pickup truck as survival vehicle
 

I'm shopping for a used (2006-2008) 4x4 1/2 ton crew cab pickup truck. Down to the Ford F150 versus the Chevy Silverado. The Ford drives very nice, has a very comfortable interior, and has a reputation as a solid overall truck. But the Chevy has the better engine (noticeably better acceleration) and better warranties. Assuming they have similar payload and towing capacities, any thoughts on which one would make a better prepper's truck? I assume reliability would be a big factor, but that's a hard aspect to judge. I'm new to the pickup truck market, and it appears most of the articles are based on the author's brand loyalty. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Re: pickup truck as survival vehicle
 

Whichever one is diesel

Re: pickup truck as survival vehicle
 

Get something crew cab, room for wife, kids, dog, food cooler. Dual fuel tanks, maybe no gas stations open between you and your destination and you need 500 miles between fuel fill-ups. It would be nice to be able to fill up with 42 gallons of gas and be ready to go.

Equip with tow package, maybe you want to pull a small trailer with your good stuff inside. Gotta put your PM's and extra ammo and freeze dried food somewhere.

Ford, Chevy, and Dodge all offer the above.

Re: pickup truck as survival vehicle
 

My company truck is a Ford 1/2 ton, but I have driven the new Chev 1/2 tons. My personal truck is a 3500 Dodge Crewcab diesel. All 4wd.

The Dodge has the nicest interior, but requires front end parts too often due to the heavy cummins. The Ford is pretty good and reliable (I have 100k on mine). The Chev seems to ride the best and have more power than the Ford.

I don't think you can go wrong on any of them. I would also consider the Toyota, as it has the same sweet DOHC V-8 as they put in the Lexus. It makes the most power too although the Dodge Hemi is right up there too.

If I had to choose a SHTF truck between the Ford and Chev, I would go with the Chev. Simpler more common engine and tranny, and fantastic parts availability. Ford changes things too often from year to year.

Re: pickup truck as survival vehicle
 

I would get somthing without electronics made out of somthing thicker than a beer can and, fixable with out an Ocilliscope and other hooey.

A early 80's diesel american truck you can fix them they don't need a MAP sensor or all the other crap and you can fix them with dang near anything laying around on a farm or shop.

This is of course if it is going to be a true SHTF vehicle if you want a fancy play toy and tell your wife it is for SHTF that is different.

The one thing I would change about my truck (02 dodge cummins) is I would have got the mechanical 12 valve engine vice the electronic 24 valve.

I was looking for a 12 vavle dodge to possibly trade, up untill the Duce showed up in the driveway for SHTF duty.

Re: pickup truck as survival vehicle
 

There's a reason why I keep this old girl around...

Re: pickup truck as survival vehicle
 

Never owned a chevy, but I currently have a 06' F-150, extended cab, you need(or may later want) that extra room in the back for tools, beer, bags, people, etc.... Mine has 90,000 on it right now, and no problems. Before this I had a f-250 that I put 240,000 miles on and then sold, before that another f-150 that I put 220,000 miles on... I try to sell them sometime after the 200k mark, to save from the work/money of doing much to them.. Although they could easily go to 300k or more as long as you are mechanically inclined.

I will drive this truck til it hits around the 220,000 mark, and then probably trade it in for a new one(if the S Hasn't HTF by then), because I have to keep a decent newish looking truck for my biz. Never had any problems with any of my trucks, my brother is a mechanic and engineer... I listen to his advice and do the trans flushes every 40,000 and do a synthetic oil change every 7,000. Good to go... around 85-88k, it's gonna need a tune up, and around 200k, it's a good idea to keep an eye on the front end for age, wear/tear. Overall, solid truck and very reliable, not bad gas mileage, and I use the hell out of it, half city/half highway, carries tools and plenty of weight in the back most of the time too....

Re: pickup truck as survival vehicle
 

I know what you mean about brand loyalty. My dad always bought fords for his business. In the 90's I bought several Chevys, mainly for the looks. But once my chevys got around 100K I usually started having little problems. in 2000 I bought a F-250 diesel. I still have it. It has 215K on it and still going pretty strong. I am seeing some issues that started about 175K. I just had the tranny rebuilt, same front end work, a water pump, etc. I have probably around 4-5K in ten years on parts/maintenance. Not bad considering I haven't had a vehicle payment in years. It would be hard for me to switch back to Chevy now. But if you're buying diesel read up on the Ford engines, I understand the newer diesels have had some issues, including extremely hot exhaust ( I guess you could make a killer convection oven out of it) . Early 2000 models were supposed to the sweet spot for the them.

