Dually Conversion ?

Peter Rideout

Member
Messages
1,662
Location
Nova Scotia, 45°N 64°W
As some know, we have an '05 F350 that had a hard previous life. It's single rear wheeled.
Now it has a $2500 rear differential issue.
So why not just replace the whole axle with a salvaged unit for a lot less? Then the discussion goes to "why not convert to a dually?" which would be beefier for trailering.
Has anyone done this or heard of it? I'd be interested in some good impartial advice or direction (which is why I'm asking here, of course!).
Any advice, as always, is very welcome. I've done some looking on the net, but got tired of threads that burned up time but weren't really very helpful.

Thanks!:wave:
 
First question is what are you trailering? Second question, what is the plan for sheet metal fabrication for fenders for teh box? Third, question, are you having a problem trailering with what you have now? Then you also have different wheels and more tires.

Obviously, an apples for apples exchange will be cheaper. Is there a compelling reason for going dually, beyond the wow/brag factor?
 
First question is what are you trailering? Second question, what is the plan for sheet metal fabrication for fenders for teh box? Third, question, are you having a problem trailering with what you have now? Then you also have different wheels and more tires.

Obviously, an apples for apples exchange will be cheaper. Is there a compelling reason for going dually, beyond the wow/brag factor?

Well, the biggest load is a tri-axle 25' gooseneck flatbed Carol, that we occasionally load right up to the 30,000 gvw limit, in connection with a small business our son operates (with our involvement). We find the single rear wheels are barely up to that kind of loading and it really wears tires out fast. The other heavy load is a 12,000 lb dump trailer.
As to the fenders, I understand there are aftermarket kits available. The box is somewhat dinged-up, so a flatdeck is another option (even more $). It needs new steel rims anyway, the aluminum alloy ones are toast. Issues aside, the truck is an awesome machine, like driving a locomotive.

Money pit?

Better to fix, sell and get a used dually with fewer issues?
 
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Don't know much about the conversion, but as an owner of a 2000 F350 Diesel Dually, I can tell you the fenders appear to be pretty simple plastic 'add ons'.

But for plastic addons, They seem to want a pretty penny. Hopefully you could find the used fenders at the same place you found the rear axle.

You would also probably want to make sure the gear ratio's match, if it happens to be a 4wd. I know I had a selection of a few different ratios at the time I ordered my truck.
 
I think you are on to something there. Find a used dually and move on. Run the pencil against fixing the old one to sell or just selling as is. It isn't just dollars. It is also time and frustration. Down time as it is used for the business might also be an issue. Go shopping for another truck. Sounds like you need the dually. Not sure I would put money into a truck that barely gets the job done.
 
You could probably dual it pretty easy, but what about the springs. The springs will be for the old axel weight.

Front springs too. If its just looks, the dual will probably work, but I don't think your tow capacity willgo up from just that.

If you just get a low milage wrecking yard unit that matches the old one and replace the end seals, thats probably the cheapest way to go,

but watch the gear ratio. If you have a 4.10 in the old one, a 3.10 in the new one will feel underpowered, and tow less.

The parts for the 150 are the cheapest, when you to the larger ones, the parts cost a lot more.

IMO, non-Ford aftermarket parts have a short lifespan, and cost close to FORD parts online.

2nd cheapst way to go would be to rebuild the Axle yourself. It's a couple of days of dirty work.

But when you are done, you have a new unit.

Here is alink, maybe you can order a whole new Axle from FORD and just bolt it in:

http://www.fordpartsgiant.com/catalog/2005-ford-e350-super-duty-parts.html
 
I do know that I've had some guys really want me to sell them mine, because of the 7.3 liter engine.

You must have the 6.0 liter?
 
Well Peter, let me go against the majority here and side with your thoughts. You know the truck, the truck runs good, dependable, just could use a little help with the max gvw. And that is why duals were invented. I don't remember if this is a four wheel drive, if it isn't and is used off road (pastures, fields, yards, etc) duals are about as worthless as tits on a boar. In the winter they build up snow in between the wheels, they are a pain. But for load control, side sway is eliminated with proper tires and pressure. Great radial tires if going distances, but if it were here on my farm and pulling the trailer to the processor and salebarn, I would go with a great set of mud and snow tires for the great lugs and traction. Some of the dual rear ends may be geared lowered, lowering your fuel mileage so check for that. There has to be plenty of wrecked trucks that can donate a rear end and maybe even wheels and tires for your project. Now, caution, if it is a head on collision, tree, another vehicle, etc, sometimes the hits are so violent they ruin the transmission and transfer quite a punch through the driveshaft to the rear end. So look for a wreck that is from the side, front corner collision or something like that.

Here in the midwest we have many outlets like this:

http://www.pickuptrucksalvage.com/

Here are a couple on ebay:

http://www.ebay.com/bhp/ford-dually-bed


My information concerning the wrecked components due to head on collisions, my dad owned and operated a service station and wrecker service for years and saw many vehicles that I wanted the trans out of and it was ruined because of a head on collision jamming the internal components even though it looked okay from the outside.
 
I do know that I've had some guys really want me to sell them mine, because of the 7.3 liter engine.

You must have the 6.0 liter?

