Chevrolet, the arch-nemesis of Ford, has reclaimed the title of the towing king. The Chevy Silverado 3500HD is taking a swing for the stars with the new best-in-class 1-ton towing figure. Check out how the Chevy Silverado 3500HD out tows the competition. 

The 2021Chevy Silverado 3500HD has best-in-class towing 

Last year the 2020 Chevy Silverado 3500 HD made big news when it was released with a 35,000 lb maxim towing capacity. But this figure didn’t quite cut it. The 2019 Ram 3500 one-upped it with the ability to tow up to 35,100 lb. 

Then the 2020 Ford F-350 Super Duty put both trucks to shame with the ability to tow up to 35,750 lb. The Ford F-450 pickup truck can also tow up to 37,000 lb, but TruckTrend suggests that the Ford F-450 is in a different class. 

Now the 2021 Chevy Silverado 3500HD is ready to reclaim the throne with its new maxim tow rating of 36,000 lb. This move allows Chevrolet to reclaim the title of best-in-class towing for 1-ton pickup trucks. 

Is the 2021 Chevy Silverado 3500HD a good truck? 

Yes, it’s the best-in-class truck for towing. To get a Chevy Silverado 3500HD that can tow up to 36,000 lb, you will need to order a two-wheel driver, regular-cab, dual rear wheel model equipped with the Duramax diesel engine and the Allison 10-speed automatic transmission. It will also need to be the Work Truck trim, and you’ll have to opt for the NHT max trailering package. 

To bump up the towing capacity of the 3500HD, General Motors engineers had to go back to the drawing board. Chris Depolo, Lead Development Engineer for GM full-size HD trucks, shared that they needed to dig into what was down to achieve a tow rating of 36,000 lb. 

While the 2020 Chevy Silverado 3500HD is an incredibly capable truck, it wasn’t fully optimized for extreme towing. This means that they had a little room left on the table to work with. By giving things another look, they found significant areas to improve. 

One of the most notable changes came from the truck wheels. By swapping out the steel wheels for aluminum wheels in the front and rear outside wheel, they were able to cut the truck’s weight that put back directly into the towing capacity. 

The GM team also revised the front suspension to increase the torsion bars’ spring rate and returned the font shock absorbers. This allowed them to increase the front axle weight rating (GAWR) and increase the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR). 

What’s new for the 2021 Chevy Silverado 3500HD? 

The 2021 Chevy Silverado 3500HD was tested and certified to tow up to 36,000 lb according to the SAE J2807 towing standard. Along with being too legit to quit, it got new trailering tech for 2021. 

The Silverado HD will now have up to 15 different camera views and now as a trailer length indicator with a trailer jackknife alert system. The length indicator also displays if cars are in the way during lane changes, and the trailer bed camera has been enhanced to zoom view and provide hitch guidance.