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View Full Version : Adding Weight for Traction..?.


NorPlan
Feb 20, 2013, 11:35 AM
My Son's Ford F150 FX2 with the big Triton Motor is front end heavy... Terrible for Traction during the Winter Months... The idea is to add weight in the back end without making a permanent fixture... So what we have in mind is using 3 full size Rubbermaid Containers , place 6 bags of sand ( 6 x 25Ibs.=150Ibs.each ) adding 450Ibs in total.. Now we are wondering if placing the containers on the bench seat behind the front seat ( access through the suicide doors ) would be OK or placing them between the rear wheel humps & tailgate? We'd have to wedge a 2 x 6 across to hold the containers in place... Thanks

odinn7
Feb 20, 2013, 11:42 AM
It makes sense that you would want the weight over the wheels otherwise, all you seem to be doing is essentially adding weight to the mid or front of the truck.

smearcase
Feb 20, 2013, 12:10 PM
If you put the weight inside the vehicle, consider where that 450 pounds might end up in a collision. Directly over the rear wheels would put the most weight on the rear axle.

NorPlan
Feb 20, 2013, 01:32 PM
If you put the weight inside the vehicle, consider where that 450 pounds might end up in a collision. Directly over the rear wheels would put the most weight on the rear axle.

True, Panic Stop and 450Ibs extra on your lap.. We just had the Lazy Man's way of trying to stay away from blocking behind the Tailgate so as to not have to lift anything heavy over the containers.. But in the name of Better Traction, so be it... Thanks

smearcase
Feb 20, 2013, 02:04 PM
I have a small pickup and just keep 3 bags of crushed stone (60 lbs or so each) on each side directly over the axle. They come in handy when I am hauling building materials to keep the items from sliding off or blowing away. The bags are stacked -(one on top of two) and tend not to slide around. Still leaves a good deal of room in the middle, and they are fairly easy to move around, a bag at a time when necessary.
And I always have some stone to use around the yard or for drainage type projects which I inevitably seem to be doing.