all of the above

 

id feel better with an open differential in snow and ice

 

As stated above its all about tires. The standard "all season" tires will not cut it. If you live in a very snowy location, make sure you are using snow tires during the winter months (when I lived up north, I ran snow tires all year long). If you get a lot of ice, then consider studs in the snow tires.

Get several big sacks of gravel and position over the axle. This will help traction and if you get stuck, pour some of the gravel under the wheels to get you moving again.

One trick that worked for me on several occasions was when the truck starts so spin, force it sideways so the lugs on the snow tires can bit in. I have crossed more then one mountain sideways but hey, it worked and I got home.

 

I used to have a '95 reg. cab, long box 2wd. Sure it had LS, but the pos hwy tires I had on there didn't do anything for it in snow, neither did the 3.08 rear end. More than a few times I got stuck in my own driveway since it sloped down towards the front of my truck. Driving over snow a couple times packs it into ice...

My roomate got a good laugh one time: he saw me **** by the back tires to melt the ice, put the truck in R, and get out (with both tires slipping), to push on the front until I had it rocking enough that it caught the melted spots where I pissed and then quick run & jump in the truck before it crashed into the back of the house. lol, those were the days...

 

 

You do what you gotta do sometimes...

 

last year i had mastercraft avenger gt tires and i did great in the snow. with no weight in the bed. its all on how you drive. but for me i aint stuck till im stuck.

 

**** dude I thought I was the only guy that's tried that before. Worst case scenario is your dodge 2500 company loaner is parked in an alleyway in snow and ice with its tailgate up against a brick wall - I put her in drive and go back to push! Thought she was good to go and stopped pushing - truck slipped back and pinned me! Had to scream bloody murder until my female roommate could round up a couple of guys off the street to help me!

Back to the thread though - tires and some weight in the back will pay a huge dividend. Try and get tires that have a more aggressive tread than standard street or on-road tires. They may wear a little faster but they'll pay dividends on the traction side!

 

stuck????????Never!!!! 355 rearend, 31-10.50-15 maxxiss mudders,, 4spd bulldog, 5.0 with 230hp,,stuck???NEVER!!!!!!!Not 2 mention 4x4 lo lock!!hahahahahah!!

 

4x4 is nice but the mud i got stuck in this weekend would have made no difference. I went down in the field to check a fence that the neighbor said one of my cows was trying to get through. The whole 70 acres was not muddy except for the spot i didnt see in some tall grass. It was clay mush, and i sunk immediately in my 2wd F150. Had to pull it out with the big tractor and it was hard to do even with the tractor with some really big nobby tires and both tires locked and turning. i would have had to have 4x4 and some huge swampers to get out of the mess i was in without the tractor. The clay just stuck to the tractor tires in seconds and formed a smooth covering over the treads.

4x4 is nice but i found that when i replaced the street tires that came on the truck with some mud/snow tires, it does fine in most muddy areas. I could get stuck in wet grass with the tires i bought the truck with. I go down in the field all the time with my truck with little worries.