliner announcement.  Of course Freightliner didn't go through with it, they wanted Sterling to be a vocational line.  A friend of mine saw the truck in person.  Wonder whatever happened to it.  

 

      

[kscarbel2]

35 minutes ago, RoadwayR said:

That was indeed the plan, there was to be a medium duty HN80 to replace the medium duty F series for the 1999 model year.  When Ford abruptly sold out the HN80 in 1997, they continued the medium duty F's for a couple more years.  Ford cleared out the medium/heavy line at Louisville and and brought up F-700's from Mexico.  Those trucks were junk, limited options, Cummins 5.9L only.  Freightliner eventually created what would have been the 1999 HN80 medium duty when they brought out the Acterra line.  In 2003 Ford stuck a Super Duty cab on the Mexican F-700 chassis for 2 years before giving up and letting Navistar build them a medium duty.

Regardless of who built them, HN80 was a pretty big disappointment.  Best way to describe them was a poor execution of a good design.  Even if Ford had not sold the design to Freightliner, I don't think they would have amounted to much.  I remember hearing horror stories from the fleets around here that ran Sterlings.  Rare to see one now. 

BTW- the really interesting HN80 was the long-nose line-haul conventional Ford was planning.  One was built, and it was shown only once.  I don't remember what truck show it was, but it was right before the Freightliner announcement.  Of course Freightliner didn't go through with it, they wanted Sterling to be a vocational line.  A friend of mine saw the truck in person.  Wonder whatever happened to it. 

I have to disagree. Tyson was very pleased with their Ford HN80s, and many die-hard Ford fleets chased the HN80's trail and bought Sterlings....and still operate them today with a sense of pride.....as if they were Fords.

[Hayseed]

1 hour ago, RoadwayR said:

 

Regardless of who built them, HN80 was a pretty big disappointment.  Best way to describe them was a poor execution of a good design.  Even if Ford had not sold the design to Freightliner, I don't think they would have amounted to much.  I remember hearing horror stories from the fleets around here that ran Sterlings.  Rare to see one now. 

 

      

I reckon If Ford have  had not sold  to Freightliner. the HN80 would've evolved  Ok.

When the L series was released here in the '70s they quickly  earnt the nickname "looselybilts" But over time Ford made lots of Subtle Evolutionary Changes, that turned the L series into a very durable reliable Truck.

I'm confident The  same would've held for the HN80.

I may be a little biased as I've done a lot of work & made a bit of Money out Ford Trucks over the last 30yrs....

Edited February 6, 2019 by Hayseed