adding weight to you truck for winter traction & how much

Snow tires.

 

I use to add some cut up utility poles to the back of my 2 wheel drive swb chevy. Probably close to 400 lbs.. Worked wonders... Pretty much never had any issues

 

We've got some yankee trees in my area that shed their leaves in winter. I figure I have 2 pounds in my bed. Traction is spot on.

 

I put sand in 3 5-gallon buckets with lids and fasten them to my cargo bar over the axle with ratchet straps. If I need the sand, it's easy to get to, doesn't get soaked with water, and are easy to move around. I also keep a 2-gallon bucket with lid in the back with a set of chains, rubber band tighteners, flashlight, kneeling pad, and gloves in case I need them.

 

Lot of over thinking here, I've managed with 5-lug 2wd in WI, IA and CO for close to 30 years without issue and put 4 70lb bags of sand long way against the front of the bed and get where I need to go. No projectile hazard, lot of imagined horrors.

If you have 4wd just use it when you need it, weight will only help your traction, which WTF did you get 4x4 for?

 

shell, studs, 4wd, chains. Hey winter, come at me bro.

 

Someone who gets it ^

 

I drive on roads that are thick ice sheets for 6 months of the year. My tools, chains and tonneau probably add up to 100lbs. I just stay in 4hi most of the time, drive slower, maneuver gently and start stopping early.

 

extra weight is great for startoff traction but... it also makes you slide further if you actually lose control of the beast...

 

I have bought the small bags of playground sand from Home Depot before to use as bed weight. Cheap and easy, plus potential traction additive on ice as needed.

 

5 x 60lb. bags of sand over the rear axle, wrapped in a tarp and fastened down. Huge improvement in snow traction. We have just had our first round of snow and ice, and the weight is helping mightily until I put the Blizzaks on next week. Then it's really got the grip for winter (living at 9,000' in Colorado with 3 miles of 10% grade just before home)! I can get by without weight in the back most of the time, but it's so much better with it. With my set-up it's easy to remove the sand bags if I need the whole bed for hay or firewood. Last year I was caught off guard one morning when we had a 16-20" dump of really wet snow. I was stuck on the road with my Blizzaks. Two neighbors (approx. 300 lbs. together) jumped in the back over the rear axle and I became quickly unstuck. So...

 

My old Ram was bad in the snow. Like two inches and I was flipping to 4wd if I wanted to get out of costco bad. I used the large flat 18" patio stones I had spare in the yard. Laid nice and flat, bolted in a bar to keep them tight and in place. Night and day with that truck.

I like the suggestion of the horse stall mats, if I think it's needed I'll do that. Have a tonneau, but I carry bikes so that gets removed when needed. The mats will work well with both, I think. Thanks for the tip!

Just bought a 12 DCLB TRD, pick it up this wednesday. Had a couple runners that never needed weight, guess I'll find out if my new-to-me truck does.

 

michelindefenderltxmsftmfw

 

Low tech, no building of anything, can't rip / spill, takes up little room (assuming you have nothing already in the way) and I have thrown them down to get some traction before.