(800) 853-2651
SHOP NOW

OT: 2WD Pickup - Suggestion for weight for this winter?

D

dstates

Member
So I just purchased my first truck. Yeah, I live in town. I know most people buy the sand bags to add weight to the rear tires during the winter, but I thought it would be better if I could buy something I might actually use for something else some day. I'd probably just buy some suitcase weights if I found some cheap, but I don't really have a use for those, either. [b:a81f613e1b]Any other suggestions???[/b:a81f613e1b]
 
rr track 60 lbs per ft 3 ft. over each wheel ought to do it and plenty of room left. bolt to bed and your good to go al
 
Old farmer fix is about 1/2 load of firewood, but maybe you don't burn wood. I don't put anything in mine unless I absolutely have to, reduces mileage cause you're hauling excess weight. Yes, I have a 2WD 1/2 ton, live in the country in Michigan and haven't been snowed in in a long time. So I don't put anything in the truck unless I really have to do it.
 
Most bags of salt come in plastic bags now a days, you could just use salt bags for weight, but maybe you have no use for that much salt when winter is over. Around here we just feed it to cattle. I have always heard not to use big heavy metal/cast for weight, if your in an accident it might end up in the cab with you. I hit an approach with a pickup several winters ago and the steel jack, and several tools I had in the box ended up on the seat beside me when i wrecked.
 
I live in the country and I use 4 Sand Logs. That's what they are called and each weigh 70 pounds. If there was an accident they wouldn't be as aggressive as steel or some other materials flying around. Also if you get stuck you could open one and use the sand for traction.I have a full size 1/2 ton pick up.
 
To get the most benefit, keep the extra weight as far behind the rear axle as possible. Suitcase weights would be expensive and they are easy to steal and sell.

Alternative weights:
1. Used railroad ties: 100 to 200 lbs each for $5 to $10.
2. Shovel snow into the bed. Lay a board behind the wheel wells to keep the snow in the back of the bed and lay a tarp or heavy plastic under where the snow will be to make removal easier. Cheap but labor intensive. Melts away in spring. Try not to use snow with road salt mixed in so the pickup bed and frame don't rust as fast.
3. Same as #2 except use bulk sand, dirt or gravel instead of snow.
 
Cement blocks were a good choice for me; But I have to say I like the railroad track suggestion better if You need room in the bed. Standard 8 x 16 blocks were running $.98 at Menards a few months ago. Probably 15 - 25 blocks would work for most people. The railroad track might be pretty pricey.
 
I stack sand bags right behind the cab. Blocks and hard weights can be deadly in an accident. You want the weight ahead or above the rear axle.
 
I have a 55 gallon plastic drum full of salt water. Fits in a 2x4 frame I bolted together that sits behind wheel wells, and against rear of box. Strap it down with a couple rachet straps. Salt in wateer to keep it from freezing and splitting the drum. Mine is a 4wd with diesel up front, so put weight behind rear wheels to get most advantage on rear wheels.
 
All you guys putting weight behind the rear axel are making your
truck want to swap ends on a curve if the road is slick.
 
I took the flywheel off my parts baler, bolted some crossbars to it so it would stay behind the wheel wells. I put it in with the loader. If it's really bad I put buckets of sand between the bars.
 

I use 4 bags of shelled corn. Put each bag in a hevy garbage bag and tie it shut to keep it dry. If you do get stuck, throw the corn under your tires for traction. Then the critters can eat what you left.
 
Grandpas farm truck is 2wd and if they are calling for a heavy snow, he would toss a round bale of hay in the back right at the front of the box. when not needed, just lift it back out
 
Simple, just do like you do with a farm tractor.
fill your rear tires with Calcium Chloride solution.
It won't freeze, and you get the weight where you
need it, at the axle; it also helps by lowering your
vehicles center-of gravity which makes for better
handling on icy roads.
 
Adding weight behind the rear axle is just begging an accident. Weight over the rear axle, and a little ahead is even better. Think of the front just plowing ahead, while you need to turn.
 
