Hey for anyone who has to deal with crappy snow in the winter, how much weight do you put in the back of your truck so you dont slide every where? Thanks.
Alex

 

i dont put any weight in the bed.i have a 4x4 though
if you get about 4 bags of sand they will add weight, and you can spread the sand on ice for traction.

 

150-200 lbs over the axel should help out a lot.

 

I use to put about 200 lbs of sand in the back behind the rear wheels. I had a flareside and there was indentions in the sides of the bed where you could put a piece of 2” x 6” then behind that I had a sand tube that weighed about 80 lbs and then two separate sand bags that weighed about 60 lbs each. That was all placed in the very rear behind the rear wheels in the space between the rear wheels and tailgate. It worked excellent and as was mentioned if you do happen to get stuck somewhere you have sand you can use for traction.

I had a 2 wheel drive with limited slip rear end and never had any problems…

 

Hey 01, It's been a while since I've been on here. Been busy with college. LoL! I think we had that discussion about the sandbags Winter before last if I'm not mistaken. Hey, did I tell you I'm getting ready to graduate tech college this December? Yep, I'm holding a 3.7 GPA , while majoring as an Industrial Electronics Technician. And I will be getting a better paying job soon. Very soon. I was thinking of trading in my 01 2wd f-150 for an 05 Mustang GT. But I'm not sure how the Stang would do in the snow. We only get a few bad snows here in East TN for about 3 to 4 weeks in the winter. But now I'm thinking I'm gonna double/triple up on my payments since I only owe for a little over a year until it's paid off, and just keep my 2wd f-150 to drive to work/school in the winter and try the sandbag trick. Only problem is I have the "open diff". Should that make a big difference? I have some pretty aggressive treaded A/T tires on my truck now. I think they're Mastercraft Courser A/T's. See sig. In the meantime...I'll be saving up that down-payment on the Mustang on the side. I'd drive the truck in the winter months, and drive the Stang in the three other seasons. The only problem would be switching my insurance over to my truck in the winter, but that's not a big hassle. Does that sound like a plan? Any advice is appreciated. Thanx bud.

 

I've had my truck for 4 years and never put any weight in the bed, I also have a 4x4 but most of the time I'm in 2WD. Only put it in 4 to get going on the ice. Mine does well on icy, snowy roads, it has such a long wheel base that it doesn't try to swap ends to badly. I can't remember if you have a 4x4 or 2. I'd say go with the suggested poundage, especially with a 2WD but I wouldn't worry so much about it with 4WD unless you routinely get into really sticky spots. Good luck!!

 

Peacemaker,

Congratulations of school, that is AWESOME!!!!!!!

Personally, I think you would be ok with the 05 GT. Just have to take it easy in snow and put about 150lbs or so of sand bags in the trunk, which just like our trucks helps a lot.

Since I bought my Lightning last Feb I went and bought a beater for $500, best damn money I ever spent. It’s an 87 Dodge 4-banger that I use for store runs, back and forth to work on crappy days and during winter.

I would highly suggest, if at all possible, that if you do get the 05 GT find a beater for those days you don’t trust “the other” drivers on the road. $500 is very cheap for peace of mind.

Again, congrads and really glad to see you around again…

 

Thanks, I do have a 2WD and i stuck about 300lbs in the back...didn't do to bad for the first snow fall of the year.

Alex

 

I was surprised to hear there are drivers that don't add extra weight to the back - except for in cases where we had a cap on the back, we ALWAYS put weight in the back of our trucks... Now I'm tempted to try it without this winter...

 

Umm, I'm sorry, but you're from Calgary and you're asking for opinions on what you need for weight for traction. Are you new to this weather, or Alberta? Hey, I got an idea, how bout all those old Flames flags from the playoffs last spring? If you bundle up a few thousand of those, that should be good for a couple hundred pounds. I'm an Alberta boy too, so I can say that.

 

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Good idea 01! My truck does ok in the winter, but like you said its the other drivers you have to watch out for. If I'm going to get hit by another vehicle sliding at me on ice, I'd rather be in a $500 beater than my 01 Ford. So, I might try to sell my truck, or trade it in or something. Thanks for the advice, and it's good to be back. Peace...

 

i lived in alexandria minnesota last winter with a 2wd open axle truck. i put 200 lb over the rear axle and i never got stuck once.

 

Well, thats very promising info. I'll try the sand bags and see how they do. But I'd like to find an older subaru awd car to beat around in during the wintertime.

 

Hey, I've got another idea for you. How bout dumping in one of those "mad cow's" that we Canadians are swamped with now. Nobody can eat em, so we might as well use their dead weight for something. Now you'll have traction to get to the grocery store to pay for some high priced beef that you can eat thanks to the "foreign packers".

 

and use the horns as a hood ornament!


seriously, 2wd, open axle for the three pickups (first one being a super light Ranger) I drove between 86 to June 04 (4x4 now). Screw weight. The secret is in the tires. Get some damn good snow tires and you will plow right through snow. Weight will improve the traction, but a good snow tire will do fine on its own. For what its worth, the crap they put on new vehicles now are really 3 season tires.