After many years with only 4WD vehicles and never needing sand, there is now a 2-wheel drive(front) car in the family. Something is needed that won't roll around in the trunk and is easy to use if needed. The car has new snow tires, the studless kind. Chains will be carried, but if the problem is just an icy parking spot, it isn't worth putting chains on for a 20 ft move.

Thanks,

Bruce

I carry 300# of sand for ballast in the winter (countering the snow plow).

I picked up some 75# bags of it at Home Depot for, like, $3-4 a bag.

that was 3 years ago and they're still intact.

It's tough keeping it from getting wet and then freezing in the back of a pickup.

In a car trunk, the best thing may be cat litter.

that's what camper shells are for!


the bigger problem is trying to clean elk blood / hair off the stacked bags.....

Can't fit round bales inside the cap!

You want sand to put under the tires for traction. I had to read it twice. Get a bucket with a lid. Ken

What kend said. Dry sand. Those round blocks aren't much good.....

I prefer a transfer case lever!

Get a car or truck innertube and cut a section out of it. Wire one end shut and fill it up, the wire the other end twist tie fashion. Doesn't roll around, adds weight, and you can access the sand when you need it.

I have a small bag of kitty litter in the truck of my wife's car.

Something I am glad to not have to worry about!

But when you do worry about it, you got bigger problems!

Here we call it Wednesday!

The only time sand bothers me is when it gets real dry and the sugar sand appears in the pastures, that crap will grab ya quick.

My wife has a front wheel drive Chevy Venture van and we/she has never needed anything for traction and we get a fair amount of snow here in Buffalo, NY. I bet you've heard about us. <grin> Although.....it is flat as a pancake here!

Front wheel drive vehicles are pretty darn good on ice and snow, IMO. My 4x4 is of course fine.

Around here a lot of places sell "tubes" of sand for traction. They are waterproof thankfully as I have had some experience with trying to use frozen sand. NOT GOOD, actually,I may just try the kitty liter... I have some clean stuff

But not as much as Rome, Cheektowaga, or Tonawanda, eh?

+ 1 on the kitty litter. My wife keeps it in her car and last year she used it to get going after getting into a "slick spot".

Ernie

In the sand box.

Around here the sand is sold in tubes. Sometimes inner tubes tied at each end.

You could always pick up a few sand bags and fill them too.

I had a 2 WD Toyota Hilux pickup in Fairbanks, once upon a time. I said it had a "maximum-slip differential" - it would put the power to the wheel that was slipping the most!

One time in the Safeway parking lot I was parked head-in on just the slightest of slopes and could not back out, and no way to pull forward.

I left it in gear and got out and pushed my truck to where there was some gravel for traction, ran and jumped back in, and then drove on my merry way!

I don't recommend it for those less fleet-footed, but it worked!

You can also use a bag of sidewalk salt. I use the tubes of sand here. Also poured about half of one out and use it to weight down my lead sled for shooting.

Heck no, they get WAY more!

I've mentioned this before, about 10-12 years ago we had, IIRC 84" in a week. Not to shabby.

Someone with Google FU could come up with some pretty good stats on The Great White Buffalo.

Did I mention we haven't had any measurable snow yet this year? I think I heard on TV tonight the weather man say we haven't had any measurable snow since Feb 28th. Doesn't break my heart.

carrying sand (or weight) in the trunk of a front wheel drive vehicle is counterproductive, need weight on the drive axles only

I bought a couple sand tubesmand will cut into one ,if needed.

50-75# of cat litter in the trunk.

And, a folding shovel.

A couple of asphalt shingles don't hurt, either.

Doubtful you'll get 'stuck' on an icy parking lot with a FWD vehicle, but I suppose it's possible.. What works well is a bag of something like kitty litter or even oil absorb compounds.. Easy to contain, works well, not too heavy and doesn't freeze..

Or, you could just move to TAX HELL WISCONSIN where ice on roads is NEVER allowed...

I wonder how we ever made it before traction control, four wheel drive and tire chains? Dad taught us to drive, I think. Carry a short length of small chain to put under the tires -- works real good -- about 10' for each side of the car.

