I have an 04.5 SRW 3500 that I would like to make a DRW and put a flat bed dump on it. I know I will need the front spacers and 6 dually wheels/tires, but will they bolt right up to my rear or do I need the 1.5" spacer I keep hearing about? I would like to keep the rear narrow as possible, I just don't know if the wheels/tires will clear everything without the spacers. I did a search, but everybody is going from a 2500 to a dually, I just didn't know if the 3500 SRW was any different. Thanks in advance.

 

I think the only difference between a srw 3500 and a 2500 is a couple leaf springs.

 

I thought the DWR axle was a little shorter than the SWR axle. But what do I know.

 

The opposite is actually true...

 

If you look at the wheels, the single wheel has about 4 inches of offset.. the rim mounting face is about in the center of the wheel. For a dually rim, the mounting face is outside the rim. If you lay a dually rim on the floor, the tire will not touch the floor, the rim sticks out past.

On my SRW truck, I have about an inch of space between the wheel and the spring pack. If I tried to mount a dually rim where it is so offset, the rim will hit the spring pack.

Did any of that make sense? I know what I want to say but don't know how hard it is to follow. I'd need a rear spacer to push the wheels out and away from the springs.

 

I believe the rear ends are the same.
The duallies have a spacer between the axle housing and the shafts, then longer axel shafts, then the front addaptor.

 

The diff is the same but the everything from the axle tubes out to the wheels is different.

 

So couldn't I just put an aftermarket spacer where the wheels mount up to space the wheels out so they don't hit the spring pack? I don't understand the theory behind how AAM did the axle to put their spacer betweem the housing and the shafts to require longer shafts. What is the difference?

If anybody is interested in trading out wheels/tires or axles from my SRW to their DRW, let me know. I don't care one way or the other about the bed because I am going to go with a flat bed.

 

You know, there's a couple guys that want to go the other way, so a switch is entirely possible!!!

The difference on where you put the spacer has to do with bearing load. The bearings are designed to take the force from a certain direction, and if you space the wheels out from that point load, you put a large torque load on the bearings. Even offset rims can do it.

If you can't go dually or decide not to, you could put a nice set of 19.5" or 22.5" rims on it and run heavy duty G or H rated tires.

 

I believe some have added a spacer kit to the rear wheel to gain clearance for the spring packs, then just a bolt up of the wheels. It adds a couple inches to the overall width. But with a flatbed the additional width will fit fine. You def will need the front spacer to run the dually wheels.

If you were going to use a regular bed, then you would need fender flares to accommodate the wider stance with spacers.

I think it's Southwest Wheel Co that has the link to the spacers you would need all around to do the job.

CD