2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission How much weight in bed for good winter traction?

[FreeBMW]

Going to buy some bags of road salt & sand to get a good amount of weight over the rear axle. How much have you guys found works well? I was thinking maybe 500lbs. This is my first winter and need to be sure i have good traction in this winter mess we are sure to get this year.





Thanks

 

[Coalsmoke]

I've heard of guys joking around that they put 1000lbs of sand in the back for long road trips to help smoothen out the ride. I think 500# is a good amount as it would still allow some sort of fuel economy. Besides, you can always put more in if 500# is not enough.

 

[Truckie]

I agree with Coalsmoke 500# to start out with and go from there. I run with 500# and works well for me, that way there isn't to much to move out of the way if you need to use the whole bed. I use old truck inner tubes filled with sand.

MIKE

 

[willyslover]

just my normal caution when I see these threads..... SECURE THOSE DAMNNNN THINGS DOWM



they hurt like hellll when they hit ya in the back of the head in that accident that you won't get in... BTDT

 

[jeepit]

When I installed my plow it was advised to put 300lbs of weight in back.

 

[Coalsmoke]

I don't know how one would go securing them down. I know that in my truck I have the dodge factory bedliner, and it leaves no holes for tiedowns.

 

[Ryan]

Originally posted by Coalsmoke

I don't know how one would go securing them down. I know that in my truck I have the dodge factory bedliner, and it leaves no holes for tiedowns.

Get 4 good 2x6s, cut one of them to be the width of the bed in front of the fender wells, cut one of them to be the width of the bed behind the fender wells, cut 2 pieces the length of the fender wells. Fasten them together with good long screws and lots of bracing. There should be a decent amount of room inside the frame for weight.

 

[GIT-R-DONE]

In my 90 Cummins, I had 8-9 (don't remember) leaf springs in it, plus overload springs. I made a box that I put in the bed, went to the local concrete shop and had them start pouring. I made an angle iron piece made for in the middle so I could later pick it out with the tractor. Ended up being 1400 lbs, and I could secure it by chaining it down to the hitch. Rode really nice after that...



But , like Willyslover said, secure the load, whatever you may use for weight. Don

 

[DavidPope]

wow... never thought of weighting down my bed... never heard of it out here in CA... but makes sense... do you guys drive in the snow a lot?



I just bought 270lb's of dumbbells (only $70 and no messy sand) last night to weight down my boat = bigger wake for wakeboarding



those stupid dumbbells were rolling all around the back of the truck on the way home!

 

[FreeBMW]

Thanks for all the replies. I found 70lbs sand "tubes" (sand bags shaped like a tube) they were $3. 99 each. I bought 10 of them for a total of 700lbs. The truck rides tons better & I am sure it will be awsome in the snow/ice we get here in MI.

 

[Coalsmoke]

Hey Ryan, great idea! That's what I call thinking outside the box I don't know if we're just redneck up here in Canuck land or what, but I've never heard of securing sand bags before. I guess it just never occurred to anyone around here But, I get the idea that should they decide to go airborn in an accident, they could punch through the back window without too much trouble. I'll be making a box soon as it's starting to get cold around here.

 

[willyslover]

not only do they punch through... they bring the glass with them, and put lots of glass chards in the back of your head... got lots of tinny bleed holes to prove it LOL





Guys . . I'm not trying to be a smart asssssss... I WAS the test dummy

 

[LaserBob]

Try a 4ft X 8ft X 1in thick sheet of steel. It adds weight and won't shift around in the bed. It's heavy, too.

 

[Ian]

Weight

I made a frame to go into the back of my 1st Generation a few years ago, put a 44 gallon fuel drum into it and filled it with water. Point taken on securing as mentioned above, my framework stopped it moving around but in an off road adventure wouldn't want to get in front of it. JM2cworth.

 

[QRTRHRS]

Originally posted by LaserBob

Try a 4ft X 8ft X 1in thick sheet of steel. It adds weight and won't shift around in the bed. It's heavy, too.

Yes, but will it become airborn should you be involved in an accident?

 

[JNailor]

I never was keen on the idea of adding weight in the winter in any vehicle i've ever owned. Much better results in traction improvement can be had by simply adjusting tire pressure to suit the load. On my 4X2 I run 40 lbs. in the rear empty. Much better ride, handling, traction and economy. Keep a couple of bags of sand if you want to help other stranded motorists.



Dana

 

[Coalsmoke]

If you have 5'th wheel rails you could bolt the steel sheet to the rails. Just a thought.

 

[Ramafid]

I run with 5 80lb bags of concrete in the back. I let them harden into shape and just put them in when I need them. Have had them for 4 years and still working well. BTW I have a frame made of wood to keep them in place.

 

[WadePatton]

Originally posted by DKing

I never was keen on the idea of adding weight in the winter in any vehicle i've ever owned. Much better results in traction improvement can be had by simply adjusting tire pressure to suit the load. On my 4X2 I run 40 lbs. in the rear empty. Much better ride, handling, traction and economy. Keep a couple of bags of sand if you want to help other stranded motorists.

Dana

Dana, there's no WAY adjusting the tire pressure can equal the traction gained by adding a substantial amount of weight to the bed of a truck like ours. Try it sometime.



I got my sister's 1/2 tonner unstuck in snow once simply by shifting the weight in the bed from the front to the back. And airing down the tires.



Thread starter- I wouldn't put salt in the back of my truck for any length of time. It will eventually leak and make a corrosive mess.



I use firewood mostly. Have used water before. If you hit something hard enough to move a 1" thick piece 4'x8'---you're going to be toast already.



Ideally--when I build a fancy bumper or something--I'd like to use removable lead slugs.

 

[Ol'TrailDog]

I've also used the sand in old truck inner tubes for years. The problem with the store bought sand tubes is the tubes deteriorate.



I'm guilty of not securing the tubes.



I stacked the tubes in the hollows before and after the wheel wheels. That way my bed is open for the all the junk and border collies (yeh, I know they are suppose to be in a crate. Actually bought sled dog harnesses so they can pull me or a sled around and I can hook them to the seat belt thingamajig. ) I suppose a 2x12 or plywood frame along each side would keep the tubes in place.



However, my new truck will be a flatbed so I'll have to be inventive. Any flatbed-weight ingenious suggestion?



Thanks willyslover for reminding us that s**t really does happen, not just to the other guy.



PS: My soapbox. I lost a bc to distemper this summer. I picked up her up at a petfinder rescue shelter this summer. She had shots, but had contracted distemper before being rescued. Thankfully, my other dog was current. However, there were seven other dogs here who were not (not mine). Bottomline: you never want to watch a dog die from distemper. I held her while the vet put her down, but not until after several seisures and blind staggering had occurred (I'm fortyone miles from town) - ugly. So easy to prevent! If you got dogs - get shots! you cheap SOBs. Sorry, I got carried away