What should we use to add weight to our 2007 Ford Ranger?

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smileyd

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We have recently moved from Nova Scotia to Northern Manitoba and need to find a way to add weight to the back of our truck to make winter driving on the icy gravel roads safer. Snow is not an option as we have to drive an hour every week or two to buy our groceries for ourselves and a few other people, so we need the room it would take up.
We're concerned about adding sand bags as well. Do they move around much? What do you use to stop them from moving around? Do you use 2x4's? Where would you place them for best use?
What do you think about studding the tires? Is it just as good as weighing down the back, or should they be used together? How expensive are they?

Thank you in advance!
 
if the truck is not a 4 wheel drive ,i'd add sand bags over the pulling wheels and lower the air pressure in rear about 30 %. have no experience with studs but i think they'd work. no more than 2 deep on the bags ,hold them in place with a cargo retaining bar either side,hope this helps.
 
If you need the cargo space also just lay, a 1/4" piece of paneling on the bed then lay building bricks down. they weigh 4 pounds each and you only lose about 3 inches of your bed height. They also make a smooth surface to sit other stuff on. most dumps and demolition sites will let you have them for free<
 
Add a 3 or 4 20kg bags of salt. That's what I use in the back of my pick-up for extra weight.
If you get stuck you got something to help you get unstuck.

Good luck
 
sand bags...tube sand, from any home improvement store. It is sometimes sold as "traction aid". It comes in 60/70lbs bags here in the US, imported from Canada where i buy mine. Less than $5 US for a bag, I runs 720lbs in an 06 f250, behind the drive axle. Most people will not agree with this, saying it will lighten the front end. I have over 20 years of driving tractor trailer experience, and running less weight behind the axle is the same as running more weight over the axle. Been doing this for many years and have never had a problem, the bags do not slide at all. And you can use them for several years, store them on a wodden pallet. My f250 is 2wd and living in Western NY where we get our share of snow, with the weight and good tires there is no place on a paved road, snow covered(plowed snow with my front bumper) or not that I am afraid to go.
 
We us sandbags sometimes. My honey wraps mesh around sand bags or he uses old spare tires wrapped in plastic at the very front of the truck box. One other thing he did is to use those big square cement blocks. He threw a few of them into the box and they did not move around at all. You could always put them on and then bungie cord them in place??

As for the studded tires. We use them, and they work great, but you still need the weight.
 
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