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OT traction ballast how much weight in pick-up

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Tim B From MA

12-14-2005 10:07:06

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I am going to by a scrap steel plate to put in my pick-up bed for winter traction.

It is an F-350, 4wd crew, current tires "slightly agressive" all weather radials (thought I will likely get shows next year).

I was thinking 400 to 500 pounds. Too much? Too little?

Opinions apprieciated.

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Lumpy

12-15-2005 14:52:05

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Re: OT traction ballast how much weight in pick-up in reply to Tim B From MA, 12-14-2005 10:07:06

I got a '98 chevy, 1/2 ton ext cab, 4x4. I put 350 pounds of sand bags to the front of the box. I only run 4x4 when the snow is 4" plus. It came new with Goodyear Wrangler RTS tires. Put new Cooper Discover AT at 65,000 miles. They were junk at 100,000 miles and weren't wirth a crap in snow regaurdless 2wd, 4wd, weight, etc. Went back to the Goodyears the truck has 125,000 on it and the tires still got lots of tread. I also rotate tires every 6,000.

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12-15-2005 06:47:51

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Re: OT traction ballast how much weight in pick-up in reply to Tim B From MA, 12-14-2005 10:07:06

Until I got my2wd F250, I ran 4wd F150 trucks, never had to put weight in it. If the road got slick, locked in front end, went straight as an arrow. I had lockouts, and it cost a little more fuel to run the hubs in all the time in the winter, but, I don't like weight in the truck, the added weight will cause you to use more fuel and the extra weight can cause the pendulem effect if you do start to sliding. But, I live in central Illinois, we really don't get much serious snow anymore.

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riverbend

12-15-2005 06:42:54

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Re: OT traction ballast how much weight in pick-up in reply to Tim B From MA, 12-14-2005 10:07:06

If your truck wants to swap ends easily, keep the weight towards the front of the bed. Putting it at the back increases the the polar moment of inertia i.e. once it starts to come around, you are toast.

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Nolan

12-15-2005 04:55:35

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Re: OT traction ballast how much weight in pick-up in reply to Tim B From MA, 12-14-2005 10:07:06

If you need a lot of weight, you should change tires. Thousands of pounds create a nice pendulum effect, slinging you around on a turn. I personally don't like spinning across the road, but that's just me.

Don't like scrap steel banging around in my bed. I tend to fasten things down. Since scrap steel doesn't help me when my tires are spinning on ice, I use sand and gravel instead. I made a wooden box that fits securely across the fender wells, and dump the sand/gravel/whatever in there. Keeps the weight where it does the most good, and can be used for other things as I need it.

Ymmv.

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Tim B MA

12-14-2005 21:14:41

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Re: OT traction ballast how much weight in pick-up in reply to Tim B From MA, 12-14-2005 10:07:06

Thanks for all the replies gents. The truck is a long bed crew cab SRW - almost 23 feet long. It is a diesel so it has plenty of weight in the front when I do put it in 4wd, but there is, relatively speaking, virtually no weight on the back tires. When I had not-so-great tires on it last winter the darn a$$ end would want to come around and say hello to the front end all too easily.

My transaxle lock is manual, but I prefer not to keep them engaged as it uses signifcantly more fuel. My driveway is steep down by the road so when there is any snow or ice, I am stopping to lock my hubs every trip home.

My plan it to lock the plate steel onto the rails in the bed for the 5th wheel hitch. One ton of ballast sounds like alot - my fifth wheel tongue weight is about 1 ton, the truck is squating pretty good at that weight, and I am pushing the GVW for the truck (empty, full fuel it weights 7,250, plus 2,000 tongue weight, plus four passengers and misc camping equipment and it is over the rated 9,900 GVW for SRW).

I think I will shoot for 700-800 lbs, maybe half a ton, keep it toward the tailgate and see how it goes.

Thanks again.

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burnetma

12-16-2005 19:06:55

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Re: OT traction ballast how much weight in pick-up in reply to Tim B MA, 12-14-2005 21:14:41

Hears my two cents having lived with the exact same truck for 218k miles over the last 8 years living in NY on the VT border.

Buy better tires. I run Cooper Winters and have had no problem. Do not get the Goodyear ATS, complete garbage on that heavy of a truck. Goodyear Workhorse are OK for a cheaper tire.

Adding weight only lengthens your distance for stopping in an emergency. Our trucks do not have the best brakes in the world... It might stop the anti-lock from kicking in at times. (Bright spot in every cloud)

Use the 4wd. That is why you bought it. It is a bit of a pain to lock and unlock, but I think it is your best solution.

You asked for opinions...

If you feel you MUST add weight, 700-800 lbs would be more than enough.

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ricedaddy

12-14-2005 17:49:03

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Re: OT traction ballast how much weight in pick-up in reply to Tim B From MA, 12-14-2005 10:07:06

I have a F-250 with utility bed and I run 2000 lbs in it.

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thejdman01

12-14-2005 15:26:13

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Re: OT traction ballast how much weight in pick-up in reply to Tim B From MA, 12-14-2005 10:07:06

i run 2000 lbs, cut a chunk of counter weight off of an old crane. i used to put 900 in the back and htat jsut wasnt enough. 900 would work ok but if i hang that old plow 2 feet infront of the axle there wasnt enough in the back put the 2000 in works jsut right. the plate lays in there flat is the exact size of the bed ie doesnt slide around hit gate hit front of box works well. go to an old construction site etc w/your own torch and usually theyll let you have it or have it for scrap price whatever you cut off.

