Mid-size Truck Traction Aid

2020 Update: I got Michelin Defender tires for my 2wd Ranger and no longer use any weight in the back. This bag still looks brand new though. I just don't use it anymore. Two ice storms and an 8" blizzard in a single week and I didn't drive any differently than I do in the summer. Way better than the Pirelli Skorpion garbage tires I had before. My best tip: get decent tires that are All-Season (not all-terrain) and you probably won't need any weight in the back at all. If you've done that and still are slipping, then this bag is fantastic for easily adding weight, and then easily draining it out in the spring. 2000 Ford Ranger XLT Extended Cab 2wd v6 3.0 automatic with eight year old 31" Pirelli Scorpion tires with only about 30k miles on them. Yes, I own a two wheel drive pickup truck in Michigan, but now it's nothing to be ashamed of. It did great in Detroit's terrible 2014/2015 winter. In May 2016 we also got snow. It never ends. I still have this bag and my old tires and have FUN in the snow still. We got 15" of snow overnight and I was able to not only get out of my driveway but drive around town in it. My neighbor's 4x4 Jeep for stuck in front of my house and their kids had to push them back in. Another neighbor's Cadillac which has front wheel drive was wedged at the bottom of they driveway. Then a Ram 1500 with a snowplow beached itself by driving in the snow tracks and tore something so bad an F-150 was chained to it to drag it back home. I'm not kidding: weight will get you moving but driving slower will allow you to steer. When you're at a stop sign in 15" of unplowed snow just barely hit the gas and crawl out, if you slam on the gas you'll just dig straight down and get stuck-even in a 4x4. This bag is great but it's not magic. I used to pile almost exactly 200lbs of cinder blocks in my truck (I weighed each one on a bathroom scale and wrote the weights in chalk on them). Cinder blocks that looked identical weighed anywhere from 24lbs to 34lbs --I weighed them because I could feel the differences while loading them. Anyway, the truck rear sagged more with this bag, so it truly does give you about 300lbs. Lay it flat and strap it down with firm straps. I used some old wire I had because bungy cords are too springy and will let the 300lbs move in the bed causing wear. Nylon rope would be fine too. I strap it down so it doesn't get abraded or scratch the truck. Probably overkill. My 6' styleside (straight, not flared) bed has anchors that are too far away from the corners to tighten bungies anyway, so I ran wire to the two anchors near the cab and two under the tailgate and to the bumper brackets. Bag was flat and tight. After using stiff wire to tie down four corners I laid a yardstick across the bed on top of the empty bag and marked the zero position (empty) on the side of the wheel humps. Then I filled with water until the bag was 3" tall. That's how I turned a two-wheel drive Ranger from something I literally couldn't get out of my short suburban driveway with into something I could get through 15" of snow with! After the thaw this week I first untied the wires and then pulled onto the angled part of my driveway. Pull the plug and the water drained for about 5 minutes. The underside was nice with no wear or tears evident. It lasted one winter and looks brand new. I'm still dumping cinder blocks around town. So nice not to be storing them year round. Get this bag, but drive slow in blizzards so you can still steer. With this purchase the $4600 gamble/savings I made 15 years ago when ordering my truck in two wheel drive instead of four finally paid off. The service schedule on a 4wd is way costlier too: I've never greased a transaxle and don't plan on it. Nothing shifting or scratching the bed and you get more weight. Weigh your cinder blocks on a bathroom scale. You may be putting less than you think in your truck. Also, this bag freezes nice and flat so you can still put things on top of it and use your bed. Update: 2018 and it still looks like new! Mike from Detroit

I purchased this product several months ago for my compact pickup. Product is excellent. Very easy to use. Filling was a piece of cake and anchoring with rubber straps was a breeze. The increase in stability when driving on wet and slippery surfaces has been dramatic. Previously, without ShurTrax, I had to be concerned constantly with fishtailing when driving in the rain. ShurTrax has alleviated that problem. Carrying cargo with the ShurTrax has not been a problem either. When carrying something that is sharp and may puncture the bag, I simply place a piece of 1/4" plywood over the ShurTrax, anchor it with bungee cords and it works fine. Otherwise, I just place it right on the bag and haven't had any problems. ShurTrax claims that the bag can hold 500lbs. and that seems to be the case. Haven't had the opportunity to drive in the snow yet but don't see any reason why it wouldn't be a great help. Have had the bag freeze and thaw several times without any problems. Couldn't be happier with the product and the company. ShurTrax has lived up to everything it claims.

Easy to install but like others have said, the full port can be fussy. Fills quickly and does not leak. If you own a gladiator, it fits fine but the cutouts for the wheel wells don’t align at all. So far it hasn’t been cold enough for the bag to freeze completely. I have been able to drive in freezing rain, wet snow, black ice, and off road. I rarely need to use 4wd and the added weight from the bag makes for a stable and strait driving truck on slippery surfaces. I live in West MI where we get plenty of heavy wet snow and icy conditions.

