How much weight pickup snow

In off-road low -traction use I wanted the lightest vehicle possible, low weight means lower power required to move it, lower power required ment I could move in lower traction situation. I think the best use of carrying the sandbags is that you can empty them on the ground, increasing the traction. Carrying a old piece of carpet say 4x8 can be put down and it will allow you to move the vehicle onto a better surface helped me more than ever carrying sandbags. The truck was designed to carry a load.

The ride will improve too. That way, you can keep some useful things in the back instead of just dead weight. Plowing in a 2wd vehicle??? Maybe in Texas. Not in the North East. The big sanders are 2wd…but they have about 5 tons of weight on the rear wheels.

Been there done that. Might take a long time getting home away in the middle of a snow storem if you live 5 miles. If you want a balanced truck, jack it up in the center, between the front and rear wheels, add weight to the bed until the front and the rear of the truck hang balance at the same level.

How do you conclude I advocated plowing with a 2wd truck? Tried rocks once but they slide all over. Look at it this way, Here in Tucson one of our mountain roads gets closed when even a little snow accumulates. Must be hard on the drive train though. My 2wd Ford ranger with no weight in the back got around just fine, better than the 2wd toyota I had before it, WI winters are not as bad as driving in the mountains, good winter driving skill is better than lbs of sandbags in my mind.

The 2x4 H is a good idea for sure. That said, the projectile aspect is why they make "headache racks" which are those big metal screens that cover the rear windows. I have a LS in my and I dont notice it at all in the snow, but with a diesel and all the weight up front you basically drive in front wheel drive.

Now my jeep with full time lockers front and rear could be out performed on a snowy road by a vette. As its a long box even less weight over rear axial than standard so I think going to need more weight than you guys as I assume you have standard boxes..

Intend on building frame and throwing in tires with rims from car weight and see how that goes. One thing after thinking about it that doesn't make sence. If the weight is farther back than the axials won't that add more weight to the rear axials? By taking some weight off the front. Lets say you put lbs 2 feet back of the rear axial, and there is 10 feet between the axials.

Won't the increased weight on the rear axail be lbs? I've got a '91 Toyota 4WD, and that thing slides like a bitch That's just first year engineering. And you're unloading the front axle by pounds. A trailer does an even better job since the ball is further back.

Probably high school physics. If you had a beam attached to the truck bed of infinite stiffness and no mass, who long would it have to be to be able to sit on it and lift up the front wheels. It does ease up the front a bit, but the engine is still pretty heavy and the seesaw effect up front is pretty minimal. I mean, the front isnt getting any lighter. Moving the weight further back though does help in the back, and every little bit helps.

IMO the conventional wisdom regarding weight over the axle instead of all the way to the rear has more to do with lateral balance than fore aft. EG: putting all that weight aft of the axle makes the rear end whippy in corners. EG: putting all that weight aft of the axle makes the rear end whippy in corners exactly. Rich Senior member. Oct 11, 0 0. Hiya, I just got a small pickup a couple of months ago, 97 Ford Ranger 4 Cyl stick shift and I was wondering how much weight I should use in the bed for snow traction?

I am currently using Lbs in sand bags and I think that may be a tad to much.. I just took my first decent length trip since adding the bags and traction was good, but I noticed that I used much more gas than normal. That is not good because I bought the thing because of the good gas mileage So how much weight should I use?

And how much do you use? I am in Michigan so snow can be severe at times. Thanks Peace Rich. Oct 10, 3, 0 I put in pounds in the back of my brother's truck when I used it in the snow. I think is a bit much but this gives you the chance to test it out in a snow-filled parking lot. Get cracking and lets us know of the results.

Feb 18, 84 0 0. I have a 98 ranger v6 3. I live in Milwaukee, WI and have never really had problems with that much, although lbs sounds like alot. I would test it, as cmv said, with different weights and see what is best for your vehicle. I would also like to know what works best for you. Apr 10, 1, 0 0. Whoozyerdaddy Lifer.

Jun 27, 19, 1 Why would you buy a 2WD pickup? I used to have an S Never had to put anything in the back. For years I've driven a two-wheel-drive pickup truck, not really needing a four-wheel-drive vehicle. However, in the winter, when it does snow, I traditionally throw sandbags in the bed to increase traction. The thing is I don't know really how much weight makes a difference or if it's safe to do so.

I realize trucks are designed to carry weight beyond the weight of the vehicle itself much more than a car. But what is the optimal weight to carry? Is there any rule of thumb about how much weight to add to a standard half-ton pickup to increase traction without adversely affecting handling, not to mention gas mileage?

The whole idea behind a pickup truck's architecture is to carry significant amounts of cargo, as opposed to a passenger car which consists of the passenger compartment and room for a couple of suitcases in the trunk. Now, in today's society we see many pickup trucks with unused, empty cargo beds.

Your guess is as good as mine, but this is where a traction problem comes about. Since the truck was designed to carry a payload, an empty cargo bed leaves very little weight on the rear axle, and therefore limited traction at the rear wheels.