"Heavy-Half Ton" Pickup Trucks

[hex]

years ago I remember that GMC and its twin, Chevy put out a 1/2 ton (1500 series) pickup that they called a "Heavy-Half". It had some beefed up suspension parts and probably larger brakes. It was very popular for a while as I recall. I'm thinking 70's and maybe 80's.

Does anyone know anything more about these hybrids?
Are such still offered?
Are there reliable tow capacity figures on line for older pickups?

I am seeking a 95-98 F250 powerstroke diesel, club or crew, but need to do more research. Was there by any chance a 1/2 ton Ford Club diesel "Heavy"?



BTW it has always galled me that if a 1500 or a 150 series = half ton who determined that a full one-ton would be a 3500 or a 350 series? Not to mention the 2500 and 250 series 3/4 tons.
Musta been cousins to the head trailer namer at Airstream. Go figure!

[Chas]

They made the "Heavy Half" Chevy and GMC pickups in the late 70's. I doubt if there are many around, even then they weren't really much different than the regular half tons, 15' five lug wheels, and a semi-floating rear axle. Not to mention the old carbureted engine, days I would rather not relive. I have seen 90 models with the six lug 16" wheels, a heavier rear axle, possibly a full floating one. Ford had an F-250 for a couple of years, I think late 90's, which looked like the new body style regular duty. It had seven lug wheels, very strange. They don't make it anymore. Only came with a gas engine. Ford didn't produce the Super Duty series in 98, so you may have a hard time finding one. It was a changeover year, they kept selling the 97's during that year. I am strictly a 3/4 ton guy, have no use for 1/2 ton trucks. Go to a shop that does differential work and see how many half tons they have with the rear ends burnt out.

Chas

[Pick]

Just bite the bullet and buy a 1 ton. Not that much more expensive than a half ton. In fact, there are 1 tons out there that are cheaper than half tons!. When shopping for a truck pay more attention to the GVW and GCVW, than the stickers and emblems.

[Pahaska]

It is now the Silverado 1500 HD. Comes only in a crew cab configuration. Heavier transmission, bigger brakes, and the 6.0L engine. It is what I would buy to pull my International if I didn't already have my two-year old 1500 Z71.

[qqq]

The 1500HD also has a different stronger frame

Hartmut

[Pick]

Yeah, that 1500HD Crew Cab is a nice truck! I would love to have one of those. I do believe it is really a 3/4 ton truck with 8400 GVW. A side note: at the local GMC dealer they have some short bed 1500's with sticker prices higher than some of the 2500's on the lot!

[beerrun'r]

Perhaps a little history will help fill in the voids.

I don't recall the model year exactly, but back when the national push to add all sorts of EPA sanctioned anti-pollution gizzmos and gadgets (carberator seals, air pumps, high idle solenoids, et al) to the engines of passenger cars and light duty trucks, mercifully there was a waiver granted to all "commercial" vehicles. This was intended to cover all 3/4T. pickup chassis and up. But there was a little leway on the bottom end.

(My history was with Chevy) Chevrolet/GMC quickly realized that the GVWR threshold for a "commercial" vehicle wasn't very far above that of the traditional "half-ton" (C-10/K-10) that had been on the market for years.......so they set about reengineering a version of their "half-ton" to meet and slightly exceed the "commercial" GVWR threashold.......and they brought it out mid-year as a "Heavy-Half-Ton" while they also continued offering the regular "half-ton".

Well, it wasn't more than a couple months before they realized that orders for the polution-control-laden C-10/K-10 had fallen off the chart completely (leaving brand new C-10s on the dealer lots that nobody wanted) and they just ended production of the C-10/K-10 altogether and changed the moniker from Heavy-Half-Ton to C-15/K-15.........as it remains to this day....with Ford and Dodge following suit for the same reasons. The F-100 became the F-150, etc.

[slowmover]

Nice addition to an old thread.