Winter Driving

[Ozwynn]

I always use about 500 pounds...... even with the Suburban........ I had a 350 small block in the back of the LandCruiser for last winter...... but 500 pounds seemed to work the best.

 

[Original_Ranger84]

The dingo ate my babays when I tried that.

Yeah the polar bears get at mine all the time...

 

[GTxone]

wood frame setup on my bed

 

[daniel3507]

That wood frame looks nice and stout. I like how the liner has slots that lock the frame in place.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

I tried all sorts of weight for the winter. Since I actually used my bed a lot, I wasn't satisfied with things like sandbags and the like which took up valuable space.

So I used bags of lead shot. They stay put pretty good on a rubber bed mat, they're compact, and weigh 25# each. 'Course, I did have about 10 bags just laying around taking up space when I decided to use 'em...

Good tires are a must though. I tried running mud tires on my Ranger and it worked great for deep snow, but sucked on hardpacked snow or icy conditions. With chains wrapped around 'em, I could go anywhere, my 2wd was like a tank. But that only works when there is a lot of snow around, you'll rattle your teeth out on dry pavement. Mud tires perform best with minimal weight in the bed, oddly enough.

I did try an aggressive AT tire one winter, it was almost a mud pattern in tread design, but billed as an AT. With around 200# of weight in the bed, it went surprisingly well as long as I was easy on the stupid pedal. And it would bite hard enough that it was about impossible to do doughnuts.

 

[beaujt]

ya know i've got a set of M/T on my truck, i just siped em for the winter and honestly i've never had a better tire on ice in my life. and they still do really well in the slush and deep snow too.

 

[GoodOld85BlueBalls]

I have a Weatherguard Packrat Toolbox Drawer in the back of mine. Just the drawer empty weighs about 300#. Add a few tools and goodies and it is up around 500#. Safe, bolted down, lockable storage! They are a bit pricy these days, but I got mine for $220 from an old company service truck I used to work out of. Now those size drawers are about $900 bucks. More than some of our trucks are worth! LOL.

 

[strvger]

i prefer to use bags of water softener salt. i keep 4 bags, 2 ea. in a pair of black tubs from the local home improvement store. the salt does better for melting the snow/ice if i, or the car in front of me, gets stuck. and i just use and replace them as i use them in the softener at home. another type that does well is either cat litter or the floor dry used in shops to soak up chemicals on the floors. not as cheap as sand, but does soak up the snow and grip the ice as well as sand and is easier to clean up if it spills in your truck. and do block them in so nothing shifts around during those emergency stops!

 

['99 EB Explorer]

This is the frame I had in my old '93 ranger...wayyy back in the day. It actually worked out that I could fit 4 cinder blocks in the frame and they worked awesome.

 

[RustedRanger]

The new kitty litter dont work like the old did. The new stuff turns to wet slime and is very slick. Years ago when I had a 2wd S-10 I filled the bed with snow and packed it down but that wasn't enough weight so I dumped in a bunch of water which is much heavier.

 

[mini274]

i use to go around and pick up stuff o the side of the road like air conditioners and other heavy stuff then my dad brings home spent brass from the range... so 4, 5 gallon buckets full of brass over the axle works great... and if some one needs .45 or 9mm or .223 shells for reloading ig got them... you can also reuse them... my dad uses sand in the 5 gallon buckets and reuses them instead of buying 5 or 6 bags a year he only has to buy 1 to top the buckets its cheaper

 

[AllanD]

In my bed there is a diamond plate "toolbox"
Inside my "toolbox" is a heavy steel fuel tank

When I need winter ballast I just fill the tank.

Though theoritically you'd think you want the weight over the
rear axle putting it against the headgate (the front bulkhead) is
actually better because it doesn't increase the vehicle's polar
moment of inertia as much.

AD

 

[Colin]

Thats one of the good things about sand. When you really get stuck you already have something to help with traction. Ive heard that right up against the cab is one of the better places to keep it since it wont go flying up if you get in a wreck?

Maybe but then its not over the rear axle, plus i have a cap on my bed so there wouldn't be much movement.

 

[Hewgull]

I think I have all my winter traction needs taken care of now. This finally showed up

I picked up 4 70lb bags of sand and I'm getting some Cooper ATR's put on the rear. Which by the way in 225/70/14 are not really cheap. So I think I am good to go now I hope

 

[retep88]

Along with the sand, I normally try and keep a bag of salt and gravel in the back in case I do get stuck. I can lay some of the salt and gravel down and get traction.