- Apr 9, 2026
- 3
- 3
Welcome, I purchased my 2025 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD ZR2 Bison February of 2025. First of all love this truck and it's capabilities. I built this truck through Chevrolet.com and ordered it at the dealership I work at as a service advisor. Equipped it with everything, except for a sunroof. No one touch my truck for detailing except for myself (I'm one of those guys lol, but can you blame me for the price of these trucks?). Once I got it home I got to work changing the two ZR2 badges on the fenders to black out, then ceramic coating the whole truck with Ethos Max (https://ethoscarcare.com/products/graphene-max-coating). When prepping going over the whole exterior looking for any excessive defects in the paint. Probably spent a good 12 hours detailing, clay baring, and ceramic coating. About a week later had PPF (paint protection film) on the hood and intake scoop. Initial protection complete.
A few months later I figured the space between the grille and the bumper was a perfect place to put a light bar. I bought a 30" curved light bar from Rough Country (https://www.roughcountry.com/product/30-inch-curved-led-light-bar-72730bldrl) and had to make some custom made brackets to make it fit nicely. No cutting, drilling, or modification required to the vehicle. Found the two bolts, I think for the bumper, in a perfect spot to mount the brackets to. At this point I also installed the rest of the required kit for the upfitter switches (all that comes from factory installed is the switches themselves and the bolster panel not the wiring). (attached picture and will update with more bracket/install pictures later)
Next, I wanted a tonneau cover. I wanted this one that I have seen from RealTruck that had metal slats on a retractable tonneau cover (https://realtruck.com/p/realtruck-flushfit-mrc-3000-manual-retractable-tonneau-cover/), but instead ended up with a plastic/carbonate roller (https://realtruck.com/p/roll-n-lock-m-series-xt/). Having the t-slots was a must have for future adaptability though and got that right.
Now, some of you may think I am crazy for this one and I debated on it for awhile, but it has been one of the best choices I've made. I took a bedside utility box (Buyers 1702940 - 16x13x72 Inch Black Steel Topsider Truck Box) ad mounted it o the tonneau cover by bolting to the t-slots. In these trucks, there is not a lot of storage in the back seat for all of the things you need to store and I found this to be the best solution. Granted it blocks the back window and I lost the gooseneck camera view, but I do have the rearview mirror camera view still. Most of the time I use mirrors and cameras to back up, even for trailers. I do miss the view occasionally especially for a flat bed or dump trailer, but for the most part I don't even know it's there. I keep tools, tow kinetic rope, gooseneck kit, jumper cables, and other miscellaneous items in it (which I could not properly store in the back seat).
The most recent addition has been adding the rear bumper lights. I used the AEV brackets (https://aev-conversions.com/products/rear-bumper-aux-light-brackets) and Baja Designs light pods (https://www.bajadesigns.com/product...led-auxiliary-light-pod-universal/?sku=550005) as demonstrated by AEV.
All my wiring is custom using deutsch connectors and fabricating my own harnesses (pictures of that coming soon). Honestly the connectors that Baja Designs uses are garbage. The pins bend and don't fit well compared to deutsch connectors. From the upfitter switch outputs I made a harness that goes to the auxiliary battery for easy access to add additional circuits, almost looks factory.
Coming soon I am installing a-pillar lights and a winch. The a-pillar brackets I am using are SDHQ brackets (https://sdhqoffroad.com/products/20-current-chevy-gmc-2500-3500-sdhq-built-a-pillar-light-mounts) and Rigid D-SS Pro Driving Pods (https://www.rigidindustries.com/d-ss-pro-driving-pair-black-262313.html) as the lights. I will let you know how that goes. The winch that I am going to try is a Badlands Apex 12,000 lbs winch... Hopefully works out well that might be a bit of an adventure, but if I pull this one off I'm sure a lot of people would like to know especially with the price being $1,800.00 cheaper than a GM sold winch kit. My goal is to not cut or dill any body or frame work (other than some of the plastic pop-on panels for obvious reasons).
I have used this truck to pull tree stumps and haul heavy loads. It performs well with everything I have thrown at it. Have the pull points on the AEV bumper has proven extremely strong (they are connected to the frame rails after all). I've been on forest service roads using the differential lock to gain all the traction I can get turning around a 20 foot trailer in a not so easy turn around spot (while a Forest Service agent watched lol).
Going into maintenance, I do plan to use the dealer for maintenance and repair as I have also put a service contract on the truck. During oil changes I also plan on using the BG oil additive DOC (https://www.bgprod.com/catalog/engine/bg-doc-diesel-oil-conditioner/) and the BG fuel additive (https://www.bgprod.com/catalog/diesel-fuel-system/bg-dfc-plus-hp2-with-cetane-improver/). Everything I do to accessorize and maintain the truck will be in order to maintain vehicle warranty and not interfere with the OE systems or modify original body components.
