Wheel alignment on a dually, how is it done in the USA?

[Bart F-350]

Wheel alignment on a dually, how is it done in the USA?

To my knowledge here in the EU wheels need to be in one line (front to rear) for the shops to do it right. (I might be wrong, but that is what I was told so far).
So, I'm curious how they do it at your side of the pond?
where the Duallies have offset wheels.

 

[franklin2]

Your truck is the same whether it's over here or over there. You take it to a shop, they put it on a alignment rack and set everything according to the alignment machine.

You have a setting for the vertical plumb of the front wheel. That is camber. No necessarily zero.

You have a setting for how much the top of the wheel where it pivots(balljoint or kingpin) is ahead or behind the bottom pivot of the wheel. This is called caster, it is never zero degrees.

You have the straight ahead position of each front wheel. This is what I believe you are talking about, this is called the toe setting. It is never straight ahead or zero. You can get this roughly set with a tape measure. You pick a tread in the middle of each front tire, and measure across the back of both front tires and the front of both front tires. The front measurement should be 1/8 to 1/4 more narrow than the rear measurement at the front tires. This puts the wheels toed in a little bit.

You need to take it to a alignment shop. You may have to take it to a big truck alignment shop.

 

[u2slow]

Dually vs SRW makes no difference. You don't need an alignment shop. A tape measure and some simple props are all that's needed for a solid-axle 4wd.

It is rare for the front and rear tires to line up perfectly on a North American pickup truck. The front track width is usually wider than the rear, but not always.

 

[Bart F-350]

It is rare for the front and rear tires to line up perfectly on a North American pickup truck. The front track width is usually wider than the rear, but not always.

Exactly, it's just this what I was told they couldn't handle here.

 

[franklin2]

They make big trucks over there just like your truck. You will most likely have to take it to a larger truck shop, not one that works on smaller vehicles.

 

[mblaney]

Do it yourself with a laser level and two target boards in front and in rear. Shoot rear rims front and back. Split marks to find your centerline with respect to the rear axle. Repeat with front wheels, use your centerline mark to align steering wheel and one wheel, then the other.

Google this process, way more accurate than any machine for centerline and toe. And useless for caster and camber.

 

[franklin2]

Do it yourself with a laser level and two target boards in front and in rear. Shoot rear rims front and back. Split marks to find your centerline with respect to the rear axle. Repeat with front wheels, use your centerline mark to align steering wheel and one wheel, then the other.

Google this process, way more accurate than any machine for centerline and toe. And useless for caster and camber.

So take the the tires off two of the rims and remount the bare rim so you can align to it?

 

[mblaney]

No. Easier to cut a 16 1/2 inch wood spacer to span the rim.

 

[franklin2]

No. Easier to cut a 16 1/2 inch wood spacer to span the rim.

Ok, that makes sense. Use a bungee cord to hold it to the rim?

 

[Jesus Freak]

I don't have anything to add to this conversation, but I just love the title. When I'm certain that the last bit of information is shared on this thread I'm going to finish it with a short post of:

"And that's how we do it in 'MERICA!!!"

 

[u2slow]

I think all that's normally done for front/rear alignment is to compare hub-to-hub measurement on left and right.