Isuzu NPR tilt cab trucks

[Ncostello]

Does anyone know if there exists a wheel to use on the back of a little Isuzu NPR tilt cab to make it a single rear wheel?



Currently the truck has duals from the factory... but has the 6 lug wheels and I didn't know if they made a 6 lug single heavy duty wheel.



The truck is going to be a line painting rig and the duals make the rear too wide. The tires will be getting into other lines on the pavement, or at least have little room to maneuver.



The weight will be minimal. The painting system weighs 3000 lbs total. So the weight capacity of the single versus the duals will not be an issue so long as the tires are able. And most tires in that size could easily handle that weight.

 

[MChrist]

What year Isuzu? I have an '04 npr hd and 2 '07 nrr's. The nrr's have the 19. 5 wheels and have a gvwr of 19,500. '04 is 14,500 and has the 16" wheels. If you have the 16's, maybe the 19. 5 will fit? then you might try a single 19. 5??? Just a thought.

 

[rscurtis]

How do other line painting trucks get around this?

 

[Ncostello]

Its an 05 NPR diesel. I believe it has the 16" wheels. Its a W3500 Chevy equivalent as far as GVWR goes.



Most of the painting contractors for highway stripers use big rig chassis. Yes, they do the job. But we are going to operate this on tight windy rural county roads. Sometimes the lanes get tight and we wanted maximum flexibility to use as much of the road as possible. This paint setup is designed as a stand alone unit to be set in the back of a 3/4 ton pickup. But they have poor forward visibility of the line indicator and you have to hang out the window to see it. We wanted good visibility so we went with a tilt cab.



The problems is... the lug pattern. Its a 6 lug pattern with rather large lug nuts. I didn't know if that was a common pattern on other types of wheels. I'm not sure what the measurements are. I think I've seen singles of this type on certain FedEx trucks... but I can't remember the pattern.



Duals can work... but a single would give us a few more inches on each side to be able to maneuver the truck as needed without running the white line. The spray boom sets out the side and is adjustable. But its easiest for the driver to see when fully extended out, and your not running a tire on the edge on the other side.

 

[fest3er]

Check your weights, heights and center of gravity. Then decide if the conditions are good enough to simply remove the outer wheels. I seem to recall seeing some gandy (sp?) trucks running like that. If the stock 16" tires aren't manly enough (245/75/16's are typically good for about 3000# each), 265/75/16s are typically good for an extra 200#-400# each. If roll-over might be an issue, switch to non-dually wheels. It's not as though you need high performance and high speed durability. The tires and wheels just need to safely handle the mass they are carrying.

 

[MMeier]

My buddies NPR has 17. 5's on it IIRC. Even though they are duals, it does have a narrow track out back.

 

[Ncostello]

Load Range E tires are fine. I didn't want to run just an inside dual because it I thought that was hard on the seals/bearings. Kinda puts a moment or torque on them.



The load is designed for a typical 2WD 3/4 ton pickup to handle. So loading will be no problem for this thing. No way I can be overweight with a decent tire.



Some NPR's had the 17. 5's if I recall. They looked kinda oddly tall from what we got. I believe ours are 16 typicals... the smaller available. Some NPR's were a different weight range. This is the smallest.



Thats the problem... I just want to switch to non dually wheels. But I have no idea where to find one with this "foreign" 6 lug pattern. I've not seen this pattern on anything but these dually trucks.

 

[Ncostello]

Maybe either of these two folks:



Heavy Duty Truck Wheels - Custom Wheels



or



www.diamondracingwheels.com : Custom Steel Wheels

 

[Ncostello]

Stockton Wheel emailed me and said they'd build me a 16x8 "Power Wagon" wheel machined to any bolt and hub spec... so i could fit a "super single" load range E tire to match the height of the LRE 215/85/16's on there. The wheel capacity exceeds the tire capacity I believe so I should be very safe.