[pritch]

The same holds true for whatever one would carry in the bed of a truck. The whole point is reducing the chance of ending up upsidedown in the ditch, and a little bit of weight over the rear tires is a good way to do it. A better way would be to convert your truck to front wheel drive. You 4 wheel drive guys could try this easy home expieriment: remove your rear driveshaft and drive around in snowy conditions in 4WD, although the front end is the only one working. You will find that you can go anywhere you can with all 4 working.