# need opinions on gmc 5500



## jsheedy75 (Jan 31, 2004)

I am looking to expand my buisness and was looking into one of these. To all you guys that own one, how do you enjoy it? any downfalls? I am a ford man, but these seem to be setup better than a f-550. I like the factory 4x4. So what do you guys think?


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## Watch out yelow (Dec 21, 2005)

We looked into that truck a few years back.. I think more expensive than other options you have. What will the truck be used for other than plowing/salting?


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## Craaaig (Dec 10, 2008)

My old company had one, tons of power with the duramax, definetly built like a truck but still a comfy ride. The only downfall was it was 2x4 so it got stuck really easy because it had such low ground clearance so I would go for the 4x4.


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## Oshkosh (Sep 11, 2005)

*I ran one for a year*

I am not brand loyal but the one that I ran for a year had 9,000 miles on it ,was a 4x4 with the plow gear and flo 'n 'dump it weighed in at 17,780lbs empty ,with a 19,500 gvw wasn't a real practical truck.
In the three winters the truck had plowed it had been threw 3 factory rear ends,the switch/distribution box under the pass foot step,two door handles and other misc warr issues. 
We where not impressed with the visibility as the windshield pillar blocks about 1/3 of the mirrors, the defroster doesn't hit the bottom 4-5" of the windshield so icing is a big issue on the wipers,we averaged 3-5mpg plowing and the Duramax was using 4-5quarts of rotella between changes(3,000 miles or 200 hours).....That's after we changed from the Napa house/bulk brand as the generic oil was a bit worse.
Just some first hand observations after spending a season plowing with it...We talked about trading it or selling it but the Town would have had to take a huge loss,maybe next year.
Another thing to consider is that GM has been actively trying to sell off the medium duty line,first to International and then Isuzu but the fact is how long will parts be easily assessable? If International had followed threw with the sale the Duramax would have been shelved.Who knows what the future holds for the 4500/5500.


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## Craaaig (Dec 10, 2008)

actually now that Oshkosh is mentioning those problems i do recall the same problem regarding the burning of oil between changes and the only other problems i can remember with ours was some electrical issues


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## PTSolutions (Dec 8, 2007)

dont want to stir anything up, but i was looking between a c4500 4x4 and either f450 or 550, the 550 actually has a higher payload than a 5500. 

my rationale is that you get really similar capacities (gvwr's, close payloads, etc...) but get a smaller truck which is easier to drive, better fuel mileage. and just remember that the med. duties have the wide track axle which has a really good turning radius, b/c ive heard alot of compliments on the 45/5500's turning radius.


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## TurfKing360 (Aug 11, 2008)

We looked at one for a while. the local dealer gave us a demo truck for 30 days. It was to big/bulky and over weight for the capacity. We looked at a Ford F650 also which we liked more than the GM 5500 before buying a Ford F550. For the money and the truck we are more than happy with the F550 and were waiting for the delivery of our second.


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## jsheedy75 (Jan 31, 2004)

my biggest thought was that the gmc was built around a medium duty platform, while the f550 is built around a pickup truck platform. I have an f250 now with the 7.3liter powerstroke. I have heard alot of nightmares about the new ford diesel. I have a friend of mine with a durama and he has around 70,000 thousand hard plowing and towing miles on it with no oil usage.


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## 02DURAMAX (Dec 27, 2006)

I love mine Not one problem since owning it and has great power!

Its a 2x4 and I plow docks. Best truck I have bought!


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## PTSolutions (Dec 8, 2007)

> I have heard alot of nightmares about the new ford diesel


those nightmare engines have been mostly the job 1 & 2 trucks, job 3's have had pretty much solved everything that had gone wrong.



> I love mine Not one problem since owning it and has great power!
> 
> Its a 2x4 and I plow docks. Best truck I have bought!


you have an awesome truck! ive seen a couple c4500 4x4's around here and they look beastly!


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## OhioPlower (Jan 13, 2004)

You might know the answer to this question protouchgrounds since you own a 09 F350. Are all 09's Job 3 trucks? I know the 08s had job 1-3.


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## icebreaker (Aug 25, 2008)

I have a 05 topkick 4500 4x4 with 25000 miles on it bought it new in 2006 run 300-350 ton of salt thru it a year no problems at all , just keep the tires rotated every 6k miles.


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## PTSolutions (Dec 8, 2007)

> You might know the answer to this question protouchgrounds since you own a 09 F350. Are all 09's Job 3 trucks? I know the 08s had job 1-3.


yes they are. i havent had any problems with ours, though its only got 5K miles. I havent heard anything else on dieselstop.com either. Seems like all the majority of problems have died down.


