2001yellowEdge
First off....welcome to FTE. I'm new here myself. I have been driving my Ranger since 1987 when I bought it brand new. I have driven in a lot of bad weather. Logging road mud has been the worst. These are things I think are essential.
1.) First decide if you need to drive in bad weather or not.....back and forth to work, hunting trip, to rescue a family member, milk runs...
2.) Be Prepared to get stuck.
3.) Enough weight in the back of the truck to off-set the weight in the front....consider how much weight you have in the cab...if you have a supercab, you need to think about what you have in there.
4.) Balance the weight, not only front to back, but side to side as well.
5.) Water for you and your truck.
6.) Two sets of chains...be very careful on the front tires and test them for clearence....depends on your tires.
7.) Tools....a real shovel, a hoe (for getting stuff out from under your truck), axe or chainsaw, Knife, compass, maps, extra flashlight batteries, "bed-length" pieces of heavy pipe(for gettinh off something you might be high-centered on).
8.) Extra tarp, blankets, space blanket, extra winter clothes, Lots of dry socks.
9.) Food and something to build a fire with...single-burner propane stove/heater, coffee pot (the tow truck driver will love you if you have hot coffee...haha).
10.) Tools/Extra parts for patching up your truck...duct tape, bailing wire, rope, extra tire chain tensioners. jacks and something to support them on in snow.
11.) Signaling devices....air horn...orange serveyors tape(to mark a trail from where you are stuck), something large and red/orange that is easily seen from the air.
12.) AND DON'T LEAVE HOME WITHOUT YOUR COMMON SENCE!!!
This list is in no way complete...and if you haven't figured it out yet....I go to places where a cellphone won't help alot. My wife always has a detailed, 2nd Map with my planned route. She wishes I would take someone with me, but I like to be by myself deep in the woods.
Drive slow and easy.....if you have 4WD, save low for AFTER you get stuck! Remember that if you stop in deep snow, that your truck will sink deeper the longer it is immobile (This one cost my insurance company a $500.00 tow..haha).

 

Hey 2001yellowEdge, see what I mean?? It baffles me as to how different model years of Rangers can be so dramatically different in slippery situations. Mine is great, and I'm not exaggerating. I don't get it. But, wisdom should always prevail. All the previous suggestions are good ones, especially NOT going out if NOT necessary.

 

As far as where to put the sand bags for traction, I think it boils down to where do we get the most effect for the minimum amount of weight. In my college physics class of weights and levers the longer the lever the more pressure you could put on the fulcrum when you push on the lever. In this case the lever is the distance between the tailgate and the tires which act as the fulcrum. So it would seem logical to me to put the weight as far aft of the axel as you could and get more pressure effect on the tires for less weight. Of course the real proof would be to put scales under the rear tires without the weight and then add the weight at various spots in the truck bed. I remember when I drove a lumber truck and we had rollers on the back of the truck that you could use to crank the load off the truck and then drive out from underneath it. If the load was too great you could raise the front wheels of the truck off the ground. In that case all the weight was now over the rear wheels because of the lever action of the bed of the truck. So the lever principle is for real. So if you have lighter sandbags I would put them near the tail gate for maximum effect, but it's also true that you are transferring weight from the front end of the truck and you have to use common sense and be careful and don't put too much weight aft of the rear axel.

 

ok, debate on where to put sand bags, by tailgate, on rear axle, or up next to cab. It seems logical to me to buy 9 bags, 3 behind cab, 3 over axle, and 3 on tailgate, that way you've coverd on all 3 areas! and if the front becomes too light, then put a couple of sand bags on the hood, and tie them down tight!

