SureTrax Max-Pax

[mossman77]

Does anyone have a SureTrax Max-Pax in the bed of their 2WD Tundra? I'm looking for something similar to add weight to the bed of my truck to give it better traction. The bag is designed to freeze, but what about when the water is not frozen? Doesn't the bag/water slosh around making handling worse?

[seanpistol]

it probably wouldn't slosh around if it were full?

[mossman77]

I would hope not, but it appears to be a flexible bladder. It looks to be pretty low profile so any sloshing/shifting should hopefully be minimal. It's the "designed to freeze" statement in the advertisement that has me a little worried. Does this thing only work if frozen?

[kerryman71]

Buckets of sand don't freeze nor slosh around. As an added bonus, you could use the sand for traction of needed.

FWIW, I work on a truck that has a 500 gallon tank of water on it. Never had a problem with sloshing or shifting if the driver knows how to operate it.

John

[mossman77]

Has anyone used a twin air mattress and filled it with water? I can get one of those for $12 whereas the ShurTrax costs $125. If it eventually leaks, so what, hopefully it would last a few months and it's only $12. Like this one: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Intex-Viny...ndingMethod=rr

[4doubleyaD]

They have welded baffles inside that prevent sloshing.... Pretty smart idea, but not as smart as having 4WD...

[SuckersWalk]

i've got one. has baffles. no sloshing around preventing weight transfer and getting the truck up on two wheels; and damn it, i've tried much safer than tubes of sand or whatever other flying projectile others decide to use that do go rolling from one side to the other when cornering like danica; been there, done that too. the shurtrax can move around (the bladder itself) a bit when pulling some good g-forces (driving like you stole it) if it isn't strapped to all four corners of the bed; duh!, that's why there are four grommets on the bladder.

[mossman77]

I am going to try the air mattress idea. However, I can't fill it up all the way because that would be 1,000 lbs., so I only filled it up 1/3 of the way. I'm thinking this could be a bad idea if the water isn't constantly frozen. Could this increase the rollover risk when it is thawed? If so, I think I may pull the plug. It would be one thing if it were just me driving it, but my wife drives it as well with our 2-year old toddler. Any thoughts? By the way, the mattress spans the entire length of the bed and there is about 2" clearance from the wheel wells on either side. 1/3 full equals about 3" of water, so perhaps rollover risk isn't a concern, but 300+ lbs. of water shifting left/right could make spinning out more likely, which is one of the very reasons I decided to add weight in the first place. Maybe I should just play it safe and fork out the $125 for the ShurTrax.

[SuckersWalk]

It would be one thing if it were just me driving it, but my wife drives it as well with our 2-year old toddler. Any thoughts?

just install some baffles inside the mattress and put some grommets, one each corner, so you can secure it to prevent shifting weight causing instability in handling. your family will be nice and safe that way, which is your priority.

[4doubleyaD]

^ Worth a try, but for safety's sake make sure that sucker is strapped down tight.

[mossman77]

4doubleyaD: It's not strapped down at all. I figured the weight alone would keep it in place. Plus it reaches from the cab all the way to the tail gate and nearly wheel well to wheel well. Is it necessary to secure it?

SuckersWalk: I have to assume you are being sarcastic when you say install baffles and grommets to an air mattress. I'll likely just buy a ShurTrax tonight once I get a few more drinks in me!

[4doubleyaD]

If the thing freezes solid you will have a 4'x6' 400lb block of ice in the back of your truck... Probably not the best thing to have lying loose in case of an accident... Can't hurt to strap it down. Just thinking out loud here but if you can figure out a way to ratchet-strap it down low to the floor of the bed then it will kind-of act like baffles.

[mossman77]

I could install two 2x8's left-to-right, one about a foot from the cab and one a foot from the tailgate (there are notches in my bedliner). Then install tie downs diagonally underneath the 2x8's (forming baffles) and two tie downs over top to hold the 2x8's down tight. Man, sounds like I should just fork out the $125.

[kerryman71]

By the time you pull the trigger and buy the damn thing it will probably be marked down because of spring time closeout sale.

John

[mossman77]

Yeah. Think I'll hold off until the off-season. Hopefully it will be cheaper then. I've seen previous posts where people mentioned $60 for one, but right now they are $125.