Hi and first off thanks for reading my post… I have a question about snow traction in these PSD’s…. I have a 97 F-250 x-cab long-box 4*4 and I was wondering how these beasts fair in the snow… so here are a few quick questions I have for ya…

• Do you think that I should put some extra weight in the back of the bed (a.k.a sand bags). Of should I just have it in 4 wheel drive most of the time and just use mainly the traction from the front drive wheels?…( I live in mass… and there usually pretty good about plowing the roads and such…. And I know the main roads will be clear… so I would rather not have it in 4WD wearing the tires…)

• if you do think I should throw some bags back over there rear axle… about how much weight do u think would have a decent impact on helping traction?? And if I do put that weight in the back…and the springs sag a little (which I expect) do u think when I take the bags back out in the summer… the springs will return to their normal height… or will they be a little lower? (The only reason that I ask this is I have an add-a-leaf kit in the FRONT and the truck is pretty much level now… so I would rather the rear not be too much lower than the front...

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Thanks in advance!!

 

I just drove from Anchorage to Homer, Alaska today (250 miles). It was snowing and/or freezing rain most of the way. I was totally MT. Before I left I locked in the front hubs and it wasn't very long until I put it in 4wd. I just left it that way the whole trip. I've had my 97 PSD for 5 years here in Alaska, usually I lock the hubs in in the fall and take them out in the spring that way I'm ready for any changes in road conditions. I've never had any traction problems either loaded or unloaded. You just have to take into consideration the road conditions and drive accordingly. Of course you have to have good rubber on the road, I run Cooper Tires on all of my rigs.

 

thanks for the tips.... i'm fortunate (or unfortunate.... depending on how u look at it) to have automatic locking hubs... so i don't even need to get out of the truck or anything...i'll prob throw maby 4 bags in there... just so if i am in 2wd.... i'll have a little more traction.... thanks again!

 

I am originally from northern PA. so don't let the OK. address fool ya. I think diesels are a little worse on slippery roads because of the excess weight in the front end. I would have to tell you through personal experience that the weight in your bed will definately help you out. The more weight the better the traction you'll get. Your springs should go right back to where they were before you added the weight. Try to keep the weight over your rear axle. When I drive back to PA for Christmas I will have about 3 sacks of feed in the bed the whole time. (about 300 pounds)

 

Thanks RickyBR for the tips!....I'm gonna go grab some 2*6's and drop them into the slots on my bedliner... to try and keep the weight centered in there and throw 4-6 bags of sand back there (if i get stuck i'll just throw the sand on the ground!) now where did i put that sawzall?

 

My rear tires (35x12.5) have a trendancy to start to slide around corners if I apply too much power in the turns or when I power off on a start, when it is raining/snowing. I do not like to find myself in a slide and have added 7 bags (70 Lbs each) of sand and I like it much better. Now I can go around corners without sliding and can start off with out spinning my tires (much). The sand is in there all year long and have used the bags to hold down the light stuff when I have the back gate open. I have a 6 inch lift and I do not see any sag, but it also made my rear springs less stiff. I just wish Ford made decient limited slip for the rear axel. I've complained to the Ford Dealer, and they said that it is OK and has 20 ft/lb before it slips. (which I've gotten stuck in my driveway when one tire was in the mud and the other tire was on the driveway.)

 

Thanks! yea I am definately going to be putting some weight in there... btw nice rig i just checked out your gallery!! mine's sorta stock now... but i'm getting dual exhuast and a few other things in the next month or two... thanks again!!

 

I've used bags quite a bit...for me they get in the way of all the other stuff that is constintly in and out of the bed. Weight does give more traction, however, more weight requires greater stopping distances, and once you do loose traction, with the extra weight you slide even further. MPG suffers. I spent alot of money on my truck, so if its slick its in 4X. If some one else does something stupid on the road I can either use the brakes with better traction or accelerate faster because im in 4X. I've also found that in an emergency stop situation the rear end is less likely to try to pass the front if it does not have the extra weight driving it forward. Even when I have the plow on I avoid putting in the extra weight. I do make sure I am always running good tires.

Just my .02

 

I have two 31x10 tires that I filled with concrete. Together they weigh about 700#. The rubber around them keeps them from sliding much. I also inserted a 1.5" pipe in the middle when the concrete was still wet, this way they can be used in the summer as volley ball net bases. I use a long plank to roll them in and out of the bed. I like the ride with the weight in the back also. Our posi traction makes the sliding in a turn while under power worse then a open diff. The biggest help in ice and wet traction that I found was to have my tires siped, cost about $10 ea.

 

Around here we are always driving on snowpacked roads during the winter. I lived in Boston for 8 years and I can tell you that the snowy roads here are very different from there. But here's what works in this country. First of all, your wheelbase is a big advantage. Long vehicles tend to do better than short ones. Also, weight is good. Yes there are drawbacks if you get to sliding, but you are less likely to have that happen with weight. I have had my truck weighed, and I know that the front axle is carrying 4000lbs and the rear 3000. The weight I use is used grader blades, which are the replaceable cutting blades on a road maintainer or grader. They are 7ft long and approximately 3/4" thick and vary in weight from 60 to 90 lbs. All told, the ten in my truck weigh a little over 900lbs. That means that front to back, the weight distribution of my truck is pretty even. Additionally, the grader blades lay flat in the bed so they are not an obstruction. And their length means they distribute their weight evenly in the bed. They also make the world's toughest bedliner! But, the single most important part of this equation, in my opinion, is the tires. You cannot spend too much money for the appropriate tire. Not all tires are created equally. Find good ones for your area. I just put on Bridgestone Duellers and am enjoying them. Anyway, thats my .02. Goodluck!

 

I agree, WING, everyone has different needs and thus different solutions... for me, about half of my miles have trailers included in the equation. i like the cutting edge idea. i couldnt agree with you more about the tire issue. In the winter I run the cooperS/T. its the toughest tire ive ever run. i have a small loging biz, and i also plow with my '01 in the steeps. the S/T will get more than 30K miles, and that is alot for an agressive tire, downsides are that it is noisy, hard, and sometimes hard to ballance, so in the summer I run the geolander AT. BTY I just scored 4 new alluminum factory take offs for only $75.

It comes down to good tires and using 4X. I used to always avoid 4X in my other used cheaper trucks to see how far I could go and to prove how good a driver I was, but with the expense of these nice trucks, I lock it in. and as far as the weight bias issue goes, longer is better, but so is more weight up front, just look at the stability of front wheel drive cars vs. rear wheel drive cars, so yes you may have more traction on the rear when going straight, but overall lateral stability, more weight up front is better, IMO.

 

My F-250 does great in the snow. Tires and sensible driving are everything.

You can be killed by a can of chicken soup when its traveling at 65mph and it hits you in the back of the head. I used to run with bags of sand and such in the back too. But my EMT volunteer work has changed my mind about this. Imagine 100 pound bags coming through your flimsy back window!

Your mileage may vary.

 

Another good point, TROUT, I too am a EMT/FF volunteer.

 

Granted our winters here are mild by most comparisons, but I used a 55 gallon drum last year filled with water for weight and it helped alot. It was easy to tie down also.

 

I plow snow every snow storm here in northern CA. I use my F250 to get to to the job site.
I put sandbags in the back of my truck. I used to just take a loader on put a 1/2 bucket of sand in the bed but it's easier to remove sandbags.