Weighing Down Bed for Winter

[fijicorey]

I don't plan on taking my truck to see snow anytime soon, but it's good to know that this does make a difference. I'll keep my 2wd and warm winters here in Florida

 

[VCorleone]

Interesting thread. Never thought about doing this since the truck is 4WD, but I once had the the back end come around on me a little on a curve when it had just started raining. Was going 25 in a 25 at the time. That made me wonder about snow. I think I'll just drive like the old man I am, rather than lug 40 -60 lb bags of sand. I'll leave that to the youngsters.

 

[jeff camaro]

Buy good winter tires, if the truck won't move in 4wd, time to stay home...
Since i'm near 70yrs, I keep tire chains for rear wheels of truck, since out
plowing by my self... and salt..

 

[jeff camaro]

Buy good winter tires, if the truck won't move in 4wd, time to stay home...
Since i'm near 70yrs, I keep tire chains for rear wheels of truck, since out
plowing by my self... and salt..

 

[Tumbleweed]

If you really want to add some weight and not lose space in the bed, just get a piece of steel plate. 1/4" thick and the full dimensions of your bed so it can't slide around. 1/4" x 48" x 67" = 228 lbs. Only takes up 1/4" of usable space.

 

[CVX20]

Except that that in turn unloads weight from the front tires...

I doubt very much it would be enough to notice.

 

[CVX20]

Just playing devils advocate here, but.....
Saying you should never need to add weight is like telling a drag racer that there is no need to move the battery to the back, or try in any way to move the weight bias(center of gravity) more towards the rear/ closer to the center of the vehicle.


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What about AWD at the drag strip?

 

[wgreggking]

I used to put a slice of tree trunk in the back, but this would be self loading.

 

[muddy12]

What about AWD at the drag strip?

It depends on a lot of different variables, and there doesn't seem to be any one distribution ratio (50/50, 60/40. etc..) that everyone can agree on.
there are some good videos on youtube if you have time to kill. https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=race+car+weight+distribution+

The majority of vehicles on the road were designed with very little thought given to ideal weight distribution. Trucks in particular, unless they are hauling something in the bed, tend to be "front heavy".

 

[68 Coronet R/T]

I have a 2012 3500 limited with the diesel and I put 9, 70 pound sand tubes over the rear axle. With the torque of the diesel it's really easy to spin the tires even in 4 wheel. Plus with the stiffer suspension as I pull a 7 1/2 ton 5th wheel the sand bags give me a little smoother ride. The truck came with Firestone HT tires and they were totally useless in the snow. On a flat road in 4 wheel the truck wouldn't move. Got rid of them in a hurry and now I'm running BFG All Terrain T/A KO2's and 95% of the time I'm good in 2 wheel with the sandbags.

 

[Mohican69]

A few years ago a company used to make a bladder that you could fill with water and it would hold up to freezing and thawing throughout the season. It fits perfectly in the bed between the wheel wells and you can put stuff on top of it too. I got one when they first came out but I've never needed it. I think it's called ShurTrax. I still have it just in case but I can't say how good or bad it is. Our Winters here in Maryland are pretty mild. Nothing like upstate NY where I grew up in the snow belt region.

 

[HEMI_Finn]

A few years ago a company used to make a bladder that you could fill with water and it would hold up to freezing and thawing throughout the season. It fits perfectly in the bed between the wheel wells and you can put stuff on top of it too. I got one when they first came out but I've never needed it. I think it's called ShurTrax. I still have it just in case but I can't say how good or bad it is. Our Winters here in Maryland are pretty mild. Nothing like upstate NY where I grew up in the snow belt region.

I had one of those in my old truck. It was great until the inside bladder leaked out into the surrounding cover, leaving no way to get the water out. I had no choice but to cut it open to drain it. I emailed the company and they basically said too bad, your warranty has expired.

 

[quietpeen]

Gonna answer this like i answer all the other threads that have been asked this time of year. I don’t put anything in the bed of my truck for winter or snow. I use 4 wheel drive when it’s bad and then save money the other 95% of the time when its not snowing because i don’t have all that extra weight in the bed.

 

[RVGuy]

I throw 4 garbage tires on wheels in the bed which costs me nothing from work, they're about 50lbs each, so 200lbs. I have a 4x4 but I don't like using it more than I have to, really don't like having it on on the highway but still need the back tires to have good traction going up hills and whatnot.
Honestly haven't noticed any difference in fuel economy with the tires in the bed. Last year I had about 1000lbs of tools in the bed, great for traction but horrible for fuel economy.

 

[MaineJeff]

What part of Maine are you in boss? I just have the tonneau cover on mine and I’m down in York county


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[MaineJeff]

Sorry for the late reply. I live in Fairfield. Next to Waterville. 20 miles north of Augusta. I ended up getting sand tubes. Works well so far. Was out this morning bringing the wife to work on some slick roads. Didn't have any issues. You guys getting pounded with the snow, down there today?

 

[bdc2]

Someone used to make a reciever hitch that accepted small tractor weights.