Hi,
It's embarassing that my wife's Focus, w/ studded tires, can get up the drive but I can't get the truck up without chaining up. Snow's pretty bad here above Boulder, CO.
I've got 3/16" tread left on my Michelin stock tires (44K on truck). I'll try dropping the tire pressure to 45 lbs today.
I'm sure that'll help but what do you guys think is the best way to weight the back of the truck. Sand bags? Blocks? I'm concerned about this stuff flying around in case of an accident. I have a topper but I'm sure that won't contain whatever I end up using. Thanks.

 

New tires. Those michelins are great on the highway but for snow they are downright horendous. You live in an area where its justified to either have a winter and summer set, or at very least a better allseason tire.


Travis

 

Ask Hoss about his bedliner.

 

If I had the $, I'd pick up new tires. These still have some miles left though.

I'm hoping to hear what people are doing to safely weight down their beds ..

I've heard about Hoss's concrete bedliner. I think I'll pass on that option :-)

 

Short of bolting it to the frame, anything that you put in the bed is going to fly around in the event of an accident.

You are going to have to accept that you've got inappropriate tires for the conditions. If the weight of the Cummins isn't helping the front tires pull you up the hill, what makes you think that adding weight over the rear ones will make much a difference in their ability to push the truck up the hill?

 

Weight in the back (over the rear axles) will help, my pop did it for years .... however, it does little good if you don't have enough tread. The snow packs that 3/16" in no time and the tread pattern on those tires isn't really designed to shed snow or mud. I am in the same boat as you when it comes to tires ... unfortunately I am gonna have to bite the bullet and pick up 6 new sneakers for the truck for next winter.


Toss a couple fat girls back there and tell em to hop out if you crash so they don't squish ya

PISTOL

 

My dad built a setup that holds a 55 gal drum that he filled with water and was held in place by the fith wheel rails. His is a 95 reg cab 2wd. We dont get alot of snow but the few times it has been used it worked. Unfortunally he dosent need it anymore since we bought the 78 power wagon with all time 4wd, 400 big block and 4 spd. Used to be a fire truck and that thing would go anywhere. They just dont make them like they used to,

 

I have the stock michelins on mine, and pulled a trailer across NV, Utah, Wyoming, and Nebraska in the last storm. I had about 700 lbs tongue weight, and only slipped once or twice. I dropped 2 chain links to increase the tongue weight and never slipped again. Earlier in the season, I drove 250 miles with no weight in the rear, across 3 mountian passes with 8" of snow, and never slipped once. Wasn't towing that time. Part is technique, part is using 4WD, and part is the fact that the tires are new even if they are highway tread.

 

I have 235/85 kumho m/t's on my truck. they were slightly over $100 each. They are more tread than you'd need but if you kept the ones you had and ran these in the winter you'd get 2 times the treadwear (ok ok i know, but still). As I said before, you live in an area with plenty of snow to justify this purchase. Also keep in mind, if you are slipping taking off or just driving, you are going to slip badly when its most important.....stopping.


Travis

 

You have plenty of snow that you could shovel into the truck. And when spring comes, you don't have to unload it.

 

I've done that a few times during treks up to the mountains.

A bed full of snow works wonders for traction up in Big Bear. And then, as you drive down the mountain and gradually no longer need the traction, the snow all melts.

Works great, if you have the energy to shovel a ton of snow back there. Probably pretty safe in an accident, too.

 

I was watching Spike TV and they showcased a new product on one of the 4x4 shows that was basically a large water bladder the size of your truck bed and it added around 800 lbs. Also seems pretty safe, and you can even put loads on top of the bladder itself. I did not catch the name of the product though, sorry will pay attection more next time.

 

I have the perfect solution...and you're in luck because I'm running a New Year's Special for the rest of the week!!

Shoot me a PM and I'll hook you up with the "Hoss-Liner".

 

Found a link for the product I mentioned earlier, but I was being too generous with the weight, it only goes to 400 lbs.
http://www.jcwhitney.com/autoparts/P...14/TID-8042328

 

I went to Home Depot and bought 10, 5 gallon paint pails with covers and filled them with sand/salt mix from my city yard. I put 5 against the front wall of the bed, then the other 5 went against the tailgate, then I took and cut a 2x6 and ran it from the left side of the bed to the right side of the bed, I then did the same for the rear set of pails. I then took 2, 2x6 boards and ran them from the front board to the back board and tight up against the wheel wells to box it all in. Once it was all fitted together I screwed 4, 2x4x6" pieces to the inside joint where all the 2x6 boards came together ( i screwed the small boards to the front and rear boards not the side ones) so I could just pull the side boards out to remove the whole setup. It took me about a six pack to make it, but only takes about 2 min. to throw it all together when needed and holds everything very securely.
Plus you can add or remove whatever amount you want for prevailing conditions and you will have a nice supply of sand should you ever need it.