Securing Sandbags

Hi all, with winter coming and being in Pa I’ve been thinking about putting sandbags in the bed. My old GMC Canyon had slots in the bed where a 2x6 would fit perfectly and was a great for the sandbags. What if anything are you using to secure the sandbags so they don’t slide all over. Thanks bunches.

 

oem bed mat fixes that

 

It helpful to have sand with you should you encounter conditions where it's needed - UNLESS the sand has gotten wet and frozen into one big lump.

Not totally. I have found that while the bed is effective at preventing major movement in the bed, anything stored unsecured will slowly work its way forward toward the cab.
If it's a real need to carry sand during the Winter season, my recommendation is a 5 gallon pail with a lid. Stored up against the cab with a 2x6 across the bed in the slots. Perhaps strapped to one of the forward corner tie-downs.

 

Build a frame from 2x4s to keep them from sliding around the bed and centered above the axle. Easily removed when not needed.

 

I used to use pathway slabs and used ratchet straps to keep them secure to the bed.

also make sure to favour the passenger side. It has less weight and needs more to benefit from bags.

 

ratchet strap them down

 

I have a friend that has less integrity than most. He puts a cement parking bumper he “borrowed” from his apartment parking lot then puts it back in the spring.

 

Leverage makes the weight work a bit better if the weight is back at the tailgate. The truck is so nose heavy when empty, the weight behind the axle shifts some to the rear to balance it a bit. I don't live where it snows any more - but I typically went to the Wally World and got the 40# bags of water softener salt as convenient dead weight. Drop'em in a cheapo 2x4 frame behind wheel wells - salt to taste.

 

Sand is being used for increasing weight over the axle, not for increasing friction coefficient when stuck. However, I suppose you could use it for that...

If they are moving, a ratchet strap to the bed floor fixing points may minimize movement.

 

If you want them back by the tailgate you can do something like this with the board slots in the side of the bed.



You can also used the bed divider or something DIY like it.

 

I built some 2x8 holders that kept the bags over the rear axle in my old 2WD S10. There was no slots for 2x's so this was the best thing I could come up with...

 

i don't bother with sand bags anymore. i turn 4x4 on, and channel my decades of offroad rally experience watching the experts on youtube.

"when in doubt, throttle out!"

 

I use the OEM bed extender flipped inward with sandbags in it.



Not my picture because it's cold outside but you get the gist.

 

I built this out of plywood and 2×6's. Pretty simple, and it held my ice fishing gear in place as well.

2nd gen, but I believe the concept carries over.

 

Nice setup!

 

Sand bags and patio tile. On the deck I have a dry box of work and recovery gear.

 

Bed mat of course and I don't mind if they end up right behind the cab, that's where I want them anyway

 

I agree with this. I don't think sandbags are meant to compensate for bad tires, or replace 4wd, though. It's just a way to get some more weight over the rear axle.

Tires are definitely the most important thing. I cringe when I see folks running MT's in the winter. They can be great in deep snow, but they're generally garbage on packed snow and in icy conditions.

Even a lot of AT's suck in snow. I nearly crashed my 4Runner within 2 weeks of buying it due to the junk Dunlops. I replaced the tires with 1300 miles on the odometer.

I only buy 3PSMF all terrains, but even those aren't created equally. So far, the best AT's I've used in snow have been the Yokohama Geolandar AT-GO15's.

Your options are pretty limited, as I assume you have to run load range E on that diesel. From what I've seen, the LT versions of tires tend to have less siping than their SL counterparts.

FWIW, I have the AT3's in load range C and I think they're decent in snow. They're wearing well, and pretty quiet.