How to Rotate Dually Tires?-[Dually Tire Rotation Patterns]
Like ordinary vehicles, a dually truck also needs tire rotation to perform well even with a heavy load.
The tire rotation not only protects from uneven wearing down but also ensures that the vehicle could provide a decent fuel average with little to no Hydroplaning and cabin noise.
In this article, you will get a step-by-step guide to rotate the tires of a dully truck safely without hiring a professional.
Required Tools and Safety Concerns:
How to Rotate Dually Tires?
1. Park The Vehicle on a Flat Surface:
A concrete surface/flat ground works perfectly, park the vehicle and make sure to apply the parking brake/handbrake and keep the automatic transmission at the parking position. If the vehicle has a manual transmission keep it in 1st gear. place the tire wedge underneath the tires for added safety.
2. Lose the Lugs Before Raising the Vehicle:
Take a lug wrench or air-powered impact wrench and lose the lugs before raising it. If the tires of the vehicle are in the air the tire starts rotating once we apply the force with the wrench because there is no opposite force (like the ground) and we may break the seal better to do the task when the vehicle is on the ground.
3. Raise the Front With a Heavy-Duty Jack:
Take a heavy-duty hydraulic jack that should sustain the weight of the vehicle and start raising the vehicle from the front. Make sure to place the jack at the exact point (you can get the exact position from the user manual). Once the vehicle is raised place at least two jack stands underneath and slowly lose the hydraulic jack.
4. Raise the Rear With a Heavy-Duty Jack:
Raise the rear side just like the front and make sure to place another two jack stands underneath. No your vehicle is off the ground.
5. Remove the Lug Nuts Properly:
With a lug /Air powered impact wrench remove the lug nuts properly.
6. Rotate the Tires/Wheels:
Open the user manual and see what tire rotation pattern they are suggesting and rotate the tires accordingly. Choosing an appropriate dually tire rotation pattern is very important as an incompatible pattern could ruin your tires within no time.
7. Tightening the Lugs Nuts:
Tightening the lug nuts, star, or cross-over pattern is recommended for tightening the lug nuts.
8. Lower the Jack Stands Safely:
Lower the jack stands safely and apply some torque on the lug nuts so that they will not go anywhere during the drive. You can figure out the exact required torque from the vehicle’s user manual.
Dually Tire Rotation Patterns
Quite a number of dually tire rotation patterns are crafted by industrial experts as per the anatomy of the tires and vehicles, however, you should have to choose the one that should be compatible with your dually. we recommend our readers skim the user manual first.
let’s start with the most common ones.
Most Common Dually Tire Rotation Patterns
Circular Rotation Pattern:
The circular tire rotation pattern is considered one of the simple yet effective tire rotation patterns for a dually with little to no premature tread depth (Wear shouldn’t be strange).
STEPS:
- Front tires replace the inner rears and the Inner rears replace the outer rears.
- Finally, the outer rears mount to the front.
NOTE:
- The beauty of this tire rotation pattern is you don’t have to jack up both sides of the vehicle as you are not going to switch tires on the sides. Hence this will not only save your time but also your stamina.
- Keep in mind this method is valid for those vehicles that have identical tires across the corners. Each set of 3 wheels should have similar anatomy.
Dually Directional Tire Rotation Pattern:
This is a bit complex dually tire rotation pattern for a newbie because the outer wheels on the rear axle are mounted facing inward, so you have to make sure that the purpose of these specially designed wheels doesn’t go waste.
In addition to that this isn’t a recommended pattern for a dually with a set of non-directional tires.
STEPS:
- The front tires replace the rear inners and the rear inners replace the outer rears.
- The final step is to move the outer rear to the front in the cross (the rear outer left replaces the front right and the rear outer right replaces the front left).
Side to Side Tire Rotation Patterns
Four Matching Steel Rims on Rear Axle:
If a dually has identical 4 rims/wheels on the rear side, one can adopt side to side tire rotation pattern so that each tire should get equal chances of wearing down.
STEPS:
- Driver’s side rear outer replaces the driver’s side Inner rear.
- Driver’s side rear inner replace the passenger’s side rear inner.
- The passenger’s side rear inner replace the passenger’s side rear outer.
- The passenger side rear outer replaces the driver’s side rear outer.
- Finally, swap the front tires with each other.
