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Old 12-20-2012, 07:29 PM   #1
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Question Question, Turning a one ton non-dually to a dually.

Can I turn a one ton non-dually truck to a dually truck? A dealer told me I would have to change axles and I thought all I would have to do is add a extension and two more wheels.


Thanks, Bob
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Old 12-20-2012, 07:37 PM   #2
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I would say it is easily doable. Remove bed, add dually axel, install hauler bed. Not sure why adding extensions would not work either then the hauler bed.

What I would like to do is turn a pop-up trailer into a 40 foot 4 slide 5th wheel when I get it to the site.
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Old 12-20-2012, 07:38 PM   #3
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Some non duallys have semi floating rear axles and only one wheel brg and others have full floating axles and two larger brgs. They also have larger brakes. Just adding extensions and an outer wheel may break the studs or axles.
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Old 12-21-2012, 12:24 PM   #4
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If the reason for making your SRW into a dually is only for bragging rights, or image, or impressing the cowgirls, then do it your way. But if you want to do it right, so your pickup can haul the same load as a factory dually without bending, breaking, or overheating anything, then you need to find a donor dually pickup (NOT a chassis cab) of the same make and year. Remove everything from the donor wreck that is attached to the rear axle: wheels, tires, axle housing with differential, axle shafts, wheel bearings, brakes, springs, shocks, brake lines and electrical lines if any. You'll also need the dually bed if its in good enough shape. Otherwise, you'll need to find (and paint) a dually bed that will fit your chassis, or opt fo a custom flat bed or hauler bed or platform bed.

Remove the same components from the SRW as you removed from the dually. Also remove the bed from the SRW. Bolt the dually rear end and suspension onto the SRW chassis. DO NOT even think about reusing the U-bolts. Throw them away and buy new ones. Connect the brake lines and test the brakes to be sure they still work good. Bolt on a bed - either a dually bed or a custom aftermarket hauler bed or flat bed or platform bed of some sort. Connect all the electrical stuff and be sure all the lights work as designed.

Then decide if you also want to modify your front axle so the dually wheels will work on the front axle. That in itself is a big job, so you may want to delay that mod for a more convenient time. In the meantime, you'll need a different spare for the front than for the rear.
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Old 12-21-2012, 12:30 PM   #5
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Biggest problem I see is once done the GVWR sticker in the door will still say the same thing.
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Old 12-21-2012, 03:08 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Wildbob52 View Post
Can I turn a one ton non-dually truck to a dually truck? A dealer told me I would have to change axles and I thought all I would have to do is add a extension and two more wheels.


Thanks, Bob
Yes...for years, it's been possible to do easily and safely.
Benefits are increased safety from the extra tires and improved stability from wider track.

See: Welcome - Arrowcraft :: Helping You Handle the Road for over 30 years!
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Old 12-21-2012, 05:53 PM   #7
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The Arrowcraft kit does NOT increase payload, GVWR, or rear axle capacity over the stock SRW ratings. It's one of those mods that's for image only. Read the Arrowcraft FAQ - second question:
Frequently Asked Questions - Arrowcraft :: Helping You Handle the Road for over 30 years!
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Old 12-21-2012, 06:35 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SmokeyWren View Post
If the reason for making your SRW into a dually is only for bragging rights, or image, or impressing the cowgirls, then do it your way. But if you want to do it right, so your pickup can haul the same load as a factory dually without bending, breaking, or overheating anything, then you need to find a donor dually pickup (NOT a chassis cab) of the same make and year. Remove everything from the donor wreck that is attached to the rear axle: wheels, tires, axle housing with differential, axle shafts, wheel bearings, brakes, springs, shocks, brake lines and electrical lines if any. You'll also need the dually bed if its in good enough shape. Otherwise, you'll need to find (and paint) a dually bed that will fit your chassis, or opt fo a custom flat bed or hauler bed or platform bed.

Remove the same components from the SRW as you removed from the dually. Also remove the bed from the SRW. Bolt the dually rear end and suspension onto the SRW chassis. DO NOT even think about reusing the U-bolts. Throw them away and buy new ones. Connect the brake lines and test the brakes to be sure they still work good. Bolt on a bed - either a dually bed or a custom aftermarket hauler bed or flat bed or platform bed of some sort. Connect all the electrical stuff and be sure all the lights work as designed.

Then decide if you also want to modify your front axle so the dually wheels will work on the front axle. That in itself is a big job, so you may want to delay that mod for a more convenient time. In the meantime, you'll need a different spare for the front than for the rear.
This is the reason for the question by taking this F350 truck and making it a dually for my slide-in truck camper.

