how thick should ice be for a one ton truck

[Dooley87]

this is my second ice season with this truck (4 door long box f-350) and i have only had it on ice one time before up on mille lacs with around 18-20" of ice, how much ice do you think would be safe for a vehicle of this size, all charts and web sites just say 15" + for medium sized trucks and this is in no way a medium sized truck, i estimate the wieght from 7,500 to 10,000 (my sticker in the door was painted over by the previous owner) my older f-150 was around 4,500 to 5,000 so i would like to get some peoples opinions who drive bigger vehicles on what thickness of ice is safe for these big trucks, thanks guys

[HUNTFISH69]

I drive a chevy 1500 and i won't take it on the ice until there is a solid 12-14 inches and this year judging by the slushy conditions and spotty patches of bad ice i don't think I'll be driving out.

But i was talking to a guy who was out on Julia last weekend and he said that a 3500 duramax drove out pulling an ice castle fish house on 13in of ice.

[fisherman27]

thats just crazy!

I would say 18" of good clear ice would be enough for a truck that size. if the upper portion is slush that is now frozen i would say it should be over 20".

[Dooley87]

thanks fisherman, right about now i am seeing the down sides of a big truck cause if i have to wait till there is a good 20" of ice i might be waiting a long time with the ice conditions we have.

its funny, when i bought the truck i thought the bigger the better (like every man thinks hehehe ) but forgot about my favorite past time, ice fishin. i should have also kept my half ton, or even traded it for a crappy little ranger or s-10, o well the exercise from hoofin it won't kill me i guess .

[Guest Kyle]

no one should even think about driving any type of car/truck on the ice this year. Its way to spotty everywhere. Ive traveled to probably 20 different lakes this year already, and every one of them have had spots that look to be unsafe, and places where the ice thickness varied from 15inches to 6 inches in a matter of 30yds. Dont take the risk, a few fish just arnt worth it. And, it doesnt look very good on the news, even for other fisherman.