What is the Chevy puck system?

It's Chevy's factory Gooseneck/5th Wheel Prep Package on the Silverado 2500HD and 3500HD. It builds a five-hole puck system into the truck bed — four corner pucks for a fifth wheel hitch plus a center hole for a gooseneck ball — so compatible hitches drop in and lock down without drilling. It's identified by RPO code Z6A.

Which Chevy Silverado trucks have the puck system?

The Silverado 2500HD and 3500HD, from about 2016 on. It's an optional package (RPO Z6A), not standard, so two identical-looking trucks can differ — one may have it and one may not. The half-ton Silverado 1500 does not offer the factory puck system.

How do I know if my Silverado has the pucks?

Two quick checks. First, open the glovebox and look at the RPO code label — if Z6A is on the list, the truck was built with the prep. Second, pull back any bed liner and look for five capped holes in the front half of the bed (four in a rectangle plus one center). To be 100% sure, give a dealer your VIN and ask them to read the build sheet.

Will a fifth wheel hitch from a 2016-2019 Silverado fit a 2020 or newer one?

Not the fifth wheel legs. When Chevy redesigned the Silverado HD for 2020, it moved the puck spacing, so the four-leg base of a puck-mount fifth wheel hitch is year-specific: 2016-2019 legs won't fit a 2020+ truck, and vice versa. The gooseneck ball still interchanges. Always match the hitch to your exact model year.

What fifth wheel hitches fit Chevy pucks?

Any 4-point fifth wheel hitch built for the GM OE puck system — the four legs drop into the four corner pucks. Popular options include the B&W Companion OEM (GM version), CURT Q-Series with puck-system legs, and PullRite OE. You can also run a single-point fifth wheel hitch by adding a gooseneck ball and a gooseneck adapter pin box. Match the fitment to your truck's year.

Are the Chevy and GMC puck systems the same?

Yes. The Silverado HD and Sierra HD are the same GM truck under different badges and share the exact same puck system and bed. A puck-mount hitch that fits a Silverado 2500HD fits a Sierra 2500HD of the same generation and bed length.

Chevy Puck System

Written by a towing industry expert Updated July 2026

The short answer: Chevy's Silverado HD puck prep (RPO Z6A) is a 5-hole system — here's how to spot it, what fits, and the 2020 change that trips people up.

What Is Chevy's Puck System?

Chevy's factory Gooseneck/5th Wheel Prep Package builds a five-hole puck system into your Silverado HD bed — four corner pucks for a fifth wheel hitch, plus a center hole for a gooseneck ball. Compatible hitches drop in and lock down with no drilling, and the bed goes flat again when you pull the hitch out.

Which Silverado Trucks Have It?

HD only — and it's optional

Silverado 2500HD

2016 and up

Silverado 3500HD

2016 and up

You'll find it across the trim range — Work Truck (WT), Custom, LT, LTZ, and High Country — because it's ordered as an option, not tied to a trim. The half-ton Silverado 1500 doesn't offer it.

Important

The puck system is an optional package (RPO Z6A). Two Silverado HDs that look identical can differ — one has it, one doesn't. Always confirm your truck before buying a puck-mount hitch.

How Do I Know If My Silverado Has It?

The 30-second check

1. Glovebox RPO label — open the glovebox, find the silver sticker full of option codes, and look for Z6A. That's the tell on GM trucks.
2. Look in the bed — check the front half for five capped holes (four in a rectangle + one center). Got a bed liner? Pull it back or look for the cutouts first. Real capped holes, not just molded dimples.
3. VIN + dealer — for a dead-certain answer, have any Chevy dealer read your build sheet.

Want the full walkthrough (with the pucks-vs-dimples trick)? See Does My Truck Have the Prep Package?

The 2020 Change That Trips People Up

Match the hitch to your year

Chevy has offered the puck prep since 2016, but the Silverado HD was redesigned for 2020 — and GM moved the puck spacing in the process.

2016–2019 vs. 2020+ isn't interchangeable

The gooseneck ball still swaps between generations, but the fifth wheel hitch legs are year-specific: a 2016–2019 leg set won't fit a 2020+ Silverado HD, and vice versa. When you buy, match the hitch to your exact model year — this is the #1 thing people get wrong.

What Hitches Fit Chevy Pucks?

Two ways to hook up

Your pucks give you two paths, and both drop into the factory holes:

4-point fifth wheel hitch

The standard setup — a puck-mount hitch whose four legs lock into the four corner pucks. B&W Companion OEM (GM version), CURT Q-Series with puck legs, and PullRite OE all make one. Match it to your year (see above).

Single-point fifth wheel hitch

A single-point fifth wheel hitch (like the PullRite 3900) mounts at one central point instead of the four corner pucks — it sits on the center gooseneck ball and grabs your trailer's kingpin as usual. (A gooseneck pin box like a Reese Goose Box also tows a fifth wheel off a ball, but that's a trailer-side pin box, not a hitch.)

Heads up: Chevy's Z6A prep is the platform and pucks. The gooseneck ball and safety-chain anchors are often a separate purchase — check what came with your truck (sometimes it's in a case in the cab).

Which one fits your Chevy?

Enter your year, make, model, and bed — we'll show only the hitches that actually bolt on.

See Chevy Hitches

Want a shortlist instead? See the best puck-mount fifth wheel hitches, or how to install one.

What About the Tailgate?

Short beds and clearance

Newer Silverado HDs offer the available Multi-Flex tailgate, but that's a cargo feature — it doesn't change puck fitment. What matters for towing is bed length: a standard 8' bed clears a fifth wheel fine, while a shorter 6.9' bed can bind on tight turns. The fixes are a slider hitch, a hitch with a built-in offset, or an offset gooseneck ball paired with a gooseneck pin box. See Short Bed Towing for the details.

What If My Silverado Doesn't Have Pucks?

You've still got options

No factory pucks? You can't retrofit the true factory prep (it's welded in at the plant), but you can add an aftermarket mounting system and tow just fine:

ISR Rails

Bolt industry-standard rails into the bed, then run any 4-point rail-mount fifth wheel hitch.

Under-Bed Kit

A B&W Turnoverball-style gooseneck kit gives you a single center ball for a single-point setup.

Not sure which way to go? Rails vs. Pucks breaks it down. And since the Silverado and Sierra are the same truck, the GMC puck guide and the GM overview cover the same hardware.