Winter weights for a pickup

[davitk]

In an attempt to put the importance of weight into perspective, I once owned a 1971 rear engined rear wheel drive VW camper van. I was living in Lake Tahoe at the time and working at Kirkwood, a ski resort that received well over 400 inches of snow every year. That van carried me and my buddies everywhere in all conditions (especially on pay day ) and the only time it was ever "stuck" was in the dorm parking lot during an ice storm.

Thinking back, it was about this time of year 1989, in the midst of a two day six foot "dump", crawling up a hill and beginning to lose the battle two of my buddies jumping out, popping the rear hatch and putting their weight where it counts. Ah, yes, the good old days.....

 

[Egon]

[That van carried me and my buddies everywhere in all conditions /QUOTE]

Ya but you gotta remember that in them days youthful backs that could fit in it were more than sufficient to carry it away if needed.!

 

[CurlyDave]

The more I think about the bag of calcite that came through the back window in an accident and killed the driver, the idea of putting anything heavy permanently in the bed of the truck sounds less & less appealing.

How about one of these Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices with a couple hundred pounds of sand on it? Either in sacks, or in a low box, with a piece of plywood for a bottom, and 2x4s for sides.

Anything on that carrier is going to have to go through the tailgate to hit the window, and the bed of the truck is still available for cargo.

 

[Northland]

Good idea CurlyDave but I wouldn't want to make my truck longer then it is and I would be concerned about the balance being thrown off with the extra weight so far back.

Today I am going to make a H pattern (like someone here already suggested) from some old spruce slabs I have and place my sand bags in between the wheel wells where I want to extra weight to be.

I thought about getting a Rubbermaid Roughneck box (they don't freeze or crack in the cold), filling it with sand bags and then using one or two of these http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=96811 to keep it in place. Anyone tried that? Does it work safely?

 

[CurlyDave]

I looked at those bars, and the only thing that holds them in place is friction against the sides of the bed. I think they are great for keeping a load from sliding under normal conditions, but in an accident the only thing they would do is become one more projectile headed for the back of the cab.

I recognize the extra length issues. I don't think there would be a balance problem any more than putting about twice the weight in the very back of the bed. Weight that far behind the rear axle is going to cause some weight transfer from the front axles to the rear -- desirable in this situation.

I am looking for cheap, and I already have one of the carriers I got way back when we had a motorhome, so the thing is essentially free.

If I had a sizable piece of steel scrap I would probably get a 2" trailer tube welded on and have a very safe weight.

 

[thatguy]

I have a short bed truck (6.5'), with a tool box mounted all the way forward against the cab.. To keep the flying projectiles to a minimum, would you get any benefit of placing some sort of weight (im thinking sand bags from my rifle range) under the tool box, in front of the rear axle?

Im guessing during an accident the sand bags could shift but the front of the bed would be there to contain them..

So far I have not had any problems in the snow using 4x4, BUT I also have an extra 800# of weight due to the diesel engine on the front tires.. We have also gotten very little snow the last 4 to 5 years.. :-( this year may be different though with how cold is had gotten already.

Just curious..

Brian

 

[aczlan]

I have a short bed truck (6.5'), with a tool box mounted all the way forward against the cab.. To keep the flying projectiles to a minimum, would you get any benefit of placing some sort of weight (im thinking sand bags from my rifle range) under the tool box, in front of the rear axle?

as long as your toolbox is well fastened, there shouldn't be any problems with that.

having looked at the alternatives I think I will bolt 4 short pieces of chain to the bed of the truck and strap some sandbags down with them.

Aaron Z

 

[studor]

If you are that concerned about sandbags or things in the bed of a pickup flying around in an accident get a "headache rack" -- you know the welded frame that fits side to side over the rear window -- or sell your pickup. If you think of the forces involved in a collision and the weight of some items you carry in the back of a pickup, simply tying them down or wedging them between the fender wells won't stop it from flying in a head -on collision. Having seen a fully clamped battery come right through the hood recently I can tell you if you are in a serious accident those tie downs are probably not going to do much
As for those concerned about the gas mileage decrease by carrying the extra weight, why would you by a vehicle designed to carry weight and having the resulting instabilities when empty if you don't carry the weight??
Put some weight in, buy a good set of tires and SLOW DOWN in bad weather and slippery road conditions -- I'd feel a whole lot better driving on the same road as you if I knew you did those things -- JMHO

 

[Northland]

having looked at the alternatives I think I will bolt 4 short pieces of chain to the bed of the truck and strap some sandbags down with them.
Aaron Z

That sounds like a good idea. Post some pictures if that works out. I don't have D rings in the front of the bed floor, only at the rear so I can't see how I would tie the chains down?

I tried making a H out of 3" wide and 6' long spruce planks today. My deck screws weren't long enough to secure the spruce planks together and my 4" nails didn't hold it together as the wood is frozen. I will buy some long deck screws tomorrow and see if that works.

 

[aczlan]

That sounds like a good idea. Post some pictures if that works out. I don't have D rings in the front of the bed floor, only at the rear so I can't see how I would tie the chains down?

I would be using some 2-4" long (have to see what I need) 3/8" bolts, and drilling holes through the floor and into the subframe of the bed, I will put big fender washers on both sides of the hole and put the bolt through one end of a piece of chain (probably 3-4 links long) and then I can hook a strap, or whatever to the other end.

Aaron Z