Fly or Why: ShurTrax Traction System
By Sean O'Hara
With colder weather on the way, our thoughts are turning to traction in the cold. And up North — where the roads turn white each year — Trucks can run into trouble if the back axle doesn’t getting enough traction. That’s why many people throw a few bags of sand or kitty litter in the bed. ShurTrax offers the same solution via the power of water.
The ShurTrax system is a heavy duty bag made up of a 25 mil vinyl outer chamber that’s reinforced with a woven nylon mesh. You fill it up with about 3″ of water from your garden hose, which adds an extra 300 pounds of weight over the rear axle — where it’s needed most for digging in.
Four-point grommet tie-down points allow for safe, secure weight, so you don’t have 300 pounds of water sloshing all over the bed. And ShurTrax says there’s no need to worry about carrying cargo on top of the bag because it’s been tested to support up to 500 pounds.
Though we’re a bit skeptical of the everyday function of this cold-weather truck add-on, anything to help traction in crappy weather is a welcome addition.
But what do you think? Let us know in comments.
ShurTrax [Official Website]
Street Pricing [Google Product Search]
Via Amazon
September 12th, 2007 at 7:22 pm
I think it’s a good idea but I’d still want to carry some sand around for extra friction type traction if I needed it.
September 12th, 2007 at 8:34 pm
Water ’sloshing’? Not if you are needing it for traction when it’s cold enough to have ice on the roads. Won’t this thing get shredded when the ice freezes? I’m kind of skeptical here. Water expands when it freezes and it usually isn’t pretty if it’s in a container.
(15 seconds later after looking at their FAQ)
According to their website, as long as you stay with 3″ of water, it can handle the expansion. This implies that it has room for a lot more water, so be sure to break out your ruler if you live where it freezes.
September 13th, 2007 at 9:44 am
Softener salt bags work really well. Like sand, I can use the contents for traction. Unlike sand, I can use it after the season in my water softener.
September 14th, 2007 at 10:12 pm
Hmm… and the problem with just tossing a few bags of sand in there was???
September 17th, 2007 at 1:13 am
Jim K. I would think this would be easier to load and unload into the truck assuming you don’t have to unload it while it’s frozen versus the same amount of sand / salt.
September 17th, 2007 at 4:29 pm
I’m having trouble understanding what this is intended for. Foul weather means rain/snow right? If your truck is stuck in mud/snow/ice, won’t more weight just bury you more? Now, if you’re taking a corner on wet roads and just need the weight for more traction, then it makes sense but as everyone’s pointed out, there are a lot easier ways to carry weight.