Skinny is better in snow because you want to cut through the snow and get to a solid surface for traction. Wide is better for sand because you want to stay on top.

 

I've got an old '94 4X2 Ranger Extended Cab. The sucker is all over the road in snow & ice. It takes about 500 lbs in the bed to keep it going in the snow and that's with snow tires. The Ranger far too light in the rear to be stable in the snow without a lot of weight in the bed.

What makes skinny little snow tires work is that they distribute the weight of the vehicle onto a small area on the ground. The snow tires put more lbs per square inch on the pavement. That way you cut through the snow instead of riding on top of it.

But, to answer your original question... the F-150 is definitely more stable in snow than a Ranger (even the front heavy Super Crew). Just be sure to get a decent set of tires. I like Goodyear tires, but they don't really have anything that performs well in rain or snow. Check out tire reviews on Tirerack.com. Be careful, tires that perform well on SUV's and passenger cars often perform poorly on trucks in adverse weather.

 

I'll cast a third vote for the RTS's being garbage. I had them on my first F-150.... they're great for dry, flat pavement, but any or all of the wet, slushy, or muddy conditions and they may as well have been bald.

Any halfway decent all-terrain tire will be an improvement. Wrangler AT/S's are a good choice, and I've been running Michelin LTX M/S's on my Explorer now for 4 years and been quite happy with them in the snow.

Rangers are notoriously tail-light. If you don't have a tonneau cover on your bed, I suggest tossing a bit of snow in it (assuming you're not otherwise using the bed) and use that for ballast. I used to do that on my '93 Ranger and it worked great! When I didn't need the weight in there any more (i.e. spring!) the bed would happily empty itself for me! Just the couple hundred pounds of snow really planted that truck (and come to think of it, that truck had the lousy RTS's on it, but they were almost new when I got the truck, and I got the truck cheap)

-Joe

 

Well here is my2 cents I have had 2 Rangers ( 90- 4x4 super cab &97 -4x4 supercab ) Reall had no problems in the snow with either ran Goodrich wrangler AT on both also had a 200 dodge dakota 4x4 with stock RTS tires had no trouble with them at all towed my snow machine any where I wanted to go But The F-150 Supercrew Is great love it the best I would look at tires first if it was me was the 4x4 working ? LS realy helps

 

I use to put burlap bags with cinders (volcanic rock) or gravel in the back for added weight. Can be used to get traction if you get stuck!

 

As others have already offered, you want something that allows you to bite down through the soft stuff and into something you can grip. The fluffy stuff on top offers no traction. Ever see a World Rally Car (WRC) set up to run in snow and ice? They use super skinny studded tires - and go like stink! This is also why all of the boys with the "Bigfoot look alike" tire and wheel combinations don't come out and play in the snow and ice. Hope that helps!

 

I've had 5 Rangers since 94,all but my most recent were 2WD.I had a 94 reg cab,96 excab Splash,an 88 reg cab an 88 GTand my newest is an 03 excab 4x4.On the 2WD up here in South Dakota,I used weight in the rear and some good snow tires,on the 03 with 4x4,it got around really good with good tires.I've got an 04 F-150 reg cab and just bought an 05 F-150 reg cab.They seem to get around the same as the Ranger,just take time to learn the Ranger...and get some good tires!

 

Its the tires. The Fix: Bridgestone Blizzak W965 "Studless Ice & Snow Tire" 245/75R16. Put them on steel wheels and only run them in the winter. Tirerack will likely have the best price.