Duel rear wheels - how???

[TPringle]

Guys, I have a 92 standard cab CTD 2wd that I bought a year ago. It had been "made" a duelie, to handle the dump bed, but I dont think this duel setup is the best. They have used an adapter/spacer that sets the rear wheels out about 2 1/2 inches, and converts the 1/2 lugs to 9/16. This doesnt allow the center of the wheels to center on the hub, but they used the type that centers on the cones of the lugs. The wheels they used are of the old split rim type that no one wants to service. I found 2 rims that center on the lugs that are the normal 16" ton wheels, but now the tires touch, which may not be very good. Seems the backspace is less or something. Do any of you have any ideas or suggestions as how to do this simply and trouble free? Just to know, the tires are the LT 235 80 R16 range E.

 

[Joseph Donnelly]

You definitely want later wheels; the split rims are dangerous to work with. Also, adapters move the center of support (between the dual wheels) outboard of where the stock single wheel supported the load (at the center of the tread). This movement causes more leverage on the wheel bearings and spindles than they were designed for, actually reducing weight capacity of the differential housing. .

 

[tugboatphil]

Tim, ditto what Joe said about the split ring rims.

I have a 93 D350 and the tires I run are what is called for on the door panel, 215/85/16. I have an inch or more clearance between the tires.

I don't know your $$ situation but you might look for a used rear axle. If you keep the dump bed the length won't make much difference. But if you want to put a pickup bed back on there is a difference between the length of the axle for that versus a cab & chassis axle.

 

[Ncostello]

I'd have stockton wheel make you a HD single wheel and get a wide 10 ply tire. My neighbor used to have a D250 he got from the local power utility. It had a flatbed. He had typical duals on the rear and the 3/4 ton front wheel... IE non-matching to the rears with handholes.



Why can't you just bolt up Dodge dually rims? Are our rear axles different from dually to singles? Lug lengths?



Another thing to consider is that you want the centerline of the duals to be the same as the centerline of the single rear wheel it used to have. IE: If spacers force the center of the duals outward more than the OEM line the lugs are in... you'll put alot of force on the axles. Bending force.

 

[tugboatphil]

I can't remember the sizes but the lugs on a 250 are smaller than the 350. I was surprised the first time I tried to remove a lugnut with a regular breaker bar. I had to put a 4 ft pipe on it to break. I think the book says 125 ft lbs. or higher. I now have an impact gun.

In one of the first threads I read on here I found out I wasn't centering my wheels. The 90 250 I had the lug nuts were coned on the end. The 350 lug nuts are flat. Every other lug hole on the wheel has a groove. You're supposed to seat the wheel with separate coned lug nuts, then put 4 flat nuts on. Then remove the coned and replace with flats.

 

[Paychk]

I can't remember the sizes but the lugs on a 250 are smaller than the 350. I was surprised the first time I tried to remove a lugnut with a regular breaker bar. I had to put a 4 ft pipe on it to break. I think the book says 125 ft lbs. or higher. I now have an impact gun.



In one of the first threads I read on here I found out I wasn't centering my wheels. The 90 250 I had the lug nuts were coned on the end. The 350 lug nuts are flat. Every other lug hole on the wheel has a groove. You're supposed to seat the wheel with separate coned lug nuts, then put 4 flat nuts on. Then remove the coned and replace with flats.

If you're referring to Dually torque, it is 325 Ft. lbs.

 

[TPringle]

Still not sure what way I am going to go. Seems to me a single wheel may be a little under what I want to haul, but maybe I am wrong. I have hauled 4 tons several times, and things seemed to hold up, no blown tires or anything. I had thought about going to a single until I find an answer, tho.



I noticed the stock lugs were awful puny - looked like 1/2 inch by about 1 1/4 long. Ran into this on my other truck when I tried to put some aluminum wheels on a couple of years ago. The new tires & wheels are still stacked by the garage door. I never really found a solution to get them on safely.



Do the 350 series use larger 9/16 studs? Are the axles the same, as the 250? Can longer studs be installed, or are we back to replacing the axle?



I really dont want to get a fortune in this truck. I dont use it every day, but when I need it - I need it. Mostly I am hauling gravel or junk, roof tear off or something within an hour of home. It will seldom, if ever see any interstate.

 

[ZedMikey]

My single wheel W250 has 9/16" studs and dually brake drums from the factory, but the D250s may be different. All our first gens used variations of the D70 rear, but there are differences between some years/models/etc.

I would be very surprised to hear of 1/2" studs on one of our trucks from the factory. Perhaps they are really 9/16"? Or swapped by a previous owner to fit the wheels he had on hand?

 

[Paychk]

According to the FSM, the 350 dually used 5/8" X 18 TPI studs.