hi all i was just looking for some advice i have an f250 short bed crew 2wd and want to convert it to a dually andy advice on where to get parts rims/alloys etc for a good price plus i was wondering about them really nice body kits you see on f350's with the bubbly kind of shape [thats the best i can explain it] are they available for short bed trucks

thanks in advance

 

I cant help you at all sorry... but if you ever do this you might possibly be the first (?)

 

I have never understood shortbed duallies. They are almost useless for anything except towing a travel trailer. To do a conversion on an F250 might almost be a waste, since by the time you have spent the money on parts and labor and everything, you might as well trade in your current truck on a similarly optioned F350 duallie.

 

i know what you are saying but i live in ireland and imported this f250 from the us myself at a lot of expense simply beacuse the ford pickups over here are tiny with 2.5td engines wont pull anything and i have a 40ft 5th wheel wich my f250 will pull no problem but on grass it is not so great with the traction and does tend to get stuck that is why an extra set of wheels would be great

so if any one has some info on where i can get good parts at a good price that would be great plus i dont want to ship in the wrong parts needed so help please

 

Actually converting to a dually is not that hard, the big expense will be in tires and maybe body work (the flares need to be color matched to the body)

These guys sell the body stuff DuallyFendersUSA.com

They also have the wheel spacers, which you need for both front and rear, so you can use the dually wheels on the front too, otherwise you need to carry separate spares for the front and rear and you won't be able to rotate the tires.

You probably need to call or email them with more details. They sell what seem to be complete kits.

 

You will need to find a Dana-80 rear end off a dually. The axles are shorter on the dually to fit the dual tires and spacer. The dual tires will help some, but nothing like 4x4, the front of these truck are heavy.
Good luck and take plenty pics. lol

 

It might be cheaper to convert your truck to a four wheel drive. I would try to figure all of the cost's with the two conversions and see which one is cheaper. The four wheel drive conversion might be cheaper, and the better way to go. Something to think about for sure. Good luck.

 

im guessing major damage is going to be the shipping of parts to ye emerald isle. going directly to ford for rear and and tires to work might end up being pricey.

 

I read the story about contractor who converterted his dually to single wheels and after spending about $1500 for spacers and other stuff reported clear fuel savings, but I am skeptic because most of owners of single wheel trucks report similar mileage my dually does, even my truck is heavier than most of them.
So if the OP idea is going for load increase and spending over 5 grands for axle alone is not scaring him, I would like to see pictures?

 

if your only problem is needing more traction why not look into a l/s or a locker. and mabie new tires with more bite

 

No you don't. Forget what Ford does from the factory. When you do an aftermarket conversion, you need the spacers they will provide you with.

 

when converting an f250 diesel 4 wheel drive truck with a dually kit does it help when carrying a load (stability) or is it purely for looks? Anyone know?

 

Holy thread resurection BatMan!

As long as all the suspension mods have been made in regard to springs, sway-bars and shocks are done, you'd have similar stability and load carrying gains..

 

my brothers buddies truck
BEFORE

AFTER

 

the wider foot print of 4 wheels is more stable provided you have sta bars in the rear. there is an abundance of steel dually rims on craigslist. just make sure you understand size limitations like 99-2004 using 8X170 rims and 2005 to present using 8X200 rims. you will need wheel spacers for both the front and back. the fenders and painting of the fenders is a pretty big chunk of the cost. Your spare tire will not work anymore as it needs to now be a dually rim.

a lot of folks on craigslist have no idea what rims they have and will list 99 to present as a fitment guide. not possible due to the differences cited above.

watch out for rims in the sizes you cant use...plenty of 16" rims out there which wont help if you have 17" tires.

cost for mounting 6 truck tires is not cheap either and the cost of the caps has to be considered.

your probally going to want to spend the extra 150 for chrome lug nuts and not use your steel ones.

mud flaps need to be wider since in the front your are pushed out and in the rear you are wider.