Inner Steel and Outer Aluminum Wheels
This pattern is specially designed for dualies whose inner and outer rims are different.
STEPS:
- Both the outer and inner rears should be swapped. Similarly, the front pair should be swapped.
Dually Tire Rotation with a Spare
If you own a dually with a spare tire make sure to choose a rotation pattern that should provide equal chances of wearing down to the spare tire so that the spare doesn’t go waste.
In addition to that, your dually could perform smoothly even with a spare tire as well.
Below are some of our tested tire rotation patterns for a dually with a spare.
Dually Spare Tire Circular Pattern:
This is the modified version of the circular tire rotation pattern which we have discussed above.
STEPS:
We just have to move the outer rear to the spare and the spare to the inner rear. Now follow the steps of the circular tire rotation pattern.
Dually Spare Tire Directional Pattern:
This is a modified version of the directional tire rotation pattern.
STEPS:
- All you need to replace the spare with the driver-side inner rear tire and the driver-side outer rear goes to the spare.
Dually Spare Tire Side-to-Side Pattern:
If a dually has identical 4 rims/wheels on the rear side and a matching spare tire, this tire rotation pattern will ensure that all sets of tires including the spare could get equal chances of wearing down.
STEP:
- The spare replaces the passenger’s side rear inner and the driver-side rear inner goes in the spare.
- The passenger’s side rear inner replace the passenger’s side rear outer.
- The passenger side rear outer replaces the driver’s side rear outer.
- Driver-side rear outer replaces the driver-side rear inner.
- Finally, swap the front tires with each other.
Dually Tire Rotation Patterns For The Vehicle With Irregular Wears
Rotation Pattern For a Dually With Irregular Rear Wears:
If the rear tires of your dually have strange uneven treads, this pattern should be a helping hand for you.
NOTE: This pattern should be performed with the vehicle whose inner and outer wheels are identical/matching.
STEPS:
- Swap the rear outer and rear inner with each other.
Rotation Pattern For a Dually With Irregular Front Wears:
If the front tires of a dually have strange uneven treads, this pattern should be adopted to get things in balance.
NOTE: This pattern can also be performed on the vehicle that should have matching inner and outer wheels. Without confirmation don’t ever apply this pattern on a vehicle with aftermarket wheels.
STEPS:
- Swap the outer rears with the front tires.
Do You Really Need to Rotate Tires On a Dually?
Tire rotation will make sure that the whole set of tires lasts longer by preventing premature wearing down (Equal tire depth Across the corners) and as a result, your vehicle will provide decent traction on the wet or icy road even with the spare tire.
Read this study by National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) about tire rotation and maintenance.
How Often Should You Rotate Your Tires on a Dually Truck?
As per the general thumb rule the tires of a dully truck should be rotated after 5,000 – 10,000 miles or within 6 – 12 months depending on the driving style and usage, however, we recommend our readers skim the user manual first so that the warranty of tires will be safe.
NOTE: If you are carrying a heavy load frequently, you have to rotate your tire more often.
Benefits of Rotating the Tires Of a Dually
- Recommended Guide: Amazing Benefits of rotating the tires regularly.
How Much Does It Cost to Rotate Tires on a Dually?
The tire rotation of a dully truck would cost you between $50 – $120 depending on the area and the auto center you are going to select.
Walmart, Costco, and Discount Tire are well known for their most affordable services; additionally, you can get free tire rotation and other tire maintenance services with their purchased tires.
How Long Does a Dully Tire Rotation Take?
A normal 4-wheel vehicle would take about 20 – 25 minutes if you are rotating it on your own, however, a six-wheel (dually vehicle) would take almost 35 – 50 minutes depending on the experience.
Check out our guide about How Long Does a Tire Rotation Takes? in general.
When to Seek Help From a Professional?
If you are facing the following hurdles make sure to seek help from a professional.
How Do You Rotate Tires on a Ford Dually?
Like other Dually vehicles, The process of tire rotation for Ford Dually is the same, however, you should read the user manual first before starting the process. I have followed these steps for rotating the tires of my Ford F350 King Ranch dually.
Verdict
The tires of a dually should be rotated within a time frame with a compatible rotation pattern to ensure that the vehicle should have an even set of tires across the corner.
This will not only prevent you from excessive puncture/blowouts but also provide decent traction, fuel average, and handling on the roads.