Filed under: Aftermarket, Trucks/Pickups
Worth its weight? ShurTrax could keep your pickup planted
If you live in a cold-weather climate and own a RWD pickup truck, you know that driving in inclement weather can be a real crap shoot. The rear wheels seem to have a mind of their own, coming out from under you when you least suspect it. To help keep traction, many people combat this problem by adding weight to the pickup bed, using items like sand bags or even packed snow.The big problem with adding weight to your pickup is that the fillers you add typically eliminate the usefulness of your truck by taking up room in the bed. In the case of sand, the bags tend to break, which can make a big mess. We found this product we think provides a clever solution for these minor issues with cold weather traction.
A company called ShurTrax came up with a handy idea to add weight to your truck without rendering the bed entirely useless. The gadget, which is basically a 400lb. water-filled bladder, spreads the weight evenly over a large portion of the bed. Owners of the ShurTrax can continue to use the truck bed, since the device can withstand a 500lb load. The product is reasonably affordable too, with a sticker price between $120 - $140.
While there is no substitution in bad weather for experienced drivers and four-wheel drive, we think this nifty device is a good idea for those who need a little stability in areas that get a lot of the white stuff.
[Source: ShurTrax]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Mr. Red 7:45PM (4/16/2007)
I dunno, 15$ in cement or sand bags worked just fine, i don't see any difference, except the cement bags can carry alot higher load than 500lbs
http://www.burnedbytheman.com
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Peter Rockwell 7:56PM (4/16/2007)
I assume that the bladder can take the stress of being filled with ice?
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Barney 8:22PM (4/16/2007)
The sand can also be useed for traction. A few scoops at the tire will help stop them from spinning on ice.
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Paul Y 8:30PM (4/16/2007)
As a former owner of a RWD pickup, I usually just carried two sandbags, a manual tranny, and decent poor-weather driving skills. As such, I never got stuck, and never spent $120 on some ridiculous contraption. So, what's your point, Autoblog?
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Kowell 8:47PM (4/16/2007)
Barney has the very same concern I do. Will the bladders resist the tension caused by the expending ice created by the frozen water. We ARE talking about sub-zero temperatures here so you may put water in, it ain't gonna stay that way very long.
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Bruno 8:54PM (4/16/2007)
Who never carries anything sharp or abrasive in their truck bed? Imagine the fun you'll have when you come out in the am to find the thing has leaked.
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cgarison 9:10PM (4/16/2007)
And with a ragtop Jeep Wrangler, I do not have to worry about additional leakage other than the typical leaks from the soft top when using the sandbags.
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Stephen 9:14PM (4/16/2007)
These are nothing new, but I don't think they are as good as sandbags or whatnot. With sandbags, you can place them all the way in the back against the tailgate to maximize the change in the CoG and weight distribution.
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UH2L 9:21PM (4/16/2007)
I prefer the alternative of just not driving a pick-up truck.
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Canadian 9:32PM (4/16/2007)
great idea and it can be secure (SandBag can move inside the box) But it too much expensive and we can't remove easely when we need de box.
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The Penguin 9:32PM (4/16/2007)
Stuff like this that has a large water-filled bladder has been on the market for a while.
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Jaymez 9:37PM (4/16/2007)
I live in New England, in an area full of hills. I've only once gotten stuck with an unweighted 2WD truck. 4WD is over rated. AWD is uncalled for.
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david 9:45PM (4/16/2007)
Ok, let me get this one straight. You fill this thing with water, it freezes, you need to take it out to haul drywall or something, then what? A big ice pick such as a jackhammer?
Put the sand bags in and remove them when needed and save a bundle of cash.
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whofan 10:09PM (4/16/2007)
An extra drive shaft and transfer case is the way to go if you want to use your truck at all in the winter.
Sand bags are the answer for 2wd.
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Tim UF 10:11PM (4/16/2007)
So... how far does your mileage drop? into the single digits with that extra load? Ill stick to my compact, thanks. if i need to move something bigger, i'll rent a uhaul for a day.
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Fuzzmanmatt 10:16PM (4/16/2007)
We used the ShurTrax in the delivery trucks at Advance Auto Parts. We took them out before the season was over. They took up more space than the oil dry we carried the rest of the time in the trucks, and we could sell the oil dry right out of the back of the trucks, too. The ShurTrax showed classic signs of having a huge container of water in the truck, as well. The drivers biggest complaint wasn't its size or ease of use, it was the constant sloshing of the water in the bed of the truck.
My vote? Stick with sandbags and a full tank of gas, and learn how to control your slides BEFORE you get out on the road. Find a parking lot and spin out a little bit, it'll pay off in the long run.
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Paul Y 10:42PM (4/16/2007)
@#17
DUH.
RWD isn't so bad if you know what you're doing, no matter how bad the weather is.
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MikeW 1:59AM (4/17/2007)
So you add extra mass to be accelerated, sure there is extra traction, but that is offset by the extra weight. So it does nothing for acceleration potential.
Now some kind of jetsam or flotsam, like salt, sand, or kiddie litter to help get unstuck isn't bad.
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TIMMAH! 2:42AM (4/17/2007)
Wouldn't water sloshing around back there tend to make for bad handling due to weight shift?
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Dmitrit 6:28AM (4/17/2007)
all you can do is just one thing - don't buy stupid pickup if you don't work as cowboy (or have this role)
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