Wondered what novel ideas some of you have for weighting down pickups in the winter. My wife has a 2002 Ford with a tonneau cover. I’ve put those tubes of sand in it but they seem to go bad every year. I don’t have a soft water mixer so that wouldn’t work.
Any other good ideas that is safe, cheap, effective and won’t come through the back in an accident like concrete blocks?
Tks
Todd
I tell my wife to put it into 4-wheel drive when the roads have some snow. Save on spinning the tires when accelerating from a stop.
I use 5 gal. plastic buckets filled with sand/salt mixture. That way I have sand for traction on those ramps that have become iced when boats are pulled out of the water. Just bungee cord them to the rear of the truck.
Kitty liter is the best thing to help you get out of a ditch if your stuck. put it in some sealed 5 gallon buckets and your good to go.
I remember several years, using extra tractor front weights, they’re heavy enough they don’t move much. Just a bear to lift into the bed 
dave
I’ve seen people use tractor inner tubes. They cut them off to length and tie off the ends.
i know its along the line of a concrete block, but i put down a layer of 6x12x1″ landscaping paver blocks, that way i can still haul plywood, dog kennels and other things on top without the weights getting in the way. i’ve also used rubbermade totes with pea gravel (lower center of gravity than 5 gal bucket)
I used concrete blocks once and my mechanic went nuts pointing out that if she was in a bad wreck she’d have those things flying out all over.
THANKS for all the ideas guys.
Maybe I’ll put the bed extender back in and bungee down some 5 gallon buckets like suggested.
Todd
How about a brand new sled or 4 wheeler….
Say it’s purely for safety reasons…..
My buddy says it’s always easier to beg for forgiveness then to ask for permission…. he’s been only married twice…
B
Pool table slate if you can find it. 1″ think and about the size of a bed. Leave it in year around.
I’ve used the tube sand like you said. Its cheap, almost disposable. I’ve put a half pallet of shingles in the truck but thats probably not an option either.
Use Snow! Oh wait, we’d have to get some first! 
A truck box camper once the ice is thick enough 
Get a couple boxes full of wheel weights from a local tire shop. Heavy as can be, doesnt take much space, and if your in a wreck.. they dont weigh much individually(box/buckets spill).
A good pair of specialty snow tires will help a ton too.. Blizzaks can be worth their weight in gold.
Its not the cheapest, but the best solution I have found is treated plywood. I believe a 4×8 sheet weighs 120lbs. Your local lumberyard may have sheets that have broken corners or other dameage that they sell cheaper if you ask. But, you can cut it to fit the bed perfectly, add as many as you need for weight, you still have a useable bed, and it lasts forever.
The plywood idea sounds like the safest. If this is a 4×4 then just use that. Problem solved.
4 Wheel drive and lighter on the foot….should be fine even without extra weight. I have never weighted any of my trucks 2 wheel or 4 wheel drives.
For weight in my truck I carry the following- 8” Hand and Power Auger, Spud, One Man Trap, Minnow bucket, 5gal bucket filled with tip ups and jig sticks, and a fanny pack busting at the seams with tackle 
I guess I’ll explain myself.
The truck is a 4 x 4, and my wife drives it 99%, often with my 19 month old girl.
We live in VERY hilly community with many brick streets and a lot of very poor drivers. Plus, this part of the world gets as much ice as snow.
I grew up on a ranch/farm and we ALWAYS weighted our pickups in the winter, they are much safer with the added traction and go further in bad conditions.
Each his own, but I want weight in my pickup in the winter, maybe I’m alone, but I doubt it.
I’ve recommended blizzak tires to many of my staff nurses however this truck has only 30k and I can hardly see wear on the tires yet.
Thanks for all the ideas, I really like the plywood/osb one.
Todd
What I do for extra weight in winter is to keep the gas tank between a 1/2 tank and full. It keeps the back end of the truck from being twitchy and also gives me extra traction.
Nothing extra to buy, and no weights to worry about flying through the truck box.
Dan
If you got cats and use kitty litter anyway. A bunch of those big buckets would give plenty of weight and also traction material. And you would use it eventually.
dd
I’ve heard a lot of people recommend using cat litter for added traction on ice, but I’ve also heard some people say not to use it because it’s made out of clay and just gets wet and sloppy. Does this work for traction or not?
Dan
Ya know Todd, now that I think about it, my MIL might just be the key to this situation. 
Make sure you have plenty of tire pressure. Oh, and ya, you’ll need a set of earplugs. Oops, she’s in the other room, laying waste to the X-mas candy. I better watch it!! 
Gramps
It will work for a short time as added traction,until it absorbs some moisture
One thing I know for sure that you do not want to use is bags of water softener salt, unless that is if you want your truck to rust from the inside out. The salt pellets act just like the salt on road and over time will cause rust. Even if the bags do not break open you still have that fine salt that is on the outside of the bags.
Using bags of water softener salt is a bad idea.
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I don’t have a soft water mixer so that wouldn’t work.
good one steve, I hadn’t thought of that on the rust.
The funny thing is, I don’t even think the outside of my truck box is metal, magnets won’t stick to it believe it or not!
Todd
Take an inner tube, cut in half, and sandwich both ends with a scrap piece of wood and a few screws. You can put whatever ballast weight you want in there, and it will not get wet.
If you have an elevator near by you might check out chicken grit. What the elevator up town sells is made out of crushed granite and comes in #50 bags that resemble concrete bags. I think you can get it in two different size chips.
WarrenMN
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It will work for a short time as added traction,until it absorbs some moisture
The kitty Litter, or the Mother-in-Law? 
Glenn
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