Adding a Third axle to my deuce

[RangerDave]

IF I can buy some axles off of a couple of deuces from a guy down the road who has 3 of them sitting in various states of un-runnability.... I am looking at two projects.... What is a fair price for the axles if I have to take them off?

1. Adding a third axle to my truck to help increase the load bearing and braking abilities....
2. Building a mini-skidder of about 10,000 Lbs...

If any of you guys out there were to do it, HOW would you do it?

Right now I am thinking that there are some pretty standard aftermarket air bag axle lower/lift units out there that I could U-Bolt the 3rd axle to. I took a good hard look at my truckers tri-axle logging truck today and asked him a few questions about how it worked and looked like a pretty clean install. Frame rail distances are the same width, airbags lift the axle off of the ground and out of the way and airbags lower and share the load.... He said he didn't like the spring raising ones because they bounce too much and you have to constantly adjust the spring tension.

I would like to rebuild the leaf spring sets, or if the price is right buy or rebuild new... If I just added a leaf to the bottom would I screw up the upper leaf spring keeper on the axle when they flex over obsticles? I can only imagine that the space is there for a reason...

Comments/Criticism welcome!

PS: I am still working out how to install the extra drive shaft and get it to engage/disengage manually or with air (like flip the in cab switch to the front axle, but have both the front and rear axle engage...) Right now I am imagining a sliding shaft where when it is back it is dis-engaged and the wheels are up. When I slide the shaft foreward, and spin the rear wheels to get the splines to line up, it gets engaged and operational.... Can't quite get my head around fabbing some sort of throw out lever on a bearing that can get past the pinion in order to engage and disengage the spinning shaft....

 

[wreckerman893]

The additional axle need not be powered. Most tag axles are not.
Use an axle off a 105 trailer and your airbag concept. You can still use the brakes off the 105 axle by using flexable lines to the axle.
If you are hauling a heavy load you will have to raise the axle to make sharp turns or you risk tearing it loose.
If you will constantly be hauling heavy loads you may want to consider upgrading to a 5 ton.
Since the brakes are air over hydrolic you still dont need a CDL (at least in Ala).
Just my rambling thoughts.

 

[gimpyrobb]

I would say, plan on adding it to the rear of the stock stuff. That way you can find a remote driveshaft disconnect to use. They made them for trucks and vans to be pulled behind Rvs. If you were to put it infront of the stock axles, you would kill the drive to them by disconnecting the system. The deuce axles are a "straight through" design, with top loader axles. Raising and lowering will have to be done with air pressure. .02

 

[rivired]

IF your up to it then go for it!
Personally i think its border line on the most impractical thing ever.
And plus the extreme amount of fabrication u would have to do.
You would need a 4 link setup of sorts for the drop axle..

The amount of frame u have behind the rear tandem does not look like enough to accommodate this drop mechanism.

And if u did manage to cram it in there..i seriously think your truck would not turn...it would be a skidsteer lol.. but not quite..but with horrid tire wear on the rearmost and the foremost

Then the whole getting it to drive thing..

My opinion is Simply...5 Ton.

 

[jrou111]

my opinion is simply...5 ton.

+1

 

[gimpyrobb]

Here is info about the ds disconnect:

Remco's Drive Shaft Coupling | Remco Towing

 

[grounded]

if you had to put one under there make sure its a steer axle. or youll regret it. but i still would save the money and help the truck and get 5 ton

 

[RangerDave]

IF your up to it then go for it!
Personally i think its border line on the most impractical thing ever.
And plus the extreme amount of fabrication u would have to do.
You would need a 4 link setup of sorts for the drop axle..

The amount of frame u have behind the rear tandem does not look like enough to accommodate this drop mechanism.

And if u did manage to cram it in there..i seriously think your truck would not turn...it would be a skidsteer lol.. but not quite..but with horrid tire wear on the rearmost and the foremost

Then the whole getting it to drive thing..

My opinion is Simply...5 Ton.

I would say, plan on adding it to the rear of the stock stuff. That way you can find a remote driveshaft disconnect to use. They made them for trucks and vans to be pulled behind Rvs. If you were to put it infront of the stock axles, you would kill the drive to them by disconnecting the system. The deuce axles are a "straight through" design, with top loader axles. Raising and lowering will have to be done with air pressure. .02

I'm just bouncing back and fourth getting a laugh at the comments while punching out the last of my taxes!!!

