Ready for a Giant GM Pickup?

[Ming]

Giant GM pickup
Chevy, GMC 4500/5500 trucks sport cargo boxes
By Tim Spell
Houston Chronicle



Pulling up to a stoplight and sitting at the same height as the driver of a city bus in the next lane punctuates the feel of power one gets while driving a 4500/5500 General Motors pickup.

Yes, this giant — available as a Chevy Kodiak and GMC Topkick — is a pickup.

In the world of enormous commercial work trucks, 4500/5500 series models are classified an "medium duty." Compare them to most other trucks with pickup boxes and they loom — like a Star Wars AT-AT Walker compared to a real-life camel.

Upfitted by Monroe Truck Equipment of Monroe, Wis., these super-sizers have a normal-looking 8-foot dually bed.

Modifying the gargantuan pickups started about a decade ago as a whim, said Jeff Kulawinski, Monroe's national fleet marketing manager. "Some people came up to us and asked if we could put a pickup bed on the back, and we said 'Sure.' "

While the 4500/5500 series trucks mainly get the pickup-box treatment, Kulawinski said Monroe has even built outfitted 7500 and 8500 versions.

The pickup box comes standard with a spray-on Rhino polyurethane surface. Interior box pieces, as well as the tailgate and bumper, are standard GM, but custom sizing has to be done to accommodate the vehicle's 60-inch vs. the normal 56-inch cab-to-axle ratio.

It sits on a patented subframe, because a regular medium-duty frame moves. The subframe is rubber-mounted to limit the amount of movement transferred to the pickup box. This system increases the life of the box.

Monroe's creation is popular for ranch and racing applications, but it's also just right for those in need of a macho injection beyond that of what a typical truck buyer demands. Fittingly, it's the pickup of choice for the U.S. Navy Seals and 7-foot-plus basketball great Shaquille O'Neal.

The 4x4's height even dwarfs O'Neal's. Rolling on 245/70R-19.5G tires, it towers almost 8 feet and has a near 8-foot width to match. Step-in height is just short of 2 feet. Thankfully, wide steps with grippy surfaces and hand assists help launch you into the cab. The 2WD version, with a still formidable 19-inch step-in height, is available with polished stainless-steel tubular step bars. For me, the trip down from the steps is a bit trickier than the trip up.

Once into the driver ascends into the monster's bowels, life is cool. The much-used term "command seating" takes on a new meaning — closer akin to a lifeguard sitting atop a tower than to sitting in a regular pickup.

It's a power trip watching sedans bowing to the giant's presence by backing off to clear it a path. Even while politely waiting for pedestrians to clear a crosswalk, they for some reason feel the need to double-time their steps.

Making the pickup seem even more imposing is the rumbling of the turbocharged, intercooled Duramax 6600 diesel V-8. At idle, it transmits vibrations all the way up the front backrests.

This engine of choice for 95 percent of the buyers moves the Kodiak/Topkick with 300 horses and 520 foot-pounds of torque. Its transmission partner is an Allison 1000 five-speed automatic transmission.

The test-truck pushes big-rig appeal with an optional (crew cab only) pair of vertical exhaust pipes sprouting above its cab.

Big torque and a heavy-duty transmission are needed to move the massive vehicle, which has a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating up to 19,500 pounds. GVWR is the maximum rated capacity of a vehicle, including the weight of the base vehicle, all added equipment, driver and passengers, and all cargo loaded into or on the vehicle.

By comparison, the more common King of GM Work Trucks — the 3500 dually — has an 11,400-pound GVWR.

Unweighted, the truck's ride is bumpy. An UltraRide chassis air suspension by Link Manufacturing is available to improve ride quality and allow the truck to "kneel" about 3 inches, making it easier to unhook a gooseneck trailer.

Monroe also is introducing an air cab. The whole cab is mounted on airbags, which dramatically increases ride comfort, Kulawinski said.

"With the spring suspension, you get a little slap no matter what," he said. "With the airbag you don't have that — you still have a truck ride but you don't have that annoying little slap."

Fortunately, most all of the vehicles are ordered with air seats. Life gets bumpy on roads with only mild irregularities, and the air seats do wonders to cushion the shock.

Full Article Here: http://www.mixedmetal.com/052205_giant_truck.html

Monroe Truck Equipment: http://www.monroetruck.com/index.asp
Monroe Kodiak Pickup Box: http://www.monroetruck.com/images/Home0204.jpg

Photos/Specs of the "regular" 4500 trucks: http://www.chevrolet.com/mediumduty/.../photogallery/

[dindak]

Ug! I guess this is just based of current production but why?

I guess if they even sell a few hundred.. they probably make $20K on these things

[Snafu_SS]

thats the answer to that semi truck company...think it was international...making trucks they kept comparing to the H1. basically it was a semi with a pick up bed that equaled out to one huge truck.

not something i need but im sure someone does somewhere.

[zeobandit]

Where do I trade in my truck for one?????

[GMCSonoma]

We sold one, a unit from Monroe, to a large pleasure boat dealer. I guess it is an excellent tow vehicle for those "cigar boats". They have a 8100 V8 with the Allison.

[GMCSonoma]

Originally Posted by Snafu_SS

thats the answer to that semi truck company...think it was international...making trucks they kept comparing to the H1. basically it was a semi with a pick up bed that equaled out to one huge truck.

not something i need but im sure someone does somewhere.

Monroe has been doing this for several years.

[jckjds]

I hope the press and the eco-nazis don't get ahold of this story.

[Ming]

Well it's not really GM that is directly offering this particular conversion, so I don't think the press can pin any blame on GM. If people want to buy it, then more power to them. Literally.

[Hudson]

Didn't Ford introduce this years ago? I believe it was the Ford SuperCruizer.

[Ming]

Originally Posted by Hudson

Didn't Ford introduce this years ago? I believe it was the Ford SuperCruizer.

A Google image search pulled up this, which isn't quite the same:

[mk1700]

The only problem is that I dont have space on my garage.

[1BadPig]

I saw one of these on the road about a month ago. It was HUGE!

[Mcmflow]

I've seen these kind of trucks for years here in TX. GM Ford and International have had them around for a while, they just haven't been marketed towards normal consumers. You could buy them at a Heavy Duty truck place. However one Chevy dealer in Austin keeps a couple in stock, and has for a couple of years now. People who buy these usually have like a huge 5th wheel trailer, or a huge boat or something.

[FISH]

REX!!!!!! DON'T GET IN FRONT OF ONE OF THESE THINGS IN YOUR CAR!!!!!!!!
It would be hard to get an ECO BOX out of the suspension

[Ming]

Monroe also is introducing an air cab. The whole cab is mounted on airbags, which dramatically increases ride comfort, Kulawinski said.

Gotta wonder how much that will cost.