I have a 2003 GMC Topkick cab/chassis sitting at my shop awaiting time to do a conversion. The Chevy equivalent is the Kodiak, same truck different grill. The current generation is the 2003 up until GM stopped making them in I think 2009. They come in 4500, 5500, and 6500 varieties. The 4500 is an overgrown pickup chassis with 19.5 tires, the 5500 has a little heavier chassis/suspension but still 19.5 tires, and the 6500 steps up to 22.5 tires and beefier chassis. All 3 share the same body, and come in regular cab, extended cab and crew cab. The regular cab trucks are very common, crew cabs a little harder to find, usually only used on western hauler setups for horse trailers, and service trucks for utility crews. Extended cabs are rare, I've only seen them on some rollbacks. Mine is a 6500 regular cab, 8.1 gas motor on propane (ex Schwan's truck). The 2003 and newer trucks use the same Duramax diesel as the 3500 pickup in the 4500 and 5500 models, not sure if you could get something bigger in the 6500 like a Cat, but I'm not a diesel guy. I know the older models came with Cat's.
My opinion (take if for what it's worth, which is free) is they are a good economical choice for a smaller TC. They share the engine with the Chevy pickup, meaning parts and service are far more reasonable than a class 8 truck, and have a heavy enough chassis to get the job done. The 4500 and 5500 I think are only suited to the really tiny TC's like Pony Express was building with an 8-10' box to pull a goose neck, with the 19.5 tires being the limiting factor in my book. The 6500 would be equivalent to an International FL70 like you would see with a Renegade or Showhauler toter up to around 14' or 16' to haul a gooseneck. Any bigger you need a class 8 chassis. Nothing against overkill, you can put a small conversion on a class 8 chassis, but in my book if the 6500 will get the job done without the expensive maintenance and parts cost of a class 8 truck, why not. Particularly those cheap ex over-the-road trucks have a ton of miles on them, and what does a turbo, or injectors or an overhaul cost? I can put a brand new, throttle body to oil pan, engine in mine for $8600, or get a complete remanufactured engine for $4300, and have the knowledge and tools to put it in myself. What does that same replacement engine cost for a class 8? And I can't work on it.
BlizzardND might have a good opinion as well, he built his conversion on a topkick low/pro chassis, but with a diesel.
Like I said, my opinion.
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