Did Silverado's come without tow hitches?

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Nov 9, 2008
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Spotted this truck, which kinda is something I've thought about having in the past: a RCSB truck. More bare than posh. The old school 4.3 gives pause but since my usage is light, it should work; while I have long had my beefs with the 4L60 it does have the upside of easy/cheap replacement. Ad says 3.73's for gearing which sounds about what I want. I think I'd want a cap and to drop it a couple inches, it looks too high. Actually: is this lifted?

But I don't see a trailer hitch on it? is that a sign that it came without it, or that it rusted off? The fender flares make me think they're covering over the typical rust, although maybe they got tacked on with the other bling for all I know.

Best I can tell: no a/c either. Odd beast, bet it sits for a while (and I think it might be on the high side according to NADA).

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Not quite the Ridgeline that I want, but it costs me nothing to look (other than wasted time on the internet, when I could be doing something productive).
 
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Mine was rusty junk. Bolted in so they're easy to yank.

Fender flares imply you'll find rusty disappointment underneath.

Not happy with the tuning of my 4.8 4L60E, same year. Seems to hunt in and out of TCC lockup going 50 in high gear. It could be some sort of pulse width modulation but it feels like it's slipping. So I always run in tow mode.
 
Yes, they did come standard without a hitch.
Yes, it very much appears to be lifted.
Yes, they are likely covering up rust with the fender flares.
Yes, it doesn't have A/C.

Outside of not having A/C, it isn't terribly odd. Add a $10 ball to the step bumper, and it would have been just fine for some old retired guy to pull a small fishing boat to the lake with, once a week.

I'm not a fan of that monstrosity on the front end, especially on a truck of that size. It'd look much more at home on a dually.

With 155,000 miles and an asking price of $9,000... they might have it for a while.
 
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I bet they removed the larger wheels and tires before trading it in/selling it. It probably had some higher offset wheels that stuck out so they put flares on it, which is hopefully the case and it’s not rusty. I bet that would be a pooch with the 4.3 and a set of 35s.

Edit-saw you are in NH, it likely is rusty but we can dream.
 
I have a 2011 Silverado 4.3 it didn't come with a hitch, I added one later. Mine has roll up windows and manual locks. It does have AC and cruise. Gas mileage is bad for what it is. 28,000 original miles. The old 4.3 is a good engine and can last a really long time, the gas mileage is not great.
 
Didn't think about it running big tires, now it makes sense. Fenders and bling--and big tires. Lots of show... just without the go... with a 4.3? I guess if you just need a mall crawler, why not. Even with a 4.3 it would have gone some places, but that paint indicates (to me) it never tackled more than the mall.

If they did big tires but never messed with gearing, then I would wonder about that band that does 3/4th gear, it probably went in/out of overdrive a whole lot in its (shortened) lifetime. There's a possibility they did regear, and if they did, it might be disappointing with the low rev'ing 4.3, unless if it was just putting around the farm (which isn't want I'd want it for). Who knows what lurks. [And as pointed out, the flares could be just to hide rust.]

Ok thanks, ties up some loose ends for me on this one. I figured it was high by about $4k. A 4.3 RCSB would tick the boxes for a basic vehicle for me, 4WD of course has its benefits, but this one's got too many red flags for me to go and kick the tires.
 
I remember when rear bumpers were an option...
In the rustbelt they are known to omit themselves.

As Derek would say, just a bit of weight reduction. Increases the payload capacity, right?
 
….not every truck comes standard with a tow hitch…

I agree those fender flares look like they were slapped on there to hide rust.
 
Neither of my used purchased Ram classics (2017 and 2019) came with a hitch, nor had the bumper ball mounts been used. I put a ~$40 OEM style mail-order bolt on, on both of them and never used them.

My little 2022 Nissan Frontier doesn't have a hitch either. It's gonna stay that way.
 
4.8's with 3.23's might be ok, well probably is, at least unloaded. More is usually better. :)
 
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Huh, wild... A RCSB is 4" inches shorter than the Ridgeline that I'd rather have. Didn't know that. 210" versus 206".

[My garage fits my 189" Camry with a couple feet to spare. Hence the concern, I'd like to be able to walk around and do stuff. A CUV like Pilot or Highlander would be better for me, but something in me wants a truck again, and I can't shake it.]
 
Yup. My aunt just bought an '08 Silverado 4.8L without a tow hitch. Has 3.23's though.
My exact setup. Towed my camry home just fine.

Before this I rolled a 95 F150 300-6 with the stupid mazda stick shift with its stupid tall 1st gear and 2.73s. It did the job but I stayed in 3rd and 4th a lot, and hated stopping completely.
 
My new from the dealer 2007 F350 Super Duty came without a trailer hitch. I bought a Ford OEM hitch from a truck modifier, as I needed the truck for towing.
 
Minor to add a hitch. I've done it a few times already, just not to something that had RWD. I presume the frame would already have the holes, should be minor to hit up etrailer and rectify. Just thought they all came with hitches... bad assumption on my part.
 
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