Cab-Over · HD Diesel or HG Gas
Chevrolet Low Cab Forward Trucks in Maine
A cab-over puts the cab above the engine and the front axle, so the body starts almost at the bumper. You get more box on a shorter truck and a turning radius down to 31.5 feet — which is why these do city delivery, linen, food service and landscape routes that a conventional chassis cab cannot physically work.
We have exactly two on the ground, both at Quirk Chevrolet Bangor and both 4500s: an HD diesel already carrying a DuraMag van body, and an HG gas chassis. The letters are the question everybody asks first, so it is answered below.
Every unit counted here is on the ground today. We don’t list in-transit or factory-ordered vehicles on this website. Ask the fleet team what’s inbound.
What it means for your business
HD and HG are the engine, not the weight class
This is the one people get wrong. HG is the 6.6L V8 gas engine — 350 hp and 425 lb-ft. HD is the 5.2L turbocharged four-cylinder diesel — 215 hp and 452 lb-ft. At the 4500 level both carry exactly the same 14,500 lb GVWR, so the suffix changes what is under the cab and nothing about the truck’s rating. Elsewhere in the range the same logic holds: HG and XG are gas, HD and XD are diesel, and the H or X marks the weight tier within that engine.
The gas truck carries more than the diesel
Same 14,500 lb GVWR, but payload on the 4500 HG runs 8,277 to 8,986 lbs against 7,725 to 8,470 on the 4500 HD. The diesel engine simply weighs more, and that weight comes out of the rating before your load does — roughly 500 lbs of it. The gas truck also makes 135 more horsepower. If capability on paper is the test, the HG wins it at this weight.
So why buy the diesel
Torque low in the rev range and fuel burn over a long duty cycle. The HD makes its 452 lb-ft down where a loaded truck actually works, and a diesel on a route that runs all day every day tends to cost less to feed and last longer doing it. The honest version: if the truck is near its payload ceiling, take the gas; if it runs high miles on a fixed route, the diesel earns the difference back. Ours is a diesel and it is already bodied, which may settle it for you anyway.
Why a cab-over instead of a chassis cab or a cutaway
Geometry. With no engine ahead of the cab, the usable body length starts further forward, so you fit more box on less truck — up to a 30-foot box, across twelve wheelbase options out to 248 inches. Combined with the 31.5-foot turning radius, that is what makes an LCF work a downtown route, a tight loading dock or a residential street where a Silverado chassis cab would need a three-point turn. If your route is open road, a conventional chassis cab is the easier truck to live with.
Chevrolet lists the driver-assist kit on the diesel models
Chevrolet names the 4500 HD, 4500 XD and 5500 XD as having standard driver and front outboard passenger airbags plus an available Advanced Driver Assistance System — adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning and forward collision alert. The gas models are not named in that list, which is not the same as being excluded, so if the safety package matters to your fleet policy have the fleet team confirm it against the specific build before you order.
Powertrain & capability
Manufacturer figures for a properly equipped truck. Your specific build will rate differently — confirm the ratings on the unit before you buy a trailer or a body to match it.
Engines
- 6.6L V8 gas (HG / XG)
- 350 hp · 425 lb-ft
- The 4500 HG we have. More power and more payload than the diesel at the same GVWR.
- 5.2L turbo-diesel I-4 (HD / XD)
- 215 hp · 452 lb-ft
- The 4500 HD we have. More torque down low, about 500 lbs less payload because the engine is heavier.
- 6.7L Cummins turbo-diesel (6500 / 7500 XD)
- 260 hp · 660 lb-ft
- Top of the range, with a 6-speed Allison 2550 RDS on the 6500 XD and a standard fuel filter heater. Factory order.
- Transmissions
- Five options across the range
- Matched to engine and weight tier rather than chosen separately.
Hauling & towing
- 4500 GVWR
- 14,500 lbs — HD and HG alike
- Identical. At this level the suffix changes the engine, not the rating.
- 4500 payload
- 8,277–8,986 lbs gas · 7,725–8,470 lbs diesel
- The gas truck carries roughly 500 lbs more, because the diesel engine weighs more.
- Turning radius
- from 31.5 ft
- The reason to buy a cab-over at all. A conventional chassis cab cannot approach it.
- Wheelbases
- 12 options, up to 248 in
- Carrying box lengths up to 30 ft.
