# What about running a dually rear truck with just the outside tires?



## bontai Joe (Sep 16, 2003)

I was following a Ford F-350 dually with the tailgate down this morning on my way to work and started thinking... I have a lot of time to think on a 50 mile commute... So I was thinking if I got a truck like this, would it be possible to remove the inside tires and just run it on the outer ones so I could remove the wheel wells inside the bed to allow loading wide deck lawn tractors easier? Or am I just thinking about tractors too much?


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## Live Oak (Dec 22, 2003)

Joe, I am not positive but most of the guy over on TDR in their posts say that they run the inner tires. For some reason I don't think it is possible to run just the outer because of bolt pattern or something like that. That would be a good question for me to post over there if you would like or I welcome you to join up and post yourself. :thumbsup:


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## Chipmaker (Sep 16, 2003)

I have seen the inner tires only, but don't recollect seeing just outer used.......With the way they make do in this area I am not surprised at what I see being driven around this state. So evidently there is more to running a dually with the outers only as I am sure these folks we have around here would have done it already, especially if it looked "sporty or bad" Isn't there a spacer or does the outer wheel butt up against the iner wheels dish? Perhaps its do to the possibility there is not sufficient lateral support if you run justs the outers.

What I really like is the latest fad here among a lot of folks and that is running those "space saver donuts" on all 4 wheels, and having these clowns pass you doing 90 mph on the interstate........Seriously, Goodwill and the Salvation Army can sell every space saver spare they take in as a donation.....big demand.

Can you juists imagine space saver spares on a dually.

:furious: 

Its amazing what is used and driven and the conditions and modifications done to vehicles here since Alabama doe snot have a state inspecton and a vast majority don;t even carry the mandatory insurances.


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## CatDaddy (May 30, 2004)

I'm not sure that rims from a dually (inner or outer) can be safely run long-term singly. I think if you want to run a single rear on the back of a dually, you would need to buy a pair of rims from 1-ton single rear wheel truck. 

-=A=-

p.s. Are the studs threaded all the way down to the drum?


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## Live Oak (Dec 22, 2003)

I have seen rims with a big off set that allowed the mounting of a monster width single rear tire in place of duals. That looks pretty cool but the tires are really expensive. Duals can really be a pain in the but especially when it comes to tire rotation and fixing flats. I bought a single rear wheel drive 3/4 ton diesel intentionally to avoid that. I went to Walmart and paid $90 apiece for 5 some 285/75R-16s and I am a happy camper with them. Fills the wheel wells up real nice and they work well off road provided I keep at least 400 lbs. of ballast in the pickup bed. Duals do not normally do real well off road either.


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## jodyand (Sep 16, 2003)

The only way i have seen it was with the inner tires. The only thing i can think with turning the rims around are reversing them would be hard on the axle bearing.


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## psrumors (Apr 25, 2004)

*It can be done*

It can be done and there would be no reason it couldn't, other than the look from the back.

I have run one wheel in a bind due to a flat and I ran it turned out as I had a load that needed all the stablizing help it could get.

It wont ruin an axle bearing as the 1 ton trucks are full floating rear ends and the axle doesn't carry any weight. The wheel bearing might see a little extra leverage from running one wheel which would happen with the wheel mounted in either direction but these 1 ton axles are set up to take a punishment anyway.

I know it can be done and don't really see where it could hurt.


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## Michael (Sep 16, 2003)

Dual rear wheels are designed to be just that duals. The Axle is narrower then on a standard single rear wheel 1 ton. I highly suggest that you rethink it on several fronts. One is the handling could be compromised (unpredictable). Two is the fact that the truck is designed for the foot print from the factory and the brakes and the entire rear of the truck is designed to have these wheels. Generally the rims can only be replaced with something similar whether they are aftermarket or orginal equipment replacements. In a pinch you can run the single wheel on the inner only as the offset is extablished by the engineers to do this and I do mean a pinch. I do know this because after I was laid off from a bankrupt airline I was a tire store manager. I have never tried to rethink the orginal engineering on vehicles as to me they generally had to conform to the vehicle as they designed it. It always scars me to see vehicles either raised to highest height or drop so the vehicle scraps the ground.


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## psrumors (Apr 25, 2004)

Michael, I disagree. The axle is in fact wider on a 1 ton dually than on a single rear wheel. Most if not all of the time the brake pads or shoes and disc or drums are the same for the single rear and dual rear.

I converted a 94 Dodge 1 ton to single rear wheel. I removed the fenders, added some extra big flares as the tires still stuck out from under the bed some what and ran like this from 94 to 98 and 150,000 miles. Not once did I have a problem.

I did the conversion as I had no need for the dually but wanted the cummins, in 94 when the new body style of the Dodge came out dealers were paying MSRP from dealer to dealer and marking up from there here in the South. I couldn't find a 3/4 ton so I made me a single rear 1 ton that Dodge never made.

I ended up converting 2 more trucks from people seeing mine. I hauled quite a bit with that truck and on a couple occasions put the factory wheels back on for some very heavy towing.


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## P71 (May 3, 2004)

the Dual wheel presents a safety Margin when pulling Heavy loads such a alot of weight in the bed, or a Gooseneck trailer, having a tire Failure with either of these at any speed can be catastrophic, compounded by speed, however an empty truck, can run either way with little noticable difference, I just cant see why you would want to. thats like having a corvette station wagon with an electric motor, to save 3 pennies on a trip.


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## bontai Joe (Sep 16, 2003)

I wasn't thinking of doing this to a new truck, but older dually trucks pop up from time to time for $1000-2000 and I was just kinda daydreaming of ways to remove the wheel well bumps from inside the bed for easier loading of big stuff.


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## balmoralboy (May 22, 2004)

> _Originally posted by bontai Joe _
> *I wasn't thinking of doing this to a new truck, but older dually trucks pop up from time to time for $1000-2000 and I was just kinda daydreaming of ways to remove the wheel well bumps from inside the bed for easier loading of big stuff. *


Wouldn't it be easier to get a trailer than do a Willy?


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## bontai Joe (Sep 16, 2003)

> _Originally posted by balmoralboy _
> *Wouldn't it be easier to get a trailer than do a Willy? *


Yeah... you are probably right, or keeping my eye open for a 1 to 4 ton rated flat bed truck. They pop up once in a while too. I was just trying a little thinking outside the box, that's all.


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