Mega Cab Dually to Single Rear Wheel

[Southbound]

TDR Brethren-



After ordering a 2006 4x4 Mega Cab Dually I am thinking I may have made a mistake in ordering the dually vs. a single rear wheel. I am in sales and was under the impression that my territory was going to change... ... well its not so I will need a single rear wheel to be able to park my truck..... simple as that!! The kicker... ..... my new truck is on its way to the dealership and I would hate to settle for another truck just to get the single rear wheel. SO I wanted to reach out and see if there was any interest out there in someone swapping their axles and perhaps their bed for the dual set-up?? Note: my truck is white so I would love to find someone with a white truck if possible. I have read several forums that indicate my axle is a bit wider than the single rear wheel so I would rather swap than use off-set wheels with my current axle. In addition I ordered the 3. 73 ratio with the limited slip and would like to swap with the same. I know your probably thinking "what an idiot" but I got a little excited after driving a new dually and pulled the trigger a little tooo soon. At this point I have not discussed alternative options with my dealer but I did check inventory with-in 600 miles and didn't find any trucks like the one I ordered so I am pressed to keep this new truck and try and find a swap. Please let me know if there is any interest out there..... and we can discuss more once I get the truck or discussed with my dealer. Thanks in advance for your time.



Southbound

 

[JWilmer]

I wouldnt worry about it... SRW vs DRW wont effect parking enough to change trucks or boxs,rearends,wheels etc... . IMHO-BJ



I drove a Chevy DOOLY for 3 years... . I actually miss it...

 

[Cummins Thunder]

Do yourself a BIG favor, and... DON'T ACCEPT IT!!! You will instantly kill the resale value of the truck.

It sounds like you are excited about getting the new truck and don't want to wait any longer.

Be patient and order another truck



CJ

 

[KCJackson]

If you ordered the towing mirrors, they stick out further than the dually fenders (102" at the mirrors in their down/non-tow position, vs 96" at the fenders).

 

[BigDan]

Im game, because I always wanted a short bed dulley. Problem is mine is silver. Maybe the only difference on the bed is the fender extentions.



Dont forget about the front hubs or WMS. Mine is an 03

 

[Walker]

I've thought about going dual. I'm tempted but I have the Khaki. I've got the limited slip with 3. 73's and only 12k miles (little to no towing). The colors would probably make it more of an issue (to paint). I'm in Texas also.



Or, just thought of this; locating a bed take-off from an 06 would probably be a swap out for the right colors since they would be brand new or close to it.

 

[pservano]

How much did you pay for your dually? What option do you have?

 

[WoodT]

what color is the truck?? Id probably swap. I have a 06 black shortbed. Im in the DFW area of TX

 

[gsbrockman]

Wowwww.... I could potentially have the first 2003 SWB DRW Bright White Sport in my area !



Greg

 

[Southbound]

Great Response!!

TDR Brethren-



Thanks for all the replies. I didn't really explain the reason I ordered a dually. I currently have a 34ft triple axle Avion bumper-pull camping trailer which is my pride and joy but tends to move my truck around even with the sway control. Plus I am just not a big fan of the short-bed with a trailer that long. Unfortunately the Avions aren't in production anymore so its extremely hard to find a shorter trailer. Note: I have been pulling trailers for a long time so its not a rookie thing..... I simply would rather have a dually. I also believe the Mega-Cab (long-bed frame) would pull better than my shortbed which makes it a little easier to settle with a single rear-wheel rather than the duals.



As far as parking yes I agree they aren't that bad once you drive them for a while however my sales territory is in downtown which means I would have to navigate that girls "big hips" through the high-rise buildings... ..... which is impossible. Its hard enough with my short-bed based upon the heighth. I know I could buy a third car and fix everything but I just don't want to do that ... . yet! Plus momma (CEO) would have issues as well. :-laf



Ya'll also mentioned passing on the truck however I am concerned that my 03 truck trade-in value would decrease based upon mileage plus I don't have much faith the 07's will have any rebates at least in the beginning.



As far the others who were interested in a possible swap I will definitely touch base once I have discussed my options with the dealer. Glad to see some of you were in Texas ... ... ... makes it a little easier.



Thanks again for all of the responses!! TDR family is the best!!



Kind Regards,



Southbound

 

[rjohnson916]

Man good luck on your decision. I was the biggest hater of the new '06 MC Dually, I hated the fenders, the lil box and the profile. Since I stare at them every day, and had a chance to drive a brand new one Laramie, 6-speed, DVD, NaV, Sunroof etc... for the day I entirely changed my mind. For some reason although it's the same length as the QC longbed Dually, the MC Dually doesn't feel as long or wide? I know it's just illusion, as they are the same width also. I thought the 6-speed MC Dually felt just right and like the perfect truck in my opinion. I drive a short box QC 4x4 and honestly the MC dually didn't feel any harder or much larger by comparison. You will absolutely love your truck though by the way, I say stick with it and don't look back.



