Do you put weight in back of your truck?

Just the bodies of deer that run out in front of me 3x per day... stupid deer!

 

No weight, 4x4, like to keep it light. A friend in automotive training center had a cast iron V8 cylinder head come through his rear truck window, into the windshield, when he was in an accident. He had those in the back for extra traction in the snow. Secure the weight if you have it.

...he thought it was great because the insurance company bought him a brand new head.

 

I make the wife and kids sit in the bed when the roads are slick.

 

In the winter I have to cross a few Cascade mountain passes on the way to drill. Ive heard all the stories of the rear ends breaking loose. I will throw some ballast in the back and hope that I don't fall victim to the one factor you cannot control...the other crazy winter drivers

 

Water softener salt bags in the shell and position them to stay over the axle. I noticed the truck handled differently when the bags slid against the cab.

It was my way of storing rock salt until I needed it too.

 

I say it relies alot on your tires I've had cooper ATR's for 2 years with 60,000 miles on them and still not having any trouble in the snow

 

Just put some weight in the back today for winter. Already noticing a big difference. Tires are stuck to the ground now. I put 4 -60 lb. bags of sand back there. I hope that'll be enough.....

 

I didn't last year and had no problems but this year when I made a turn and my ass end caught up with my front end I went straight to Lowes and bought 5 - 40 pds bags of top soil. I got this instead of sand because in the Spring I can spread it on my yard.

I wrapped the bags in a tarp and tied them down. So far so good.

 

Thanks to the recent 18>20" of snow here in Va., figured I'd keep the arse end from the shimmy, so I put the wife in the back w/ a tarp and a sack of jelly beans and had no probs whatsoever...other than I now need new rear shocks...JUST KIDDING OF COURSE! I did place 6 50lb. sacks of play sand in the rear; even w/ 4x4, the winding 1/2 mile trek to the ridge top was pretty slick, but no probs at all. Once I get that first scratch I guess it won't matter...

 

I put a couple hundred pounds of sandbags in the bed - I have 200 in right now, but will probably add more

 

I put in 4 60lb bags - had 5 buy the rear end sank and it was too wobble - did you have the rear TSB done or do you experience any wobble/sway with that much weight?

 

No probs at all; first thing I did was buy a bed mat when I got the truck in Nov., and spaced the bags directly across the bed above the rear axle when we finally got the snow...that being said, I have the double cab shortbed, but have had nothing done to the truck otherwise. I can tell there's extra weight, but didn't seem to notice anything different...I have the SR5 4x4...maybe the double cab shortbed made the difference?

 

I don't have any weight in there right now but I should go and get some cinder blocks back there, being that I am a Prerunner and it's below freezing out here...

 

I've not noticed a need for any extra weight in the back. The truck has barley let loose in all of the snow and ice I've driven in. Maybe I'm still babying my new truck. I don't know. No extra weight for me for the time being.

 

so long as you're careful, no need for a lot of, or any weight. especially in the midwest, if there's a hill in the way, there's probably a flat way around it.

 

2.7l 4cyl 4wd. - two 60lb. tube sand. This is my first pickup truck, and i had always heard to do this but after driving it in the snow with snow tires i figured no way.. then i got myself into a situation where i dropped my left front into a culvert and most of my right front tire as well. to get out i just shoveled a small amount of snow out from under neath the truck just to make sure it wasnt highcentered on the snow, and then i pilled about six or seven of those tube sands into the back and drove right out of the ditch. now i just keep two back there, 120lbs total., probably just enough to make a difference but not too much that adversly affects daily driving. Quikrete tubesand from homedepot i think they are $6.50 each.

at one point i had a crap load of snow back there and i didnt need the bags, but i need to haul equipment sometimes so the snow had to go

I also have snow tires.

again, im a noob so i have to still read through this thread, just wanted to contribute

 

Got stuck in the snow in my drive day after Christmas. Dug it out later and managed to get to tire shop. Had spent several hours researching good all around highway snow ice and rain tire. Picked General Grabber HTS in 265/70/17. Went from tire shop to hardware store and got four 60lb. sand bags to go over axles.

No camparison, been down several ice covered roads today with no issue. No problem in driveway.

Other tires had 61k on them with only a small amount of tread left.
So far this new combo of tires and sand bags has been great.

 

I'm going w/ 4 of the 60lb. sacks next time it snows, and put the other 2 50lb. sacks in the wife's AWD Element. Actually was surprised w/ the stock Dunlops in the deep snow, and attribute the sand sacks and point of distribution to a nonskidding wheel gripping non pee down the pants leg first time snow experience going down the ridge...convinced that w/out the sand sacks, I would have resembled a salmon heading up stream on the spring spawn, as the way back up is pretty steep, pretty winding, and faces north...next dwelling WILL be situated on a flat surface, probabled a patio home in a retirement community

 

4x4 negates the need. Hell of a lot less of an effort to turn a 4x4 dial than to lug and load a couple hundred pounds of dead weight into the bed of my truck. If I need exercise then I'll go run a few reps of 12 oz. curls.

 

Sounds like my kind of exercise