HEAVY Duramax 2500HD, HELP!

[Chris Hays]

I need some help, advice and suggestions on my predicament. I have a 2500hd longbed pickup i use everyday for my job as i am a heavy equipment technician. I do about 1500 miles a week traveling the whole of Texas, Oklahoma and New mexico on jobs. I got a brand new 2005 truck equipped with a service body, crane and all the goodies. At the start it was the perfect chassis for the job as i had 3 extra leaf springs fitted to the crane side of the truck, and two added to the driver side to carry the extra weight of the back end. As time progressed we took on bigger jobs and ended up with bigger tools and now im weighing in at about 13,400 on the scales. It was fine until i blew out the stock rear tire, ok go to a E rating, great for the last 30,000 miles until yesterday when i was driving down the road doing about 60 when the rear right wheel rim split its weld where the front (face) of the wheel is actually welded to the rim where the tire beads sit. It basically blew out through the rim, the tire was fine. During this the rim locked itself up on the brake caliper and as im used to handling heavy uncoperative machinery i was able to save myself from the ditch and crash rail. I know im probably over the weight rating of the stock steel rim but that was unintentional. I want to know is it possible and what would i have to do to make this rig a dually. Is the axle the same, will dual wheels bolt right up, will front wheel spacers fit the srw front hubs to accomodate the dished wheel on the front axle. This truck is at its weight limit and will not be loaded any more. I just need more surface area to roll the weight down the road. Any suggestions would be greatly appreiciated!!:confused:

[DmaxMaverick]

Welcome to the Forums!

I can't support or recommend overloading, which you are doing by a huge margin. Even overloaded for a 3500 by a ton. Your GVWR is 9200#.

However, if you are doing it anyway, I can recommend the safest route.

Leave the front alone. The suspension will not support any more than the rating of the wheels/tires. Adapters will actually weaken it. Unless you have no room for it, it's just an extra spare.

The rear axle (including brakes) is the same as the 3500, so going to duals is just hardware.
Another option is adapters and 19.5" wheels/tires. You can get 19.5 tires in G rating. You can also get high rated wheels with the standard light truck single/dual 8 lug pattern, but I don't think the rating is as high as the MD 19.5's. You could do this with or without the front. FYI, the AAM 11.5" axle (equipped on your truck) is rated by the mfg at 10,400#.

I do not recommend staying with 16" wheels, at least for the rear. The 19.5" tires/wheels, whether single or dual, are rated in a range more suited to your needs, as well as the safety factor.

I'm not surprised you blew the rim, and previous tire. That's a lot of overweight!

[Chris Hays]

The weight that i stated is the most weight i ever carried, it was big parts and big tools to install. I have shaved a lot of weight since the tire blowouts and try to carry only the nessecities now. I have not weighed it as is, but its probably around the 10,000# mark. I guess the wheel was stressed from before but the job had to be done and the truck (although it was probably crying ) never missed a beat. The Allison shifted smoothly and the engine pulled like a train (10-13 mpg). Could anyone recommend a programmer for my application? To add insult to injury, on the odd occasion i do also pull a 6000# trailer (8'W-8'H-16'L). It also handles this combination with ease, although my mpg does suffer alot. This truck is a true WORKHORSE and shows the strength and reliability of the DMX-ALSN outfit. It has 67,000 miles and was bought in august last year, and they are all HARD MILES, such as one customer where i have to drive about 17 miles down washboard dirt roads in 113 degree heat just to get to the ranch entrance! The only things that have gone wrong is the steering rack went at 48,000 miles, and the power steering hose rubbed a hole in the intercooler tube. The company i work for is leaning towards fords now as they offer the F-450-550 in regular truck size but all ive heard about the new 6.0 Powerstroke is terrible. Will dual wheels fit straight onto my truck without any hub, stud length changes, and i would like to go with the dished wheels on the front also as this could raise a few eyebrows with my eagleyed dually pickup driving clientele, and it would not give a proffesional image. I would have to fabricate some fender flares for the service bed as they would stick out about 6". Although the 19.5' rims are a thought. Keep the suggestions coming. please!!

[DmaxMaverick]

Glad to hear the rest of the truck is doing well. We like to hear that.

I understand the professional appearance thing, with the dish wheels. Good point. I was only saying it wouldn't matter, and you could forgo that if you wanted. I would probably do the same as you, if it came down to it.

I don't know if the wheel studs are good for duals or not, but there has been some discussion here about dually conversions. Not much in the follow-up department, though. If the studs allow enough thread engagement, it should be OK. If not, studs are no real big deal. Front adapters are a matter of changing out the hubs (big $$), and the replacement hardware will have what you need.

The 19.5" wheels can be had in either single or dual. Duals would surely eliminate the wheel loading issue, as they are commonly used for 4500 and 5500 apps. They are rated for medium duty, as opposed to light truck duty. It may be easier, and less expensive to install 19.5" adapters, than to convert yours to 3500 dually. Probably more practical as well in your case.

[Chris Hays]

Thanks for all the info Dmaxmaverick, its a big help. Another question i have though is what are the adapters for the 19.5" wheel? Also do you have a link to a site with these wheels on them?
Again, thanks for the help.

[DmaxMaverick]

The adapters allow you to use MD 19.5" wheels on an 8 lug LT hub.

You shouldn't have to go that route. There are 19.5" wheels that will bolt right up. Check out THIS THREAD (http://www.thedieselpageforums.com/tdpforum/showthread.php?t=15626). Probably the best option for your use. There are several other threads discussing this, so try a search for "19.5" in the same forum, and you'll get a few. If you go duals, you will need longer studs on the rear, and 3500 front hubs. If you go SRW, be careful with the wheels you choose. Many are rated no higher than the OEM steels, but some are rated much higher.

[Craig M]

Rickson wheels has both steel and aluminum 19.5 wheels that bolt up to the standard 8 bolt GM set up. No adaptors required. Rickson has a web site that has a bunch of photos and descriptions. A set of Rickson used steel wheels just sold on Ebay for $600 last week. The Rickson set up is not cheap, but with the high weights you have you should consider it. Dualls will give you the most safety, but a single 19.5 tire with "H" or "F" rating will be a lot better than your current single 16" tire. Rickson has a tire area that gives capacities of various 19.5 tires.