Extra Weight in the Bed?

[Jim's Express]

I have a 2WD with posi, studded winter tires, 3:21 rear end, tires still break loose on ice/snow unless I really feather the throttle. So I put five 60lb bags of TubeSand from Lowes in the back. Made a little box out of some scrap 2x4's and 2x6's, it sits above the rear axle, so I can still have room to put stuff in the back and close the tail gate.

Lowes was the cheapest at $4.79 a bag.

Jim

 

[CVX20]

I been driving in snow up to my ass here in Ontario since the early 70's and the only trucks that I've ever put weight in the back of were 2wd's.Why buy a 4wd if you're not gonna use it.If you feel better with weight in the back of your 4x4 then have at it,but it's totally unnecessary IMHO.Fuels expensive enough without hauling extra weight around.That's not being over confident that's just over 40 years of practice.

 

[bigolayne]

^^BINGO!
I've had my 4X4 for 10 years now. 2005 1500 Daytona 4X4 regular cab and never have any weight in the back for winter. Truck is a beast in the snow.

Where in MA are you from?

 

[-B-]

250lbs+ of 1" thick steel plate in the back bonus for removing some of the cali lean too , I hardly ever go into 4wd it is there if needed though

 

[jasonw]

Trust me, even with 4x4, you can get very easily stuck in winters out here in the midwest. You need all the help you can get. A good set of A/T or winter tires and weight in the back helps a lot.

The first snow storm out here this year, 14 inches, and I almost got stuck pulling a minivan out of the ditch, and I only had two tires off the road. Stupid cheapo Wrangler HP tires the dealership installed before I bought it were worthless! Some Hankook ATM tires and 320 lbs of sand in the back, and now I rarely need 4x4 unless I need to head into really unplowed areas.

 

[xrsman]

Weight in the back makes a huge traction difference. I used 200 lbs of sand over the rear axle for 4 winters with my 2011 ram. Worked great, took them out to haul something half way though the winter one year. Didn't put them back in right away. The back end was sliding all over. Just because you have 4wd it doesn't magically fix the truck problem of having a light rear end.. it doesn't hurt, and won't hurt your mileage either.

Last year I didn't use sand bags, my Duratracs worked amazing, sand in the back would have made them work a lot better though.

Sent from my SM-G920W8 using Tapatalk

 

[Padilen]

Let's do a study[emoji57] no weight using 4 wheel drive all winter. Weight using 4 wheel drive only when needed- then compare gas consumption. [emoji16]

 

[develand]

As a couple have said, I do not see any downsides to hauling a couple hundred pounds in the back, it definitely can't hurt anything. I am willing to bet those that use 4wd more frequently would actually see worse gas mileage, then those having a couple hundred pounds. 4WD isn't the most fuel efficient thing in the world. 4wd also won't help you slow down that much better.

I will have to see what I do when I get it back and how the weather actually gets.

 

[bigolayne]

The nice thing is we can pull the sand out whenever we need to and keep it in when there is the threat of snow. You can even use the sand for the guys who get stuck to help them get extra traction

 

[Rambling]

That's the other reason why I don't utilize 4x4 all the time during winter, (Gas Mileage). At $1.13 a litre, I can't afford to run my truck all winter in 4WD. If I did, I'd be going through gas faster then I can pay for it. I'd rather run in 2WD all winter with a few hundred pounds in the bed then run in 4x4, this alone is still probably cheaper in the long run. Plus it does seem to help keep the back end a little more planted to the road if you ask me.

 

[Tim7139]

I do a few loops in a safe area at increasing speed till I started to loose the rear and then start playing with the weight. When it is icy the blue truck handles a lot better with about 120Lbs in the back which leads to much faster cornering. Trade off is once it breaks free it wants to twist faster. Stops a few feet shorter too.

White truck there is way less difference to start with. 60Lbs seemed to make an improvement, but not enough to bother with.

 

[Tim7139]

If I had the 4 auto option I'd have it on most of the time the roads were wet or snowy. Aside from the weight I find the 4x4 more hindrance then help in most on road situations.

 

[TerraNewf]

This will be my first winter with my truck, don't plan on putting weight in the bed. That's why I paid the extra dollars for the 4x4 option.

 

[CVX20]

Weight in the back makes a huge traction difference. I used 200 lbs of sand over the rear axle for 4 winters with my 2011 ram. Worked great, took them out to haul something half way though the winter one year. Didn't put them back in right away. The back end was sliding all over. Just because you have 4wd it doesn't magically fix the truck problem of having a light rear end.. it doesn't hurt, and won't hurt your mileage either.

Last year I didn't use sand bags, my Duratracs worked amazing, sand in the back would have made them work a lot better though.

Sent from my SM-G920W8 using Tapatalk

Why right over the rear axle?You want the full benefit of the weight it should be right at the back.Leverage,simple physics.

 

[Rambling]

That's where mine is, right at the back of the bed. My buddy told me that was the best place to put it. I use to put it over the rear axles on my other truck till he told me it applies more leverage as stated if it's at the rear of the bed.

 

[Jimmy68]

I use to have a concrete lid for a burial box. About 3" thick steel reinforced concrete. Was almost 8' long and fit between the wheel wells with a 2x6 on each side. Great winter weight. Even had small lifting hooks in it for loading and unloading (used for placing over a casket before burial).

 

[freedhardwoods]

Why right over the rear axle?You want the full benefit of the weight it should be right at the back.Leverage,simple physics.

That's where mine is, right at the back of the bed. My buddy told me that was the best place to put it. I use to put it over the rear axles on my other truck till he told me it applies more leverage as stated if it's at the rear of the bed.

For every action, there is an equal reaction. That "extra" weight comes at the expense of making the front end lighter. I like being able to steer in slick conditions.

 

[Rambling]

That is true, but I think it applies more if you have lots of weight in the back. A little bit of weight in the bed shouldn't affect the front end too much if it's only a few hundred lbs.

 

[dhay13]

weight added in front of the rear axle will also make the front heavier. not to the same extent it does the rear but still added weight. weight added behind the rear axle will make the axle act like a fulcrum and will make the front end lighter. that said, weight added behind the 50% point of the truck will lessen the % of weight on the front, but still be added weight on the front

 

[freedhardwoods]

That is true, but I think it applies more if you have lots of weight in the back. A little bit of weight in the bed shouldn't affect the front end too much if it's only a few hundred lbs.

This goes back to my post about more weight is better.

If you're using such a small amount of weight that the specific placement doesn't make much difference, you might as well put it at the back for the convenience of being able to reach it.

For me, that amount of weight (most are talking about 100 to 300 lbs), isn't worth wasting my time on. In most cases, when the road gets slick, the highway crews clear it up pretty quick. I normally just drive carefully and don't even think about adding weight. Occasionally though, if it's slick and I need more traction, I'm adding some WEIGHT to both axles.

Whether I'm driving a 2 or 4 wheel drive makes no difference. I want to be able to stop and steer as well as be able to go.