Putting some weight in the trunk

[HRR]

Hi, I'm new to this forum and could use some help. I have a Ford Ranger 2RWD. Now the roads can be icy in Ontario in winter. I put about a 100 kg worth of weight on the truck bed just behind the tail board. Now I don't have any room for cargo anymore (I have put the tonneau cover on so the bed won't be filled with snow). Would it make a lot of difference if I placed the weight just where the rear axle is and it still would do the job? That way I could still store stuff on the rear end of the bed.

Thanks for answering.

HRR

 

[kunar]

Hi, I'm new to this forum and could use some help. I have a Ford Ranger 2RWD. Now the roads can be icy in Ontario in winter. I put about a 100 kg worth of weight on the truck bed just behind the tail board. Now I don't have any room for cargo anymore (I have put the tonneau cover on so the bed won't be filled with snow). Would it make a lot of difference if I placed the weight just where the rear axle is and it still would do the job? That way I could still store stuff on the rear end of the bed.

Thanks for answering.

HRR

most people say that your weight should be above the rear axle or just in front of it. i wouldnt want it to be that far behind the axle anyways. just make sure you properly secure whatever it is you use for weight. you dont want it going through the cab if you get in a wreck

 

[Colin]

if you cant get your hands on some patio stones for cheap they work really well since they're heavy and they dont take up much roon ( the concrete ones that are like 2'x2' and like an inch and a half thick)

 

[straycat]

Get a roof rack. You can put stuff up there with a cargo basket. Get snow tires for the snow / ice season, or use the chains when it snows. If you have a bed extender you can put some sand bags in the the bed area and the bed extender can hold them in place. You need about 100-125 pounds to help from swaying in the snow or ice.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Lead shot. A bag used for reloading shotgun shells weighs in at 25 lbs and occupies a space roughly 6" x 12" x 2"

I would never use any heavy solid object for winter weight. Not after seeing what a 30 lb battery will do to the tailgate and header just by hitting the gas or brake too hard and having it slide.

Sand bags are good as long as you keep them from freezing, but they do take up a good bit of room. Putting the weight in front of the rear axle behind the cab, you need more weight to do the job. Putting it behind the axle you need less weight, but with a bedcover, it's in your way.

My personal preference with my Ranger is to run 100 - 150 lbs of lead shot (one bag behind each rear wheel and the rest in front of them on the sides) and around 50 lbs of tools (my usual amount). I run a good aggressive AT pattern tire and it's worked well for me. If I get into deeper snow and loose some traction, I shift weight towards the cab in the bed, and if I get on hardpack snow or ice and need more grip, I'll shift weight to the tailgate area. But 98% of the time, it works without moving weight.

And don't worry about the lead shot in a wreck, those bags absorb so much energy it isn't funny. I know because I was in a wreck (not my fault). When I got stopped my tools were scattered all over the bed. The lead shot had hardly shifted positions.

 

[HRR]

I have already bought bags of water softening salt. They weigh about 220 lbs. If I secure them right above the rear axle, that should do the job, eh?

HRR

 

[fix_or_repair_daily]

Yeah, heavy loose items in a truck bed are dangerous! I was delivering brake drums for a semi in the back of a Dakota when I used to work delivering parts. I had to get on the gas hard to miss another car. One of the drums came loose tore the tailgate off the hinges! Luckily I was ready to pull in to where they were going.

 

[Colin]

I have already bought bags of water softening salt. They weigh about 220 lbs. If I secure them right above the rear axle, that should do the job, eh?

HRR

that should be good, i know quite a few people that do that in the winter

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Get a roof rack. You can put stuff up there with a cargo basket.

I wouldn't, between increasing the chances of losing control in bad conditions thanks to the higher CG and the stuff being in a constant salt spray when the conditions are decent I don't think it would be worth it.

 

[mp3deviant721]

I run 280 lbs of sand in the back of mine. They come in 70 lb tubes.