I’ve heard a lot of discussion about the subject of dual tires on a 1 ton pickup truck. People (especially pickup salesmen ) say “You have to have them” while others say “You ought to have them”. It’s my belief that they are completely unnecessary and here is why.
A pickup is not a truck. If you’ll look at the wheel stance (width) a class 7 or 8 truck, you’ll see that the front axle tires are aligned with the outer tires on the rear axle. On a pickup, they will be in line with the inner tires in a dual tire installation. In a pickup’s single rear wheel installation, they will align with the only tire on that end of the back axle. Pickup manufacturers design them this way for cost saving. The same frame serves both dual and single rear wheel installations. Class 8 trucks may be termed “heavy” trucks, class 6 trucks may be termed “medium,” and Class 2b trucks may be termed “light.” Most Class 2b vehicles have a pickup box on them, but some may have flatbeds or work boxes.

Strike #1 This “Added as an afterthought” design leads to width hazards. How many dually pickups have you seen with the outer fender crushed by a gate that wasn’t quite as wide as the driver thought it was?

Strike #2 Dual tires increase tire cost by 50% and increase fuel consumption by 10 to 15%. This is a big disadvantage when you calculate your 200,000 mile ownership costs.

Strike #3 The weight capacity on a pickup’s rear axle is light enough to be carried by two (one on each end of the axle) Class E tires.

If a dually installation isn’t justified by weight, why are they available? Well, in my humble opinion, the main reason is that they are an additional source of income for the manufacturer. Some have said to me “They (duallies) provide more lateral stability when I’m towing my RV trailer”. My thought on that is that if that rv hitch weren’t built up so high from the centerline of thrust then you wouldn’t have that lateral stability problem in the first place. When looking a Class 7 or 8 truck hitch, you’ll see that most of them are only about 14″ to 16″ above the drive line. On a lot of dually pickups that distance will be upwards of 24″ or more. That increased arm provides a lot of force for that rv to push your pickup around.

Some others have expressed their opinion that the dual tire installation provides a built-in spare tire. In case one goes flat, they think they’ll have another already on the ground to carry them to the repair shop. I asked everyone who expressed that idea if they had tried it. None of them had. Won’t work at speeds above a slow walk. The flat tire will start flopping and eventually disintegrate, probably taking out that spare fender with it.

Bottom Line:
Dual tires on a 1 ton pickup is like a piece of expensive chrome. Just an accessory that costs money and doesn’t add to either performance or value.

This is my opinion, let me know what you think.

Tags: Farm and Field
Categories: Farm and Field