Back in the late '70s when I owned my first pick up truck I used to pile 50lb. sand bags in the back every Winter to weigh it down. Then when winter was over I'd get rid of the sand and have to go back for more sand each Fall. I also had to devise a frame with 2 x 4s to keep the sand bags in place. What a pain. 2010 rolls around and I buy my second pick up truck. Oh my how things have changed! The Shur Trax system is brilliant in its simplicity. Put the bladder in the bed of the truck, add water and drive. What could be simpler? You can still put stuff on it, walk on it, etc. It's really strong. It was Winter when I installed mine and I was shocked that even though it was below 32 degrees for several weeks, it took over two weeks for it to freeze solid. I'm still waiting for the weather to break before I empty it for the first time but I can tell you we had a decent snow fall this past Winter and I didn't have any trouble getting around at all. This is one of those items that makes you think "why didn't I think of that?" Love it!

**Edit 1 year later** I am sad to say that my trusty ShurTrax only lasted 1 year. It now has a slow leak in the seam on the back right side currently and leaks currently. Its pretty expensive for only lasting one year. I hate sandbags but may go back to them at some point. Moving the ShurTrax from 5 to 3 stars as a result of leakage. I am blown away with how brilliant this system is. I went from no weight in the back of my mid sized chevy colorado pickup with 4 wheel drive on. Worked just fine but it liked to fishtail while at a stop doing a 90 degree turn on slick surfaces. I then put 4 60lb sandbags in the back over the rear axle. Traction was perfect but the sand bags slid around a little and I hated the loss of space in my truck as a result. They were always getting in the way. I then found Shurtrax. I installed and added 2 gallons of RV antifreeze to keep it from freezing even though it says its designed to freeze. One big snow storm after in installed the Shurtrax here in AK I was blown away with how well my truck handled! I have Blizzak winter tires on the truck which are great but this added weight made my truck so much more capable, balanced and sure footed on the worst of winter driving. Everyone in Anchorage seemed to be in the ditch yesterday and I just drove around with a huge smile on my face. I can't speak to the durability yet as I just got it installed but have put 150lbs of ebikes on top of it and didn't have any issues.

Wanted to add weight in the back of my Ranger pickup. Last winter, bought cheap hockeybags ($40 bucks for 2 bags), filled them with sand and cambuckle strapped them to the corner hooks. Worked great; added around 250 lbs. But during the winter, I had a hard time loading home improvement materials/furniture decor (for my wife!), etc... When spring arrived, the bags were worn and tore easy from the winter moisture, half frozen sand...made a real mess and the hockey bags were destroyed. So far, this bladder works great; easily filled it with water, secured them with 4 rubber bungee cords through molded grommets added one 2x4 across the pickup bed to minimize brake creep. Along with the 4 installed Uniroyal Laredo HD/T winter tires, there's no better traction in ice & snow with the extra 300 lbs (considering I drive a 4x2 rear-wheel drive stickshift)!

I could have sworn I wrote a review of this product but it's not here. Anyway, I bought my first unit in 2011. It worked as advertised the first 2 winters after which it sprang a leak. I patched it and used it the next winter but it continued to leak. I made it through that winter and purchased another one in 2014. Evidently, the company changed materials used to make the units. Whereas the one I bought in 2011 was more flexible, this new one was more brittle and stiff. Within a few weeks (when the temperatures went below zero) places where the edges were bent where they touched the wheel wells (which is unavoidable…I have a GMC Sonoma and purchased the Shur Trax for compact truck). Those spots started actually cracking! I can only assume it was the combination of brittle materials to begin with and the frigid weather. I tried to patch but that didn't work very well. Anyway, after 2 units within 4 years, I’m researching other things, like Puzzle Weights or even bags of play sand, $2.80 per 50 lb. bag at my local Lowes. Who cares if they all burst, at least I’m only out $20.

This is my second purchase of this "water bladder". The first one lasted 9 years, which is great. This is easy for fill and is very durable. I actually put items on top and had no issues of leakage. It is the easiest to use. Great product.

I have had a shurtrax before and this new one appears to be just as durable. The rubber is very strong and the fill tube made it easy to fill it up. When i filled up the shurtrax it lowered my ranger by one inch which tells you there is considerable weight there. It does make a difference for traction especially in the wet and snow. The only concern i have is the grommets for tying it down are now plastic as compared to metal on my old ones. They may be just as durable but only time will tell. I have been in contact with customer service at shurtrax in the past and they are excellent to deal with.

Awesome product! You can feel the weight in the back, making the truck alittle sluggish, but we’ll worth it for the traction it provides! Installed in a 1997 ford ranger

Works great

Didn’t even last a Season Mj.

Seam separated and is leaking reducing it useless and will have to throw it away.