Sandbags in the bed of a pickup truck (2023 Update)

Hi, The "rule" ( definitely not a "law") about frictional force equaling down force times a coeffecient of friction, only applies to flat smooth, hard surfaces. Anything else and all are off.

Thanks Roger Haar

My buddy who used to live in Ottawa liked it when newcomers would ask why the city was coming around in September and attaching 5' long poles (with red flags, IIRC) to the fire hydrants...

Best regards, Spehro Pefhany

Centrifical force cause the slicks to get a lot narrower than they are when thier just sitting. They soundly grow in diameter and shrink in width. I'm sure this has something to do with it.

So do guage blocks have a Us (mu sub s) of something a bit greater than infinity, or what? ;o)

Tim

-- "That's for the courts to decide." - Homer Simpson Website @

Many places will NOT help you load anything into your vehicle in an attempt to relieve them of liability. (my local gas supplier for one)

If they helped load it into the bed of your truck, they are partially liable if something goes wrong.

Dave

I think Jim might be right, that somebody might be crazy enough to try to make you liable, if something bad did happen. They mighjt be very happy to sue you. The same reason almost all of the ladder manufacturers have been sued out of business in the US.

Abrasha

I have, just not with a pick up truck. Just in a regular car or station wagon. Chains usually are good enough for that. So what exactly does 500 pounds of sand do for you in snow? I am not trying to be cute, I would like to know.

Abrasha

Now, that I understand, because I see those in the Sierras near Tahoe. That is just too obvious to not get. But sand? That, I don't get. What will sand, or any weight, do that snow tires or chains won't do? Abrasha

A given vehicle (especially RWD) with will handle noticably better on packed snow with some extra weight over the rear tires. Easy to test in an empty parking lot, just spin the rear tires and try to make "donuts". In a less controlled situation the rear end swinging around is the start of a spin which, unless corrected really fast, will probably will end up (at best) with some part of the car making contact with a guard rail or going into a ditch/median. At worst, it's a road without a median and there's an 18-wheeler coming the other way..

Best regards, Spehro Pefhany

Pickups are very, very light in back. The rear suspensions are designed to be setup right when there is a load in the bed. It's a lot tougher to do dounuts in snowy parking lots when the bed has some weight in it.

Not that I ever do dounuts in snowy parking lots every year after the first snows, of course. I'd never tune up my driving skills that way.

Jim

================================================== please reply to: JRR(zero) at yktvmv (dot) vnet (dot) ibm (dot) com ==================================================

My current truck has a cap on it, and that seems to help. The two trucks I had before that, I had a fairly simple method of adding rear weight on an "as needed" basis: I'd back up to a snowbank and shovel it in to the tops of the bedrails. When warmer weather hit a few days later, it'd remove itself by way of the drain holes...

--Glenn Lyford

On Fri, 12 Dec 2003 08:41:31 -0700, Roger Haar brought forth from the murky depths:

That's especially true when it comes to getting out my wallet. That, dear sirs, takes a crowbar.

----------------------------------------------------------------- When I die, I'm leaving my body to science fiction. --Steven Wright ----------------------------

Well, I admit I haven't lots of experience with snow (we don't have winter in these parts), although I have ridden my old motorcycle on ice.

For getting moving when stopped, I'd think that a bit of sand dropped onto hard packed snow or ice would help more than a lot of snow in the vehicle, though...

Al Moore

Chains are not legal on the roads in my area. Nor are studded tires. So that is not an option.

Snow tires help, but weight helps a LOT more.

The more weight, the more friction for one. The tires grip slippery roads better if there is a lot of weight on them.

Obviously friction increases, but the coefficient of friction of a rubber tire also goes up with the additional weight.

If there is snow on the ground, the extra weight will help the tires dig into it better.

I have driven on snow that turned to ice from the weight of the vehicle. Then you just spin a tire. Extra weight in this case will likely crush this ice and push it out of the way.

I have mentioned a couple times in this thread about the hill I have to go up to get home. One winter I literally kept the truck in first gear, running just above idle, and spun a tire until it ate down to asphalt. I got moved forward a few inches, and spun again until I found asphalt. 10 minutes to get up a hill... but many other people were stranded.

Dave

Yes, but then it only helps once. Nothing beats studded tires where they are legal. About half a pound of studs is equal to about 500 pounds of sand........................

That is definitely how "tractionizing" snow tires worked. You lore up the surface a bit to make the tire "bite". The new Dunlop Graspics I have on the "Plastic Vantastic" and my daughter's Neon work the same way - and the Blizzaks are also similar. Lots of fine siping on the tread to grab whatever is available.

I've heard from several people that Blizzaks are terrific tires for winter driving. Do you leave them on all year long? What other tires are as good or better?

Lane

I don't suppose you saved the video of your former truck being squashed by a pumpkin? It could help you get your point across.

where can you use studs now? they certainly were next best to chains, better when you consider they were always "on". we once ran a rental station wagon dry when a stud came out and perforated the gas tank. that was in the 60's in Denver. --Loren