How much weight are you putting in bed for snow

Wouldn't placing the sandbags near the tailgate multiply the weight compared to placing them over the axel due to leverage?

 

Theory is, it'll cause you to slide more if not over the axle.

 

OP, as well as weight in the bed, consider airing down your tires for + surface area contact.

 

I'm assuming this question is for 2x4 vehicles only. I do just fine with nothing in the back with 4x4. I'm amazed on how well it goes when turning Auto LSD on (VSC off).

 

I've never done it though I don't doubt it could be effective. If I was 2wd, I'd be all over doing that.

I have a heavy as steel topper now so I think that will suffice. I air my tires down if we get snow. Never had a problem.

 

Perhaps the greatest advantage to using actual sandbags is that once you get stuck you have a bunch of sand to throw under your tires

 

x2

 

None.

Adding weigh reduces traction because there is more load to move.

Use 4wd in snow, that's what it's for.

Also having the front heavier is good for stability since the heavy part wants to be in front.

 

I have 4x4 turd OR and have no issues

but the arse end is light and may add weight to maximize 2wd mode or 2wd mode with autolsd

...I am getting the '200lbs is about right' vibe and I do know a source of that weight.
stone chips or a few bags of birdseed my GF wants to feed to all the critters that live in trees.
cripes, she is 100lbs and often drags 70lbs bags of sunflower seeds into the rec room after a shopping run....
crap I could just bag a few squirrels and stick them in the bed they sure are FAT in my 'hood

 

I've never added any weight, other than whatever snow falls in the bed, and never had an issue just using 4WD as needed.

 

Whatever the bedrack from Jlee (B.A.M.F) weighs is the amount that will be added.

 

FWIW...with vehicle slipping and handling, and a pickup truck... the front want to stay put due to inertia, and the light arse wants to come up front and say hello...

 

You can have a whole discussion just about the advantages and disadvantages of that tactic. Short version: sometimes it's good, sometimes it's bad.

 

I've always put weight in the back of any rear drive front engine vehicles I've used, a couple hundred pounds weight won't effect my fuel economy anymore than running around in 4x4 the whole winter. I was amazed with the Taco how big a difference the 4x4 made last winter.

To those complaining about braking distance... There's snow, you can't stop on a dime anyways, have an extra passenger worth of weight on board shouldn't make a difference to how you SHOULD be driving in those conditions.

The extra weight also makes the truck a little easier to manage the weight transfer to go drifting around everything that isn't a stop light.

 

Note: my truck is also a 2005 and doesn't traction or stability control.

 

My ARE LSII, bed mat seem to work fine for me

 

Does everybody that's worried that adding 200lbs to the vehicle weight is going to have such a huge effect on stopping on snow refuse to take passengers in the snow too ?

 

This only works for SNOW. As soon as things get slushy you want the narrowest contact patch you can get. Otherwise it's not different than driving through a puddle, you get a whole lot of hydro-planing and not a whole lot of control.

 

I go with my leer canopy, bed mat, and 4 50 pounds bags of sand. 100 pounds next to each wheel. Doesn't effect fuel economy at all that is noticeable and measureable.

 

I live in WI and never add weight. Now with cooper AT3s even better... 4 x 4 DCSB... But this year I may go out and play more and run up north so I may through a couple bags of salt in the back...