Winter weights for a pickup

[George2615]

I had a F-150 Lightning and it sucked in the snow. I filled the bed with snow and all it did was make it heavier to push. In all honesty I think the tires make all the difference. Bad tires and all the weight in the world=stuck.

Chris

You are absolutely right. You do need a good set of tires with at least an all season tread or something more aggressive plus the weight. Its always worked for me.

 

[jimainiac]

I have to ballast my pickups for snowplowing, so I fill 5 five gallon buckets with sand/salt mix and line them up accross the back end of the bed in front of the tailgate. I secure them with a cargo bar in front of them, and keep lids on them to keep the sand dry. Each bucket weighs 85 pounds X 5 = 425 pounds. And in a pinch you can use some of the sand under the wheels for traction. It's easy to take them out if I have to haul something. Last winter the beds were also usually filled with snow.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

I am mainly trying to make it so that she doesn't have to use 4wd to get out of the driveway in the morning, where she drives there is almost always a tractor handy if she gets stuck, I am trying to make it so that the truck will have enough weight to not spin when going up a snowy 1'/10' (rise/run) grade.

Aaron Z

Why is everyone so reluctant to use 4 wheel drive? Didn't you pay the extra money for 4X4 when you bought the truck? Don't you pay a few extra dollars everytime you fill up with fuel? Are you not going to use it now when you need it?

I've got an extended cab long bed Silverado 1500 with the "Auto 4wd" feature. Like nearly everyone here, I'd have a hard time going very far on snow or ice in 2wd. I drive on county roads most of the winter that are only sometimes plowed, but I probably drive 90% of my winter miles with that auto 4wd on.

 

[aczlan]

Why is everyone so reluctant to use 4 wheel drive? Didn't you pay the extra money for 4X4 when you bought the truck? Don't you pay a few extra dollars everytime you fill up with fuel? Are you not going to use it now when you need it?

very true, and I don't have a problem using 4wd when it is necessary (why have it if you never use it), however why put needless wear and tear on the drivetrain by kicking it into 4wd to get out of the driveway (almost flat, and only 3x the length of the truck) and kicking it back out as soon as you are on the road when it is possible (and safer) to have enough weight in the back to keep the back end from sliding around when it gets even the slightest bit snowy?


Aaron Z

 

[ampsucker]

i figured the "wear and tear on the 4 wheel drive system" was because "someone" who drives the truck often, "sometimes" forgets to take it back out of four wheel drive when the truck is out of the driveway and on the clear roads!

if that isn't the reason, i would definitely just engage 4x4 to get in and out of the drive rather than take up valuable bed space and burn extra fuel by hauling around an extra 4-500 pounds!

i still think proper winter tires are still the best answer. nobody has addressed the issue of actually stopping or turning the vehicle with the extra weight you put in the bed and 4x4 has nothing to do with that. bottom line is best winter performance all around is from dedicated winter tires and a vehicle designed to work in winter conditions.

amp

 

[Northland]

Why is everyone so reluctant to use 4 wheel drive? Didn't you pay the extra money for 4X4 when you bought the truck? Don't you pay a few extra dollars everytime you fill up with fuel? Are you not going to use it now when you need it?

I've got an extended cab long bed Silverado 1500 with the "Auto 4wd" feature. Like nearly everyone here, I'd have a hard time going very far on snow or ice in 2wd. I drive on county roads most of the winter that are only sometimes plowed, but I probably drive 90% of my winter miles with that auto 4wd on.

I use 4WD on my Toyota Tacoma (manual transmission) several times per week from Nov through March but without weight in the back the truck is neither stable or safe to drive where we live.

Our road through to town snakes down the mountains and is like a bobsled run on some days. Even the logging trucks slow down.

On Monday, on her way to work, my wife watched a 4WD F150's back end slide around on a curve in the road, do a 180 and slide off the road into a rock face. The driver was OK but he didn't have any weight in the back end of his truck and he was driving too fast.

My wife drives a manual transmission AWD Subaru Forester and we have winter ice radials and rims for this car. It handles way better then a 4WD truck/SUV evey could in the winters here.

My next vehicle will have skid control and traction control for sure.

