I would advise the tubes of sand and bags of salt. If you need traction on ice, you have what you need. Im not sure if water softener salt will melt ice, but I do know what salt does to metal. And since you live up there in the rust belt......Do NOT put the weight way back in the rear of the truck, unless you dont want to turn on slick roads. Best is to put it between the rear axle and the cab.It distributes the weight between the axles, so you can move AND steer.

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04 Ford Ranger Edge
3.0 V6 Auto SuperChips Programer
air box and blinker mods