Converting Chevy 2500HD to daul rear wheels

[outrider]

Has anyone heard anything about converting a 2500HD to a dual wheel rear? Just thinking about spreading the weight onto four tires instead of the normal two.

[Ken / Claudia]

A co worker did that with a F250. He had camper and pulled a horse trailer. He liked the truck, 7.3 engine. Went to junk yard got a dually rear rear with springs and bolted it on. Back than the dually fenders were bolt on over the standard bed. He ordered a set. Without much work it can be done. If I needed a dually now, I would do the same and that way not have to start a truck payment. I think at resale it would be worth more also. You can also upgrade the wheels/tries to 19.5, still SRW and carry alot more wt.. Some here do that with the big campers.

[Jim W]

Originally Posted by outrider

Has anyone heard anything about converting a 2500HD to a dual wheel rear? Just thinking about spreading the weight onto four tires instead of the normal two.

To me if you need a dually truck than I would buy one. I would not convert a 2500 SRW truck into a dually. This will require more cost and work than the resale value of said truck would be worth. Also the GCVW would not change on said truck since this is set by the manufacture and or aftermarket rebuilder who will certify the new GCVW.

Jim W.

[outrider]

Hmmmm. Wouldn't adding the extra wheels change the vehicle GVWC? Your spreading the weight across 4 wheels instead of two! Not talking about looking for increasing the weight, only distributing the weight more.

[Ken / Claudia]

Shops who build and rebuild and upgrade trucks put on a wt. sticker in the cab. Seen it many times when I was checking trucks. They were always yellow and said the name of the shop who would say what wt. the new truck can carry. This is normally seen in trucks that are made into fire trucks, box trucks, flat beds, motorhomes. If it was a problem the truck could be taken in and get a new wt. sticker. Any weight cop knows what a single axle vs a dually can carry. Here DMW looks at the VIN and asks the owner what wt. they all going to license at up to 26000 lbs. They do not look at the wt. stickers but, they should. That last sentence makes alot of cheaters in the system and makes alot more work for cops. Since you pay by wt. many license at 10,000 but carry much more and save dollars each year until inspected on the street by a cop.

[Sledge Hammer]

Originally Posted by outrider

Has anyone heard anything about converting a 2500HD to a dual wheel rear? Just thinking about spreading the weight onto four tires instead of the normal two.

Do a Google search on "Dually Conversion" and you will find several companies offering kits to do just what you want.

[Jim W]

Originally Posted by Ken / Claudia

Shops who build and rebuild and upgrade trucks put on a wt. sticker in the cab. Seen it many times when I was checking trucks. They were always yellow and said the name of the shop who would say what wt. the new truck can carry. This is normally seen in trucks that are made into fire trucks, box trucks, flat beds, motorhomes. If it was a problem the truck could be taken in and get a new wt. sticker. Any weight cop knows what a single axle vs a dually can carry. Here DMW looks at the VIN and asks the owner what wt. they all going to license at up to 26000 lbs. They do not look at the wt. stickers but, they should. That last sentence makes alot of cheaters in the system and makes alot more work for cops. Since you pay by wt. many license at 10,000 but carry much more and save dollars each year until inspected on the street by a cop.

I believe those shops deal in incomplete vehicles that are shipped from the manufacture with incomplete vehicle documentation. These up-fitters will than attach the GCVW and GVW stickers along with the tire information that is required for them under Federal and Canada law.

An individual who already has a completed vehicle and is altering it to change the manufactures certified build statues will need to recertify the vehicle if he wants to resell this vehicle.

Now would I personnel buy or use an altered vehicle that was not certified to conform to Federal and or Canada vehicle design requirements as a completed vehicle; NO. Too many lawyers wanting to sue someone for any reason; for me that’s why the value would be less.

Jim W.

[Jim W]

Originally Posted by outrider

Hmmmm. Wouldn't adding the extra wheels change the vehicle GVWC? Your spreading the weight across 4 wheels instead of two! Not talking about looking for increasing the weight, only distributing the weight more.

Yes; it would lower the GCVW rating by adding the extra mass of axle and rolling mass of the extra two wheel assemblies. This is a certified 2500HD truck by the manufacture which has already certified the GCVW rating of said model. Now if you want to become a manufacture or re-manufacture of vehicles and certify them to the FEDERAL Government that is your choice.

Jim W.

[Ken / Claudia]

Jim, here back yarders and shops chop/raise/lower and make 4x2s into 4x4s, 1/2 tons into 1 tons place plastic bodies that look like hummers on toyota pickups etc etc.. They are sold at dealer lots. Some need to be licensed as a assembled vehicle and DMV will assign a new VIN and rating if needed. Here there is no getting them federally checked. Some changes are illegal and are not to be sold by dealers, those that do get tickets when cops see them. But, really it is not a big deal to change up or down GVWRs. Some may not want to buy them and I would agree, I would not buy some either when looking at the type of changes that were made.

[DanandDonna]

I would think it would be way cheaper just to go out and buy a Dually from a lot rather than go to all the trouble of re working a 4 wheel Pick up into a 6 wheel pick up.

Here in Canada you would have to have the design pre approved by Motor Vehicle Inspection Branch and also have an engineering certificate as well. Am also pretty sure that you would have to have the work done by a certified mechanic who is willing to put his life and assets on the line.

Too me too much trouble easier to check the want adds or just go out and buy a new dually.

[outrider]

SLEDGHAMMER, Tnx and I will look it up.

[Ken / Claudia]

Let us know what they say and about what it costs.

[FireMech]

I wish I had a dually. If the truck had the front axle, transmission, engine and frame capacity for the desired GVWR I would do the conversion if I had a DRW axle sitting around. Like others have said, the door sticker is not going to reflect the "new" GVWR and I do not believe any shop will put a higher GVWR sticker on it due to liability. So if you were ever in a wreck and the cops looked at the GVWR sticker and were educated, you would be screwed. I'm interested in what you find out...

[Ken / Claudia]

When I was assigned to go and stop every truck I could the 10,000 to 26,000lbs type and check for licensed weight vs the Fed Standard Sticker in the door opening. I found many upgraded GVWRs by builders. Always the reqiured sticker was there and somewhere else in cab, door post, glove box. Would be the yellow upgraded sticker. What they did, we did not look at or care, we only cared what the licensed wt. vs actual wt. was. The inforcement here was only for tax reasons. Heavier trucks need to pay more than lighter ones. If you are involved in a major crash, thats different. The whole vehicle will be checked it see what may have failed, worked, loaded wt. etc. But, what is the real diffference between a F250 and F350. Springs, sometimes tires. That was the several times I looked at the spec. sheets in 96, 01, 05. The DRWs had same brakes as the 250s, same axles etc. just more springs. I only looked at ford and maybe it has changed. I was told Dodge was same as ford. The 3/4, 1 ton and 1 ton duallies are all same frame etc etc, just different springs- tires. Some have different options that is not what I am talking about. Like bed size, cab type, axle ratio.