Adding sandbags to the back of a truck!

I have a 2WD and I would like to add the weight on my rear axle. I have the Tacoma 2002, 4 cylinder, 2.7. Pre Runner, 2 door.

How much weight I need to give a good traction on the snow?

 

Start with 100 lbs and lowering your rear tire pressure.

 

I say add 2000lbs of sand and work back from there. Keep a shovel handy and you can let a bit out at a time until you find your optimal comfort zone. Added benefit: you can shovel out the sand onto the road for added traction.

 

2k

 

Ask silly questions receive silly answers... I mean, if you can't figure out this sort of thing for yourself than maybe you shouldn't be driving in the snow.

 

I use 2 50lbs stone bags. Ever in a emergency I can use the stone under my tire also.

 

Lol. Maybe OP figured there's a perfect number tw member are using. That'll make things easier.

Get a camper shell, plated rear bumper and you wouldn't have to worry. Lower your tire psi to 20-25 in bad snow and you're golden

 

To be fair, if you've never driven a truck in snow, you probably would have no idea that it's pretty much the worst thing to drive on ice.

 

Traction starts with proper tires.

I usually carry around 80 lbs of cat litter, placed directly over the rear axle between the wheel wells. I also have a fiberglass topper.

 

Or he comes to a community known for providing helpful and productive advice.

 

I get those traction tubes at ACE. I think they are 60-80 pounds each. I usually have two of them back there as well as my fiberglass topper. No idea on what the topper weighs. Maybe $200 lbs? So with that logic I have about 440-500 lbs +/- back there. It does help. My pickup is lifted so it calms down the harsh ride as well. So a couple cool things happen. Better traction and closer to cadillac ride status. lol Siped mud tires did wonders as well. The roads around my neck of the woods are always covered in sheets of ice. Sometimes they use that mag-water crap but not all the time. Without the topper and no weight I can't even start out on a flat surface. lol I have a manual trans as well so that helps IMO to get better traction. Open rear end lightweight pickup is terrible in the ice.

 

Lowering the tire pressure to 20-25 is hardly taking air out at all. He’s got a 2wd anyways so hopefully there isn’t much snow to begin with. Throw a 100 pounds in the back and try your luck.

 

Weight, lowering tire psi, and good driving skills will go a long way

 

100 lbs of sand is not going to increase the traction a whole lot. If the tires are 5” wide (a guess) then you’re spreading 100 lbs over 10”.

My first Toyota truck was 2wd. I remember putting a bunch of shortened railroad ties in the bed. Another time my dad and I built a frame to hold several 5 gallon buckets filled with sand. The frame was just to keep the buckets over the axle.

I don’t miss driving a 2wd truck in snow at all. It’s the worst.

 

220 lbs

or get a camper shell / aftermarket bumper
my camper and truck bed carpet kit add enough to p get traction to the rear
deflating tire air pressure also helps

 

When I lived along the NY/MA line, I drove an '82 GMC panel van, with an auto trans/V8. On a rural hill. There were 2 roads in to the hill, the MA side had 2 short uphill sections that could be done most times with enough momentum even in nasty weather. The road in from the NY side had to wait for the plow/sander. The van was always full of my carpentry tools plus. Experience will help alot in keeping you out of the ditch

 

I understand coming to the community for help, but it's not like its a particularly difficult problem. Add a couple sand bags. Still spins the tires? Add more weight. Maybe i'm just salty from all the years I spent driving in snow when I was still living in NY. Careful throttle application goes a long way.

I have to agree with the above though, dropping tire pressure will do way more for you than adding weight. 15PSI should set you straight if you don't have to do any highway and the snow is more than a light dusting. If you see a lot of snow there is no substitute for good snow tires. My 1976 BMW would run circles around just about anything in the snow despite being a featherlight and having an open diff- Snow tires for the win.

 

Yeah, if I was 2WD and dealt with snow more than a handful of times a winter studded snows would be my choice.

 

I drove an 89 Honda Prelude for years in the snow. FWD with studded tires and that thing stuck to the road perfectly.

 

Um....what?