Adding Bed Weight for Winter Driving

[corneileous]

Go weigh you truck. With the canopy and standard tools etc, I am almost a perfect 50 50 weight distribution. That is what most high end sports cars shoot for. I don’t need to add more weight in the back, even in 2 wheel drive. If the rear is heavier than the front it will want to swap ends big time on slipperry roads.

I don't need to weigh my truck. My truck probably wouldn't need weight added to it because I do have a fiberglass tonneau, carpeted bed liner and two fairly heavy storage containers that hold tie-down straps, recovery strap, tools, tire changing tools, jumper cables, etc and ok, you sound like you tote around a permanent amount of weight as well but I was more/less referring to those who don't have all that and back when I lived in Colorado, the most extra weight I always had was whatever was in one of those typical aluminum tool boxes that was bolted to the bed rails behind the cab.

 

[4xdad]

It’s the rock sliders the topper and the topper lift with 2 12 volt batteries that add the weight. Loaded with camping gear and the missus and dogs it’s probably closer to 9000 lbs. and it’s only going to get worse when I add the water tanks and reserve fuel tank.

 

[4xdad]

I don’t usually carry my spare tire with me it weighs about 250 lbs on the spare carrier because of the diesel heater and the swing gates. I usually only carry it when I’m travelling far from home. I always carry some recovery gear

 

[GTyankee]

most vacationers, don't carry more water than is necessary in the tanks.
They fill the clean water tank(s) as close to their destination as possible

A U.S. gallon of water weighs approximately 8.34 pounds (lbs).
or about 3.81 kilograms

How many gallons do your fresh water tanks hold, times 8.34 lbs

 

[4xdad]

I don’t know I haven’t built it yet the water tank will live between the rock sliders and the frame. But the reserve fuel tank will be where the spare tire used to go. From the limited amount of research I have done I think that a fuel tank from a91 Chevy s10 blazer will work so that would add a bunch of weight too. A pw doesn’t get the greatest gas mileage so a reserve tank is probably a good idea for the type of use that we want to do.

 

[4xdad]

I’ll post pics as I build them. I’m cheap and times are tough in Alberta right now (thanks Justin yad&@k). I wouldn’t be carrying water in the winter but I would keep the reserve tank full because it would be low weight to help with stability (lower c of gravity).

 

[turkeybird56]

Its in your signature, Ace....................

Yes, because I now reside here. Enuf said, not gonna beat da horse.

 

[turkeybird56]

I don't need to weigh my truck. My truck probably wouldn't need weight added to it because I do have a fiberglass tonneau, carpeted bed liner and two fairly heavy storage containers that hold tie-down straps, recovery strap, tools, tire changing tools, jumper cables, etc and ok, you sound like you tote around a permanent amount of weight as well but I was more/less referring to those who don't have all that and back when I lived in Colorado, the most extra weight I always had was whatever was in one of those typical aluminum tool boxes that was bolted to the bed rails behind the cab.

I just have the full fiberglass tonneau, but then not really worried about Nor'Easter or Lake Effect here. But I do have snow rated "C" tires on truck (Falken AT3W's) (they R snow peak rated), helped in 2021 when state was bout shut down from freak snow/ice storm. The roads were so bad and untreated, I drove off on the side of the road to get to town. Main drag was impassible. TXDOT, in all their wisdom, scraped the roads with "Road Graders" (no snow plows here), down to a pretty ice skate ring,. They should have left the snow on top of the ice, but forgive them they not know better, lmao.

ADDED: whoever referred to the rear ends even on these crew cabs are correct, they be real light in the A * * end. I could always throw a couple hundred pounds of hay under the tonneau if I was worried.

 

[Tulecreeper]

What in the world does that have to do with weight in the bed..................

It was in response to Crash88 Post #69.

 

[ThorsRams]

I usually toss 4 60lbs bags of sand in the bed … they get soaked so they prolly weigh more close to 70-80lbs if I would guess… but it does help out with traction in the snow and ice

 

[Skyjockey]

Been in MA most my life and never found the need. Actually I like going out in the storms in 2WD just to see how far I can get. Rarely have to use 4WD on normal streets. I will at lights and stop signs but certainly no extra weight?

 

[dss56]

2013 Dodge Ram Quad cab-big horn- Hemi. Matching fiberglass Cap.
I have a 7.5 Fisher plow on the truck as I plow here in Boston last 12 years.
I made a wood board stop from wheel well to wheel well.
Then to Home Depot I buy 8- 60lbs sand tubes and put in back for extra traction and if I need sand. Also have 2 big totes in back for sand. I line the truck with a tarp in back so no sand or salt spill on the bed even though I have a plastic liner.
The board is so the sand will stay over the axle and not move forward when stopping.
By the time snow season is over I have used all the sand for customers who need sidewalks sanded. I dont sand driveways i would have to buy lots of sand. I have 14 customers and I only do plowing. So I have been doing this with my 2005 dodge ram quad and now my 2013 quad and nev got stuck or had any problems plowing

 

[MoparX]

I secure an old cylinder head in the bed right above the passenger rear tire. Works for the handful of snow storms we get here.

 

[farout75]

Does anyone add extra weight to the bed of their truck for the winter? If so, how much weight do you add? How much is too much without sacrificing MPG and/or wear and tear on the suspension or tires?

The only truck I needed extra weight was the two Dakotas I owned. The four RAM 1500's I've owned never needed it. We get snow and ice where we live. Ice is when we don't go anywhere.

 

[tul9033]

In our area snow is short lived and typically lasts no more than a week. I will shovel my driveway and put some of the snow in the bed. Within a few weeks the weather warms up the snow melts and back to normal.

 

[Malodave]

I used to add a few cinder blocks to my old trucks. I have a Cap on the back now
and will be adding an Aux Fuel tank in the Spring which, if I keep full, would give
me the extra weight.

Malodave

 

[weldguy]

When had a plow on my Cummins 2500, I added a little over 600 pounds at the rear of the bed to offset the weight of the plow. Without it, the rear end had a mind of its own.
My son plows and salts for a living. He has had 2000 pounds of bagged salt in the bed of his GMS 2500s. Talk about traction!!!

 

[GoRAM]

Similar to others, I put 2 tube bags of sand each side over the wheel wells held in place with a simple 2x4 frame. It also doubles as traction material when required.

 

[corneileous]

The only truck I needed extra weight was the two Dakotas I owned. The four RAM 1500's I've owned never needed it. We get snow and ice where we live. Ice is when we don't go anywhere.

Come to think of it, the 98 1/2 ton ram I had really didn’t need much weight but I did run with at least three or four of the tube sand back there but when it came to the two Dakotas I had – one was a 96 with the 318 and the other one was a 2004 that had the 4.7 and those two trucks definitely benefited from having weight in the bed because of how small they were and how much power they had.

 

[corneileous]

Similar to others, I put 2 tube bags of sand each side over the wheel wells held in place with a simple 2x4 frame. It also doubles as traction material when required.

I didn’t even do that.…lol. All I did was just laid them lengthwise parallel to the bed rails and after a while the bags of sand would conform to the raised grooves in the bed and they really wouldn’t slide around a whole lot.