What do they mean by "heavy duty" for 89 burb?

[Big6ft6]

I'm looking for the cheapest shocks I can find for my 1989 V2500 burb. it is just beater project truck I bought for $500.

I went onto checkerauto.com and entered by truck, the shocks that come up for my truck include a super cheap monroe gas-matic for 17.99 ea. However in the limited description for the shock it says "except Heavy Duty Models".

I know modern Silverados can be had in "HD" versions, but was theres such a thing for the old ones? Or do you think this note for these shocks is universal and it is refering to the modern "HD" trucks.

My suburban is lifted but I assumed it was the factory lift. Every 2500 burb I've seen has this same lift as mine.

Please let me know if there was such a thing as "heavy duty" in the 89-91 burbs. thanks.

[unplugged]

I checked the AutoZone website and they make no distinction for HD. In fact for the rear shocks it didn't matter if the truck was a 1500 or 2500 two or 4wd. Buy the best shock you can that fits within your budget. It doesn't make sense to dump a bunch of money into a $500 truck. $25 or $30 a shock wouldn't be out of line and you should be able to get a decent shock in that price range.

[jaybird]

I had a 87 chevy truck and when I had my hitch installed, I was told it had HD package and they had to order a different hitch. So I guess they did have HD option.

[retired2001]

I think what the "HD" refers to is the fact that GM made a "light duty" 3/4 which had 6 lug wheels vs 8 lug on HD 3/4. The HD also had the beefer trany, brakes & suspension. Hope this is what you were talking about.

[Kraziken]

I believe my '88 2WD had only single shocks setup in the front, while my 4x4 has dual shocks? I don't know if that is what they meant by HD or not, or if that is the difference between the 2WD independant front and the 4x4 solid front end.

[MrShorty]

It might be as much about how you use the truck as whether it has an HD package. If unplugged is right, and the 1500 and 2500 both use the "same" shock, then they might be considering a 2500 as heavier duty than the 1500.

I put those bottom of the line Monroe's on my Explorer and didn't like them, they were too soft. In many ways, that's personal preference, so how do you want it to feel?

How do you use your 2500? I know it's a cheap beater, but how do you beat it? If you use it for towing or hauling, or any other "heavy duty" use, you might want the next step up in shocks.

I would suggest including Autozone in your pricing (if you have an Autozone near you). I've liked the 2nd-to-bottom-of-the-line Gabriels that I've put on mine, and Autozone tends to sell them for about the same or a little less than Checker sells equivalent Monroes.

[Big6ft6]

Thanks for the feedback everyone. I've decided that as best I can tell after searching RPO codes and the original brochure for 1989 suburbans that there isn't any official OEM "HD" designation.

As for the quad shocks up front I have a 3/4 ton 4x4 with 8-lug wheels and only single shocks up front?? So who knows..

I went in to the local checker to buy the cheap monroes..and they only had rears in that super cheap shock...so as I stood there debating between just getting the next one up, paying the extra $25 (for a set) and just getting it done..or waiting to save$25 bucks..the guy at the counter gave me an employee discount becuase I'd been in so often over the past years, and the heavier duty shocks ended up being cheaper than the littler ones! He's won me over as a customer!

My final guess is that the note on the shocks was referring to the new generation "HD" trucks, and the same note probably shows up no matter what year truck you're looking under.

Shocks are fine...can definitly tell the difference. One of my old ones was so bad that if you held it up in the air by one end...the shock would just slide out by itself!