2008 Ford F-350 Super Duty - Commodore Motors, Inc.

Thanks.
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Old 12-21-2012, 07:02 PM   #9
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Wildbob, you would also have to modify the front camper jacks to clear the bubble fenders.
JMHO. this was an around town work truck. 5l gas is not enough motor for hauling any camper on the highway.
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Old 12-21-2012, 08:04 PM   #10
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Feel like just trading it in yet? :-)
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Old 12-21-2012, 08:42 PM   #11
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WOW! There's a BIG "Nah, Ya' can't do it" crowd out today...could it be the Mayan Calendar ending that makes people blue?

The ad on the OP's 2nd post is for a 2wd stakebed F350...but please notice the ad is wrong...The smallest engine that came in a 2008 F350 was the 5.4L (330ci) V8.

I see no reason that this truck couldn't haul around a slide-in camper. If the OP wants to add extra tires in the rear, then good for him...with the stakebed, it wouldn't even need new fenders.

Yes, it is true that the GVWR would stay the same, but it is not just for looks and like the Arrowcraft FAQ says:
"What the dual wheel conversion gives you is the better stability (elimination of sway) and tire blow out protection. You will gain weight capability for the tires and wheels, but it will not surpass the factory rating for the axle."

Wildbob - Have fun with it, if you decide to go that way
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Old 12-22-2012, 09:17 AM   #12
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I agree with Scarab0088. I did it. I went from single 2500 4x4 8.1l with an Alison tranny to a dually 10 bolt with an addapter kit, adding fenders and re-gearing to a 456. I liked the stability and the look. It killed my mileage and the added rotating weight hurt the performance. But the gearing change, headers computer programmer made up the difference.

All this to get me by for a year until we stepped into the 2008 F450.

I was pulling 19,000 lbs of boat and it was toooo much for it, but didn't have a choice for a bit. Yes the sticker still dictates what you can legally pull and if someone does something stupid in front of you, the insurance company as well as the lawyers will eat you up.

But I still had fun with it!

Bottom line, do what you want as long as you recognise the risk.

Oh, did I forget the airbags?
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Old 12-22-2012, 09:18 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Wildbob52 View Post
This is the reason for the question by taking this F350 truck and making it a dually for my slide-in truck camper.

2008 Ford F-350 Super Duty - Commodore Motors, Inc.
As Skip426 mentioned, you're not gonna like the 5.4L gas engine when climbing a mountain pass while hauling a heavy truck camper. But if it has the optional 4.10 axle ratio, it will probably make it to the top of the pass, although you'll probably be the slow truck in the far-right lane.

The rear axle is a Ford "Sterling" axle rated 7,280 pounds @ground. The dually axle for that truck is rated at 9,750 pounds @ground.

That truck is probably a chassis cab, so if you replace the rear end with a dually rear end, you'll probably need to find a chassis cab F-350 DRW as the donor truck. Pickups and chassis cabs have different width frames, so the axles are not interchangeable without a lot of fabrication and welding. Confirm whether the truck began life as a pickup or a chassis cab before you shop for a donor truck.

As a general rule, any full-size truck camper will overload any SRW truck, so you need - as a minimum - the rear end from a dually if you don't want to be overloaded.

If you buy that truck, then the first step is to load it with everything (except the camper) that will be in the truck when hauling. People, pets, tools, whatever. Go to a truckstop that has a CAT scale and fill up with gas. Then weigh the wet and loaded truck. Subtract the weight of the wet and loaded truck from the truck's GVWR of (probably) 10,000 pounds, and the difference is the max weight of any camper you can haul without being overloaded. That probably means only an 8' camper, maybe 8.5'. Or depending on how heavy that bed is, maybe only a popup camper such as a fourwheel or allterrain camper.


All Terrain Campers

If you want to haul a real truck camper of 10' or more, such as a Lance with a slide or two, then you need the dually rear end as a minimum. And even an F-350 dually is not enough truck for the heaviest of the truck campers. That's why Ford makes the F-450 chassis cab and the F-550.
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Old 12-22-2012, 08:25 PM   #14
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Quote:
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Can I turn a one ton non-dually truck to a dually truck? A dealer told me I would have to change axles and I thought all I would have to do is add a extension and two more wheels.


Thanks, Bob
Be sure and check with your states registering requirements, and insurance, for a modified vehicle, if any.

Be aware also of resale issues, if any, of a modified vehicle.

Be aware also the wheel spacers/extenders used on some DRW kits may not be dot legal. Do your homework to your satisfaction.
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