 

my '88 2wd s/c did great in the snow. i put a sand-filled spare tire underneath in the carrier. (road spare in back) armstong norseman snow tires on all four rims (195/75-14) and two 100pd flat tractor front end weights in the back.(between wheel wells) this truck absolutly ate snow even with stock open differential. (3.73 gears) not shure how my "new" truck will do. ive got more horsepower now. '88 had a 2.3 the worst thing i'm worried about this winter is the tires. date code on tires says they were new in 2000. got plenty of tread but they break traction easily on wet pavement. tires are 235/75-15 bfg long-trail t/a. cant afford an extra set of wheels/tires right now with x-mass around the corner. just have to take it easy on the go-pedal, and get the weight balance right.

 

That's probably the best idea I've seen. Just play with the combination until you get it right. I could probably do the same thing, but in 5 gallon pails, they slide around too easy. A rubber bed mat would work, but if the pails fall over, then they roll around. I'd need about 3 more cut down load locks to do it right, and there just aren't that many spares I can "take" from work.

 

I will have to agree with Donald about maximizing the leverage to benefit the most from a given weight. The closer to the tailgate you put the weight the better because of the leverage. True, it will lift some of the weight off the front, but this is not a big deal because the weight ratio of a pickup is extremely front heavy. There is already too much weight over the front compared to the rear so I would not put them in front of the wheels as you would be adding weight to the front as well by doing that.
Just something I have notice from previously owning a 4x2 Ranger Reg Cab Lon Box w\2.3L and now having a 4x4 Ranger Reg. Cab Long Box w\4.0 is that if kept in 2 wheel drive, my current truck doesn't do as well as the 4x2. I even have far better tires. I think the difference is now I have more weight over the front because of the drive train, and heavier motor, lower gears and much more torque, making it extremely easy to spin the tires on snow with almost no throttle.
My question is, would sand bags in the back of a 4x4 improve overall 4x4 traction or would I be best leaving it alone?

 

The weight will ~definitely~ help the 4x4 too.

. . though I just can't get myself to agree with the idea of placing it at the tailagte - I'm sorry. If not over the axle, then up behind the cab it goes in my truck.


. . from Sunny FLORIDA !

 

I just finished reading all of the posts. I'm very surprised that Inertia was not mentioned in any of them. The force generated due to inertia can be deadly. My thought is; if you're going to put a lot of weight to the rear of the axle, then you better do all of your driving in a straight line or else you better go around road curves very very slow.

 

Very good point Bob.

 

thats why i like to use a sand filled tire in the stock under-carrier. its a pain to get it up in there. but once it's in place ,its going nowhere. the "road spare" in the back is kept in place by a bracket, so it doesnt become a "missle". i quit using tractor weights after realizing i couldnt secure them good enough without bolting them through the bed to the frame, they worked great in the astro van we used to have, i fastend them with 5/16 chain to the rear seat frames.

 

Also more intertia would mean increased stopping distances.

 

I am new to snow but discovered here in Denver that to me a 5 speed is better than an automatic at take-off. I have 3 sand bags laid vertical centering over rear axle seems to work for me. Discovered use clutch and not gas pedal on take-off reduces if not eliminates rear spinning and fish tailing (which I did significantly before trial and error). I am running Bridgestone Dueler APTs all the way around on 14" Rims on my 94' XLT Supercab.

 

There was a post on here by BassFishingFool who stated that he carries all that stuff he suggested in his truck. If I tried to put half the stuff he mentioned there would be no room for me to drive the truck! What kind of Ranger does he have? My 4x2 just has enough room for a few items behind the front seat.
I don't think it is worth the effort to carry all that junk with you. If it snows, stay home. If it starts snowing while at work, leave early. If your employer does not let you leave, he is responsible for you if you have an accident on the way home, I bet some of you did not know that. You can even sue your employer if you get into an accident on the way to work. You have to have a good sharp lawyer. Your employer cannot fire you if you leave early because of inclement weather either. The labor board would eat this up if that happened.
Hopefully you never find yourself in that situation.

 

Yeah no kidding, if the weathers that bad where you need a pallet of sand bags just to get you out of your driveway, then you seriously dont need to be on the roads. I hate it when the roads are snowy/icy, and your going about 35-45 and some ding dong passes you going about 65, thinkin he's gonna be fine.