TOW RIG OVERHAUL! 2nd time... diesel swap

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someotherguy

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That white 4x4 pickup conversion was done by member "Raymo" on 3500HD.com - the neatest parts of it (aside from the Cummins AND 4x4 conversion) would be fitting the bed on the non-pickup wheelbase and frame rails, and narrowing the dually flares. Remember, the regular chassis cab rear axle is about 8" narrower than a regular dually rear. There was a wide track axle option for HD's but it is extremely uncommon.

Richard
 

Van Gui1d3r #838

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That white 4x4 pickup conversion was done by member "Raymo" on 3500HD.com - the neatest parts of it (aside from the Cummins AND 4x4 conversion) would be fitting the bed on the non-pickup wheelbase and frame rails, and narrowing the dually flares. Remember, the regular chassis cab rear axle is about 8" narrower than a regular dually rear. There was a wide track axle option for HD's but it is extremely uncommon.

Richard

yea the wide track is where I will want to go so I will need to locate that rear end or find a capable replacement. the wheelbase fitment i'm looking forward to because I feel it'll be an improvement for my gooseneck trailer I have. the ball in my current dually is directly over the 14 bolt. locating it a few inches ahead of my rear axle will give me more tongue control I think by reacting with the steering of the truck(less countersteer) or so I kind of think....
 

Van Gui1d3r #838

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The gooseneck hitch in my 3/4 ton is just ahead of the rear axle. Seems like the logical spot. I would think that spaces the load more evenly on the truck

I agree instead of leveraging down behind the axle and lifting the front. mine is directly on top and the trailer backs up better than a bumper tow but I've noticed it can still jackknife this trailer... my gooseneck is only a 16ft which leads to that but I feel if the ball was a bit more forward, I could control it a little more.

with the 135.5 wheelbase 3500hd, I would just need to locate the fenders on the box back 4 inches and lay out my gooseneck ball the same it is now.
 

Van Gui1d3r #838

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so doing a bit of research, i'm having a hard time locating a wide track Dana 80 or even bigger... does anyone know what rears I need to be looking at or what vehicles would have a wide-track rear with the same abilities as the dana 80?
 

someotherguy

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That's why I said it's extemely uncommon...just barely more common than rocking horse ****. :)

Something to keep in mind is that pretty much all this chassis cab stuff is narrower than a regular dually rear.

Richard
 

Van Gui1d3r #838

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That's why I said it's extemely uncommon...just barely more common than rocking horse ****. :)

Something to keep in mind is that pretty much all this chassis cab stuff is narrower than a regular dually rear.

Richard

rocking horse ****... that is the first time I've heard that one... if you are the originator of that, I give you the highest props I can. if not, at least thank you for using it because its great.

so if I were to move forward with it, I would need to locate someone capable of building one? which i'm assuming is just as uncommon as the rear.... right?

what about the F450 or F550 trucks? they make a pickup in a wide-track right???
 

Chewy1576

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What about an AAM 11.5 DRW axle? Looks like they were used in newer GM and Dodge trucks behind diesel motors.


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someotherguy

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rocking horse ****... that is the first time I've heard that one... if you are the originator of that, I give you the highest props I can. if not, at least thank you for using it because its great.

so if I were to move forward with it, I would need to locate someone capable of building one? which i'm assuming is just as uncommon as the rear.... right?

what about the F450 or F550 trucks? they make a pickup in a wide-track right???
It's not mine; feel free to use it as you wish though. :D

The F450/F550 chassis cab trucks are the same thing. Narrow rear. It's an industry standard, as well as having the parallel straight, flat frame rails typically 34" wide etc. so that aftermarket body makers don't have to make special bodies for GM, Ford, Dodge.

I haven't paid a lot of attention to Fords as I don't care for them but I think the F450 pickup uses a lighter rear axle than the F450 chassis cab. I dunno.

I'd say if you weren't gonna load the thing super heavy you could have someone machine you up some nice bolt-on spacers. I'm not the kind of guy to worry about spacers (remember your front hubs have some attached from the factory) if they're made well and torqued properly, but 3"~4" spacers on each side would have me worried about stressing the axle bearings if I was planning on using the truck to its capacity.

On the spacer subject though if you intend on running anything fatter than the stock 225/70/19.5 tire, say for example 245/70/19.5 is a nice upgrade - those are actually #1 slightly too fat for the HD's 6" wide wheels, though they're "OK" on them - #2 if you load the truck down the duals may rub sidewalls on each other and that's not a good thing. Spacer in between the wheels would be smart but then you have to start worrying about stud length plus the flange on the hub as these are hub-piloted wheels.

Richard
 
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