- Range maxima
- 33,000 lbs GVWR · 22,657 lbs payload
- The 7500 XD with the Cummins — well beyond the 4500s we stock, and a factory order.
- Starting MSRP
- from $63,360
- Chassis only. The body is a separate line and often a large one.
Which trim for the work
Trim on a work truck is a budget decision, not a luxury one. What we actually have on the ground is marked.
The LCF is sold as a weight tier and an engine, not a trim ladder — 3500 HG through 7500 XD. What varies is GVWR, wheelbase and whether it is gas or diesel. Both of ours are base chassis; one arrived with a van body already on it.
Bodies that go on this chassis
The whole point of this chassis is the body, and the long wheelbase options exist to carry a longer one — up to 30 feet. Our HD arrived with a DuraMag van body already fitted, which is weeks of lead time and a second invoice you do not pay. Chevrolet is explicit that equipment from independent suppliers is not covered by the GM New Vehicle Limited Warranty, so the body carries its own. Decide the body first and let it pick the wheelbase and the weight tier.
In stock now
1 of the 2 on the ground is marked down, shown first. Pricing changes as units sell.
Questions businesses actually ask
What is the difference between the 4500 HD and the 4500 HG?
The engine. HG is the 6.6L V8 gas, making 350 hp and 425 lb-ft. HD is the 5.2L turbocharged four-cylinder diesel, making 215 hp and 452 lb-ft. Both 4500s carry the same 14,500 lb GVWR. The gas truck actually has more payload — 8,277 to 8,986 lbs against 7,725 to 8,470 — because the diesel engine weighs more. Across the wider range the pattern is the same: HG and XG are gas, HD and XD are diesel.
Thanks — good to know.
Sorry that didn't answer it. Want to ask the commercial team directly?
Which one should I buy?
If the truck runs near its payload ceiling, take the gas HG: same rating, roughly 500 lbs more payload and 135 more horsepower. If it runs high miles on a fixed route every day, the HD diesel makes its torque lower down and usually costs less to run over the life of the truck. Worth knowing that ours is one of each, and the diesel is already bodied.
Thanks — good to know.
Sorry that didn't answer it. Want to ask the commercial team directly?
Why would I buy a cab-over instead of a Silverado chassis cab?
Body length and turning circle. With no engine ahead of the cab, the body starts further forward, so you carry more box on a shorter truck — up to 30 feet of it. The turning radius comes down to 31.5 feet. On a downtown route, a tight dock or a residential street that matters more than anything on the spec sheet. On open road a conventional chassis cab is easier to live with, and we stock plenty of those.
Thanks — good to know.
Sorry that didn't answer it. Want to ask the commercial team directly?
What do the other names mean — XD, XG, 5500, 6500, 7500?
The number is the weight tier and the letters are the engine. So 4500 HD and 4500 XD are both diesel at 14,500 and 16,000 lbs GVWR; 5500 HG and 5500 XG are both gas at 17,950 and 19,500 lbs. The 6500 XD and 7500 XD step up to the 6.7L Cummins, with the 7500 XD reaching a 33,000 lb GVWR. We stock the 4500s and order the rest.
Thanks — good to know.
Sorry that didn't answer it. Want to ask the commercial team directly?
What do you have in stock?
Two, both new and both at Quirk Chevrolet Bangor: a 2025 4500 HD diesel with a DuraMag van body already fitted, and a 2027 4500 HG gas chassis ready for whatever body you want on it. The diesel is currently marked as a Quirk special. Anything else in the range is a factory order.
Thanks — good to know.
Sorry that didn't answer it. Want to ask the commercial team directly?
Is the body covered by the Chevrolet warranty?
No. Chevrolet states plainly that equipment from independent suppliers is not covered by the GM New Vehicle Limited Warranty and that GM is not responsible for those alterations. GM warrants the chassis; the company that built the van body, dump or landscape body warrants that. Two warranties and two phone numbers — ask who services the body locally before you commit.
Thanks — good to know.
Sorry that didn't answer it. Want to ask the commercial team directly?
Tell us what the truck has to do
What you carry, what you tow, whether a body or a plow is going on it — that decides the build. The commercial team specs it, quotes multiple units, and handles factory fleet ordering.
Capability figures compiled from Chevrolet — 2026 Low Cab Forward, checked 2026-10-01. Ratings vary by configuration and are not a guarantee for any specific vehicle — confirm before purchase.