Snow and Winter help

I usually get a bucket of the treated sand from the town garage. That stuff doesn't freeze, and if I need it for extra traction it works better than regular sand does.

 

I still think those tracks up the mountain in your sig pic are from a Taco...

 

Same stuff we get at our town garage... great on a sunny day on the driveway glacier.

 

I used to use a piece of railroad track welded to an old hitch and that worked well. Weight was far to the rear so it took a little less and provided a little deterrent for nuts sliding into me. It is easy on/off if you keep it down to about 50#.

 

Hmmm, I kinda like this idea!

 

Wouldn't that put the weight well behind the rear axle making it easier to come around on you if you do get sideways?

 

As an example, Edmunds tested a 2011 V6 4x4 DCSB with the TRD Off Road package and provided the following numbers:

Tested curb weight (lbs.) 4277
Tested weight distribution 56% front, 44% rear

Doing the math...

4277 * 0.56 = 2395.12
4277 * 0.44 = 1881.88
2395.12 - 1881.88 = 513.24

So, it would take approximately 513 pounds, placed directly above the rear axle, to create a 50/50 weight distribution and something like neutral handling in this truck.

These numbers are not precise, because they don't account for the vertical placement of the mass, but I would bet that if you put ten 50-pound sandbags between the wheel wells, you would like the way it steered through the curves.

Mike

 

I use 100lb sacks of corn that i'm hauling for deer feed anyway. Plus the cap, bed mat, hitch and ball, ratchet straps, and other assorted itemd in the bed rolling around.

 

Yep, Thanks.

 

I have an ARE lsII, bed mat and a rubbermade tub with my hitch, some cables and a tow strap in it. No idea how much all that weighs. Never had a problem and I ski a lot on the weekends and drive thru bad conditions a lot

 

Marble?

 

No weight in the back for me. I get around all winter just fine. The amount of weight you need to really show much traction benefit isn't worth it in my opinion.

Eventually the truck is gonna be all armored up and the extra weight in bumpers and skids will help

To each their own!

 

Nice math.

But yes, you need quite a bit of weight to do much and it needs to stay centered over the axel and not slide around

 

all good ideas.

 

I saw a 2wd S10 today.

He had sand bags, concrete blocks and bricks

 

pretty serious load for that Chevy

 

I also use 4 sand bags- framed in with 4x6's,and always fill up the gas tank for weight, for every storm.

 

Just something to mention......if your going to put something in your bed please have a way to secure it so that it stays in the bed. In the event of a front end collision that extra weight could and has (in some of the collisions ive attended) come out of the box and do some serious damage to people and or other vehicles.

 

4 patio stones - nice and flat to put other stuff on without having to take them out till spring