Half-Ton Dually Help

[jerald]

Hello, new here:

I have a 1985 Chevy Silverado and I'd like to put a 1989 Ford Super Duty rear-end under it. Can I put dual wheels on the truck without an adapter? My truck is a 1/2 ton and the Ford rear-end is 3/4 ton, so how hard might this be?

Thanks

[LTZ C20]

Just out of curiosity,  why do you wanna do that? Pardon my bias but isn't that like down grading haha.

[Captkaos]

what do you mean without an adapter?  You will need to weld on leaf spring mounts and shock mounts and get the pinion angle right and then get the Driveshaft fixed for a different yoke and possibly change its length.

[fitz]

If your trying to make a dually why not use a dually rear end?
The rear end out of a Ford 3/4 ton truck will be a single rear wheel axle.

[Irish_Alley]

you can put bud wheels on a srw truck but the outside wheel will only be about 4" past the fender. if you put the dually fenders on it will have too much overhang.

[Stewart G Griffin]

i think there is a way to add dual wheels using an adapter, but the rear axle will still be semi-float.  So i'm not sure what the purpose would be?

[jerald]

@ LTZ & fitz: Would like to use a Chevy 1 ton rear end, but I'm getting the Ford one for free. This is an on-a-budget 1/2 ton dually project.

@ Captkaos: I'm aware of all of this. About the adapter, my main question was, can i make dual wheels fit a 3/4 ton rear end without an adapter?

[LTZ C20]

Oh ok. Well still. Haha I wouldn't but that's just me.

[Blazin]

I wouldn't take the gift of a rear end out of a Super Duty.
The disk brakes on them SUCK. The slides need to be taken apart twice a year & lubed or they WILL seize up. The caliper bolts break off if you carry heavy load on a regular basis.
The backing plates rust right off of them, the axle seals are prone to leaking.
the spring perches will need to be moved. Shock mount location & angle are not even close. You will have to Frankenstein some sort of E brake cable.
As mentioned above, you will need to have a drive shaft modified, or built.
The lug pattern is metric. Will only accept Super Duty Wheels.
Dual wheels is not all there is to being a 1 ton. You also need springs, front springs, front brakes, etc. etc. upgraded to 1 ton. Bud wheels will bolt onto a super duty 3/4 ton rear end, you don't need any type of adapter.

[DuckAholic1]

I wouldn't take the gift of a rear end out of a Super Duty.
The disk brakes on them SUCK. The slides need to be taken apart twice a year & lubed or they WILL seize up. The caliper bolts break off if you carry heavy load on a regular basis.
The backing plates rust right off of them, the axle seals are prone to leaking.
the spring perches will need to be moved. Shock mount location & angle are not even close. You will have to Frankenstein some sort of E brake cable.
The lug pattern is metric. Will only accept Super Duty Wheels.
Dual wheels is not all there is to being a 1 ton. You also need springs, front springs, front brakes, etc. etc. upgraded to 1 ton. Bud wheels will bolt onto a super duty 3/4 ton rear end, you don't need any type of adapter.

.                  And there you have it!!!

[Stewart G Griffin]

So, did the factory use adapters for dual wheels or did they just butt the two rims together and used one set of lug nuts to fasten?   Or?


@jerald
i think there is a kit to adapt dual wheels to the existing 10-bolt rear, but that's not what you're trying to do?

[Jason S]

1989 Ford Super Duty....Ford rear-end is 3/4 ton

What you posted as having available doesn't quite add up.

In 1989, the Ford Super Duty (F-Super Duty) was not a 3/4 ton or 1 ton truck (i.e., F-250 or F-350). Basically it was a step above an F-350 in GVWR and used 10-lug wheels.

If it is a '89 F-250, then it should be the Sterling axle with 8-lug wheels and drum brakes. The full float version would be better for a DRW setup, but you're still looking at a lot of adapting to make it work under your truck.

A GMC/Chevrolet 14-bolt from a 3/4-ton truck would be the way to go...

So, did the factory use adapters for dual wheels or did they just butt the two rims together and used one set of lug nuts to fasten?

They butted two rims together and used one set of lug nuts.

[Blazin]

They also use a lug nut with a built in washer.
The F250, & F350 Super Dutys used 16" 8 lug wheels. F450, & F550 Super Dutys used 10 lug 19.5" wheels.