So is your drive way paved or gravel?? If gravel put some gravel in the bed behind the rear end and that way you have weight plus gravel for your driveway. Did that many many times over the years when I had 2 wheel drive truck and the gravel will help get you unstuck because you can throw it under the tire for traction
 
I used a 4x4x1 wood box that I filled with lime stone.Made a frame on the front to keep it about 18 inches from the front of the bed.I'd put a piece of plastic on top of the lime and cover it with a ply wood lid.The lime stayed dry and wouldn't freeze.If I needed a little traction I'd just shovel some lime out.That's easy to do when you live a mile from the quarry.Good Luck.
 
Something that doesn't move around or fly forward for one. I use a couple of railroad ties, one on each side length front to back, butted up against the front of the bed. I use them for fence posts, so are most definately useable. Years back I made the mistake of using a couple of iron big block chevy heads that weighed a lot back at the tailgate, not fixed, just setting. They always did ok until one day I had to jam on the breaks hard. They came sliding the length of the bed like rockets and hit the front of the bed so hard, that they tore it from the bed bottom, bending it out of shape and pushing against the back of the cab, and next thing you know, my pickup started wheel hopping forward a few steps because the hit was so vicious. That was one very hard hit that got my attention, and screwed up a perfect bed until then. If you are going to use something physically big or fasten it down, keep it against the front of the bed at the back of the cab...not against the tailgate where it can and will fly forward at some point. I learned my lesson, so a couple of railroad ties, one each side, front to back, against the front of the bed. They don't move and weigh balanced across the axle.

Good luck.

Mark
 
2 square bales straw or hay doesn't matter (whatever's cheapest and available).
They will soak up a lot of water the first rain or snow.
They'll stay wet and heavy all winter, when you're done put them in the garden and till them under.
 
I'm in MN. Think I've run into knowing 2 people with 2wd pickups. One was a livestock hauler with a goosenect trailer, he got stuck in my yard of course, the other fellas all say yea, they have to be careful where they send him....

And my BiL, he was from Va and even tho he's been up here for decades, he just can't get over his southern biases. ;) He went down to Oklahoma to by a pickup, couldn't find any 2wd's in the area.

I see a lot of folk stick 4 bags of softener salt near or even above the wheel whells in brackets, to get some weight on the rear axle.

--->Paul
 
Back when they drove 2wd pickups, some buddies of mine used old railroad ties for weight when it was slick. It worked, sort of, if you loaded up about 6 or 8 and had good rear snowtires.

But now it is almost hard to find a newer pickup that is not 4wd in this area. They just do not seem to sell many with only the rear wheels for propulsion. If you plan to drive a pickup in the winter where it snows much, I think that having 4wd is the only way to go.

Years ago, my Uncle, who would now be about 105 if he had lived, always said that having 4wd only allowed someone to get stuck worse. He would not buy a 4x4, although he sure could have afforded it. He went all over Montana in his pickups, but I know he always carried tire chains, a long cable and a winch to pull his truck out when it got stuck here or there. It worked for him, but I HATE chaining up and down. And if you need to get somewhere at a specific time, manually winching your truck out can really mess up you schedule.

Having had several 2wd pickups and several 4wd pickups over the years, I think it would be really hard to sell me a 2wd if I had any plan of driving it in the winter. 4wd just works better for me. Good luck!
 
When I was a kid, We had a neighbor who put a 4'x8'x 14" steel plate in the bed of his 57 chevrolet long narrow Pickup. He had no problems, and it wasn't in the way when he wanted to haul something.
 
Oh, and by the way, all but one of my trucks are 4x4. 2x4 actually does better on snowy roads or highways. I do not lock in my hubs or engage my transfer case for road use, and not for very long, very far, and certainly not at highwy speed if I do. My experience is the 4x4s on slick snowy roads without the front ends engaged are some of the worst handling vehicles anyone will ever experience, beginning with my first, a '69 K20 Chevy with Dana 70s all around. Absolutely miserable on slick snowy roads, because again, they were not designed to be engaged on roads or highway, and not for long or at highway speeds. Nothing has changed since then. My Cummins 4x4 Dodges are just as miserable on slick snowy roads in 2 wheel drive. I picked up a 2x4 half ton short bed V6 a couple of year ago as my beater and put Cooper Discoverer M+S all the way around for winter, and it puts the others to shame on snowy roads with railroad ties in the bed. No comparison what so ever. Not even close.

