[Brian in Oregon]

The US Army in the 1930's and early 1940's experimented with putting dual tires on the front axle for better floatation in soft terrain. One of the problems was much greater difficulty in steering on firm surfaces. The solution for this was to put a smaller diameter tire on the outside. On firm pavement it would not touch the surface, but on soft ground the larger tire would sink, and then the smaller tire would make contact. The drawback is that an oddball diameter tire has to be used, which then can't be used as a spare.

During WWII, dualing the front wheels was still done, but not routinely. The GMC 2-1/2 ton CCKW 6x6 truck came in a long wheelbase version (CCKW-353) with one spare. Photos exist of these being used with an A-frame on the front bumper, using the winch. The spare and a rear tire would be used as dualies to prevent the front from sinking into mud while being used as a crane. The short wheelbase model (CCKW-352) was primarily used as an artillery prime mover. The winch was often used for placement of the artillery piece, and this truck had two spares behind the cab for use in dualing the front tires to help keep from sinking in. I have yet to find an actual combat photo of this being done, though it was definitely done during training.