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driving with one wheel/tire/axle off the ground

jesusgatos

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on the road - in CA right now
I've been thinking about making some type of attachment points to add to the frame and axles so that I could jack-up any of the back wheels/tires (or one whole axle) and use some type of cable/chain/strap to carry that wheel/tire or axle. The point would be that if I could drive with it like that, it would cut down on the number of spares I'll have to carry. I'm outfitting an M109 as a motorhome and will be towing a modified M353 trailer, so I was planning on carrying two spares. But before I go to all the trouble I'd like to know whether it's possible/practical/advisable and if so, has the military already done it? I'd rather not have to re-invent the wheel if I can just use/copy what's been proven to work.
 

Jake0147

Member
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Panton, VT
As it sits, you already have four spares with all of the axles down. If you drive an inner dual up onto a couple of two by fours, you can remove the outer one without ever cranking a jack handle. If you did jack up the donor axle, you could also invert the remaining wheel to keep the wider footprint. Not ideal for the bearings, but not the end of the world by a long shot.
I would not consider driving any distance with only one wheel end chained up. The toe between the tandem axles will be upset. Better to chain up a whole axle.
 

jesusgatos

Active member
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on the road - in CA right now
Oh, sorry. I should have said that I was specifically thinking about a singled-out truck. Of course you're right about a truck with duals. Probably right about chaining-up the whole axle too. Hadn't really thought about that.
 

jesusgatos

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on the road - in CA right now
Oh, that's GREAT. I would like to figure something out so that I could chain-up either axle though (so I don't have to change a bunch of wheels/tires) and I'd rather not have to remove the wheels/tires (because then I'd have to carry them somewhere else). I'd think that the military would have provided for this scenario. No?
 

tmbrwolf

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Did it for an emergency in the army (busted axle) chained the whole axle up and removed the prop shaft, I would not recommend it otherwise it will put a lot of extra stress on the suspension system in the rear, in operating these trucks in the military I've never had to worry going through that many spare tires, I've only had to change a tire a handfull of times over the 20 years I drove / maintained them.
 

scooter01922

Well-known member
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Honestly i'm not sure what the benefits are here. Chain up an axle so you don't have to change tires??? Maybe its me but i really doubt you are going to go through the 2 spares you are planning on carrying. If you do you might just want to avoid singling the truck out so you have more rubber back there to play with. A decent bottle jack and an impact gun and there tires aren't that bad, can't see putting so much effort into avoiding routine stuff.
 

jesusgatos

Active member
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on the road - in CA right now
OK, here's the deal: It's not about changing the tires, it's about having to carry spares. I'm building an expedition-type motorhome out of an M109 and I'm going to be traveling through some really remote areas, unsupported, for extended periods of time. I'll be towing a modified M353 trailer (putting a 12ft box on it), and will have 8 wheels on the ground between the truck and trailer (planning to single-out mah deuce). If I can chain-up one of the axles, I can safely get away with only carrying one spare tire (mounted on the trailer, so I can install another fuel tank on the driver's side of mah deuce).
 

Beerslayer

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If he is going to super singles, the spare won't fit where the original did. From what I -hear- most people who run super singles don't carry a spare. I think the idea was to chain up the axle to get to where you could get the flat fixed. I have seen this idea offered here as a way to get by.
 

scooter01922

Well-known member
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Yeah i sort of see where you are goin with this and i wish you the best of luck but still not worth it IMO. Personally if it was me and i was going to be cruizing in the middle of nowhere i would stick to the duals. You would really, really have to be trying to blow tires to lose enough of them to have issues. But thats just me. Any reason in particular you want to single it out??? I can understand if you are going to switch to the super singles but you haven't really hinted thats what you are going for.


Oops, looks like you are going with the super singles
 
Last edited:

wdbtchr

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St. Louis, MO
Sounds to me like another one who has already made the decision to do something and is just looking for validation from the list. It's your truck do whatever you like.2cents

Do you really want to go to a remote area with the minimum?
 

jesusgatos

Active member
2,689
28
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Location
on the road - in CA right now
Sounds to me like another one who has already made the decision to do something and is just looking for validation from the list. It's your truck do whatever you like.2cents

Do you really want to go to a remote area with the minimum?
Oh jeez. Seriously? I've got an idea that I think I can make work. What I was asking is whether it has already been done/figured out, or if there was something I was overlooking. Otherwise, yeah, I'm going ahead with this.
 

grounded

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Location
defiance oh
why not just run it as a 6x6 i know you dont want to carry more spares then DONT!! but why not still leave it on all 6 tires. then when you have a tire go out. mount your spare. if by chance you have a 2nd go out and dont have another spare. THEN and ONLY THEN chain up the rear most axle, unhook the driveshaft then run it as a 4x4. you will still have essentially 3 spares. but you will more most of the time save alot of stress and suspension issues on the truck. IF YOU pop 3 tires before you get one fixed.... YOU HAVE ISSUES

my 2cents
 

jesusgatos

Active member
2,689
28
38
Location
on the road - in CA right now
why not just run it as a 6x6 i know you dont want to carry more spares then DONT!! but why not still leave it on all 6 tires. then when you have a tire go out. mount your spare. if by chance you have a 2nd go out and dont have another spare. THEN and ONLY THEN chain up the rear most axle, unhook the driveshaft then run it as a 4x4. you will still have essentially 3 spares. but you will more most of the time save alot of stress and suspension issues on the truck. IF YOU pop 3 tires before you get one fixed.... YOU HAVE ISSUES

my 2cents
That's exactly what I'm planning on doing. Running it as a super-singled 6x6. I'll have one spare, and will use that if I get a flat. If I get a second flat, that's when I'd need to chain-up the axle. Sorry, was I unclear about that?
 

emr

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Location
landing , new jersey
I really think U need to put all that thought to the rest of the truck, U will never go anywhere, not trying to be silly, but u will have no suspension and make a tactical vehicle that is already not the safest vehicle on the road even more unsafe, Now as for unsafe I do mean it is a tactical vehicle and needs alot of things done alot of times to keep it safe, Like the brakes, If U put half that thought in those U will park it forever, I am just saying look at the truck as one whole unit and get good tires and pack all the bearings pull all the wheels and look for leaks also and properly adjust the brakes , that means a major adjustment and a minor in 3 thousand miles and another major in another 3 thou, and replace pads and cylinders as needed. since those will be more troublesome on long trips than the tires, and that is only a few, how about the bolts on the jack shaft, they come loose on long trips, should U change em , or just bring a tool kit and tighten everything now and again, U will get a feul leak and oil too eventually, I am just saying give it a once over and go, U will get more support from this site than chaining an axle will ever do, All the best of luck and enjoy...Randy
 
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