okay guys, this is my first truck- previous was the jeep, so handling and snow is a bit different [understandably].

3.73 ls 4x4
every corner the backend flies loose regardless of being in 4 or not- well, less often in 4hi, but, still occurs... bed's empty- how much help would putting some bags of sand or so in the bed- if so, how much (lbs)? (ive got a tonneau, so im not worried about making a mess of it all-)

appreciate it-
jj

 

Sand bags would help a lot, however I really don't know how much weight.

 

Weight in the back DOES help.. it also hurts.

It wont be as easy to slide with the weight in the back, but once you start sliding, its harder to stop. More wieght= more inertia.

Last year, we had a bunch of snow here.. I went out and shoveled snow from my driveway into the bed of my truck... I put ALOT back there. also I deflated the tires down for a wider foot print.

SO I'd say, add some weight back there and lower the PSI in the rear tires to about 25 or so.... and brake early because once you add weight, its harder to slow down..
Add a lot of wieght too.. like 400 LBS or more at the very back of the bed.. next to the CAB, .

Good Luck!

 

Huh?


I would say, get some snow tires or put about 200 lbs in the bed.

 

yea thats what i figured with the inertia--- as for the tires lol- im rolling on a 12.5" print already- any wider i may as well strap some snowboards to the rims!! thanks guys- heading over to home depot when i get out of studio today!

 

Add weight but keep it reasonable. Also keep the weight near the center of gravity either directly over the axle or in front of the axle. I would absolutely NOT recomend putting the weight at the rear of the bed at the tailgate. The idea is to add weight to the rear while trying to keep your center of gravity as close to the center of the vehicle as possible. I cant imagine trying to control 400lbs of weight at the tailgate if the thing gets loose. Another thing is what kind of shape are your tires in?

 

If it was me....I'd had start with 200 and work your way up. Make sure you place them inbetween the wheel wells and snug them down somehow so they don't move.

 

sweet- well, im on Toyo Open Country M/T's right now, 3mos old.- other than that, the stock rugged trails are in the closet. i think if i get a few 80lb sands i can wedge them between the wells pretty good- the bed is line-x'd so, they should get to sliding- that weight should really help me out on incline starts too-
thx-

 

My last truck was a 5.4 2wd w/ a 3.73 LS rear (pretty modded to). I NEVER got stuck, I slid once (but I was out before the plows). I put sand in the bed right behind the cab(around 300lbs) and about 100lbs in the cab (sounds funny but it works). I would say get some snow tires, also the slimmer the tread the better the traction (in the snow). I will be doing the same with my 05 2wd 4.6 w/ TreuTrac LS and 4.10s (not modded yet ) , I am not worried, you should'nt worry either.
Good Luck
Happy shoveling lol
Later
M V

sometimes inertia can be fun

 

Keep in mind that any MT tire is generally not a great snow tire on packed/icy roads. They're great offroad in the snow but that's a whole different ball of wax. One thing that helped my MT/R's on my Jeep was to have them siped. Some people say it doesnt help but I know it did for my Wrangler, but the wrangler was probably 40% the weight the f150 is.

 

lol- yea inertia is fun---just not when you get it going with cars in the oncoming lane! hahaa!... i have no problem letting it loose on an open road (learned to drive on this stuff, but never in a truck) i just need it to be controllable in said situations. no problems with getting stuck at all- the truck rocks- we got 14 inches the other day, with 8 expected tonight, it just rolls over everything while the muds may not be appropriate for winter weather, they sure do make a mess of whatever you drive through, and whoever is following too close afterwards and the look is awesome. they arent friends of glazed hard pack or ice- polished up the parking lot pretty good the other day.

appreciate all the responses-
drive safe!

 

400LB?!?!

Are you serious?!?!

Talk about the epitome of everkill!

I use to use three 40LB bags of gravel on my 2000 Lariat Scab 2WD [across the dead-center over the whell arches, NOT across the back of the bed which makes NO sense whatsoever] when it snowed and never had a problem with sliping or sliding. Before I had them, I was "drifting" like a ricer on a back road.

IMHO, 400LB is overkill .. .. .. not to mention your MPG will increase noticably. Silly actually as our trucks weigh a sheet load as it is .. .. ..

Your call, but safe driving.

 

Another option for weight is that water bag system called "Shur Trax". Put it in the bed, fill it with how much water weight you want, tie it down, and drive around.

 

thats pretty interesting kd4crs- know anyone with one? i just looked at it- i wonder if they really do anchor that thing with bungee cords...hmmm

 

Unfortunately, the wider the tire tread in snow, and mud, the worse the traction. The skinnier the tire, the better the traction because you don't get the floating effect you do with a wider tread..Skinnies don't look very good but they sure bite.. I had an old "high boy" F-100 4x4, at least thats what they were refered to in the early 70's when I lived in Oregon and I learned very quickly about the skinny tires in mud and snow. After a few times getting hung up on some isolated logging road, I went out and bought a set of them and never got in trouble again while out playing...