-Ryan

 

[Wiredawg]

I wouldn't do that major change on a brand new truck; if you do, you will probably kill the warranty. FYI: I drove my 02 dually in DC for over a year and didn't have any problems. You just have to be careful with the fenders. I would keep the dually if you tow a lot. If not, work it out w/ the dealer to get what you really want. They shouldn't have a problem getting rid of the truck.



Good luck, Wiredawg

 

[JWilmer]

LOL... . parking ramps were a handfull... did a couple "spiral of death" exit ramps with my DOOLY..... talking about a square peg in a round hole...



I hope the dealer will "deal" with your situation... . good luck-BJ

 

[Ross]

There's more to it than just the rear axle and bed swap... The front axle hubs are extended on duallys to accept the large offset for dually wheels. This would also need to be swapped, or you'll need to carry two spares, one regular (for the new rear end), and the old dually wheel for the front. Having this arrangement would look sort of goofy, too. There may be some other differences too. I know the dually 3500 have hydraulic power brakes (or used to). The 3500 singles may not, I'm not sure.



Someone else suggested to avoid the swap for resale purposes. I agree.

 

[wcjp]

Call the dealership and discuss options. If it's something that can be sold on the lot they'll probably let you reorder the correct truck. As mentioned before the front and rear axle would be slightly different. I think the brake proportioning is different for a dually. Who knows what else?

 

[BGott]

When I was a kid we used to do stuff like that to $100 trucks all the time. With that said, we must have both run some of the same ridges when we were kids! :-laf



I bet your finance company would really love the idea, also. And your insurance company would have something to say about it if you ever needed to use them.

 

[Wiredawg]

Another thought on this...

I bought my dually for the added safety and stability while towing my 5th wheel. I only tow about twice a year, but it worth it to me for the gains. You really get used to driving and parking a dually once you own one. Mine was a daily driver in DC and I parked in parking garages, parallel parked on the streets and basically went everywhere. I always back in when I park so others don't rub or ding the expensive fenders. I folded towing mirrors in. No problems. I installed air horns to wake up the pesky rice burners trying to cut me off too.



You are the man! You can master driving that truck! Go for it! Huwaahhh!



:-laf



Wiredawg

 

[MAshley]

06 QC, LB, Dully owner here... .



Option #1 If you really want the single tire you could, just unbolt one of the rear tires off and then unhook disconnect the fenders, As far as I can tell, there just glorified fender flares bolted onto a standard bed. Yes the tires would look odd, but you would be a little slimmer. not exactly the prettiest ways but possible.



Option #2 I have taken off the front tires and basically there is an adapter that extends the front hub for the dished out tires, so you could get away with out changing the front axel, just pull the extension off. Now in regards to the rear, I don't' know if there is any difference or not, compare and decide from there, you might be lucky and find that the only difference is the studs length, Common sense tells me they are the same and just use different studs, just like the front is basically the same, In parts for DC that would save a bunch of $$ in the long run. ... . in fact the bed for the dully is just a glorified fender flare. Rims would have to be exchanged.



Option #3 Drive it the way it is, you have a really long wheel base already, the extra 8-12 inches on each side isn't going to hurt, that much, once I figured out the wheel base I park the beast a lot better now, it like magic.





CAUTION:

Nobody has brought up that the single 1 ton doesn't have roof marker lights from the factory, whoever upgrades to the dully would need to get these installed or face a ticket .

 

[Southbound]

Update

Brethren!



I appreciate the responses and Wiredawg I like your attitude :-laf Considering all the responses and multiple discussions with my local TDR buddies I think the general consensus is to keep the new truck the way it is or pass up on the dually and order a single rear wheel. Unfortunately I have looked everywhere for a dealer trade like the truck I ordered and there are none to be found. So I got to make a decision!! I actually spoke with my dealer this afternoon and it appears that my truck is on the train and has an expected delivery of July 3rd. I discussed my dilemma with the dealer and they were very understanding and wants me to make the right decision. There is no doubt that this is one of the best dealers I have ever worked with. My TDR club here in Dallas has bought around 13 trucks from him ... . so that probably helps as well. Guys I really appreciate the responses. Keep your fingers crossed for me. I know my legs will probably crumble when I see the new truck... ... ... may the force be with me.



Southbound

 

[BigDan]

CAUTION:

Nobody has brought up that the single 1 ton doesn't have roof marker lights from the factory, whoever upgrades to the dully would need to get these installed or face a ticket .

Not true, I have a 3500 SRW with roof marker lights