Once again, winter is right around the corner. If you want to take the extreme conditions of winter head-on, now is the time to start winterizing your truck.
Driving in winter is like walking on ice: to prevent sliding, you need traction. Compared to passenger cars, keeping traction in a pickup truck isn’t easy. To assist with carrying cargo, some pickups are rear-wheel drive and have lighter back halves.
A tire’s grip depends on the weight it carries, but an unloaded truck is front-heavy; weight doesn’t easily shift to the rear. Without enough traction to move, the tires start spinning.
Winter Driving in a Pickup Truck
A rear-wheel-drive truck needs something to offset the imbalance. We recommend that you add additional weight to your truck bed. Adding weight to your truck bed can be tricky; a rear end with too much weight will slide around when you turn, putting you at risk for an accident.
There is a way to find the right amount of weight: refer to your vehicle’s standard and maximum payload rating. These numbers should give you a range for added ballast weights.
Even if you’re only adding 100-200 pounds of sandbags, it can be enough to make a huge difference, giving you the traction you need to move.
Some ways to add weight to a truck bed include:
- Concrete blocks
- 40 pound bags of water softener salt or ice melt
- Fifth wheel hitches
- 5-gallon buckets of gravel or sand
- Sandbags (most popular)
- Bags or buckets of cat litter
- Bags of potting soil, topsoil etc.
Where to Place Added Weight for Winter Driving
Positioning matters –we recommend loading your weight centered over your rear axle, or as close as possible. This location will help minimize weight transfer and reduce the dangerous pendulum effect.
What is the pendulum effect? In driving, when a vehicle’s weight and mass are greater than its center of gravity, the pendulum effect can reduce a vehicle’s balance during cornering, hard braking, or trying to avoid a collision.
To ensure the ballast weight stays in place and won’t slide around, bang into the sides of your truck bed, or cause sudden, dangerous weight transfer while you’re turning or braking, we recommend using the ZeroSkid® non slip truck bed mat that’s part of the DualLiner modular bed liner system.
Road Salt & Rust Prevention
You also can’t talk about winter without talking about salt. Road salt can corrode or rust your vehicle. DualLiner can be your first line of defense against the main causes of rust: road salt and moisture. With DualLiner protecting your truck against these unavoidable hazards, you’ll stay strong and avoid expensive repairs.
DualLiner is designed as a modular system, which makes it easy to disassemble and remove from your truck bed when it’s time for cleaning.
You won’t have to worry about dirt or rock salt getting lodged under the truck bed liner where it can scratch your paint. The ZeroSkid® non-slip truck bed mat also pulls out easily, allowing you to quickly hose down the bed. The mat’s rubber nubs also give the water space to escape.
The DualLiner truck bed liner will do a solid job keeping cargo from sliding around your truck bed. If you have any extra precious cargo like gifts, then you’ll want to keep them out of harsh winter conditions.
Thankfully, the DualLiner is also compatible with truck caps and truck bed covers. Combining the DualLiner with a tonneau cover gives you complete bed protection. It’s like turning your truck bed into a giant trunk! It’s the perfect winter companion.