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NEsota

12-14-2005 14:53:38

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Re: OT traction ballast how much weight in pick-up in reply to Tim B From MA, 12-14-2005 10:07:06

This armature fills five gallon pails with dry dirt that can be used to get traction on snow or ice. Keep pails behind wheels and secure them.

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Hugh MacKay

12-14-2005 13:47:34

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Re: OT traction ballast how much weight in pick-up in reply to Tim B From MA, 12-14-2005 10:07:06

Tim: I used to put the complete set of 12-100# front end weights from my Farmall 1066 in the bed of my 3/4 ton Chevy. They were only 2" thick and the 12 completely filled box thus they didn't move around. It allowed me to haul loads of hay and feed without removing weights. I never hauled much more than a ton in winter.

These guys only adding 400# may as well have nothing. I had my 3/4 ton springs heavy for pulling trailers in summer. With winter frost heaves it took the 1200# to make the old Chevy ride smooth, let alone be good on snow and ice. My second 3/4 ton Chevy had a tool box and 150 gallon diesel tank in back. These trucks were 2 wheel drive.

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John No Mi

12-14-2005 11:45:45

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Re: OT traction ballast how much weight in pick-up in reply to Tim B From MA, 12-14-2005 10:07:06

I use 10 bags of pea gravel behind the wheels. The plow frame gives me some weight in the front while pushing snow. Withe plow up I have a lot of weight in front. I also made a cover for the box to keep the snow out and that adds a little weight. I drive a regular cab long box 1/2 ton Chev.

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Mike M

12-14-2005 11:23:29

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Re: OT traction ballast how much weight in pick-up in reply to Tim B From MA, 12-14-2005 10:07:06

I'd bolt it in real good so if you hit a ditch it doesn't come flying up into the back of your head. I have a 4x4 long bed extended cab. and it is the most helpless truck I've owned. Only thing I can figure is that the balance is way off ?

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Tim...Ok

12-14-2005 11:27:47

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Re: OT traction ballast how much weight in pick-up in reply to Mike M, 12-14-2005 11:23:29

Hey Mike,you should try a 2WD diesel..ya wanna talk helpless. one I got now is at least 1000% better than that one was..

Tim

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Jonfarmer

12-14-2005 10:44:08

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Re: OT traction ballast how much weight in pick-up in reply to Tim B From MA, 12-14-2005 10:07:06

Lots of folks around here use round bales for weight. Works good, but does block your rear view of course, but it's about the cheapest unless you get some bags and fill them full of sand, others use cement blocks. Scrap yards don't pay a heck of a lot for scrap steel, but if you want a piece they'll charge you an arm and a leg for it, so using 400-500lbs of scrap steel from a scrap yard is going to hit your wallet quite hard, V.s buying a round bale off someone for $20. Some people just shovel alittle sand in the back of their trucks, but I wouldn't reccomend doing that as the sand is going to get wet and stay wet which will rust your box out.
HTH!

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RustyFarmall

12-14-2005 10:37:30

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Re: OT traction ballast how much weight in pick-up in reply to Tim B From MA, 12-14-2005 10:07:06

I wouldn't go over 400#, and place it directly over the rear axle. On the other hand, you did say the truck is an F-350, crew-cab, and 4 wheel drive. I am guessing this rig already weighs somewhere in the neighborhood of 7,500#. I really don't think you would need any added weight.

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Bus Driver

12-15-2005 05:50:50

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Re: OT traction ballast how much weight in pick-up in reply to RustyFarmall, 12-14-2005 10:37:30

I agree with Rusty, about 400# placed at the rear of the load bed. Secure it in place. More weight makes stopping and pulling hills more difficult.

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old

12-14-2005 10:17:47

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Re: OT traction ballast how much weight in pick-up in reply to Tim B From MA, 12-14-2005 10:07:06

Sounds about right. I'd put it just behind the cab, on 4 wd trucks it works better there then behind the rear wheels as you would do in a 2 wd truck

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Tim...Ok

12-14-2005 10:45:54

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Re: OT traction ballast how much weight in pick-up in reply to old, 12-14-2005 10:17:47

Speaking of weight..my FIL,been farmer/rancher all his life,says for a 2wd put it over rear wheels,not that it matters much,but from simple leverage,wouldn't you actually apply more weight on rear tires if weight was all the way at the back of the bed?? Thats how I see it,but I'll just say yes sir and put it where he says 8^)

Tim

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old

12-14-2005 11:57:52

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Re: OT traction ballast how much weight in pick-up in reply to Tim...Ok, 12-14-2005 10:45:54

Well when I had a 2wd pickup I always put the weight behund the rear axle. I like to use gravel since it did 2 things. 1 was weight and 2 if I did go off the road it gave me something to throw under the tires to get some traction on the snow and ice. It always worked well and even at time got others out when they where stuck. I remember a time when a semi couldn't get out of a parking lot because of ice and we just throw some gravel out of my truck and he got out then.

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