To Dual, or not to Dual

[mountainexplorer]

I just made a deal on an '83 1-ton 4x4 Dually single cab truck for $1200. It had a mishap where some kids drove it over a gas can on the ground, and the gas ignited and burned the firewall/cab.

It has a Dana 60 front, Dana 70 dually rear, 454 with headers, TH400 and NP205. Motor was supposedly rebuilt not too long ago, but I'd re-gasket it and check it out.

My plow truck is an '87 SRW 1-ton 4x4 regular cab with a utility bed on it. 2 years ago, I robbed the 60 front out of it for another rig. Last winter, the motor started knocking, and I sold it as a core with all the TBI stuff. Recently since it's apart, I took the round pattern 205 out of it to try adapting it to an NV4500 tranny for another rig.

So, right now, I have an '87 1-ton 4x4 with a 44 front, no motor, tranny or T-case, a cracked frame up front (badly cracked I might add) and bad rear brakes. But the 14 bolt rear has a factory posi.

If I swap my '87 body onto the '83 frame, I'd have a Dually plow truck.

I'm not a big Dually fan, but having two more rear tires would aid in traction, though I'd be losing my posi. Plus, Id have to buy two more snow tires. /forums/images/graemlins/thinking.gif

I could run my SRW 14 bolt, and convert the front to single.

What would you do? Go dually? Or stay single?

 

[COCHEV]

I think you have too many trucks and therefore have way too many options on hand. LOL! /forums/images/graemlins/rotfl.gif /forums/images/graemlins/rotfl.gif /forums/images/graemlins/rotfl.gif

i've always heard duallies are bad in the snow and ice. more serface area on the ice, slides easier. best snow and ice tires are the tall skinny pizza cutters, more pressure on less surface area. just my opinion /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif

 

[84_Chevy_K10]

Stay single for snow, floatation is the last thing you want in a plow truck.

Swap the dually hubs off the '60 and onto one of your 4wd/offroad machines, along with the Dana 70, run hummer beadlocks on that truck, and go single wheel with your snow plow.

 

[mountainexplorer]

So, the consensus is Dually's are bad for snow and ice. I was thinking the extra two tires in the rear would just be extra traction (and I would be running 235/85R16 Studded snows), but I do also see how the surface area of 4 rear tires would act like two wide tires.

In a way, I want to stay SRW to keep the posi (even though I'd have to do rear brakes and swap out hub assemblies up front). But it's also better, cause it means I can sell the Dually aluminum rims for some decent money, and sell the 70 rear, and dually bed and get a majority of my money back from the truck.

I don't really have anything else I'd want a Dually. But I could run the bed and dually fenders on the big crew cab when the 44's are on it. Kind of like jumbo fender flares for the rear.

 

[84_Chevy_K10]

If ya run the dually axles on the big crew cab with hummer beadlocks you can have a single wheel truck out of both of them. /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif

 

[mountainexplorer]

Well, the Big Crew Cab's current stage is body, frame, tranny and T-case, all on blocks.

The rear end is under the little one, and the front 60 is in the garage here needing a rebuild and some 5.13 gears. The Dually 70 rear and 60 front are only 4.10s.

Plus, I already have the 44's mounted up on some 15x14 8-lug Chrome rims. Hummer beadlocks are out of budget, unless I find a cheap truck for parts that has a set.

 

[diesel4me]

In my experience-dually's suck for plowing,or genral driving in snow--they float all over the place,and spin and get stuck much easier than a single wheel rig(unless they have huge off road wide tires,then they rival the dually's in sucking in snow)--many of the plow guys here who use a dually for plowing(usually a flatbed)load the trucks with at least 2000 lbs of sand,and many of them run tire chains on the dual rear wheels,then they can plow as good as the rest of us.Not bashing a dually truck--its just not a hot setup for the snow--and the long wheelbase makes it more suitable for parking lots and street plowing,more than small residential driveways. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

 

[84gmcjimmy]

dude, I could cry. thats such a good deal... 1 ton axles, big block, th400 and 205 /forums/images/graemlins/yikes.gif
your my hero /forums/images/graemlins/bow.gif /forums/images/graemlins/bow.gif /forums/images/graemlins/bow.gif

 

[mountainexplorer]

Deals come around. After I figure out how to pay off this one, I have to come up with $1500 to buy a friend's '80 Chevy 3/4 ton 4x4 with a 402BB and 400/205. It's a good deal, but not as good of a deal as he got. He got the '80 truck for $500, then the night we towed it to my house, some drunk lady hit it (and didnt really hurt it), and he got $300 from her. I had to get up to a $1500 offer to get him to sell it. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif But he's got to wait now, till after I get this 1-ton.


In a way, I wanted a Dually also cause I thought I'd put a wrecker boom in the bed, and use it as a tow truck, too. But, I prefer single wheel rigs anyway, and I don't have a wrecker boom yet.