This last year my brother-in-law Brad had been pestering me all the time about when I was getting a new pickup. My 2017 GMC Sierra 2500 HD was getting up to 100,000 miles. And it is a rough ride. He wanted me to get a suburban for some reason. Evidently, he thinks I have a lot of friends and luggage. Anyway, I said if I get a new vehicle it was going to be a half-ton pickup because now both the three-quarter ton and half-ton have the same headroom as each other. In 2017 the only pickup I could fit in was a three-quarter ton because the cab was taller.
Anyway, Brad said pick out a pickup you want so we can get it done before we go on your hunting trip out west. It’s rough country out there. Bouncing around in a three-quarter ton pickup for four or five days really wears me out.
After looking at a lot of pickups and talking to some people I decided on the 2026 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Trail Boss LT 4WD. It has a 5.3 L ECOTEC3 V8 Transmission with a 10-speed automatic. The paint is sterling gray metallic with a jet-black interior.
The Chevy Trail Boss package is a series of off-road and appearance enhancements. The package includes items like a 2-inch suspension lift, Z71 off-road equipment (like skid plates, shocks, and an automatic locking rear differential), MT tires for off-road and unique blacked-out wheels, grilles, and bumpers. The interior tech with the LT Trail Boss includes a 13.4-inch diagonal color touch-screen and 12.3-inch diagonal reconfigurable Driver Information Center. There are a lot of buttons and stuff. It is a mean machine.
When we picked out the pickup, we had to make sure I would fit in with the conversion so we gave AT Conversions the VIN number and they gave us the okay. They said it was going to be a tight fit but it would work. I was happy in my facial region. In July Brad and I filled out AT Conversions wheelchair measurement guide, the engineers there used this guide with the VIN number to figure out if me and my wheelchair fit.
On October 2nd the pickup was purchased from City Chevrolet, Columbia City, Indiana. Then the dealership drove it to AT Conversions in Roanoke, Indiana, as it was only 24 miles. The conversion usually takes 4-6 weeks. We were hoping we would get back before the trip to hunt muleys, which we were scheduled to take off on November 13.
Thankfully everything went smooth with the new pickup and the conversion, it was done on October 27. It only took AT Conversions 25 days to complete the project. Impressive.
Now that it was done, how do we get it back? We asked around to see if it could get hauled back on an open spot in one of the semi-vehicle haulers, that was a possibility but there would be no timeframe. We wouldn’t know when it would get picked up in Indiana and we would not know when it would get delivered to Enderlin. Another option was to drive a vehicle down there with two people and drive two vehicles back. The third option was to fly as close as possible and drive back the new pickup. Brad and Shelie decided to do the third option.
Saturday, November 1, Brad and Shelie flew from Fargo to Chicago and then flew to Fort Wayne, Indiana. From there they took a 12-mile UBER to Roanoke, Indiana to pick up the new converted pickup. From there they started their 16+ hour road trip home, bypassing Chicago and Minneapolis. They went straight west and ended up at the Par-A-Dice Casino in Peoria, Illinois. Going through Indiana and Iowa they went over a lot of bridges and went through a lot of trees scattered around the farm fields.
Sunday, November 2, they had a slow leak in one of the back tires and had to have that fixed on Sunday at one of the Farm & Fleet stores in Iowa that day. The culprit was a drywall screw. Possibly ran it over the first day or the screw was in there from where they did the conversion. One will never know. That night they stayed overnight at the Grand Falls Casino and Golf Resort by Sioux Falls, South Dakota. By the way, Brad really was liking driving the new pickup. That Sunday sister Randi and mom went to Hector to pick up Shelie and Brad’s vehicle at the new parking ramp, so they wouldn’t have to deal with it coming home with my new pickup.
Monday, November 3, they made it to the farm around 5 PM that night. That was a hell of a trip and I cannot thank them enough. Then the nerve-racking part took place, I backed into the lift, raised it up and swung into the cab. Everyone let out what I sigh of relief when I fit in the pickup and I closed the door. Then we did a little road trip with Brad, Shelie, Randi, Mom and myself around the countryside. I could tell right away how smooth the ride was in the half ton instead of the 2017 three-quarter ton. It drives like a dream. From there we went to town and celebrated at the Spare Time with Dad and others.