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## Mark Witcher (Feb 21, 2004)

The GM 4x4 has a straight truck frame, great for durabuility but makes it sit very tall compared to a Ford or Dodge. If you are getting in and out of the cab alot like I do when doing lawn care.the GMC is a real pain.


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## mkwl (Jan 21, 2005)

02DURAMAX;752667 said:


> I love mine Not one problem since owning it and has great power!
> 
> Its a 2x4 and I plow docks. Best truck I have bought!


Docks? Loading docks or like docks on water?


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## Wesley's Lawn (Sep 18, 2002)

I drive an 06 chevy 5500 rollback 4x2 with the duramax 5 days a week, with 113k. There are things I like about it and things I hate. put 50k on it so far, granted I don't know how it was driven before me but at about 97k they ended up having to put all new injectors, fuel rails, lift pump, and a few other things. Thing was out for a month, and all of the parts were on back order. Then a few 100 miles later a new over flow tank. The marker/turn signals on the fenders have issues where the wiring shorts out in the plug, some trucks have started on fire because of this. I just replaced the passenger side and now the drivers side went out. Like Oshkosh said, there's visibility issues with the pillars and the mirrors will hide a semi at the right angle. ice always builds up on the windshield. The interior seems like its just put together cheaply. Some more storage space inside the cab would be nice. The battery box is a pain because you have to take two bolts out to get to them instead of other that use a rubber strap. Wish they would put the fuel tanks up and underneath the doors like other trucks instead of in the back. The fuse panel in the cab is a pain to get to because you have to take two bolts out to get to it. The allison is a good tranny but like you can only do 12mph in reverse.

As to things I like about it, the turning radius is great, the AC will freeze you out. The duramax is a good motor. The air ride seat is ok. They use a smaller steering wheel then other med/heavy trucks. The engine brake is a great feature. The thing I do like about the mirrors is that you can still use them with the door open.


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## PTSolutions (Dec 8, 2007)

> Docks? Loading docks or like docks on water?


he means loading docks, he said that if he has no pallets of salt in the back its a lil tricky b/c its only a 4x2, but if hes loaded then he has no issues being in 4x2. He brought this up b/c the docks are pitched down to match trailer load height. its in his thread when he bought the truck.


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## creativedesigns (Sep 24, 2007)

jsheedy75;752457 said:


> I am looking to expand my buisness and was looking into one of these. To all you guys that own one, how do you enjoy it? any downfalls? I am a ford man, but these seem to be setup better than a f-550. I like the factory 4x4. So what do you guys think?


How are they a beter set up? Those trucks are very bulky & rocky! lol I'd prefer the F-550 myself in general. If ur gonna use a truck like that for plowing purposes, the 550 would fit under height restriction access points in paking lots!


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## GMC Driver (Sep 9, 2005)

We had our 5500 4x4 for 3 years. It's got 60K miles on it. We've had the rear diff replaced under warranty when it was virtually new, and it has been pretty good, until recently. This past winter we had to rebuild the front axle, wheel bearings, etc... It's got the 8K axle in it. And the battery isolator on the frame rail behind the right front tire is a pain - the cables and terminal posts are short lived, even with regular PM. Part$ are not as economical as the p/ups.

Other than that, it has performed well.


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## LawnProLandscapes (Nov 15, 2007)

GMC Driver;753510 said:


> We had our 5500 4x4 for 3 years. It's got 60K miles on it. We've had the rear diff replaced under warranty when it was virtually new, and it has been pretty good, until recently. This past winter we had to rebuild the front axle, wheel bearings, etc... It's got the 8K axle in it. And the battery isolator on the frame rail behind the right front tire is a pain - the cables and terminal posts are short lived, even with regular PM. Part$ are not as economical as the p/ups.
> 
> Other than that, it has performed well.


that truck/plow combo looks very very nice


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## NBI Lawn (Oct 15, 2007)

Just to stir it up a little here have you considered a new Sterling or Dodge?


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## Jim Karns (Nov 26, 2007)

