Wheel alignment on Dayton style hubs

[Full Floater]

Aside from a tape measure, from inside of rim to inside of opposite rim, or from some point on the hub, is there any more "accurate" way to align a dayton hub truck at home?  I've always been pretty close with a tape, but with todays tire costs, i'd like to do a little better yet.

[Geoff Weeks]

1st, make sure the tires and rims are on with minimum run-out.

Use a trammel bar and scribe to mark each tire at as near the center as possible at the highest point you can across the front or the tire, and take the measurement, or lock the trammel bar and the rotate to the back and check the difference. you can use anything to mark the tire, but the smaller the mark the more accuracy in the measurement.

No difference for disk or spokes.

[mowerman]

That’s all out shop used to do tow in and most cases the truck would go nice and straight down the road…. Good luck.. bob

[mowerman]

I’d make sure your tires are not wobbling first lol bob

[Joey Mack]

I too have done it the way G.W. has described. Id like to add 1 thing..  I use the 1'' line and not the loosY-goosY thing on the end of the tape measure.  just keep in mind you are 1'' short..  I find it to be quite accurate..  It helps to have a freind with good eyes and a steady hand..  

Edited March 24 by Joey Mack
Pour sperring

[Full Floater]

Thank you fellas.  

[Joey Mack]

🍻

[glenbjackson]

setup is important tooo...... roll forward straight one-two truck lengths and roll to a stop without using brakes. and proper tire pressure!! 

Edited March 27 by glenbjackson

[Geoff Weeks]

I did it with the wheels off the ground, blocks under the axle at the springs. That way the tires can be rotated without moving the truck.

What is important is the difference in measurement between the scribe marks on the tire  when the scribe marks are in front of the axle vs. behind the axle.

easier to do with the weight off the tires.

[glenbjackson]

On 3/27/2025 at 12:12 PM, Geoff Weeks said:

I did it with the wheels off the ground, blocks under the axle at the springs. That way the tires can be rotated without moving the truck.

What is important is the difference in measurement between the scribe marks on the tire  when the scribe marks are in front of the axle vs. behind the axle.

easier to do with the weight off the tires.

i do agree......to mount the rims and remove the runout of the rim on the spoked hub, I'd jack up each wheelend. although once mounted and aligning from side to side(toe in/out or axle/tandem alignment) you might want to measure as the truck is driven. with weight on bearings/linkage/springs and without brakes influencing the bearings.

PS while test driving please dont forget you WILL/should drift to the right, albeit very slowly even on a straight and level stretch!! that is the road design(drainage/safety), not your truck.

Edited March 29 by glenbjackson

[Geoff Weeks]

Toe shouldn't be set before "loose parts" are corrected, Setting toe when parts can move about is pointless, trying to set while in "operational" (tires on the ground) but can still move due to loose bearings is no more accurate, as tires can shift.

Take care of tie rods, king pin and wheel bearings before setting toe, KPA shouldn''t change unless the wedges under the spring seat are removed, spring eye pins must be dealt with if they are worn 1st.

[70mackMB]

Couple days late but l just found this one.    .....Hippy

 

[cruiseliner64]

On 4/2/2025 at 10:11 PM, 70mackMB said:

Couple days late but l just found this one.    .....Hippy

 

I find Bendon very interesting.Watch his content a lot...and hes funny too,which helps!!!

Paul

[JoeH]

On 3/24/2025 at 10:29 AM, Full Floater said:

Aside from a tape measure, from inside of rim to inside of opposite rim, or from some point on the hub, is there any more "accurate" way to align a dayton hub truck at home?  I've always been pretty close with a tape, but with todays tire costs, i'd like to do a little better yet.

We put a block of wood on the ground next to the tire close to the tread on the sidewall, maybe 1/4" gap. Spin the wheel and loosen/tighten lug nuts accordingly.  If you do them often enough you can get a pretty good feel for initial tightening. I tighten top center lug a bit, then bottom gently, then the upper side lug nuts.  This'll start the wedges in pretty evenly, then you go tighten them more snugly and check.  Usually I'm within 1/8th" runout doing this.

[Geoff Weeks]

15 hours ago, JoeH said:

We put a block of wood on the ground next to the tire close to the tread on the sidewall, maybe 1/4" gap. Spin the wheel and loosen/tighten lug nuts accordingly.  If you do them often enough you can get a pretty good feel for initial tightening. I tighten top center lug a bit, then bottom gently, then the upper side lug nuts.  This'll start the wedges in pretty evenly, then you go tighten them more snugly and check.  Usually I'm within 1/8th" runout doing this.

Some seam to be confusing alignment and run out, they are not the same thing. Alignment is the geometry of the spindles to the frame and to each other. It doesn't change with wheel type or tires. Run-out is how true the rim is on the hub.

You can have tons of run out and be in alignment, and you can have no run-out and be out of alignment.

By using a tram-bar and scribing a line on the center of the tread on the tires on both sides, then rotating the tires and measuring as close to 180 deg as possible (front to back) you are taking any run-out out of the measurement.You are comparing the same point in front and behind the axle. THIS HAS NOTHING TO DUE WITH HOW TRUE THE RIM OR TIRE IS!

Tires and their tread can't be counted to be true, so you pick one single point as your frame of reference and use that point for both measurements.

Mounting spoke rims (and tires) on a set of spokes is a completely different operation, that is getting the rim on the taper evenly. If you don't it will wobble side to side and up and down. BUT IT HAS NO EFFECT on alignment. toe in, KPA and castor angle don't change with run-out.

To mount a demountable rim true, start with all the nuts and wedges on the studs but completely loose. Put one spoke at the top (12 o'clock) and just snug it. Then rotate so either the one a 6 o'clock (6 spoke) or 7:30/4:30 (5 spoke) is now in the 12 o'clock and snug it. Continue in the same vain always snugging the wedge in the 12 o'clock position. This allows gravity to pull the rim into center on the taper.

With all wedges snug, check the run-out with a block of wood or tire hammer. If run-out is good, continue tightening is a criss-cross patter until all are 240 ft/lbs, and recheck.

If at any time you see run-out, loosen and start over. YOU CANNOT torque straight, you'll at worse end up over torquing the nuts and could even deform the rim.

Edited April 8 by Geoff Weeks