M35a3 can wheels be flipped?

[rossbart]

Have an m35a3 with stock a3 wheels running 395s. Have a 1,000 gal water tank on it and using it daily (hauling cattle water) plus as a ranch grass fire truck.
I don’t like how narrow the track is. Would like a wider footprint with this much water onboard.
Anyone know if the factory a3 wheels can just be flipped to get more offset outboard or if the bolts will rub - or some other interference?

 

[HDN]

I'm wondering if flipping the wheels like that would damage the bearings despite the rear hubs already being flipped.

Having read here about fire departments on here flipping or crashing their grass truck deuces on the account of big (or bigger) water tanks like yours, I would get a 5-ton to do the job instead. Maybe it's not as big of a concern on the farm where you might not be doing road speeds with the truck, but the 5-tons have an extra 6000 lbs or so of curb weight over the deuce, which I think would help mitigate stability issues.

I'm sorry that didn't exactly answer your question, but that's my 2¢.

 

[pmramsey]

The solution I used was to go to 10-wheels mounted on 11 X 20 Goodyear G177s or the current equivalent. See my M35A3 below thatI have used for the last twelve years. The singles wore out in 2014. You can flip the hubs (OR NOT) to make the duels work for you. In my case, I flipped the hubs as I ran this farm truck on non-farm tags. If I were using only farm use tags here in Virginia, the couple of inches overhang from beneath the cargo bed would not matter to the State and local "Po-Po." However, I would be limited to under 150 miles from any of my farm holdings plus no "Out of State" driving.

 

[HDN]

I was thinking about duals earlier, but they won't make the track any wider - still about 8 feet.

@pmramsey I remember seeing your A3 like that the first time and thought it was a neat look. Later on I saw some Lebanese M35A3s with duals on them too. The ones that still had singles on them had the CTIS wheel valves removed too.

EDIT: Just saw your "OR NOT" regarding hub-flipping. That would add another 10 inches or so doing duals sticking out from under the side of the truck I think. It would help with stability, but I wonder if it would be enough.

That said, I still think the truck is too small for this application, but I know how important it is to try and make do with stuff you have especially if you can't get the bigger equipment. Safety is still my first concern.

 

[pmramsey]

I totally agree with you regarding the use of a 5-ton. What IS the solution is found below... Its a 1965 M54A1 with a complete 1975 rebuild including the 5-speed Spicer, M809 steering, new Mack axles, and the last version of the Mack ENDT-673 engine kicking out 220 HP. I did a cab-off rebuild in 2016.

 

[ToddJK]

From how the tank looks centered in the truck, I don't think you'll have a problem tipping over if that's the concern. I carry a full IBC tote and 5 barrels of wmo in the back of my truck all the time and even while trail riding, it's never felt off set in and out of ditches or ravines, though I'm sure our milage varies, lol.

 

[glcaines]

Have an m35a3 with stock a3 wheels running 395s. Have a 1,000 gal water tank on it and using it daily (hauling cattle water) plus as a ranch grass fire truck.
I don’t like how narrow the track is. Would like a wider footprint with this much water onboard.
Anyone know if the factory a3 wheels can just be flipped to get more offset outboard or if the bolts will rub - or some other interference?

I personally wouldn't worry about it. Your land appears to be quite flat and you wouldn't be driving very fast. I would just take it slow and easy.