It is a 6 litre, Brent. I've heard much lamenting among Ford guys about the discontinuation of the 7.3 though.
Ours is a 4wd, so ratio matching is critical, or you have major issues of front and rear ends binding against each other.

Thanks for all the other comments, especially Carol's. It is feeling like good money after bad to go to those extremes. Have to ponder this for a few days and get some prices figured out.
Selling "as is" would be a big mark down I think, so more likely getting it up and running again in it's current configuration would be the thing. Transmission shop has it right now, apart, and already has a few hours into it to assess. Have to do right by him as he's a neighbour and friend.

Thanks for now. I'll keep you posted.
 
Peter, did a quick google search for wrecked ford duallys for sale in canada. This came up:
http://www.salvagetrucksauction.com...R-for-Sale/Ford/RjM1MCBTVVBFUg/RjM1MCBTVVBFUg

Remember, many/MANY of the trucks the past few years in the US are coming out of flood areas. They are impossible to efficiently get running reliably again due to electronics. But for your needs, even if the truck sat in water, draining and flushing the rearend should be good to go. That is what we have done to trucks and tractors for years that got stuck and water logged.

http://www.kijiji.ca/b-auto-body-parts/alberta/ford-truck-box/k0c317l9003
 
Well Peter, let me go against the majority here and side with your thoughts. You know the truck, the truck runs good, dependable, just could use a little help with the max gvw. And that is why duals were invented. I don't remember if this is a four wheel drive, if it isn't and is used off road (pastures, fields, yards, etc) duals are about as worthless as tits on a boar. In the winter they build up snow in between the wheels, they are a pain. But for load control, side sway is eliminated with proper tires and pressure. Great radial tires if going distances, but if it were here on my farm and pulling the trailer to the processor and salebarn, I would go with a great set of mud and snow tires for the great lugs and traction. Some of the dual rear ends may be geared lowered, lowering your fuel mileage so check for that. There has to be plenty of wrecked trucks that can donate a rear end and maybe even wheels and tires for your project. Now, caution, if it is a head on collision, tree, another vehicle, etc, sometimes the hits are so violent they ruin the transmission and transfer quite a punch through the driveshaft to the rear end. So look for a wreck that is from the side, front corner collision or something like that.

Here in the midwest we have many outlets like this:

http://www.pickuptrucksalvage.com/

Here are a couple on ebay:

http://www.ebay.com/bhp/ford-dually-bed


My information concerning the wrecked components due to head on collisions, my dad owned and operated a service station and wrecker service for years and saw many vehicles that I wanted the trans out of and it was ruined because of a head on collision jamming the internal components even though it looked okay from the outside.

Thanks for the additional comments Jon, and the links. Those are aspects I had not thought of, in terms of the nature of collisions (or floods) and needing to know how things ended up in the salvage yard.
Ours doesn't really get off road (son has actually been sternly warned about that!!!!, the unit's too valuable for the business to be playing in the mud), but that 4wd is sure handy for getting the trailer out of awkward spots, especially on construction sites or if there's a bit of snow down. As you say, it would be pretty useless otherwise. I can't imagine ever owning anything but a 4wd (and 4 door) pickup again.

The other aspect I have to consider is we don't really have the facilities to do this work ourselves right now, so shop costs will also be a factor.

We'll see. I'll do two columns: repair as equipped, or convert, and see how it compares.
 
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Well, if it were a dependable truck and the rest of the drivetrain is good, peel that bed off, while it is off replace the fuel pump, rear end is a relatively easy change if going same year and only dual wheels. Quite honestly, if the rearend itself is good (non components) I think the hub is the only difference to be able to add duals. So replace the pig, change axles and add duals on existing rear end. Ask your guys. Then with the duals, put on a dually bed or flatbed. You know the truck, buying another used one, you'll spend this amount of money to make it dependable. I hate truck payments and would fix a good dependable one.

Found this discussion and thought it relevant.

http://www.dieseltruckresource.com/dev/whats-take-convert-sw-dually-t203026.html
 
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Hi Peter seems you and me both got work to be done on vehicles at the same time.

I cannot help you one bit with the conversion but my advice on the remedy is make sure your son is committed to helping get it done if you decide to go it alone and fix it. Since he is the one that needs it most given his need to pull the trailer let him drive the desire to fix. Dont ask me how i decided this policy but from after this next repair i am gonna tackle with mine, i aint gonna worry again if he flys into a barrier or all his wheels come off if he aint gonna decide to do maintenance on a vehicle. :(
 
There is one thing I want to caution you about is that electric brakes don't hold to well in reverse on a hill & with a heavy loaded trailer you need a TRUCK that can hold the load with just it's brakes otherwise you could end up being drug backwards down the hill. This almost happened to my cousin in a highway construction zone with a dually & a big triple axle 29' 5th wheel he crammed it into under in time to hold it. He purchased a small Ford tractor/truck that he tested on a hill with his trailer with no brakes hooked up on the trailer & it would hold the whole rig with just the truck brakes no problem.
 
Can't say that the dual axle will give you a lot more load capacity, but at least more distribution on the tires and should give a much better ride as you won't feel as many bumps. Could always go with a flat bed instead of a box too, though it may add some weight if it's steel.
 
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