If you've spent any time wrenching on a Deuce and a Half, you already know that m35a2 wheels are essentially built to outlast the truck itself. These things are heavy, stubborn, and built from thick steel that looks like it could survive a direct hit from a tank. They aren't exactly the kind of wheels you'd see at a local car show on a polished pickup, but for anyone moving heavy loads through the mud or restoring a piece of military history, they are the gold standard.
Most people who find themselves looking for a set of m35a2 wheels are usually dealing with one of two scenarios. Either they're trying to keep their rig as original as possible, or they're looking to ditch the classic dual-rear-wheel setup in favor of "super singles." Both paths have their own sets of headaches and rewards, but regardless of which way you go, you're going to be dealing with some seriously heavy hardware.
The stock m35a2 wheels are a split-rim design, which is something that tends to scare off a lot of modern tire shops. If you aren't familiar with them, split rims (or locking ring wheels) use a multi-piece design to hold the tire on. Back in the day, this was great because it meant you could change a tire in the field with some basic hand tools and a bit of elbow grease. Nowadays, though, they've earned a bit of a reputation. You'll often hear old-timers call them "widowmakers," though that's usually referring to the Firestone RH-5° design rather than the side-ring style found on most M35s. Still, you have to treat them with respect. If you're mounting a tire and that ring isn't seated right, it can fly off with enough force to cause some serious damage.
The Shift Toward Super Singles
One of the most common topics you'll hear guys talking about in the surplus truck community is moving away from the dual-wheel setup. While the duals are iconic and great for weight distribution on soft ground, they have a few downsides. For one, they love to trap rocks between the tires. If you're driving off-road and a basketball-sized rock gets wedged in there, it's going to chew up your sidewalls in a hurry. Plus, maintaining ten tires instead of six is just more work and more money.
This is where the modified m35a2 wheels come into play. A lot of owners choose to "re-center" wheels or buy custom-made singles that allow them to run massive tires, like the 14.5R20s or even larger 395/85R20s. Going with super singles completely changes the stance of the truck. It makes the M35 look more like a modern tactical vehicle and gives it a lot more ground clearance.
If you decide to go this route, you have to think about the offset. Stock m35a2 wheels have a deep dish so they can be bolted together in the rear. If you just take a stock wheel and put a giant tire on it, your track width might be a bit narrow, or you might run into clearance issues when you're turning the front wheels. This is why flipping the hubs is such a popular modification. By flipping the rear hubs, you can get those single wheels to line up perfectly with the fronts, giving the truck a much more balanced and stable footprint.
Dealing with the Weight and Maintenance
Let's be honest, working on m35a2 wheels is a workout. A single wheel and tire combo can easily weigh over 150 pounds, and if you move up to the larger super singles, you might be looking at 300 pounds or more per corner. You aren't going to be changing these with a cheap bottle jack and a small lug wrench. You need heavy-duty equipment, and honestly, a long "cheater pipe" for your lug wrench is going to be your best friend.
One thing that often gets overlooked is the lug nuts themselves. Military trucks like the M35 use a specific setup where the left side of the truck has left-hand threads. It sounds simple enough, but you'd be surprised how many people have snapped a stud because they were cranking on it the wrong way trying to get a wheel off. Always check the end of the stud; usually, there's an "L" or an "R" stamped there to tell you which way to turn.
Rust is the other big enemy. Since most of these wheels have been sitting in military surplus yards or in someone's field for decades, they're usually covered in layers of thick, CARC (Chemical Agent Resistant Coating) paint and a good bit of surface scale. If you're planning on repainting them, be careful. Sandblasting is the way to go, but you need to be aware that the old paint can contain some nasty stuff. Always wear a respirator. Once they're cleaned up, a good coat of primer and some fresh olive drab can make even a sixty-year-old wheel look brand new.
Finding Replacements and Sourcing Parts
If you're hunting for a set of m35a2 wheels, the used market is really your only option, but fortunately, there's still plenty of surplus out there. Sites like Steel Soldiers or various Facebook groups dedicated to military vehicles are usually the best places to start. You can often find guys who have upgraded to custom wheels and are practically giving away their old stock duals just to get them out of their yard.
When you're inspecting used m35a2 wheels, keep a close eye on the lug holes. If the truck was driven with loose lug nuts, those holes can get "egged out" or elongated. If that's the case, the wheel is basically scrap metal. You also want to look for any deep pitting along the rim flange where the bead sits. If the metal is too thin there, it might not hold the locking ring securely, and that brings us back to the safety issues we talked about earlier.
For those who want something better than stock but don't want to go the custom route, there are some bolt-on options from later military trucks that can be made to work. However, the 6-on-8.75 inch bolt pattern on the M35 is a bit specific, so you can't just grab a wheel off a modern commercial semi-truck and expect it to fit. You have to stay within that specific military family of hardware unless you're prepared to do some serious machining or buy expensive adapters.
Why Stick with the Original Setup?
With all the talk about super singles and custom offsets, you might wonder why anyone would bother sticking with the original m35a2 wheels and the dual-tire configuration. There's actually a pretty good argument for it. First off, it's original. If you're doing a period-correct restoration, you need those duals. There's something undeniably cool about the way a Deuce looks when it's loaded down with ten NDT (Non-Directional Tread) tires.
Beyond looks, the dual setup is incredibly functional for what the truck was designed to do. If you get a flat on one of the rear duals, you can usually keep crawling until you get to a safer spot to change it. With a single tire, if it goes flat, you're stuck right where you are. The duals also provide a lot of lateral stability, which is nice if you're carrying a high center-of-gravity load, like a S-280 shelter or a big water tank.
At the end of the day, whether you're keeping it stock or going for a massive custom build, the m35a2 wheels are the foundation of the whole experience. They're tough, they're heavy, and they require a bit of specialized knowledge to handle safely. But once you get them dialed in—whether that means fresh paint on the original rings or a custom set of beadlocks—your truck will be ready to handle just about anything you can throw at it. Just remember to keep an eye on those lug nuts and always, always use a safety cage when airing up a split rim. It's better to be safe than to end up as a cautionary tale in a shop manual.