Is this a 2019 Chevy HD Kodiak 5500 Prototype? How Much Will it Tow? (Spied)

Chevy hd 4500 Kodiak prototype (Photo credit: Andrew B.)

Is this a 2019 Chevy HD Kodiak 4500 or 5500 test prototype piggybacking on a semi truck flatbed and on its way to more heavy payload and trailer testing? Take a careful look at this these images that were provided to us by Andrew B. Thanks Andrew!

How do we know that this is a Chevy HD Kodiak or a GMC HD Topkick prototype? Check out the Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) tank underneath the front passenger side door. GM’s Duramax turbo-diesel trucks use a very similar DEF tank placement, and we expect the Kodiak and Topkick truck to use a version of GM’s 6.6L V8 diesel.

2019 chevy hd 4500 5500 kodiak prototype

Heavy duty pickup trucks are getting bigger, tougher, and more capable. The latest HD trucks from Ford and Ram can tow over 30,000 lbs with a gooseneck trailer. GM has a lower maximum trailer capacity rating for its Chevy Silverado 3500 HD and GMC Sierra 3500 HD truck lineups. These one-ton truck are rated at just over 23,000 lbs of maximum towing. Current 3500-series one-ton trucks max out at around 7,300 lbs of payload capacity.

Presumably, the upcoming Chevy HD Kodiak and GMC HD Topkick trucks will be rated to tow heavier trailers (over 30,000 lbs via a gooseneck) and carry heavier payloads (between 9,000 – 12,000 lbs).

Why is this prototype hitching a ride on a semi-truck flatbed? There could be a dozen different reasons for this, but Andrew saw this truck heading west on I-80. We hope GM and Navistar are heaving to the Colorado Rocky Mountains for some extreme high-altitude testing.

This prototype is hitched up to a Trail King Tagalong pintle-hitch trailer that is rated between 20,000 – 40,000 lbs of total weight. This does not tell us much about the potential trailer rating for the truck.

Surely the new Kodiak and Topkick trucks will be competitive against the Ram HD 4500/5500 and Ford F-450/F-550 chassis cabs. Roughly speaking, current competitors can be configured to haul over 12,000 lbs of payload or tow over 30,000 lbs.

Here is our most recent towing test drive of the 2017 Chevy Silverado HD 2500 and 3500 Duramax diesel trucks.