Tires... Tires.... Tires....

[Nero]

I'm aware of that. I know I'm pushing my gvwr of the truck, and I'm fine with that. I'm more worried about a tire blowing unexpectedly with a camper on board. An axle failing usually is a gradual failure.

As for which direction I'm going to go, I presented the options to the wife, said I'd like to go the 19.5 rim option, but she runs the budget, so here I wait.

 

[u2slow]

I wouldn't rule out a new pair of 17/18/20" either with appropriate tire.

It's just with 16".... there's enough used wheels out there, and 265-285's to fit them are cheap for their capacity. My last pair of 16x7 Ford steelies were $50.

 

[Nero]

Believe me I'd rather go the cheaper option for a 16" rim and get some good rubber, but finding a 16 17 or 18" rubber with something higher than 3750lb rating seems difficult to find.
New to me 16" steelies are $84, whereas 19.5s are about $255 each.


I do think the 19.5's would look cooler though.

 

[Cubey]

I'm aware of that. I know I'm pushing my gvwr of the truck, and I'm fine with that. I'm more worried about a tire blowing unexpectedly with a camper on board. An axle failing usually is a gradual failure.

I blew the inner right dually tire on the motorhome shortly before I sold it, at 55mph. Zero loss off control. And I was able to go another 1/2 mile to a wider shoulder area along the interstate. I was heading for the nearby exit but the very wide shoulder came up. So I definitely recommend dually for heavy RV type setups.

And yes I did also stop using the other that was suddenly bald and about to blow too. I bought an odd sized tire i got cheaper at Walmart, put it on the front, put that on the rear along with the new spare I was carrying. The bald one was the "spare" for the last 700 miles or so before I sold it.

 

[u2slow]

Believe me I'd rather go the cheaper option for a 16" rim and get some good rubber, but finding a 16 17 or 18" rubber with something higher than 3750lb rating seems difficult to find.

285/75R18E =4079#
295/70R17E = 3970#
315/75R16E = 3860#

 

[Nero]

Now a dually axle has become available local to me for $850 gah so many choices.....

 

[Nero]

@u2slow do you have a link for a rim that is 18" or 17" that is not a trailer tire that will support that weight?

 

[u2slow]

With a drw axle swap..... Don't forget you need ubolts, wheels, tires, redo brakes most likely, and cobble on some kind of flares/fenders. If you go off-road, duals can get rocks wedged between.

$850 seems high. Never paid more that $400-500 for any 1ton diff, and I'm 3x Dana 80's deep now lol!

Don't know aftermarket wheels that well. Primarily ford and dodge OEM stuff, and whatever used wheels falls in my lap.

 

[Nero]

It's a private wrecking yard and they said they can't pull the axle for 10 business days! I have another tripped planned on the 21st up in Washington state, and 4 days isn't enough time to go through it and install it, plus work out something for the fender covers... So back to square one...

 

[u2slow]

Get 2x wheels and tires. Easy increase in peace of mind.

Then you can take your time and think about long term fixes. Find a private-sale axle for half the price, etc.