adding weight to truck bed to aid traction

[sholzy]

the biggest benefit of having it as far forward as possible is that it has no where to go. if you have 200# up against your cab and get in a wreck, it remains mostly stationary. if you have it 6' behind the cab, when your truck stops going 40, the 200# object continues going 40 and has momentum when it meets the cab.

Not to mention, that 200lb object no longer weighs a mere 200lbs when it slams into the back of the cab.

I always used 3 tractor counter-balance weights (aprox 275lbs) laying flat on a rubber mat against the cab to help keep them from sliding around during normal driving. During hard acceleration they stayed put.

 

[Andres629]

Lincoln Locker.. two full size spares in the very rear of the bed..

Good to go!

That sounds like a terrible idea. A locked rear end is bad enough on compact snow, let alone a spool. Scary!

 

[DavidY]

http://www.shurtrax.com/

Another is Bed Rock.

Dave

 

[sholzy]

How about using an 8" pipe, 5' long, fill with water/coolant mix, welded to a hitch so it fits the receiver? It would give about 105lbs + weight of the pipe.

The draw back would be if the rear end would start to come around, the extra weight would make it worse.

 

[mn_smokeater]

well i went to work and well it kinda sucked on the roads as it was windy and patchy icy on the way there then windy and snow covered and rutted on the way home.

few things i noticed was while i did get around ok was that i felt like the wind pushed that back end around alot more then id ever felt in my F150 and it wasnt fun. would the weight help keep the end planted more?

il have to drive as is til the sunday comes round, then il be adding the weight with a mix of sand salt and some litter/floordry anyone have plans for that bed frame thing by chance?

Rick PM inbound soon

 

[mn_smokeater]

How about using an 8" pipe, 5' long, fill with water/coolant mix, welded to a hitch so it fits the receiver? It would give about 105lbs + weight of the pipe.

The draw back would be if the rear end would start to come around, the extra weight would make it worse.

uhh water moves... alot the sloshing effect would reak all sorts of havoc when it gets moving.

 

[TheTopher]

Yes, the weight will help. But as mentioned before if you put it too far back you'll swing easier. Directly over the axle in a restraint box like I posted earlier is the best thing. At least for me.

 

[Grey_04]

if you get the weight to far back you'll take the weight off your steer tires and that won't be good either..

 

[sholzy]

Not to mention, that 200lb object no longer weighs a mere 200lbs when it slams into the back of the cab.

Ok... some quick calculations on that 200lb object hitting the cab at 40mph has a force of 32,760 Newtons which is equal to an object weighing 72,000lbs.

 

[sholzy]

uhh water moves... alot the sloshing effect would reak all sorts of havoc when it gets moving.

No sloshing if its full.

 

[RustedRanger]

Kitty litter don't work anymore for traction...at least any that I tried in the last 15 years or so. I don't know if the old stuff had more sand or what but now it's mostly clay. When it gets wet it's more slick then ice or snow and it makes a mucky sticky mess.

 

[racsan]

what i carry for weight depends on how much snow there is to go through, if its less than a inch i wont even bother with wieght, but if theres a storm coming in i load everything in, 3 front end weights from a case tractor, 100 pounds each, and laying on top of that a spare tire from a 3/4 ton truck filled with sand, 217 pounds. (i rolled it onto a bathroom scale i took outside, always wondered what that thing wieghed.) 500 seem about right for when theres 4+ inches out. i do have a working 4x4, but the weight still helps. it does cause fuel useage to increase, but with the weight and good tires, ive gone through about everything. the downside is you now have that much more weight to stop. if i didnt have a cap, id probly just pile snow in, alot of small trucks around here do that. i have the weight all the way forward, yes you get more good with it back at the tailgate, but youre transfering weight off the front axle and if it desides to slide, its one big dent in the front of the box. i have straps keeping the 3/4 sand tire in place over the tractor weights. i do have to use a board as a ramp to get that sand-filled tire in. i just cant pick that heavy thing up, the 100 pound tractor weights are bad enough by myself. they are about 1ft by 2ft 2 inches thick. they just fit between the wheelwells. i also carry a small alumminum scoop shovel, 2 tow straps and 15ft of 1/2 log chain. pintle hook in the hitch reciever. right now ive goat all the weight in and dont plan on removing it until spring, with my daughter in a air cast, we have to take the S10 blazer when we go places as a family, she has difficulty getting in the supercab without the cast, impossible now. the S10 blazer doent do bad, it wieghs 1,000 more than the ranger (with both vehicles being empty) and has more power. just needs better tires.

 

[Base Model]

Another is Bed Rock.

Dave

I'd never heard of them before http://www.bedrock-traction.com/

On the pricing page they are half the price of the Shurtrax if you order 6 or more http://www.bedrock-traction.com/flyer.html

 

[Tdbo]

http://www.shurtrax.com/

I own one. Major PITA to fill up and drain. Only weight it is adding to my truck now is in the tool box. Went back to the tube sand. Fast and easy.

 

[adsm08]

18-wheeler drums.

We used to have 2 big rig drums that we put in the back of the wife's S-10 (functionally and balance-wise, the same as your truck). Kept them near the gate. Even with crappy, bald tires, it still did pretty well in the snow.