I plan on applying for my CDL this month, and the state only tests a few times a year from what I have been told, so I will see If I can get that accomplished this year...

I would like to get a 5 ton, but it is out of reach for me right now unless the right person wanted to trade truck for truck and barter for any differences. Evidently there is a HUGE private Army truck collector a couple of hours south of me that supplies convoys of trucks and equipment to Hollywood movie sets... I have been contemplating approaching them about the 5 Ton set up I would want with the least hassles and vehicle condition.... and their web site...

Schott Enterprises - M813 / 800 Series / 5-Ton Military Diesel Cargo Vehicles for Sale

LOL about the limited turning and wear and tear!!! My trucker told me he just had to keep replacing an air bag... When they pulled the tag axle off, all of the bushings had worn through in 3 years (3 years old) and was pushing the tire against the airbag!!! So I am aware of that little monkey to contend with...

He also mentioned that when backing up onto an incline, the tag axle could lift the drive axles off of the ground and loose traction - thus, why I am thinking about the axle disconect ... 1. to be able to avoid being hung up 2. to gain more floatation when pulling stuff off of properties on soft ground.....

I would lift the axle for tight turns to avoid the extra drag as well....

Oh, I measured the distance from the rear wheels to the rear bumper and it would fit - barely....

Any suggestions on a fair price for those axles?

 

[grounded]

rear rockwells.. dime a dozen.

 

[rivired]

When i sell mine when i bob i will probly ask $400 for it..depends on the market where u live tho ,if theres hella MV guys in ur state or mudtruck guys go higher.

Also factor in that if this guy has a bunch of rotting trucks then u could probly try to go real cheap first and see what he says.

I know all the Surplus places go for anywhere from $700-1000 for a non steer..but thats a SURPLUS PLACE PRICE..so ..you know..

 

[RangerDave]

Well, I wouldn't want to insult him either.... He is a Vet in his late 30's and knows a few things about the trucks... That's why he had them towed to his "compound".. I helped him out in locating the 3 rigs, sooo...

 

[grounded]

crap im on wrong side of country.. need to load up and sell out west lol.. yea location is key. around here $100 for rears

 

[RangerDave]

crap im on wrong side of country.. need to load up and sell out west lol.. yea location is key. around here $100 for rears

I have not seen the trucks in a few years... and they were showing their age when they were hauled away from the woods where the last guy owned them... They would definitely need to be re built if I find water in the diffs....

 

[DavidWymore]

I'm also interested in getting more axles/tires under a deuce for more flotation/traction. It seems most trucks were designed to be rear drive and the fwd was added as an afterthought, making the front sink prone due to tire to weight ratio, until things like the XM410 and HEMMT where they stuffed as many tires and axles under them as they could.

I saw one where they moved the rear axles forward, why not do that and add another to the rear, make the front and rear axles steer....? Or maybe just a standard rear in the back with duals and cutting brakes on the rear axles. Rock buggies are running air lockers in the rear axles with cutting brakes for really tight turning. I wouldn't be surprised of someone had done this already...

 

[11Echo]

Pics found on the net.

 

[scooter01922]

Good god what the hell is that thing in pic number 3 ????? I will say i sorta like that 10 ton with the extra axle. If there was ever a truck that could handle a load worthy of needing another axle its the ten ton.

 

[gimpyrobb]

All those, cept the first one are not deuces.

 

[TaylorTradingCo]

extra axle

I would recommend doing it to a M36A2 with the 17' bed and extra long wheel base. You could put the extra axle in front of the others. If it was me I would just use the front spring kit off of another truck like what we do with bobbed trucks.

I sell 2 1/2 ton rears for $250 and front spring kjits for $300 and even have a M36A2 I would sell.

Derek Taylor

 

[73m819]

could this Remco's Drive Shaft Coupling | Remco Towing be build to act as a disconnect for our deuce and 5t rears instead of droping the driveshaft

 

[beaubeau]

Not so complicated to do. Just weld another frame section taken from a BOBED Deuce, about 4ft.,add single spring set up, but adjust it so Rear axel is UP when empty, and Down with load. No need for a Disconnect drive shaft. Watch for FUTURE pics.!!!???