I want to buy one of those Shurtrax weigh systems for my ranger. how much weight should i put in it? I dont want the bed to sag I just want better traction when it rains and snows.

 

Well it says on the site to fill the bag with 3 inches of water, to allow room for expansion when it freezes. That'd be enough weight to gain traction. Don't overthink this..

Or you could go buy a bunch of sand to put in the bed. That way it'll give you traction from the weight, and if you get stuck then you can use the sand on the ground.


GB :)

 

How much weight are you adding? If you're talking 1200 lbs or less, you're under the recommended Ranger payload. Besides, you definitely don't need anywhere near that much to enhance winter traction. Something like 200~400 lbs makes a big difference.

The strength of the bed isn't an issue at all for the recommended payload. The only exception could be a body lifted bed that has not been modified to bear on the frame like a stocker does. I've carried as much as 2400 lbs of distributed load in the stock bed without damage although I can't really recommend it.

 

so you dont think putting 300-400 pounds back there will make the body sag meaning the bed will sag towards the tires more?

 

It won't make it sag with only 300 or 400 pounds in it. I would use sand, and maybe unopened bags of salt if you're worried about driving in snow and ice. You have that and a shovel, and you won't have anything to worry about, and you will have more than enough traction.

 

i'm not worried about getting stuck. I use to drive in snow storms with my ford escort sometimes and never got stuck. This winter is going to be fun in this Ranger. they plow the roads where I live to I just want to have some extra traction.