Greetings,
Picked up my 06' 5500 4X4 diesel in late 06'. Equipped it with a 11" KSS utility body (tapered sides) a 9.5 fisher SS X-blade & a 2 yard SS electric sander. I could not be happier with it. Expensive - yes....worth it - oh yes. Dumped my F350 dually - (Can you say P.O.S.). The 5500 has the same GVW as a F550 - but IMHO....that's where the comparison stops. I have an 8000 front axle (6000 on the f550), double frame, exhaust brake, Alcoa's, air seat, 3 battery's,the list goes on and on..... and a painted frame - as opposed to that greasy crap they put on the ford's frame..... That stuff wears off, can't be removed without great effort and rustproofing won't stick to it long :angry:. My 3 Y/O ford's frame looked like it was parked in the ocean surf before they built it. No rust on the body - just really heavy on the frame. And, here's a kick in the crotch - *the oil pan rusted out*!!!! WTF! And, let's not even talk about the 6.0 pukeandchoke diesel. Furd, for some reason "light dutied" there truck line even going as far as going back to coil springs. The GMC is a working man's truck. outstanding turning (beat my ford by 8' on a 180 deg turn). A few more rattles than the ford - but a ton more truck. My only beef - the radio....It's junk. Order yours without one and go aftermarket...I had so many problems with it that GMC bought it back. 
Just my .02


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## 02DURAMAX (Dec 27, 2006)

ProTouchGrounds;753476 said:


> he means loading docks, he said that if he has no pallets of salt in the back its a lil tricky b/c its only a 4x2, but if hes loaded then he has no issues being in 4x2. He brought this up b/c the docks are pitched down to match trailer load height. its in his thread when he bought the truck.


Thanks for posting it!!!


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## PTSolutions (Dec 8, 2007)

> Thanks for posting it!!!


no problem buddy

And here we go....



> The 5500 has the same GVW as a F550 - but IMHO....that's where the comparison stops.


19500 gvwr on the ford, same with the 5500, lets do some concept math, which one weighs more?? subtract that and you get payload rating, so which one will give you higher payload??



> I have an 8000 front axle (6000 on the f550)


you can get a 7K axle on an F550, the reason you have an 8K is b/c your front end is heavier than the front end of a 550, so basically its all relative.



> double frame, exhaust brake, Alcoa's, air seat, 3 battery's,the list goes on and on


double frame?? never knew the dmaxes had exhaust brakes, are you sure on this one?? ill take the interior of an xlt over the interior of a kodiak if im spending alot of time in the cab, but if its strictly for working then this really doesnt carry much weight for me, personally. 3 batteries?? honestly do you really need that? and its not that hard to install a third yourself, buy a battery and get some 2ga cable from tractor supply for like 10bucks.



> painted frame


what happens when paint scratches? rusts, starts spreading bubbles up under the paint. the frame on our chevy looks like ****e.



> the oil pan rusted out!!!! WTF! And, let's not even talk about the 6.0 pukeandchoke diesel.


yes oil pan was an issue but they had a dealer installed fix for it. there are many horror stories about the 6.0 and there are many happy endings for it as well.



> Furd, for some reason "light dutied" there truck line even going as far as going back to coil springs. The GMC is a working man's truck. outstanding turning (beat my ford by 8' on a 180 deg turn)


coils ride better so you really dont need an air ride seat, plus they paved the way for the wide track axle which gives the new 450,550 and select 350 duallies a much much better turning radius. plus coils can have the same capacity as leafs and are easier to change.

i really dont mean to sound like an a hole, but im a firm believer in two sides to every story so i just wanted to point out a few things. if you like your 5500 then thats all that matters, nothing i say should change that. best of luck to you.


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## 02DURAMAX (Dec 27, 2006)

ProTouchGrounds;754224 said:


> no problem buddy
> 
> never knew the dmaxes had exhaust brakes, are you sure on this one??


Yeah mine has one also. they come stock if you order it with one. works great!


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## PTSolutions (Dec 8, 2007)

cool, i thought i remembered TXNSLighting on lawnsite mentioning that only the cummins had that option. you learn something new every day!!


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## Jim Karns (Nov 26, 2007)

ProTouchGrounds;754224 said:


> no problem buddy
> 
> And here we go....
> 
> ...


Well,
3 battery's, - Why yes I do. Electric plow and sander....computers, lights, fans,etc,etc. What's wrong with 3 batterys??? Engine ( I meant to say exhaust) brake. Double frame - yes again. I think this truck was speced out as a hook truck or a wrecker....not sure, it was picked up @ as a CC at the dealer Really depressing to see all the rust on the frame...especially when you pay for a vehicle that you would like to outlast the payments. 
I think your right - GMC makes there 19500 GVW trucks to compare with the f650 fords....But then - what does that mean to the ford rating...should the f550 be compared to the 1 ton gmc/chevy?
I use to like my ford too.........
In fact the last 5 trucks were ford. 
Good luck to you with your ford. Hope you have better luck than I did with my last (and I mean last) one. Lifes too short to drive a truck that doesn't do the job it was intended for...And spends too much time in the shop.

Drive safe.

