Trucks in winter

[truegrit]

this will be my wifes first year driving a two wheel drive pickup in snow. how much sand/salt should I add to the bed for traction it's a 1/2 ton long bed

 

[SavageEagle]

this will be my wifes first year driving a two wheel drive pickup in snow. how much sand/salt should I add to the bed for traction it's a 1/2 ton long bed

At least 300lbs. That's how much I always made sure to add. Usually we put as much weight in the back that would equal what the motor weighed in the front. Not that there was any science involved in that thinking, it was just what we did. 300 was just our minimum. But in case we needed salt to help out a neighbor we always had extras in the back. And if we went below 300lbs, we just added more.

 

[truegrit]

thanks that's about what I was figuring I no longer drive and if this truck fish tails on her she'll want to get rid of it (can't have that)

 

[SavageEagle]

Oh it's gonna fishtail regardless... Better teach her how to control one or you can most certainly kiss it goodbye!

 

[misconfig]

I keep 350 pounds of sand in the back, when we get heavy wet snow I shovel the driveway and fill the truck up.

Don't forget to disperse the weight evenly over the rear axle.

 

[truegrit]

I've tried to tell her don't get spooked but she's used to front wheel drive cars looks like it's time for some parking lot practice

 

[mskendall]

Can't fight the inevitable too much. I fishtail a little every winter but i find it easier than FWD. I usually do 2-300 lbs. and still take it easy.

 

[indoorsoccerfrea]

oh wow, i have one and it royally sucks in the winter. basically what everyone else said, with emphasis on having her practice. a lot of people panic and freeze up when they start to fishtail, which is suicide. make sure she gets practice doing donuts in the snow/ice at a flat parking lot so she knows how to get it back in control.

 

[truegrit]

yea she freaked last year after slideing in our 2wd blazer although it an S-10 and she'd drivin it for a couple years it was the first time she'd slid I think she's just not used to ice being from California so she panics

 

[SavageEagle]

yea she freaked last year after slideing in our 2wd blazer although it an S-10 and she'd drivin it for a couple years it was the first time she'd slid I think she's just not used to ice being from California so she panics

Panic on Ice at 30mph is what caused this...

HIT THE PARKING LOTS!!!!!

 

[indoorsoccerfrea]

Find a big empty parking lot with no cement median-like things, just a flat open field of asphalt. Make her get up to speed and have her hit the brakes and turn the wheel, basically just get her into crazy situations and coach her out of it, then let her try by herself. I've done this for fun for years, and while it pays to be cautious driving in bad conditions, knowing how to handle a car when sliding is vital to avoiding wrecks.

 

[SavageEagle]

Find a big empty parking lot with no cement median-like things, just a flat open field of asphalt. Make her get up to speed and have her hit the brakes and turn the wheel, basically just get her into crazy situations and coach her out of it, then let her try by herself. I've done this for fun for years, and while it pays to be cautious driving in bad conditions, knowing how to handle a car when sliding is vital to avoiding wrecks.

Any time the snow falls or the ice hits, I'm all out in it! I'm so looking forward to it this year! The old Plainfield Walmart parking lot is FAIRLY empty. There are poles, but spaced pretty far apart and easy to see. School parking lots also work wonders. Just leave your lights on at night. TRUST ME.

 

[indoorsoccerfrea]

There is a school sports parking lot by me, the size of two football fields side-by-side. Nothing is more fun than spinning crazily on ice at 40+ mph...
When you get good, it's also fun to find small parking lots with a lot of concrete curb sections in the middle for drifting around.

 

[mainjet]

Go to home depot and buy tube sand. It comes in a 3 foot long plastic woven bag. I think that they are 60 lbs. each. Throw 5-6 of those in there over the wheels and block it in front and back with a 2x4 to hold it over the wheels.

These tubes are easy to load and unload. In the spring I just take them out and stack them in the garage for the next year. If you need more or less in the truck it's easy to remove or add.

 

[22lr]

Or you can build a form fitting concrete rig. Use a plywood floor (matched to truck bed), add 6-8inch sides add concrete to top, insert many hooks and let dry. Use a forklift to put in truck bed and presto, a good weighted rear end thats easy to take on and off.

A bit overkill though, and you need a forklift/bobcat.

 

[SavageEagle]

Last winter I used bricks and concrete blocks I gathered from white river by the dam. I put up 2 long boards the width of the bed between the wheel wells and the tailgate. I placed two more boards on the outside of the back board facing the tailgate to support the back board from breaking. Essentially I built a box that didn't move, but wasn't nailed or drilled and easily removed.

Then I placed all the bricks and block between the two boards. I probably had about 500lbs in the back. It held there all winter. The only bich about it all was loading and unloading the bricks when I needed to use the bed....

 

[stilllearning09]

I put 10 bags of 35# cat litter. I have cats, so it's an easy storage for winter, and if I ever get stuck, I have the litter for traction.

 

[Feign]

I always put ~200 lbs when I had a 2WD truck. I've got a 4x4 truck this year so I'm not terribly concerned. I had a Subaru for the previous three years and loooooooved it with snow tires. Never got stuck or had "handling" issues once...

 

[Arm America]

Use your head when placing weight in the rear of a pickup.
Sudden stops against curbs, trees or other vehicles may cause anything
not bolted down to become airborne.

That thin peice of glass behind your head will not slow
down that frozen 300 lbs. chunk of sand 1-iota.

 

[SavageEagle]

Use your head when placing weight in the rear of a pickup.
Sudden stops against curbs, trees or other vehicles may cause anything
not bolted down to become airborne.

That thin peice of glass behind your head will not slow
down that frozen 300 lbs. chunk of sand 1-iota.

That was my concern too with the bricks. I did have a board across the top that was jammed down by another board which was held in place by the top lip of the bed, but I'm sure it wouldn't have stopped those bricks...