Mark
 
I think you might mean 4" x 8" x 14". 4'x 8' x 14" would weigh over 18,000 lbs. Maybe you mean 1/4" plate? The problem with steel weights is they would slide around if not anchored properly.
 
dstates, A buddy of mine would go snow skiing in the Mountains of Colorado every winter. He always carried plastic Garbage bags in his truck. As he got closed to his destination and the weather got colder and crappier, slick, snow packed roads he would stop at a Service Station and start filling the several garbage sacks with water in the back of the pick. Making large water bladders, Hence the water freezes in the plastic sack (8 lbs/ gal) It didn't take too much to really improve traction and ride on slick roads.
Best Part.....
As he started going Home, just take your pocket knife and cut a big slit the plastic sack. As you head home to warmer temperatures the water melts, and runs out the back of the Pu and then hardest thing you have to do is throw the plastic sacks in a trash can somewhere!
Sure beats having heavy tractor wts or plate steel sliding around in the pack of the Pu. Especially if you were to be in a wreck and you really really do not want those things sliding around in the back unsecured! Also having to Load and later Unload them too.
Water Is FREE, No cost at Service Station or even your House!!!!
Hope this helps.
Later,
John A.
 
When it snows just shovel the bed heaped up with snow, I'm sure your gonna shovel the sidewalk anyway. It won't have to be secured or unloaded, unless you need the bed for something else.
 
I go downtown after the heavy snows, and find a Street Drpartment loader moving snow, and ask him to dump in a half scoop or so, in the bed. Weighs her down just right, and melts away as it warms up.
 
If your pickup doesn't have a locking differential, consider having one installed. You don't mention if the truck is new or not, but if it's used and has around 100K on it it's about due for rear end work anyway; adding a posi unit at the same time will add maybe 500 bucks to the cost of a rear end job. It will be the best money you ever spent.

Locking rear differential and a few hundred pounds of weight isn't the same as four wheel drive, but it's close enough if you're not going off-roading.
 

As MJ Brown says NOT BEHIND REAR AXLE!!!! VERY DANGEROUS!!!!!! In a curve it is pulling the back of your truck sideways, so you will loose traction in a curve at a slower speed than if you truck were empty. The weights help traction due to gravity in straight forward motion, and they help the centrifugal force pulling your truck sideways in a curve.
 
Depends on the truck you have. Compact truck will only need maybe 50 lb. Mid-size truck (Tundra, Daokta, etc) about 100 lb. 1/2 ton full size a little more ans 3/4 ton up well even more.
The next question is "Do you use the ged in the winter to haul stuff?" If so you need something that is out of the way like lead ballast.
I started with a '79 Toyota, 2 wheel drive, and had the good fortune to get 50 lb lead ballast weights the Navy uses--one behind each rear wheel worked great, but was a little heavy.
Nest was a mid-size Jeep Commanche, 4 wheel drive, and the lead wasn't quite enough but worked and now I have a chevy 2500HD 4X4 and i put 2X4s across the wheel wells then put 5 5gal bucket full of sand and the lead in it works but the bed doesn't get used till spring.
Yes with the weight that far back you pay attention because it is like a weight on a string. But it also reduces the amount of weight needed and it you're not paying attention in slick conditions YOU will have an accident.

Now if you use your bed either carry a shovel and load the bed when you get stuck or go but some excess steel (drops) and lay it in the bed.

If you don't think you need weight in a 4X4 don't drive around me cause again you're going to cause an accident.
 
We haven't had a bad winter down here in several years. Several years ago
we had several bad winters that had snow and ice on the roads for a couple of months. I took an old 15.5x38 tractor tube and filled it with water and put it in the front of the bed. That left the back for hauling feed. Like others have said keep the weight in front of the axle.
 
