Winter Weight for better traction - saw a neat idea.

[Ben Rumson]

Some of you may have seen this. Some of you (like myself) may not have.



A friend of mine took a 4 inch piece of metal pipe and welded a square piece of receiver size pipe to the middle of it. He then filled the pipe with 6" of dry chip rock on each end and a whole grundle of used lead wheel weights in the middle for weight. Get the idea?



It's about as heavy as one man can lift and it sits back a long way past the rear tires so it doesn't have to be as heavy as something placed into the bed of the truck for comparable traction.



If it looks like snow travel is on his agenda for the day, he slips it into his receiver and he's off. Granted that he isn't towing anything at the time.



No worry about a bed weight in the back of the truck slamming forward if he stops suddenly (or even gradually as in my case with the plastic bed liner... argh!).



He doen't have to lift it as high as the tail gate to install it, it serves as extra protection in case someone slides into the back of him, he can use it as a step ladder to get into the bed, and it looks nice.



Gunna make me one as soon as I can scrounge (sp?) the parts.



Hope this helps.

 

[roadranger]

Sounds like a good idea--no more banging up the bed, cab, or wheelwells with loose stuff flying around.

And I like the idea of something protecting my butt on slippery roads.



I know I can drive good, it's them other idiots out there!

 

[Whitmore]

This is a great idea for extra traction as needed , and when you dont need it ya take it off! And not having the extra crap in the bed of the truck is a plus too, around Wyoming many for years have just used a 4x8 sheet of steal, year round deal, helps preserve the bed from getting banged up too , most of these guys dont even bolt them down! YEP you guessed it , a headon collision allowed a plate of steal to come thru the cab of the truck, these people prolly wouldnt have made it anyway but they sure did lessen their odds on that dumb move.



If you need the extra weight in the winter use this method that Ben showed us!



cheers, Kevin

 

[nickleinonen]

Originally posted by roadranger

Sounds like a good idea--no more banging up the bed, cab, or wheelwells with loose stuff flying around.

And I like the idea of something protecting my butt on slippery roads.



I know I can drive good, it's them other idiots out there!

i had thought of making something similar to use as an aux. rear bumper to keep tailgaters off the actual bumper [not for extra weight]. but i was thinking heavy gauge aluminum "C" channel like 3"x8" and inside of that an other "C" channel of 2"x4" to make a piece that looks sorta like ---> [c <--- that. and it would be 48" wide mounted to a pintle plate for the 2" reciever. and get it sprayed in a black bedliner. would be strong [if the "C" channel is 1/2" or thicker] and would be WAY lighter in weight than a similar steel version... .

 

[nickleinonen]

better picture of what i am thinking

 

[98rammer]

last year i ran two 8 foot railroad irons weighing 600 pounds a piece. it was all blocked up so there was no movement. it helped a lot, but didn't do much when i had very worn tires on it. that's a good idea though.

 

[GSchlegel]

Any concern with over steer when its slick out? Seems that extra weight that far behind the rear axel would make the rear want to pass the front. I carry around 1,600# spread out in the bed during winter and have to be careful taking corners.



Just wondering.

Gene

 

[Ncostello]

How much weight do you all think one could place on the receiver hitch. Reason I ask is because I have access to all kinds of steel pipe diameters and could fabricate some sort of weight box to hitch up. Maybe even a square box with a square tube that fits the receiver. The square tube could penetrate the box and go all the way through it to provide more strength than just a "butt" welded piece. The box could be kept rather compact and filled with lead shot or???



Maybe one better, I have access to suitcase style weights as used on farm tractors front ends. Some diesel truck pullers put them on the front. Then all I would need is to fabricate a bracket to hang them from for the rear. Just as long as the factory receiver could hold the weight... maybe 500lbs to 1000lbs.



I'm a 2WD 2500 owner so this really interests me. I hate loose loads in the bed and hate not having the bed for my use.



Great post!

 

[JR2]

I believe the stock hitch is rated for 500 lbs.

 

[EagleEye]

Got a better solution...

Since I bought my 3500 4x4, I wanted to calm down the jarring in the rear. I tried VelvetRide shackles and also Mr. Bobs custom springs. Neither satisfied me.



I went with what we use in the tournament ski boats. A Fat-Sac. It is basically a water ballast bag to generate larger wakes. I fit one in the back of the truck and put a 2x6 plank in the bed holders to keep it in the rear. It calmed down the 3500, and it is adjustable.