 

[Northland]

i figured the "wear and tear on the 4 wheel drive system" was because "someone" who drives the truck often, "sometimes" forgets to take it back out of four wheel drive when the truck is out of the driveway and on the clear roads!

A few years ago my wife and three other (female) high school teachers drove a rental Jeep Liberty down to Nashville to take part in a training course. Apparently someone at the the rental agency had left the Jeep in 4H and the ladies drove it down the I-75 like that all the way to Nashville. It was toast by the time they got it down south and they had to drive another rental back to Canada.

I never get tired of telling that story but my wife gets angry with me when I tell the story in front of her

 

[Northland]

Here is a timely article on the subject at hand

CanadianDriver: Auto Tech - Winter tires for trucks

 

[Dargo]

My wife drives a manual transmission AWD Subaru Forester and we have winter ice radials and rims for this car. It handles way better then a 4WD truck/SUV evey could in the winters here.

My next vehicle will have skid control and traction control for sure.

I've noticed a lot of Subaru vehicles up north and particularly in the NE part of the U.S. I don't know why they aren't big elsewhere. They look like really good vehicles.

Handling of vehicles has changed a lot. I grew up driving my first couple of winters in a 1962 Biscayne. The car was actually unbelievable in snow and mud. Besides the amazing traction it got with a set of steel studded mud grip tires in it, it was the ultimate in being able to control a skid. At 17 years old I could slightly twist the big wheel (no power steering) and goose the throttle to put it into a controlled slide. I could drive it that way literally for miles. It would also go through snow until it pushed snow up over the headlights, but then it always seemed to be able to back it's way out. With no power brakes and no power steering, it was amazing the amount of control I had over that car. I could get up hills and places that 4X4 vehicles couldn't go if they didn't have the right tires.

Now cars are mostly front wheel drive and handling is completely different. Still, I can get a front wheel drive car up a hill in reverse that I can't going forward. Current rear wheel vehicles just don't seem to have the balance and control anymore either. They sort of remind me of a CJ5 Jeep. Man, you get that thing sideways just a little, with it's short wheel base, and you were going around! Pickups are so off balance with the front to rear weight ratio that it makes them hard to control as well. I can slide them just fine, but there's no putting them into a controlled power slide for a half mile like that old Biscayne. That's why I think it's important to have proper balance and why I like (pick the name) posi-trac, limited slip, locking etc. rear differentials. Some don't like them because they will always go sideways if the road is on an angle, but I'm more used to handling those vehicles. Yeah, I welded the front differential together on an old '78 pickup once to see if it would go through more snow. It would as long as you didn't need to turn.

I know they save gas compared to a 4X4, but I just can't imagine myself having a 4X2 pickup ever again taking into consideration where I go with my trucks and how easy it is for me to get stuck in 2 wheel drive in just wet grass if I'm pulling a trailer. I think the last 2 wheel drive pickup I had was a '63 stepside Chevy. It handled much like that Biscayne and also had the 3 on the tree shifter with the 235 six. Maybe the lack of power helped.

 

[deere755]

I usally just run in 4 high when the roads are slick and have no problems. If I did not do this I would have to add weight in the bed.

 

[davitk]

In an attempt to put the importance of weight into perspective, I once owned a 1971 rear engined rear wheel drive VW camper van. I was living in Lake Tahoe at the time and working at Kirkwood, a ski resort that received well over 400 inches of snow every year. That van carried me and my buddies everywhere in all conditions (especially on pay day ) and the only time it was ever "stuck" was in the dorm parking lot during an ice storm.

Thinking back, it was about this time of year 1989, in the midst of a two day six foot "dump", crawling up a hill and beginning to lose the battle two of my buddies jumping out, popping the rear hatch and putting their weight where it counts. Ah, yes, the good old days.....

 

[Egon]

[That van carried me and my buddies everywhere in all conditions /QUOTE]

Ya but you gotta remember that in them days youthful backs that could fit in it were more than sufficient to carry it away if needed.!

 

[CurlyDave]

The more I think about the bag of calcite that came through the back window in an accident and killed the driver, the idea of putting anything heavy permanently in the bed of the truck sounds less & less appealing.

How about one of these Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices with a couple hundred pounds of sand on it? Either in sacks, or in a low box, with a piece of plywood for a bottom, and 2x4s for sides.

