Convert Toyota pickup to dually?

[swick1]

I'd look at swapping to a 3/4 ton rear axle with the right ratio to match the front and putting tractor front tires on it. I'd do this front and rear. I can fill up my ram 2500 over the bed rails (8 ft bed) and it still drives fine. Single rear wheel.

I just had 4000lbs in it the other day, but it was palletized and forward of the rear axle.

 

[pat32rf]

If you are going to all that trouble, why spool the rear end. A locker of some type will give better traction up until one wheel breaks loose on a straight pull. On a turn the spool forces one wheel to loose traction...
I'd go with a WIDE(12") aggresive 4x4 tire instead of duals as well. Rims will be easier to find and still be capable of carrying 6000lbs on the rear axle.

 

[bcp]

..off road firewood hauler. Basically a truck that can be taken down tight ...trails,

Duals and tight trails don't play well together.

Bruce

 

[94BULLITT]

There is no way I would run a spool on the highway, my wood truck has one and it's offroad only. It is hard to steer.

 

[Raspy]

You're begging for a broken axle by mounting another wheel way outside like that and then putting a heavy load in the truck. The bending stress on the axle is extreme. Dual rear wheels should be mounted on full floater axles where the load is transferred to the axle housing instead of the driving axle. That's the way manufacturer's do it and have done it for a very long time. Those dually setups on semi float rear axles are just plain dangerous. Besides that, there is no advantage in traction that I've seen.

If you want a dually, get a full floater Dana or AAM axle from a 1 ton truck and use that. Then, the sky is the limit on the load you can carry. If you insist on stressing your Toyota axle that way, think of this thread as you walk home and your truck is sitting with a broken axle.

Sometimes it pays to be a little more fair with your machinery.

 

[IHDiesel73L]

You're begging for a broken axle by mounting another wheel way outside like that and then putting a heavy load in the truck. The bending stress on the axle is extreme. Dual rear wheels should be mounted on full floater axles

A full floater was part of the plan. If you look back at the OP you'll see where I reference a conversion kit that uses front hubs from a '79-'84 SFA truck to turn the rear semi-floater into a full. Still, given the other reasons that duals might not work, I think I might forgoe them and just make sure I have good tires on the full floating rear.

 

[Raspy]

Oh yeah, I missed that that was a true full floater.

 

[Arkaybee]

My wood truck is a '72 Ford Courier (by Mazda) 2 WD with stock 4.11 gearing and standard tires. I have loaded it to the top of the cab (really made it squat) and it would, almost at idle, walk out of the woods through mudholes over log filled ditches sinking through the soft mud on top to contact the firmer soil below and never got it stuck here in N.W. Louisiana. In one really bad area I did wait until a cold spell when there was a frozen crust on the ground to make a haul out of there but, again, no problems. The worst disadvantage/problem is the light front-end with minimal steering contact at times--CAUTIOUS DRIVING! That Ford Courier is a stout little wood hauler--takes to narrow trails too. Always wished for a flatbed on it though. One time in Florida I hauled a full pallet of hybrid bermuda sod for about 50 miles and that was some light steering.

Arkaybee

 

[Ed of all trades]

If you are looking to make a truck that will go on TIGHT trails, why are you making it wider? A good set of wide mudders with lots of bite and heavy ply sidewalls will carry more than the truck can safely carry. If you think it looks cool then by all means go ahead but I really believe you will be making the truck less of a woods truck instead of more. I am not just guessing I have spent many years driving trucks in the woods, cutting firewood, pulpwood, and logs. :2cents:

 

[kubotakid USA]

Single muders are the best for gettin in,.And gettin back out..Thats why all u see on cement trucks is the big singles. Duals load up with mud, between the tires and spin out. They float better, but wont pull when u get into mud.

kubotakid USA