Weight in pickup for traction?

[Nick1911]

How many pounds of sand should I load in my 2WD F250 for wintertime travel?  I put 600lbs directly over the rear axle and it helped a bunch.  Would adding more be beneficial?  APS gurus, how much weight do you keep in your pickup?

Thanks!

[Boomhauer]

I couldn't tell you...don't drive in icy/snowy conditions myself...

But I seem to recall that they make interlocking weight plates for the back of the truck if you desire something low profile.

But I'd say for my truck, 500lbs minimum...I've often heard up to 1000lbs...

[AZRedhawk44]

Back in high school I used to drive a Nissan 2WD rice pickup, up in Walla Walla Washington.  Got plenty of ice and snow there.  I'd stick about 200 pounds of sand in the back as close to the tailgate as I could keep it and that really helped a lot.  Our house was on top of a hill that was often covered with black ice, and I couldn't make it up the hill at all without weight in the back.  That little bit of sand made all the difference.

600 pounds of anything in that little truck would have squished it probably, but you've got an F250 instead of a little rice truck.  I would guess that 600 pounds would be sufficient to increasing weight and therefore rear tire compression, surface area, and friction.

Do you have more snow, or more ice?  If snow, keep the tire pressure high.  If ice, let the tire pressure out a bit.

[charby]

When I had a two wheel drive pickup, 1991 S-10. I had about 200lbs of weight in the back. I also had good tires on it and that helped out probably as much as the weight did.

I think your 600lbs is plenty but you fuel economy is going to stink.

[mtnbkr]

My dad used to put only a couple hundred pounds in the back of his 2wd Ranger.  Between that and snow tires on the rear, he never got it stuck.

Chris

[Grandpa Shooter]

I live in the mountains and had,  I repeat had, an F150 2 WD which would sit and spin if anything even remotely slippery was under a rear tire.  What I found was that without a limited slip rear end, it was useless.  It had great torque in the rear, but no traction.  I had to back up any hills, even the dip in the road I was living in.  At that time, 4 years ago, the upgrade to the rear end was about $800.  It was a great flat lander vehicle, but not a snow, ice, mud vehicle.

I traded it in for an F150 4wd and have never had to look back.  The remote land we picked up is past a section of slime (mud) and the F150 walks through it like a champ.  If you only occasionally need the traction I would spread the weight out more, half over the axle and half just in front of the axle.

What tires are you running with?  The deep tread tires with self cleaning angling are a must here.  Traditional mud and snow (all weather tires) won't cut it.  It is a balance of engine, tires, and traction.  Might take some juggling to get it right.

[Perd Hapley]

I was once told you should use enough wait that the body of the truck is level with the ground, instead of being angled up toward the back, as it would be with an empty bed.  Any more than that, and you lose traction with the front tires.  I don't know if that's true, but it makes sense to me. 

Last winter, I posted a whine about how my newly-purchased Tacoma was useless in snow.  Then I remembered that the back tires had been nearly bald when I purchased it.  With suitable tires, and some weight, it is just fine.  [sheepish smiley]

[Bogie]

Plus, all the tires and axles and weight in the world won't cut it if you don't know how to drive on ice.
 
Play chess. Think a few moves ahead, and worry more about stopping or turning than starting. Sure, your Super SUV may be able to get going, but Sir Issac Newton hates it... It isn't going to want to stop, and it isn't going to want to turn.
 
I drive a subcompact fwd car, and I've taken it places in snow/ice that a lot of other folks wouldn't believe... Start slow, stay slow, don't stop...
 
No sudden moves. Sudden moves piss Sir Issac off. Now is the time to pay attention to driving, and not to the radio or the heater or the kids. Tie them to the roof rack.
 
When you start, do so with an eggshell under your throttle foot. Idle is your friend. You can rock out of darn near anything, if you don't start spinning. When you spin, you polish and dig deeper. If you sense spinning, stop, and take your folding shovel out of the truck, and stuff some dirt/gravel from the side of the road under the tire.

[Tallpine]

Back in high school I used to drive a Nissan 2WD rice pickup, up in Walla Walla Washington.  Got plenty of ice and snow there.  I'd stick about 200 pounds of sand in the back as close to the tailgate as I could keep it and that really helped a lot.  Our house was on top of a hill that was often covered with black ice, and I couldn't make it up the hill at all without weight in the back.  That little bit of sand made all the difference.

600 pounds of anything in that little truck would have squished it probably, but you've got an F250 instead of a little rice truck.  I would guess that 600 pounds would be sufficient to increasing weight and therefore rear tire compression, surface area, and friction.

Do you have more snow, or more ice?  If snow, keep the tire pressure high.  If ice, let the tire pressure out a bit.

I'd say that rice pickup would be about the right amount of weight in the back of an F-250 



The further back you put the weight, the more effect it will have.  Levers and all that stuff ...

[Declaration Day]

600 lbs should be fine, and I'd put it as far back as possible.

Since you'll be purchasing a heavy, bagged product to serve that function, you might as well make it rock salt.  It comes in awfully handy on ice when even weight won't help your traction.

[Nick1911]

Thanks for the advice.

I've heard that putting the weight in the far back can cause the backend to become unstable and fishtail out on ya... don't know if it's true at all or not.

