Ok, Ill give you that, good points. I'll just make one last argument with this one. Some say why put weight in the back. Others say, it's a stupid idea, why bother. Think of it this way, the bed is just that, a big empty void over your rear axle to haul stuff around. So, without something in the back, it's pretty light, your main source of power is going to those rear wheels. Therefore, in less than ideal conditions, you hit the gas and the wheels spin and the rear wants to get away. Now you put it in 4hi. Over your front wheels and right behind that axle, you have a motor, the entire front end assembly, your hood, the fenders and such. Right behind that is the transfer case. All of that stuff equals quite a bit of weight over your front axle. So you go to 4hi and you have traction. Granted that's the idea of having a 4x4. At the same, for those of us that don't use the bed all too often, we put 4 to 6 sandbags back there. Gives us a few hundred pounds, keeps the rear from sliding out and less wear and tear on the transfer case if we can avoid it. As for holding down the bags, put them at the tailgate, use a ratchet strap across the top of them to hold em in. If you have the rail system, then tie down right between the rails. Overall though, it's just an opinion. In the winter I prefer to do so. Others are just as comfortable not doing so. Good luck to all either way this year! I'm about to embark on a journey from Washington to RhodeIsland in February hauling all my household goods in the cab, bed and a U-haul trailer. That should be good times!
