Author	[Modern View]
Rlpintx 10-18-2012 12:23:04 166.137.156.40 Report to Moderator	What are some good ways to ballast the front end? Using boom to lift junk on to trailer and front end wants come up. [Reply]   [No Email]
Paul in Edmonton 10-19-2012 08:37:18 128.144.90.52 Report to Moderator	Re: Ballast on front of 8N in reply to Ultradog MN, 10-18-2012 12:23:04   Quoting Removed, click Modern View to see Absolutely. It's actually more important (for safety) than the front. Reputable tire shops in the north will strongly recommend against replacing just your front tires on a front wheel drive car. Not because they want to make more money off you, but because it's a safety issue. If you don't have good traction in the rear tires of a front wheel drive, you can very easily spin out going around a corner. The front tires have good traction, so when you turn the wheel, the front of the car turns very easily, but if the back doesn't have good traction, it doesn't want to follow. You don't want to put weight *behind* the rear axle, though, because that would reduce weight on the front wheels. -Paul [Reply]  [No Email]
NoNewParts 10-19-2012 05:59:03 67.240.145.25 Report to Moderator	Re: Ballast on front of 8N in reply to Rlpintx, 10-18-2012 12:23:04   3-4' of thick threaded rod in the bumper hitch hole stand-off to the top bumper rail to keep it straight. stack barbell weights on the rod, as needed. (rod tilted out some will let you put on big plates, and a nut and washer on top will make them stay put on rough ground) watch yard sales for an old workout machine with the rectangular weight stack. tie the weights on the front. Old MF at the farm that carried apple totes had them tied Everywhere on the front [Reply]  [No Email]
Royse 10-19-2012 04:59:46 69.36.49.151 Report to Moderator	Re: Ballast on front of 8N in reply to Bruce (VA), 10-18-2012 12:23:04   It was just an example Willie, I wasn't describing how I drive. I drive a four wheel drive truck. 8) [Reply]  [No Email]
Royse 10-18-2012 15:55:39 69.36.49.151 Report to Moderator	Re: Ballast on front of 8N in reply to soundguy, 10-18-2012 12:23:04   Quoting Removed, click Modern View to see The rear end of front wheel drive cars are notoriously light, so they slide easily on snow/ice. For example when you're trying to turn a corner while on the brakes, they will kick out to the side. Weight helps keep them from getting started sliding. It also helps them keep sliding once they get started. :roll: [Reply]  [No Email]
willie in mn 10-19-2012 03:21:46 67.142.168.25 Report to Moderator	Re: Ballast on front of 8N in reply to Royse, 10-18-2012 15:55:39   Royse Nothing personal here, but whoever gave you driving lessons missed Physics 101. It's called plan ahead. Will keep this short & sweet, could rant all day about driving trainers mistakes. Don't brake & turn at the same time. Do one or the other. Any change in speed or direction calls for maximum traction. If you have to brake while turning, you are coming into the turn way too fast. Actually, light acceleration will pull through with more control. Watch your favorite race driver. They do it more to an extreme than normal street driving, but they brake hard in the straight, then power on through the turn. Willie, retired diesel pilot [Reply]  [No Email]
soundguy 10-18-2012 15:45:29 184.247.51.44 Report to Moderator	Re: Ballast on front of 8N in reply to Rlpintx, 10-18-2012 12:23:04   fill front tubes.. hang stuff on axle or bumper.. install front weights..e tc.. [Reply]  [No Email]
Paul in Edmonton 10-18-2012 15:30:36 128.144.90.52 Report to Moderator	Re: Ballast on front of 8N in reply to howdy1960, 10-18-2012 12:23:04   Quoting Removed, click Modern View to see Heck, I live further north than MN, and I've never seen it in tubes. They just sell regular bags of sand here. -Paul [Reply]  [No Email]
Ultradog MN 10-18-2012 14:29:07 184.100.106.5 Report to Moderator	Re: Ballast on front of 8N in reply to Rlpintx, 10-18-2012 12:23:04   Around here at Menards, etc they sell that sand in a tube. You see pallets of the stuff about this time of year for traction. Cheap, quick way to add front weight would be to drape a couple of those over your axle or even the hood. Take them off when you're done with the boom pole. [Reply]  [No Email]
