Dual wheels on a M37

[67m-35winchtruck]

Has any one ever seen anything this before, or have any idea of what would be required to do something like this?
I wish I had some more pictures but this truck is on an auction site and this all they have. They look like factory rims to me but I'm not a expert by any means. So once again I'm turning to the trusty SS site.

 

[Evil Dr. Porkchop]

 

[gerrykan]

The wheels are riveted together.
The rivets can be removed and the centers moved to change the offset.

Do so at your own risk.
They should be welded by a competent welder. Getting them true is not easy.
I'm sure the safety nazis will forbid you do this.

There is an official photo of an M37 with duals being loaded on an airplane to search a crash site.
I think the plane they were searching for was the 'Lady Be Good'.
Finding the photo won't tell you where to find dual wheels, but it will give you something to do.

 

[NDT]

Super easy, just need 10 Budd nuts and 10 Budd caps from the back of a deuce or 5 ton or 18 wheeler type Budd lug centered wheel. And of course an extra spare tire.

Edit: I believe wheels of a different offset have to be used as well. These were available on the Power Wagons.

 

[gerrykan]

I see the photo was posted while I was typing.

 

[Roller]

I've seen them dueled up on all four corners. Impressive looking but must be hard to steer.

Frank

 

[Evil Dr. Porkchop]

Super easy, just need 10 Budd nuts and 10 Budd caps from the back of a deuce or 5 ton or 18 wheeler type Budd lug centered wheel. And of course an extra spare tire.

And the right offset wheels to do it.

 

[Storm 51]

I have a set of the dual wheels with new NDTs mounted on them. I bolted them to the front of my truck to be sure they would work (they do). I was worried about steering interference (there isn't any).

You are correct about the increased steering difficulty though. Unless you are in mud or soft sand, I don't think the Hulk could do a tight turn in the truck.

Storm 51

 

[rosco]

For the steering axle, we mounted 7.50x16's on them. When you get into the boggy stuff, they still give flotation, but on the firmer ground, they don't touch, and steering is easier. With duals on the rear, you have to be careful, that you don't break axles.

 

[65falcon]

Here is a picture of my dads M37 I posted this picture some time ago.

 

[67m-35winchtruck]

Thanks for the fast responses everyone, So basically to do this I the lug nuts from a deuce and the rims from something like a WC 5?

 

[65falcon]

I will try and take some pictures of the rims tomorrow and post them.

 

[73m819]

A few years back, I saw at Aberdeen a stock, dueled up, m37 series contract maintenance truck

 

[65falcon]

I was told that there were some dueled M37 that were used as weapons carriers but never seen one.

 

[M-37Bruce]

Duel Set-Up

Here is a picture of my dads M37 I posted this picture some time ago.View attachment 469866

It's nice the way the wheels fill up the wheel well!

 

[67m-35winchtruck]

Okay after looking around for a while I found this information on texas power wagon.(there are two sizes of NDT for military Dodges and "flatfender" POWER WAGONs. Each requires the correct rim. In addition to having different rim widths, each of the rims has a different bead depth. Both NDT have an indentation shaped to match the rim flanges. The indentation helps to hold the split ring in place. Using the correct tire with the correct rim is a critical safety issue. The most common NDT is the 9.00 x 16 tire. It requires a 6.5" x 16" rim. This rim has a wider flange to support the bead with the increased load capacity of the 9.00 x 16 tire. Common to half-ton military Dodges and the POWER WAGONs with lower weight capacity ratings are 7.50 x 16 tires mounted on the 5.5" x 16" rim. In addition to being an inch narrower than the other rim, this rim has other differences. Its bead is shallower. Do not use 9.00 x 16 tires on the 5.5" rims. With this shallow bead, the split ring is not held in place when a 9.00 x 16 military NDT is mounted. There is a chance that the larger tire could roll off the rim in extreme circumstances.)

The 5.5" x 16" rim has a greater offset than the 6.5" x 16" rim. The greater offset allows these rims to be used in a dual configuration with 7.50 x 16 tires." So from what I understand I need the 5.5" rims to run be able to have dual wheels? also can anyone shed some light on using a 900x16 on a 5.5" rim? sorry for the lengthy post but the only you learn is by reading and asking many questions when you don't fully understand.​

 

[MartinB]

I have seen guys that own early Dodge Power Wagons add dual wheels by adding longer wheel lugs. The offset of the wheel centers was sufficient to allow this

 

[65falcon]

Here are a few pictures of the rim and truck that was changed to a dually. The rim was purchased to be used for a spare.

 

[M37Dually]

Duals

I have a dually m37. I believe it is factory. The offset on the wheels is 8 inches. I have read the single tire trucks are just 7 inch offset wheels.

 

[whatadeuce]

I used to mount the dually tire IN THE FRONT! as to tire size, I used the same tires and wheels as all the others. What enabled me to do this was the dually studs , as used on the Deuce. Its really no big deal to do this and as for steering, I never went off roading with this set up but on the pavement I held on to the steering wheel with more firmness