I need to drive to work at the Grapevine (I-5) when it is closed down with snow. I have found that the ballast bag does WONDERS for winter snow driving, and I am pleasantly suprised with the capabilities of the 3500 in the snow.



What's better, when I need to carry cargo, I just roll the bag to the tailgate, drain the water, and fold the ballast bag up and throw it in the corner.



Easy and simple, just the way I like things!

 

[radar doctor]

weight in the rear

I have a friend who cuts old car intertubes into and wires them at one end ,fills them full of sand, ties the end up with wire. put them in the bed and away we go...

 

[WadePatton]

I've used water in coolers, firewood, concrete blocks, etc. This was mostly in the 1/2 ton and it didn't require as much weight. Concrete blocks are rough on the paint and slide around if not secured. Water works good if you remember to add it before everything freezes up. Firewood is what I use mostly now, because I'm heating with wood and I always need some. The problem with firewood is that it takes a bed full to do any good.



I like the receiver hitch job. I'd rather be tail-happy than stuck. Anybody know how much a cubic foot of wheel weights weighs?

 

[CJBoggs]

I move the AUX tank...

When winter hits around here, I slide the AUX tank from the front of the bed to centered over the rear axle. It takes about 5 minutes to move the tank and resecure it. This allows me to pump in about 80 gal of diesel and easily add ~600# to the spring pack (500 fuel, and about 100 tank). I just leave it there until warmer weather hits and pump it down into the main tank to move it forward. NO heavy lifting. This really makes the truck drive and ride better and is a huge improvement when traveling in our "wintery mix" here in NC.



Chris

 

[Vaughn MacKenzie]

Polar Moment of Inertia!

Originally posted by GSchlegel

Any concern with over steer when its slick out? Seems that extra weight that far behind the rear axel would make the rear want to pass the front. I carry around 1,600# spread out in the bed during winter and have to be careful taking corners.



Just wondering.

Gene

I think adding significant weight back at the rear bumper is NOT a good idea. By doing so you significantly increase your polar moment of inertia, ie, a lot of weight at maximum radius from the centerline of your vehicle. Simply put, the rear of your truck now acts as a pendulum. As you take a corner, the weight will want to continue in a straight line. What does that do when the road's a bit slick? Sends your hiney straight into the ditch!



A friend used to have a '79 Toyota Supra. It had a lot of weight beyond the rear axle line, and that thing was a disaster on gravel roads. The rear end would fly out into major oversteer at the slightest provocation. He came very close to putting it into the ditch more than once.



Best to add weight over the rear axles.



Vaughn

 

[Scot]

If it's below freezing, throw a poly tarp in the bed and add water. At 8. 3 lbs/gallon it does not take a lot. When it warms up, it goes away!

 

[lmills]

Originally posted by Scot

If it's below freezing, throw a poly tarp in the bed and add water. At 8. 3 lbs/gallon it does not take a lot. When it warms up, it goes away!

Be my luck, I would need to use the bed of the truck, only to have a portable ice rink.

 

[98rammer]

Originally posted by lmills

Be my luck, I would need to use the bed of the truck, only to have a portable ice rink.

then you could charge people a couple bucks... . make some wintertime moola

 

[FFL8N]

I was thinking about just throwing, and leaving, my mother in-law back there..... Plenty of dead weight... .

 

[RKohn]

Hang it out back.

Vaughn, I think you're kinda right on the PMI idea, but considering that you're balancing out that 1000 lbs of cast iron up front, it seems to balance out. At least mine works good and rides great right now with about 500 behind the board.



6-40lb pails of cat litter (bought on sale and gets used through the year anyway), 40lb bag of oil dry (cause I'm kinda messy), 50 lb bag of ice melt (for the driveway), 70lb tube of sand (also for the driveway), a gallon of Rain-X winter solvent, a small tool box, and an old wooden 40mm mortar box full of chains (for pullin out Fords and Jeeps - I leave the Chebbys there).

 

[243]

It has been a few years but I believe Willyslover had a few bags of frozen sand or kitty litter in the bed of his truck when he went off the road and hit a tree.



If I remember correctly, the 40-50 lb frozen bullets caused a lot of damage to the cab.



Vaughn, do you remember this?