Ultradog MN 10-19-2012 04:02:20 184.100.106.5 Report to Moderator	Re: Ballast on front of 8N in reply to Ultradog MN, 10-18-2012 14:29:07   I don't know what the vehicle in the photo is. I just googled sand in a tube, got several pictures and selected this one to hotlink. It was on the Sakrete website. Menards and I think Home Despot have their own name on the tubes. Very common in the winter here. On a snowy, slippery day you'll see a couple of pallets of these at the store in the morning and by evening they'll all be gone. [Reply]  [No Email]
Rlpintx 10-18-2012 15:34:38 166.137.156.44 Report to Moderator	Re: Ballast on front of 8N in reply to Ultradog MN, 10-18-2012 14:29:07   It looks like you have sand in the back of a front wheel drive SUV or van. Does weight in the rear of a front wheel drive car improve handling in winter weather? [Reply]  [No Email]
old 10-18-2012 15:51:21 209.86.226.19 Report to Moderator	Re: Ballast on front of 8N in reply to Rlpintx, 10-18-2012 15:34:38   Weight in the back of a front wheel drive is trouble not help. Weight in the bed of a rear wheel drive or in the trunk of a rear wheel drive car helps. Back when I still had a 2 wheel drive truck I would dump one bucket of gravel in the bed of my truck behind the wheel wells and that way I had the weight I needed plus you can throw it under your tires if you get stuck on snow or ice. I have helped many get out by throwing the gravel under there tires even big rigs [Reply]  [No Email]
Rlpintx 10-18-2012 16:15:58 166.137.156.34 Report to Moderator	Re: Ballast on front of 8N in reply to old, 10-18-2012 15:51:21   In the winter I keep about 200 lbs of sand over the rear axle of my truck. Works good. Just always wondered what you guy up north did with the front wheel drive cars. [Reply]  [No Email]
Bob Harvey 10-18-2012 17:22:42 209.91.107.204 Report to Moderator	Re: Ballast on front of 8N in reply to Rlpintx, 10-18-2012 16:15:58   I use 4 bags of 'play sand' in my small 4x4, about $3 each and can be used for traction if needed (also carry chains for all 4). Hopefully little or no snow this year. [Reply]  [No Email]
old 10-18-2012 16:30:27 209.86.226.19 Report to Moderator	Re: Ballast on front of 8N in reply to Rlpintx, 10-18-2012 16:15:58   Front wheel drives already have the weight they need on the front tires so other then most sit to low your good to go. Still remember a bet my dad made years ago with a class he taught. They where state patrol and my dad bet them he could drive out of a parking spot and not spin the rear tires. The troopers took the bet little knowing that the car he was in was a 1967 Austin America which was front wheel drive. It was my car but my dad borrowed it due to the roads had ice on them and he knew it would handle better then his rear wheel drive car. The parking place he was in was noise down so he did spin the front tires a little bit but he got out with out spinning the rears so he won the bet [Reply]  [No Email]
Rlpintx 10-18-2012 15:26:33 166.137.156.42 Report to Moderator	Re: Ballast on front of 8N in reply to Ultradog MN, 10-18-2012 14:29:07   I must be to far south, I never seen it in tubes before. [Reply]  [No Email]
Jim.UT 10-18-2012 13:54:17 70.89.244.178 Report to Moderator	Re: Ballast on front of 8N in reply to Rlpintx, 10-18-2012 12:23:04   The suitcase weights on a bumper is a good idea. I have wheel weights on the front wheels of my tractors. That adds about 90 lbs per wheel. Weights for 19" fronts are harder to find than weights for 16" wheels. I have a couple of short pieces of railroad track that I've used on the front bumper for temporary ballast. Even a 3' section is surprisingly heavy. [Reply]  [No Email]
old 10-18-2012 13:16:00 209.86.226.57 Report to Moderator	Re: Ballast on front of 8N in reply to Rlpintx, 10-18-2012 12:23:04   If you have a brush guard/bumper suit case weights work well. You can also fill your front tires with fluid but that only adds around 15lbs on each side maybe a tad bit more [Reply]  [No Email]