If you’ve landed on this page, you’re likely well aware of one of the disadvantages of an unloaded light-duty pickup truck: the lack of weight over the rear axle. A weight distribution in the realm of 50/50 (front/rear), or with a slight rear bias, is optimal for the handling and safety of a vehicle. A pickup truck however has a significant front weight bias when there’s no cargo in the bed or trailer being towed. So what is the best way to add weight to your truck bed?
Along with selecting the proper tires, adding weight (or ballast) is essential to increasing traction in rain, snow, or ice conditions, and when navigating off-road. Increased traction means a better chance of not getting stuck, increased control, and reduced braking distance.
Below we will summarize a few options on the market right now to add weight to your truck bed in an easy and secure way.
Table of Contents
The Best Way to Add Weight to Your Truck Bed in 2024
1. Shurtrax CLW0056: The Best Truck Bed Weight for Full-Size Pickup Trucks
Adding a professionally-designed, purpose-built traction aid to your truck is essential for safe handling in harsh road conditions, and this ShurTrax product checks all of the boxes for full-size trucks.
The CLW0056 has a 25-mm thick chamber for filling with water and it’s durable – made of UV-resistant, watertight vinyl, secured by heavy, brass grommets on the corners. The vinyl is reinforced by woven nylon mesh that makes this pickup truck bed weight bladder very strong and tear resistant, which is important if you intend to do any hauling with the traction aid in place. Filling it with water will add up to 400 lbs of ballast, and up to 500 pounds of cargo can be placed on the top.
With this traction aid from ShurTrax Company, the vehicle balance, cornering, and handling are significantly improved – a must for wet, snowy, or icy roads, or even country or mountainous trails. It’s highly recommended for all truck owners that are interested in increasing performance and safety in adverse conditions. I think it’s the best full size truck bed weight for winter traction.
- durable;
- UV-resistant;
- all-weather;
- no slide-down risk;
- contains up to 400 lbs of water.
- a bit difficult to empty for storing in spring.
Conclusion
2. Shurtrax CLW0048: The Best Weight for the Back of Compact/Mid-Size Pickup Trucks and SUVs
This option is similar to the previous one. It’s the same materials and brand, but a foot shorter. Both products are covered by a long, 3-year manufacturer’s warranty. Due to the size difference the weight and capacity is reduced as well. This traction aid adds no more than 300 lbs of water and is the most suitable for smaller trucks and SUVs.
Even though this water ballast is lightweight in comparison with the previous item, that doesn’t mean that any materials or construction is compromised. The thickness of the watertight, marine-grade nylon is the same, 25 mm. Both products last up to 7 winters when handled with care. I think it’s the best mid-size truck bed weight for winter traction.
- long-lasting;
- suitable for winter;
- thick, partitioned vinyl chambers.
- not too handy to fill;
- the capacity is not sufficient for heavier-duty trucks, like Ram 3500.
Conclusion
3. Iron Core Athletics: Versatile Sand Bags that Can Be Used for Cars, SUVs, or Small Pickup Trucks
In thinking about the best way to weigh down a truck bed, you may consider an alternative option: sandbags. Just fill the bags with sand or water, place them directly over the rear axle on both sides, and enjoy driving.
The tubes are small in size and capacity, each of them with the ability to hold up to 20 lbs of sand or up to 15 lbs of water. This of course means that not less than 5 items are necessary for even a sedan. Much heavier weights, or a larger number for pickup truck beds would be necessary.
However, the bags are leak-proof, made of durable, heavy-duty vinyl, and covered by 2-year warranty. Unfortunately they are not able to support cargo and securing them could take some creativity.
- durable;
- leak-proof;
- easy to fill;
- compact.
- small size and capacity;
- not able to support loads.
Conclusion
Buyer’s Guide
Product features to keep in mind.
If you’re looking for a way of adding weight to your truck bed that’s more flexible and modular than the cinder block method of the past, I would recommend only using professionally designed bags and traction aid products. Their reliability depends on a few factors:
- Watertightness.
- Tear resistance.
- UV resistance.
- Temperature durability.
How much weight do you need to add to your truck bed?
As we know, adding ballast to your truck bed accomplishes two things:
- More weight on the rear tires increases the friction force between the tires and the ground, and the effectiveness of the tire tread depending on the surface you’re driving on.
- More weight at the rear half of the truck helps increase the stability of the vehicle by improving the front/rear weight distribution.
With that understood, the question then becomes, what is the best amount of weight to use for your truck bed, 4WD or RWD?
The best way to determine this would be to find the actual front and rear curb weight of your vehicle. If you don’t have scales to do this yourself (most likely), then the next best option is to do some searching on the internet. The manufacturer is unlikely to provide this detail, but it may be worth checking there first. Forums specific to your truck make and model are likely your best bet.
Once you have a rough idea of your pickup’s weight distribution, then you can determine how much weight would be required to make the weight in the rear match that of the weight in the front. This number can serve as your maximum allowable ballast weight, as I don’t recommend going overboard and making the rear heavier than the front.
Typically, the larger the truck’s loading capacity, the higher your maximum allowable ballast weight will be. For example, a mid-size pickup will require significantly less ballast (perhaps 500-700 lbs) than a 1 ton truck such as a Ram 3500 (potentially 1400-1600 lbs).
In the end, any weight is better than nothing, and it should be centered over the rear axle if possible. If you do manage to achieve a 50/50 distribution, that’s great until you need to haul something. At which point you will have to remove some ballast to maintain stability and stay under your truck’s maximum hauling capacity. Always keep in mind that a trailer adds significant weight to the rear axle and it must be taken into account as well.
What should you use for weight in the truck bed?
The best materials seem to be sand or water, assuming you utilize a bladder-style traction aid like those shown here. Alternatives such as gravel, soil or rock salt are acceptable when the bags are properly packed and secured. Other materials, on the other hand, may be dangerous in collisions. For example, cement blocks may become projectiles; snow may deteriorate visibility. Plastic mesh collects moisture, leaks and causes rust on metal truck’s parts. Use your best judgment.
Video instruction: An Easy Way To Add Traction Weight
Final Verdict
Traction aids by Shurtrax are the best due to their capacity, durability, and ability to support cargo. I also recommend the sandbags by Iron Core Athletics for more custom and flexible options, keeping in mind that this is not what they were technically designed for and they may or may not withstand harsh weather conditions or direct sunlight.