Anything on that carrier is going to have to go through the tailgate to hit the window, and the bed of the truck is still available for cargo.

 

[Northland]

Good idea CurlyDave but I wouldn't want to make my truck longer then it is and I would be concerned about the balance being thrown off with the extra weight so far back.

Today I am going to make a H pattern (like someone here already suggested) from some old spruce slabs I have and place my sand bags in between the wheel wells where I want to extra weight to be.

I thought about getting a Rubbermaid Roughneck box (they don't freeze or crack in the cold), filling it with sand bags and then using one or two of these http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=96811 to keep it in place. Anyone tried that? Does it work safely?

 

[CurlyDave]

I looked at those bars, and the only thing that holds them in place is friction against the sides of the bed. I think they are great for keeping a load from sliding under normal conditions, but in an accident the only thing they would do is become one more projectile headed for the back of the cab.

I recognize the extra length issues. I don't think there would be a balance problem any more than putting about twice the weight in the very back of the bed. Weight that far behind the rear axle is going to cause some weight transfer from the front axles to the rear -- desirable in this situation.

I am looking for cheap, and I already have one of the carriers I got way back when we had a motorhome, so the thing is essentially free.

If I had a sizable piece of steel scrap I would probably get a 2" trailer tube welded on and have a very safe weight.

 

[thatguy]

I have a short bed truck (6.5'), with a tool box mounted all the way forward against the cab.. To keep the flying projectiles to a minimum, would you get any benefit of placing some sort of weight (im thinking sand bags from my rifle range) under the tool box, in front of the rear axle?

Im guessing during an accident the sand bags could shift but the front of the bed would be there to contain them..

So far I have not had any problems in the snow using 4x4, BUT I also have an extra 800# of weight due to the diesel engine on the front tires.. We have also gotten very little snow the last 4 to 5 years.. :-( this year may be different though with how cold is had gotten already.

Just curious..

Brian

 

[aczlan]

I have a short bed truck (6.5'), with a tool box mounted all the way forward against the cab.. To keep the flying projectiles to a minimum, would you get any benefit of placing some sort of weight (im thinking sand bags from my rifle range) under the tool box, in front of the rear axle?

as long as your toolbox is well fastened, there shouldn't be any problems with that.

having looked at the alternatives I think I will bolt 4 short pieces of chain to the bed of the truck and strap some sandbags down with them.

Aaron Z

 

[studor]

If you are that concerned about sandbags or things in the bed of a pickup flying around in an accident get a "headache rack" -- you know the welded frame that fits side to side over the rear window -- or sell your pickup. If you think of the forces involved in a collision and the weight of some items you carry in the back of a pickup, simply tying them down or wedging them between the fender wells won't stop it from flying in a head -on collision. Having seen a fully clamped battery come right through the hood recently I can tell you if you are in a serious accident those tie downs are probably not going to do much
As for those concerned about the gas mileage decrease by carrying the extra weight, why would you by a vehicle designed to carry weight and having the resulting instabilities when empty if you don't carry the weight??
Put some weight in, buy a good set of tires and SLOW DOWN in bad weather and slippery road conditions -- I'd feel a whole lot better driving on the same road as you if I knew you did those things -- JMHO

 

[Northland]

having looked at the alternatives I think I will bolt 4 short pieces of chain to the bed of the truck and strap some sandbags down with them.
Aaron Z

That sounds like a good idea. Post some pictures if that works out. I don't have D rings in the front of the bed floor, only at the rear so I can't see how I would tie the chains down?

I tried making a H out of 3" wide and 6' long spruce planks today. My deck screws weren't long enough to secure the spruce planks together and my 4" nails didn't hold it together as the wood is frozen. I will buy some long deck screws tomorrow and see if that works.

 

[aczlan]

That sounds like a good idea. Post some pictures if that works out. I don't have D rings in the front of the bed floor, only at the rear so I can't see how I would tie the chains down?

I would be using some 2-4" long (have to see what I need) 3/8" bolts, and drilling holes through the floor and into the subframe of the bed, I will put big fender washers on both sides of the hole and put the bolt through one end of a piece of chain (probably 3-4 links long) and then I can hook a strap, or whatever to the other end.

Aaron Z