Jim


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## jsheedy75 (Jan 31, 2004)

I did think about a sterling, but t has the same issue i have with the ford, its based on a pickup truck frame. I understand every truck has its pluses and minuses. There is no such thing as a perfect truck because all of use their trucks differently. I use mostly salt, so i am not too concerned about available payload. I need a truck big enough to get a spreader that would hold about 4 yards of material. I think the gmc 5500 would have plenty of payload for that. I also plan on putting a fisher 9'6' vee plow with the add on wings. For me I think this would be the ideal setup.


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## snowplowchick (Feb 22, 2008)

I have an 07 4X4 Topkick, bought just cab and chassis, custom deck for salter, fuel tank, snowthrower etc. 

I am not mechanically inclined, but I can only tell you how little maintenance this truck has needed. It has over 50K on it, just winter driven and no real problems with it.

The turning radius is exceptionally good compared to a long box pickup, air ride seat for long nights, sturdy, it's definitely not a pickup. It is built for work and can out plow, turn and push, any pickup/plow combination in even small lots. It doesn't even slow down plowing large lots or heavy snow.

Visibility is great, high clearance etc.
9.5 Foot Fisher on mine


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## Booman70 (Feb 7, 2007)

jsheedy75;757128 said:


> I did think about a sterling, but t has the same issue i have with the ford, its based on a pickup truck frame. I understand every truck has its pluses and minuses. There is no such thing as a perfect truck because all of use their trucks differently. I use mostly salt, so i am not too concerned about available payload. I need a truck big enough to get a spreader that would hold about 4 yards of material. I think the gmc 5500 would have plenty of payload for that. I also plan on putting a fisher 9'6' vee plow with the add on wings. For me I think this would be the ideal setup.


Sounds like you already made up your mind just get the GMC if thats what you really want!


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## 05Duramax073 (Nov 25, 2008)

Had the opportunity to run both. They both have their + and -. It all comes down to what you like.


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## ServiceOnSite (Nov 23, 2006)

heres how i look at it. if you want a med duty truck then buy a truck built on a med duty platform. if you want a lt duty truck that wants to be a med duty truck then buy the ford 550. as stated before all have ups and downs. funny thing is if you go into a med duty dealer that sells only med duty and heavy duty truck you find out that you can actually get a 5500with a gvw of 25,999. fact. when you take what they have on the lot you end up with a 19,500 gvw truck. everything about a 4500 and 5500 is med duty. maintenance, parts cost price and time to install.

going into year i wanted another med duty truck. ive been a die hard GM guy my whole life. looked at Dodge Ford and GMC. quick news flash sterling/dodge you cant have a diesel and a plow. there were out

ford to me just seemed like they slapped bigger axels on a pick up truck. doors,seats, all your wear items were the same as a pick up truck. to me that just seemd kinda cheesy.

then went to a GMC dealer i lined up a very nice c and c. but i didnt land a plowing account that i was supposed to and this truck was to big for what i needed. 

best of luck to you which ever way you end up going with a truck.


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## Black01Z (Dec 27, 2008)

Our 5500 4x4 can load at a standard loading dock. Very handy for us at least.


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## tuna (Nov 2, 2002)

ServiceOnSite;764559 said:


> heres how i look at it. if you want a med duty truck then buy a truck built on a med duty platform. if you want a lt duty truck that wants to be a med duty truck then buy the ford 550. as stated before all have ups and downs. funny thing is if you go into a med duty dealer that sells only med duty and heavy duty truck you find out that you can actually get a 5500with a gvw of 25,999. fact. when you take what they have on the lot you end up with a 19,500 gvw truck. everything about a 4500 and 5500 is med duty. maintenance, parts cost price and time to install.
> 
> going into year i wanted another med duty truck. ive been a die hard GM guy my whole life. looked at Dodge Ford and GMC. quick news flash sterling/dodge you cant have a diesel and a plow. there were out
> 
> ...


The GMC is a Cutaway Van cab so how is that any better than a pickup cab?


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## GMC Driver (Sep 9, 2005)

Here an example of what it's like:


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## ServiceOnSite (Nov 23, 2006)

ok how about this i bought a 00 550 with a 7.3 in it with 75k on the clock. This truck is the worst!!!!!! a few of my guy that work for me talked me into buying it, and i hate this truck! NO POWER, DONT LIKE TO PULL A TRAILER, ONLY GOOD THING ABOUT IT ARE THE BRAKES.


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## Booman70 (Feb 7, 2007)

Quote "quick news flash sterling/dodge you cant have a diesel and a plow. there were out"

Thats pretty funny my truck came with Plow Prep Package!!! Read line six from this STERLING WEBSITE
http://www.sterlingtrucks.com/Trucks/Construction/Dump/Bullet.asp?Photo=11&Page=BodyBuilderFriendly


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