Winter driving, sand bags

x2
no weight in back
snow tires make the difference for sure!
Northern Vermont winters (except last year )
The ABS is super touchy imo especially on the ice slicks that happen by stop signs.
The metal chatter from truck would wake the dead
Good, non-worn snow tires for me always now with this truck.

 

Living in the snowbelt in WNY, I would say your best bet is a set of winter tires like Blizzacks (WORTH the COST). Keep a set of tire chains in the truck if things get crazy. Shovel and recovery strap also. Sandbags will help a little bit but they will slide around if not secured.

 

Drop one more thought on here-not sure if the OP is still monitoring .... the purpose of the weight- in my opinion is two fold.

1)In a truck- weight in the bed brings some compliance to the suspension(softens it up) so that is absorbs bumps better and tires stay in contact with the road better.

2) weight distribution. Trucks are light in the back and good weight distribution makes for a better handling vehicle on ice. It gives weight over the drive tires giving you better traction but the balance from front to rear also aids in turning and braking.

Using sand bags is really just tuning the handling of you rig to suit your winter driving preference.