Dually for Overland Vehicle?

[adrenaline503]

A Ute Ltd bed?

 

[Kilroy]

A Ute Ltd bed?

Yes.

 

[bigdieseltruck]

TTIWWOP! :Astrologist:

How much was the Ute ltd bed and how hard was it to install?

 

[Kilroy]

I got the bed at a demo price that made it hard to pass up. you would need to talk to Ute about pricing.

Installation was a pain. I don't know if it was because I got a demo, or ....

It was necessary to re-fabricate bed mounts for Ute to fit on Dodge frame. They were too short and needed to be lengthened about 3 inches on each side. We welded on extra angle iron.
Then had to be drilled to match Dodge frame mounts. Luckily for me friend helping is quite a fabricator (He owns a machine shop in Racine WI called Smartool, quote on his truck "if you can dream it, we can build it) and we were working in his shop. Without his help I would have been a long time getting bed mounted.

It is necessary to purchase lights and fabricate mounting for them. It is also necessary to fabricate a mount to hold fuel filler. Carlyle put on a Ute also and has some information on his buildup.

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=9502

 

[mog]

Hummm?
Maybe one more benefit of duals.. I don't think it would have been 'saved' with super singles :Wow1:

 

[DiploStrat]

Ouch!

Good joss that he had lots of tread? (See spare!)

Bad joss that he flipped the truck?

 

[purdytj]

I have a dually and reviving this old thread to hear others' thoughts.

 

[billiebob]

I have a dually and reviving this old thread to hear others' thoughts.

Duals are all about load carrying. On a dually crewcab with an 11' camper and a basement, stability might also be a factor.
If you have 2WD and a locker, a dually can be as capable as a SRW 4x4.

Unless you are crawling thru a canyon or down a mountain swithchback, there are very few negatives to dual rear tires. And even fewer places where SRW offer a real advantage. Most of the difference is about maneuverability and wheelbase is more relevant than rear track so if you are committed to a quadcab, the dual rears are insignificant.

I like the redundancy of duals. Get a flat in a mud bog or....... with duals you can likely limp to solid ground.

 

[wirenut]

My work truck is a 2005 Chevy crew cab dually with a flatbed/toolboxes and ladder racks. It weighs about 10,000 to 12,000 pounds depending on what I'm hauling. A lot of my work is installing solar systems at off grid cabins so I often have the truck off road. Not really hard core rock crawling but lots of mud, stream crossings, gravel, snow, and steep grades. I've had no problems other than the long wheelbase and low stance of the truck. The dual wheels aren't an issue. In 16 years of ownership I've only had a rock get stuck between the duals once and that was in my own driveway.

 

[IdaSHO]

Not sure if its been mentioned yet, but if you do any foul weather, snow/ice travel, a SRW will almost always be SAFER than a DRW.
We roll heavy on a SRW, with high capacity tires, for that reason. Traction in snow and ice is considerably better than a DRW.

Similarly, running empty a SRW is passable, while a DRW in snow/ice can be downright deadly.

 

[Fatboyz]

I'm running duals on my F550 build (245 70X 19.5"). I went back and forth about going to super singles but in the end it was the cost I just couldn't do. I live in the Mountains in Alberta and we run a lot of F550's and Dodge 5500's in the oilfield all through Alberta. I'm betting we're likely one of the highest volume users of those trucks. We have a lot of snow and ice and a lot of mud. I've had great success with my set up, but again am not running sand or rock crawling. I'm running Ironhead IDR 310. They have a very open lug tread and have the 3 peak mountain snow rating. The tires are very inexpensive, about a third of the big company price, and that's why guys here run them. Even if they only lasted half as long they're cheaper. We do a lot of winter camping so for me steep narrow icy logging/oilfield roads is likely my biggest issue, and the duals have been working for me.

 

[Joe917]

Duals do not air down well. They rub on the inside.

 

[DirtWhiskey]

Holy thread resurrection batman! 12 years, must be some sort of record. I just went super single on my F450 and will report back. Main issue with SS is load capacity and rating. My understanding that there are some Mickey's that are rated to 4k per tire ish, but most people jump up to MPT81s or similar which pushes you up to 41 inch tires. That introduces a whole bunch of other issues like needed level lift, wheel well cutting, gears, suspension upgrades (ei dual stabilizers, track bar drop, etc). All told well into the $10-15k territory or more.

 

[1cambo]

The conventional wisdom is that dual rear wheels follow ruts in dirt roads more than singles do, and are more difficult to drive through snow and deep sand because the rear wheels don't ride in the track of the front wheel. However, trucks with dual rear wheels are driven just about anywhere there's a semblance of a road. Many fire department brush trucks are driven off-road with dual rear wheels. Having dual rear wheels doesn't keep beer delivery trucks from reaching some very out-of-the-way locations!

Dual rear wheels can pick up a stone between the tires. If the stone is not removed, it can rub through the sidewall of the tire, resulting in a blowout and a tire that shouldn't be patched.

Because single tires have a lower load rating than a pair of tires do, the single rear tires often have to be larger to give you enough carrying capacity for your camper and gear. Sometimes it's not possible to fit the larger size tire at the front wheel because of interference with the fender or suspension. So you might be tempted to use a different size tire front and rear. That means carrying two spare tires.

Switching from 16 or 17 inch rims to 19.5 inch rims is one way to get tires with greater carrying capacity. This works OK in North America, where 19.5 inch tires are not difficult to find. Outside North America, the common tire sizes are 16 and 22.5. You might not be able to find a 19.5 replacement without considerable delay and the expense of shipping the tire to your location.

Another issue with single rear tires is you may have to run a high tire pressure to gain the load capacity. If the tire is subjected to unusual loads, you don't have any excess capacity. For example, on a severe side slope, most of the weight of the truck transfers to the tire on the low side. Running duals usually gives you more excess capacity.

When looking for tires with greater carrying capacity, be careful that the diameter of the tire does not increase too much over the stock tires. If you want a taller tire, you may need to re-gear the differentials to maintain acceleration at an acceptable level.

Bottom line: Switch to single rear wheels if it's possible without major expense. Otherwise, run duals and don't worry about it.

Comparing the 2004 Cummins with the 2007 model, I think the 2007 requires ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel. Today, this fuel is not available outside western Europe, Canada, USA and a few Mexican stations close to the USA border. If you plan to drive south into Mexico and Central America any time soon, you should keep the 2004 model.

Chip Haven

I am not too sure the statement regarding ultra low sulfur Diesel into being available in Mexico is true, hopefully other who have travelled there more times than myself will chime in

 

[billiebob]

Anyone doubting the capability vs superiority of duals, watch this and realize duals are an industry trucking standard,
All the negative are theoretical, hypothetical. In industry the Super Single has never caught on. duals rule.



But chains, chains are a lifesaver. I use them often. Lockers and chains are more important than a winch.



In trucking, Super Singles are an Interstate option which MIGHT offer better fuel economy.