Hardware store where I used to work sold 70-lb bags of sand that were "tubes," and they were packed in these bags that were plastic-woven and very durable. They were specifically intended for this purpose and were about 3-4' long for fitting around wheel wells.

Dad bought several of them and used to keep them over the back wheel wells of his pick-up truck.

If need be, the bags could be opened, with a knife or whatever, and dumped out. But they never got wet, and never broke open on their own.

First and only time I got stuck in a car, ever, was with my FWD Chrysler Sebring convertible.

I had nose-in parked in a gas station lot with an ever-so-slight and walked in to work, because we had no parking at the junkyard. In the meantime, it snowed some more, some of the snow that was there melted, and when I tried to leave, no go.

Luckily, one of the wrecker drivers from our junkyard came by to get a pack of smokes and I flagged him down and he pulled me out.

Years of driving RWD in all kinds of weather, and I got stuck in a damn Chrysler Sebring in a parking lot!

If you've never had a FWD or spent much time driving in wintery conditions with one you're going to be pleasantly surprised at how well they do. About the only FWD cars that struggle are small 4 cyl lightweight cars. Anything that has a 6 cyl is heavy enough to give great traction and especially with snow tires.

If it's flat you won't get stuck. Deep ruts, inclines or deep snow are a different story.

Just throw a bag of kitty litter in the trunk and call it good. I'd bet you'll never have to use it.

FWIW I spent 14 years in Alaska and have driven about every type of FWD vehicle imaginable. They do amazingly well in winter driving conditions.

I remember my step father getting out of his Ranger at Sears.
He parked it on a slight grade. Got out and slammed the door.
And the truck started sliding sideways!
He literally had to hold it to keep it off another car parked there.
He and passerby managed to pile snow next to the tires, enough to keep it in place on the ice!

God, ya gotta love Ohio winters!

we always carried a square of asphalt shingles.
If ya get stuck, just break it open and line them up into a path .
Drive away and leave them there for the next poor schmo

I prefer to use 3 cu ft bags of black mulch, preferably wet. It does the job for weight in the back of my pickup (with cap), and It goes in my landscaping in the spring.

Many years ago I found what maybe the best solution. I installed 4 studded snow tires on my vehicles. Even on my Firebird, it turned it into a little tank. It also eliminated the poor steering on ice. The only thing you have to worry about on ice is.... can the guy behind me stop as fast as I can...

I have to admit switching to 4WD is easier but I do carry a shovel and a couple bags of sand in the winter.

ML

One way to carry sand is get an old inner tube cut it in half tie one end off fill it with sand and tie off the other end. The Sand stays dry and you don't have to worry about the bags getting wet or cleaning the bags after hauling that bear, deer or elk, just take a hose and wash the innertube off.

No Fuss, No Mess and it works real well as ballast when not needed.

I have a 2010 Tacoma TRD - I don't need no stinkin' sand!

Well I just guess that we is coming up short in the brain department but we use fireplace ashes from the previous year from the ash hole behind the house. It sure is one hell of a lot lighter than sand and much more effective traction wise and as an ice melter. Best of all it does not cause damage to concrete and adheres to your tires if they are damp/wet. It only takes a little bit of finely sprinkled ashes to get going again and it's biodegradeable, so there is no clean up that can't be handled with a garden hose in the spring. It sure beats the hell out of having to shovel all of the sand back up from a concrete or asphalt driveway. How do I carry it? In a Dry Wall bucket with the lid on tight and the bucket opener, in the wheel well of the trunk. That way I got plenty to help others out with. WARNING: BE SURE YOU FILL YOUR DRYWALL BUCKET(S) BEFORE YOU BEGIN USING YOUR WOODSTOVE FOR THE WINTER. YA DON'T NEED NO SMOLDERING EMBERS IN THE TRUNK TA REMIND YOU THAT SOMETHIN WAS STILL BURNING.

Flower Child

Flower Child Who are you calling an "Ash Hole?"