That week I had Randy and the crew at Cityside Collision in Enderlin put on the Tonneau cover, mudflaps and running board. I found out the running board that I picked was not low enough for the short people in my family so I ordered some different ones. Mike Lemna put on the new one with my guidance in his shop. That was entertaining. I think this running board will work well for the vertically challenged people in my world. Thanks Mike, put it on my tab. By the way, I only put one of the running boards on the driver side. Not needed on my side, and hooking it up would suck. So if there is anyone out there looking for just a passenger-side running board, I have a couple.
The next thing I needed to do was schedule putting in the wheelchair locking device onto the lifting tray with Bert’s Mobility Solutions in Moorhead. They sell and buy handicapped vehicles plus they do maintenance and add on locking devices plus do many other things for handicapped people who want to drive. By the way, they are not located at Bert’s Trucking anymore. Bert’s Mobility Solutions is located south about two half miles on Highway 75.
On November 3 I scheduled with Bert’s to put in the wheelchair locking device on November 10 at 8 AM. The wheelchair locking device is like a fifth wheel lock but for wheelchairs. There is a pin between the back tires of the wheelchair and I back into the locking device. Mom drove the new pickup there and they gave her a loner wheelchair accessible van to bring home that night. The next day mom and I drove the van to Bert’s Mobility Solutions. This is when I remembered how crappy minivans are. Sitting in the back, not being able to see much, sitting so close to the ground and scraping gravel constantly with the bottom of the van because they are lowered. So lucky to have a pickup. No comparison.
On November 12 Shelie and I went to the Lisbon DOT and got my license plates switched over to the new vehicle. Also got some other paperwork done with the new pickup. I would like to thank the ladies at the Lisbon DOT for all their help. I owe you all a cocktail.
The conversion looks pretty much the same as it did in 2017 when I had the first one in North Dakota. The new pickup conversion does have a couple things different that they have made better. The hydraulic reservoir and motor used to be under the hood. Now all of that is under the back seat. Hopefully this means that the hydraulics will warm up quicker in the cold temperatures so it won’t have to run as long for everything to work smoothly. In the 2017 conversion, if the temperatures were below freezing, I would have to run it for at least ½ hour if it wasn’t in the garage or the hydraulics wouldn’t be loose enough to lift me into the cab. Also, where the door locks when it closes shut, there used to be a big magnet that held the door closed. Now there is a hydraulic clamp that pulls the door shut and secure when closed. I’m sure there are some other things they have changed over the years to make the conversion work more gooder but these are the ones I have noticed so far.
There is no comparison when comparing the 2017 GMC Sierra 2500 HD SLE and the new 2026 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Trail Boss LT. This new pickup is like riding on water compared to driving on square wheels over railroad tracks constantly. The trip out west went smooth like butter. It was a lot easier on my body in the new pickup for sure. The gas mileage makes a big difference also. The 2025 4D hunting trip story will be on my blog shortly after this is posted. It did not suck.
We were lucky everything went so smooth. Everything just seemed to line up perfectly when it came to the pickup, the conversion and all of the extras that are needed.
I never thought a new pickup was going to happen, I thought I would drive the 2017 Jimmy until it croaked or I did…
I also can’t thank the people at Chevrolet City for their help getting the vehicle I wanted and delivering it to AT Conversions. I would also like to give a big thank you to everyone at AT Conversions for answering all my questions and putting up with me before the conversion and during the conversion. Chauncey, you are the best.
I can’t thank Brad and Shelie enough for making this happen. Another dream comes true. If it wasn’t for Brad pestering me for the last year about when I was going to get a new pickup, this never would’ve happened. I’m glad I talked him out of getting a suburban. I’m more of a pickup guy. I would also like to thank my entire family and some great friends who contributed to the new vehicle. Forever indebted.
I can’t believe how everything worked out so smoothly. I am a happy person with a real nice ride. Thanks everybody who made this happen.
Thanks for reading, Clint.