It's got decent tires, though not winter tires.

Play chess. Think a few moves ahead, and worry more about stopping or turning than starting. Sure, your Super SUV may be able to get going, but Sir Issac Newton hates it... It isn't going to want to stop, and it isn't going to want to turn.

It seems all the goofball with their 4x4's tend to forget that fact when the snow starts flying each year.  That 4x4 isn't going to make you stop any faster!

I generally do alright in winter.  I tend to take it slow, and make everything a gradual, smooth operation.

I drive a subcompact fwd car, and I've taken it places in snow/ice that a lot of other folks wouldn't believe... Start slow, stay slow, don't stop...

The truck preforms better then my FWD Eagle Talon.  Might be the tires on it or something, but it will get stuck on highway entrance ramps.  Also have to really fineness the clutch to get it moving without spinning.

What tires are you running with?  The deep tread tires with self cleaning angling are a must here.  Traditional mud and snow (all weather tires) won't cut it.  It is a balance of engine, tires, and traction.  Might take some juggling to get it right

How about tire chains?  Worthwhile?

[charby]

The truck preforms better then my FWD Eagle Talon.  Might be the tires on it or something, but it will get stuck on highway entrance ramps.  Also have to really fineness the clutch to get it moving without spinning.

How about tire chains?  Worthwhile?

Chains are a pin the ass in the midwest because how fast snow pack and ice is removed.

Ever start out in 2 or 3rd gear when its slick out? I used to do that all the time with my S-10.

[Nick1911]

Ever start out in 2 or 3rd gear when its slick out? I used to do that all the time with my S-10.

I typically use second, to little avail.   

[never_retreat]

I drive a 4wd f250 sd and even with a weight of 7200 lbs, some weight in the back helps. A few years ago we had quite a bit of crappy weather and I put 2 4x8' sheets of 1" plate steel (2000lbs ish) in the bead I borrowed from work. Talk about turning the truck into a tank. One night on the way home from work with rt78 all backed up I put it in 4 wheel and drove almost 2 miles up the median threw a foot and a half of snow to get around all the traffic. This happened to be a storm that required the dot to take big loaders up the wrong side of the mountain to pull all the big trucks over the top. Bearing in mind the only thing that stopped the rigs in the first place was all the dumb asses in there suvs flipped over.


I usually just use the snow blower to fill the bead with snow. That gets me around for a few days.

[Thor]

I have a F150 and I threw in a 425 lb steel plate in the bed and bolted it down. The advantage was that I got the extra weight for the need traction for Minnesota winters and I didn't eat up the bed space with a lot of sand bags or other bulky items. It did right well for my 2WD truck in MN winters.

[Perd Hapley]

Just wanted to note that an F-250, in 2WD, with an empty bed, can be a lot of fun in an empty, icy parking lot.  One of the few benefits of working for the local mall.   

[Leatherneck]

Use smallish bags of sand or rock salt in the bed and start with about 400 lbs, working up to as much as 1K lbs in a 250. Plan ahead and stay moving. Never ever stop on a hill.

TC

[MGshaggy]

Not a pickup, but years ago I used to use nine 50lb lead bars (450 lbs.) in the back of my Mazda RX-7.  The extra weight halped a bit, but still the most important thing is like others have already said - pay attention, go slow, and think about breaking and turning well ahead of time.

[Leatherneck]

and think about breaking and turning well ahead of time.

Actually, think about NOT BREAKING   

TC

[Gewehr98]

I built a little wooden wheelwell cradle for my '01 S-10 that positions the sandbags directly over the top of the rear axle.  I have 3 each 75lb bags back there, and it does iundeed make a difference on crappy winter roads.

Closer to the tailgate is considered a no-no, you're moving the moment arm further back, creating an air-cooled VW Bug style weight distribution. My Chevy dealer even complimented me on doing the extra weight thing properly.   

[K Frame]

One of the things I'll be doing over Christmas break is buying 10 50 pound bags of coarse sand to go into the bed of Mom's F250 4WD.

Even with the 4WD it runs a LOT better in snow with the weight.

Plus, if I do get stuck, which I have done because the town doesn't plow its damned streets, there's a shovel in the back to scatter the sand.

Back when my Dad died in Feb. 2006 we had 14 inches of snow the night of his services. It then turned into nasty ice right on the apron of Mom's driveway and part way up. A few shovels full of sand and it was no problem getting in and out of the drive.

[txgho1911]

Do not forget the running start. And wait for the airhead to slide backwards and off the road before making your run up the hill.
The snow in my driveway always lands in the bed. Sometimes the neighbors driveway snow as well. If it is cold enough I may spray it down with more water to freeze it solid. I need some red coloring and make this a big snowcone. Not a yellow one.

[PTK]

FWIW, I use 400lbs in the back of my 02 Tacoma.

[RaspberrySurprise]

Sir Isaac is why I don't go any faster than 35 in town with my car during the winter. Any faster and stopping gets to be problematic when theres anything on the roads.

[mgdavis]

I kept about 400lb of sand in the bed of my F-150, positioned right above the axle. It did ok most of the time, the only times I had trouble were on ice/black ice. You definitely want to keep the weight at or ahead of the axle, too far to the back and you start levering weight off your steering tires.