True about pulling weight off the front, and that's probably important to
consider with a lightweight pickup. This was back in '72. It was a big old
'66 Ford 3/4 ton V-8, probably 360 c.i. The engine/tranny together weighted
about as much as a Neon and the front wheels alone weighed as much as the
bed and rear axle of a Dakota. Awful gas milage. I put a ton and a half of
sand in it once - didn't steer worth a damn.
So I exaggerate a little :-o, but seriously there was still lots of weight
on the front and it actually handled better and was more balanced than with
an totally empty bed.
..Rob
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-dakota-truck@BUFFNET.NET
[mailto:owner-dakota-truck@BUFFNET.NET]On Behalf Of Doug Fedeli
Sent: Friday, November 17, 2000 11:51 PM
To: dakota-truck-moderator@twisted.twistedbits.net
Subject: DML: Re: Sand Bags
The problem with putting the weight behind the rear wheels is it pulls some
weight off the front wheels. If you put too much weight back there you loose
steering traction.
Doug Fedeli
Rob Parenti wrote:
> What I used to do, when I lived in Michigan, was put in a 2x8 or 2x6 box
the
> full width of the bed behind the wheel wells and filled it with corse
gravel
> or crushed rock, not sand. Had a plywood cover to keep the snow and ice
> out. Having it behind the wheels gave me the most traction for the
weight,
> and allowed it to be easy to reach when I needed to throw a shovel full of
> gravel under the wheels. Sand would likely freeze solid with a little
> moisture, and is not as good as gravel for traction in deep snow.
>
> ..Rob
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: MATTHEW N INTIHAR [mailto:challengerman@juno.com]
> Sent: Thursday, November 16, 2000 10:23 PM
> To: dakota-truck@buffnet.net
> Subject: DML: Sand Bags
>
> Ok, I feel stupid asking this, but this is my first truck, and my first
> winter driving. I have a 92 CC 3.9L auto 4x2, and I am wondering how
> many 75 lbs. sand bags to put in the back. I appreciate the help.
>
> Matt
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Fri Jun 20 2003 - 11:57:27 EDT