I use an old front tractor tire filled with concrete and an eye bolt to lift with. I already had the tire and the concrete was fairly cheap. Someone admired it so much they tried to steal it while my truck was sitting in a parking lot. They got it slid to the back of the bed before giving up. I figure if someone wants it that bad and is willing to go to that much work they can have it. I can make another real easy.
 
I have a Dakota 2 wheel and I have 10 bags of play sand in the bed and I want it as far forward as I can get it in the bed because you also want the weight to work with the front brakes to keep the tires from sliding on ice and I do have the heavier engine. On previous trucks I used a bunch of concrete blocks. Only 4 wheel drive I ever owned was a 4 door Geo Tracker. This is northwest Ohio. All weight behind the axle you lift the front tires so that gets you having for stopping the same as having no front brakes. And the weight on back will make truck want to wander.
 
I have had two 2wd trucks . The half ton ford I put a stack of oak in the bed right above the axle , had to replace a few pieces now and then after a trip to town . The heavy 3/4 chevy got two concret parking bumpers one on each side , they left plenty of room for hauling . Tires are a big part of the picture . Get a snowtire , the all-terrains are not any good in snow . A set of chains behind the seat is a good Idea also . I have a set of old style bias-ply deep treads on rims I put on in the winter , all the difference in the world on my 4x4 .
 
OK I do live in snow country. I have also owned 2X4 trucks and would buy another. Most often I've never needed weight in the rear of one but.....


1. Check your state laws. Some states it's illegal to use anything hard that can become a projectile in an accident.

2. Weight centered 6-12 inches in front of the center of the rear axle. That puts most of the wieght on the rear and little on the front so you don't loose steering.

3. Good tires are a must. Your high mileage tires like the ones rated at 80-90K miles are not what you want. The rubber id harder to make em last longer and tehy don't grip as well. Snow tires on all four corners is not a bad idea.

4. In snow and ice the gas pedal is not your friend. Take it easy. That don't mean you can run the speed limit, just watch the accelaration.

Most cars are 4X2 so why shouldn't your truck drice in the snow too? Here most of the vehicles I see in the ditch in the winter are 4X4s cause they guys think they can lock it down in 4x4 and drive 60 MPH when road conditions are say good for about 45 MPH max.

Rick
 
I am really surprised at some of the suggestions that have been expressed here.

Never put weight behind rear axle. It takes the weight off front wheels, and moves your CG back to far.

Any weight that is not secured will move forward when you stop in a hurry.

Hard items will become projectiles in an accident, that is why you should use soft items like hay, sand bags or salt bags.
 
somebody else beat me to it - I use a couple of junk hay bales right behind the toolbox.

Best to keep the weight centered or towards the rear axle - certainly not over it or past it otherwise your rearend acts like a big pendulum if it slips.

I also keep a little sand right behind the hay bales.

It adds more weight, but if I ever DO get stuck, a combination of a few handfuls of hay and sand will get you out of a lot of tough spots.

Of course, I have 4wd and I can't remember ever getting stuck in snow or ice - but it's there in case.

Used to get stuck more times than I care to remember with 2wd.
 
How about an extra fuel tank for weight
a91381.jpg
 
LSD's are not your friend in regular winter driving. Yes they can get you up hills etc but the truck gets sideways something fast. On a driveway with some side slope you can't be agressive with them or your arse end drops sideways.
 
i dont have that problem,mine are all farm trucks,normally i have the problem of not having enough room left to haul more junk! normaly there would be at least a inch of dirt in the bottom.plow shares,cultivator shanks,tool boxes,gas cans,feed,chains,fence streachers,odds and ends of everything generally give me enough weight!LOL
 
Ken, I agree that posi rear ends can be a handful. However, having done both with and without (including one pickup that was converted), I definitely want it on any rear wheel drive vehicle I own. In fact, I always specify the locking rear differential option when ordering four wheel drive vehicles; it's well worth the extra cost.
 