Finishing up, I repair ATVs and Side by Sides, which is a main reason why I was looking to buy a off-roading heavy duty beast. I also do have my own Polaris RZR Turbo that I like taking to the trails in a 20 foot enclosed trailer. I'd say this truck would cover just about anything I would want it to get into. Fishing, camping, getting to a trail head, picking-up customers vehicles, and maybe even recovering the occasional customer's vehicle on the trail. I do work two jobs owning my own business and being a full time service advisor for a Chevrolet dealer and this beast handles the best of both worlds.
P.S. I also changed the hood louvers to the black "DURAMAX ALLISON" badges that come on the Trail Boss edition.
A few months later I figured the space between the grille and the bumper was a perfect place to put a light bar. I bought a 30" curved light bar from Rough Country (https://www.roughcountry.com/product/30-inch-curved-led-light-bar-72730bldrl) and had to make some custom made brackets to make it fit nicely. No cutting, drilling, or modification required to the vehicle. Found the two bolts, I think for the bumper, in a perfect spot to mount the brackets to. At this point I also installed the rest of the required kit for the upfitter switches (all that comes from factory installed is the switches themselves and the bolster panel not the wiring). (attached picture and will update with more bracket/install pictures later)
Next, I wanted a tonneau cover. I wanted this one that I have seen from RealTruck that had metal slats on a retractable tonneau cover (https://realtruck.com/p/realtruck-flushfit-mrc-3000-manual-retractable-tonneau-cover/), but instead ended up with a plastic/carbonate roller (https://realtruck.com/p/roll-n-lock-m-series-xt/). Having the t-slots was a must have for future adaptability though and got that right.
Now, some of you may think I am crazy for this one and I debated on it for awhile, but it has been one of the best choices I've made. I took a bedside utility box (Buyers 1702940 - 16x13x72 Inch Black Steel Topsider Truck Box) ad mounted it o the tonneau cover by bolting to the t-slots. In these trucks, there is not a lot of storage in the back seat for all of the things you need to store and I found this to be the best solution. Granted it blocks the back window and I lost the gooseneck camera view, but I do have the rearview mirror camera view still. Most of the time I use mirrors and cameras to back up, even for trailers. I do miss the view occasionally especially for a flat bed or dump trailer, but for the most part I don't even know it's there. I keep tools, tow kinetic rope, gooseneck kit, jumper cables, and other miscellaneous items in it (which I could not properly store in the back seat).
The most recent addition has been adding the rear bumper lights. I used the AEV brackets (https://aev-conversions.com/products/rear-bumper-aux-light-brackets) and Baja Designs light pods (https://www.bajadesigns.com/product...led-auxiliary-light-pod-universal/?sku=550005) as demonstrated by AEV.
All my wiring is custom using deutsch connectors and fabricating my own harnesses (pictures of that coming soon). Honestly the connectors that Baja Designs uses are garbage. The pins bend and don't fit well compared to deutsch connectors. From the upfitter switch outputs I made a harness that goes to the auxiliary battery for easy access to add additional circuits, almost looks factory.
Coming soon I am installing a-pillar lights and a winch. The a-pillar brackets I am using are SDHQ brackets (https://sdhqoffroad.com/products/20-current-chevy-gmc-2500-3500-sdhq-built-a-pillar-light-mounts) and Rigid D-SS Pro Driving Pods (https://www.rigidindustries.com/d-ss-pro-driving-pair-black-262313.html) as the lights. I will let you know how that goes. The winch that I am going to try is a Badlands Apex 12,000 lbs winch... Hopefully works out well that might be a bit of an adventure, but if I pull this one off I'm sure a lot of people would like to know especially with the price being $1,800.00 cheaper than a GM sold winch kit. My goal is to not cut or dill any body or frame work (other than some of the plastic pop-on panels for obvious reasons).
I have used this truck to pull tree stumps and haul heavy loads. It performs well with everything I have thrown at it. Have the pull points on the AEV bumper has proven extremely strong (they are connected to the frame rails after all). I've been on forest service roads using the differential lock to gain all the traction I can get turning around a 20 foot trailer in a not so easy turn around spot (while a Forest Service agent watched lol).
Going into maintenance, I do plan to use the dealer for maintenance and repair as I have also put a service contract on the truck. During oil changes I also plan on using the BG oil additive DOC (https://www.bgprod.com/catalog/engine/bg-doc-diesel-oil-conditioner/) and the BG fuel additive (https://www.bgprod.com/catalog/diesel-fuel-system/bg-dfc-plus-hp2-with-cetane-improver/). Everything I do to accessorize and maintain the truck will be in order to maintain vehicle warranty and not interfere with the OE systems or modify original body components.
Finishing up, I repair ATVs and Side by Sides, which is a main reason why I was looking to buy a off-roading heavy duty beast. I also do have my own Polaris RZR Turbo that I like taking to the trails in a 20 foot enclosed trailer. I'd say this truck would cover just about anything I would want it to get into. Fishing, camping, getting to a trail head, picking-up customers vehicles, and maybe even recovering the occasional customer's vehicle on the trail. I do work two jobs owning my own business and being a full time service advisor for a Chevrolet dealer and this beast handles the best of both worlds.
P.S. I also changed the hood louvers to the black "DURAMAX ALLISON" badges that come on the Trail Boss edition.
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