think I have that covered..grew up in Ontario....but thanks for the advice!!!

we get black ice here quite often...funny to see the "invincible" 4x4s in the ditch when that happens

 

Sandbags would help a lot in a 2wd and for adding weight.

 

Every car/truck in the ditch is due to driver error. Until I bought my F-150 this fall, I've driven my Mustang every winter for 7 years in Iowa, Colorado, and Wisconsin. I had weights in the Mustang, but most snow days I didn't drive!

I still don't understand why you need more weight with a 4x4?

 

I tried puting weight in the box last winter. Didn't make a difference from what I could tell. If I need more traction I switch to 4x4. Do love the shift on the fly tho!

 

I used to live in what we call "ski country", about 50 miles south of Buffalo, NY. I have never added any weight to my truck and it seems to do just fine with the right tires. I used to drive 30 miles to work every day in a 2 wheel drive '93 F150. No problems at all. I now have 4 wheel drive, but never use it for driving at highway speeds (greater than 40 mph). I figure if the roads are bad enough that I need 4 wheel drive, then I had better slow down. IMHO, 4 wheel drive causes loss of control at highway speeds. Next time you take a drive through a bad storm, pay attention to how many 4 wheel drive vehicles are off the road. These are the people who feel that they are invincible because they have 4WD.

Good tires and no added weight. Weight just creates more momentum once you do start sliding. Weight goes on low speed vehicles such as tractors, not vehicles traveling at 55 mph.

 

I don't know if you need extra weight with a 4x4, but I don't add anything to the bed of my truck except snow. When I shovel the driveway around my truck, I throw it in the bed. That's what I used to do with an old F100 4x2 to give it more traction.

 

thanks for all the replies

guess i should have qualified my initial post

I've driven in snow for yrs so that not the issue, and I certainly won't avoid driving in it

i was looking for suggestions in case the back end is too light in the snow which I won't know for sure till the first snow fall

if 4 wheel drive and defensive driving work then I won't need the extra weight

if i find its not enough, then I have some good suggestions

in any case, thanks for the comments/suggestions

 

A final thought... if cleanliness of the bed is not a concern, I suppose sand bags have the added advantage of being available to be broken open and used as ice melt/traction multiplier in the event that you DO get stuck.

 

I just slide my tool box to the back of the bed against the tailgate.. has been working for me.

 

That was me... Horse stall mats really are pretty much perfect for adding weight. And while snow performance without the added weight was good, with the weight is better. Each mat is just under 100#, and you can easily stack two or three without loosing any real bed space.

Available at farm stores, ranch stores, etc.



I also custom trimmed some rubber backed commerial carpet mats to lay down on top of the rubber mats.