weight can be anything, most usefull is sand bags not only do they work, but if you do get stuck the sand bags can be cut open and the sand used to make a 'road' to help you get unstuck , you can also use sand from a sand and gravel pit and fill trash cans too, but strap them down and i mean with at least 2 nice big yellow straps and ratchets for each can,those cans are very heavy and if they break loose they will destroy your truck! weight needs to be from the axle center-line forward, not behind it, you also need some weight on the front to help brake and steer too, as important as weight is, the tires are also as important, in snow and ice you want a narrow aggressive tire like a mud and snow tire with open tread and sidewalls not a all season tread most of them load up with snow and wont self clean , the 3rd part of the formula is driving skill, a properly equipped 2wd with a skilled driver can go almost any place on-road, within reason, that a 4x4 can , people will argue that but i spent most of my life doing just that, and i live in the mountains not the flat, there are online training courses you can study to learn how to drive on the slick stuff, remember for the first 50 years of the auto there were no 4x4's for the citizens, it took wwll for the advantages of all wheel drive to hit the main stream gi's returning from battle, having driven jeeps and trucks with 4x4 wanted the same go anywhere ability they had in the military, the rest is history
 
I ran 2 wd trucks for decades. Still do. All we ever did is put a couple grain bags full of salted sand from the town road pile in the back of the truck as far back as we could get it. I never, ever recall myself of anyone else having problems with swapping ends doing that. Maybe it's because we drive in snow from October to May most years and don't try and break land speed records. We also ran real snow tires like the old style Firestone Town and Countrys or the Hercules Terra Tracks.

You want to swap ends fast? Put your truck in 4wd and let off on the gas in a corner. Presto-change-o!
 
I had an s10 years ago and tried putting different things in the bed in the winter what I found is that it helped most with is not being able to stop as quick as with no weight. It seemed to get around better with no weight in back with good snow tire on the back.
 
I'd agree. I know a lot of the older pickups had such a heavy front end bias that the rear end really needed extra weight to even them out. That big cast iron tiller wheel sitting in an old rubber tire helped give the old IH pickup a little more traction but it should have been firmly attached to the back of the truck box we found out later. That truck needed about half a ton of weight to give it traction, even with IH "power lok differential".
I've use 2wd pickups for years getting around the farm and a snow drifted half mile driveway. Since I have gone to four wheel drive with snow tires all around I know I have gone places that would have left me stuck with the old 2wd pickup.
If you run a 2 wd pickup here you better have a snowmobile loaded up in the box for weight and then to drive for help after you get stuck. :lol:
 

Don't know if it's cost effective, but a sheet of 1/4" steel cut to fit would be the ticket. Next and prolly more practicle is figger the ideal weight you want to have, add a hundred pounds then buy, find, or build a container to hold that much sand (better yet, slag, cinders, or fine gravel) in the right spot. That extra hundred pounds will give you sumpin to help out if you get yourself stuck.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

B
Suitcase weights for my 4020?
Replies
4
Views
447
larryanderson
L
B
Questions re: Ford 800 Series for 1st tractor
2 3
Replies
46
Views
4K
showcrop
showcrop
L
Front weights for JD630
Replies
4
Views
698
centash
C
M
Getting the 226d ready for winter
Replies
0
Views
928
Laynes69-HT
L
jd2cyl1943
Here's the story of my JD Bs restoration up to this poi
2
Replies
26
Views
2K
jd2cyl1943
jd2cyl1943
Tractor Parts Tractor Manuals

We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today.

Copyright © 1997-2024 Yesterday's Tractor Co.

All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of any part of this website, including design and content, without written permission is strictly prohibited. Trade Marks and Trade Names contained and used in this Website are those of others, and are used in this Website in a descriptive sense to refer to the products of others. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy TRADEMARK DISCLAIMER: Tradenames and Trademarks referred to within Yesterday's Tractor Co. products and within the Yesterday's Tractor Co. websites are the property of their respective trademark holders. None of these trademark holders are affiliated with Yesterday's Tractor Co., our products, or our website nor are we sponsored by them. John Deere and its logos are the registered trademarks of the John Deere Corporation. Agco, Agco Allis, White, Massey Ferguson and their logos are the registered trademarks of AGCO Corporation. Case, Case-IH, Farmall, International Harvester, New Holland and their logos are registered trademarks of CNH Global N.V.

Yesterday's Tractors - Antique Tractor Headquarters
Website Accessibility Policy

Back
Top