Re: pickup truck as survival vehicle
 

The 7.3 ford diesel was the last good truck.

Re: pickup truck as survival vehicle
 

And what would that be, other than because it is totally bad ass?

That is a nice ride, I have always liked the old full top off blazers. :banana:

Re: pickup truck as survival vehicle
 

Perfect SHTF vehicle, as it is totally EMP proof, plus, it makes a great road warrior/mad max type of patrol vehicle:)

Re: pickup truck as survival vehicle
 

Negative overall on a pickup being a SHTF vehicle.

Think Vans my friend. New or old.

Re: pickup truck as survival vehicle
 

Best of all worlds a 4 wheel drive van !

http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g2...nchargerad.jpg

Re: pickup truck as survival vehicle
 

Especially if your bugout location is down by a river.

Re: pickup truck as survival vehicle
 

irregardless of the make, NO modern pickup/SUV is a suitable "Survival" vehicle, a true survival vehicle has to be assumed to fail, and be able to be repaired on site with minimal tools on all but catastrophic failures. that means no PCM, NO fuel Injection,no electronic controlled transmissions, Even modern diesels have Electronic fuel injection. by 1975 all US manufacturers had converted to electronic ignitions,and by 1980 all had electronic fuel control. for those with the fuel control,i would retrofit a earlier model year carb or put a holley or edelbrock unit in its place, for GM just carry an entire spare HEI distributer in your parts box, so if it fails you can drop it in and continue without wasting time diagnosing modules, coils or pickup, Ford and Chrysler had fender mounted units that were plug and play. or you can just retrofit to points, keep to what you Know! If you used to have Chevy hot rods when you were younger, get a older Chevy !.Diesels arent neccesary for SHTF . they are expensive and the older ones are plain weak junk, the newer ones all have some sort of electronic fuel control which will leave you screwed if it fails, the work is heavy ,and labor intensive.KEEP THEM QUIET! while headers and glass packs sound awesome on a mud truck, they are a dead giveaway to whats coming down the road use mufflers! another reason i dislike diesels, NOISY! finally ASSUME all accessories WILL fail on your flight to your retreat. alternators, water pumps, etc. find a model which is easy and quick to repair . the only advantage to newer vehicles i can see is that they fail LESS often. I consider my K5 Blazer disposable in SHTF,it has one purpose, get me and mine to my BOL.

Re: pickup truck as survival vehicle
 

Basically get yourself something you need to drive around now.

Then get a motorcycle or a really old vehicle for something to work on when you're bored by Armageddon. :rofl:

Re: pickup truck as survival vehicle
 

Greeting
The problem with a pickup and going to anywhere is that everyone will have the same idea of getting the hell out of dodge, the roads will jammed packed with people that are not prepared and have no idea where they are going and no idea what they are going to when they get there. When the zombies see anyone with what they want then, they/you can become a target a van would hide much of your stuff. To avoid all this just move to your area. Once your are there you will feel better about yourself and your plan will be in place and the world can go to hell.
If you have to have the pickup then I would suggest that also carry a small used dirt bike (klr250) or a mountian bike in the pickup to get away from the zombie hoards if your truck gets in a jam.
You are already ahead of the zombies so keep on planning and good skills.
peace

Re: pickup truck as survival vehicle
 

I have a '99 F-350 with the V-10 Triton motor, it's been an excellent truck. Very decent gas mileage too, better than the V-8 I had before.

Re: pickup truck as survival vehicle
 

Consider preparing a small Faraday cage, and inserting the necessary replacement electronics/ignition parts for the vehicle in case of EMP.

Re: pickup truck as survival vehicle
 

Others have covered the more important areas, but here are a few more considerations.

If you get a 4x4, get one with a winch! I've travelled a lot of miles on roads only accessible to 4x4s, and you'd be surprised how often you need a winch, especially when it's muddy.

What kind of roads do you envision driving it on? In my area, a lot of those obscure dirt tracks leading back into the woods are sized to small pick-up trucks these days, and I've torn the heck out of my big F150 getting back into them. I've torn the sidewalls out of my tires slipping off of rock embankments that the smaller trucks slipped through without problem, I've high-sided myself and had to get winched out (the bottom of my truck scraping all the way) because the road was deeply rutted and I was too wide to do anything but stay in the ruts and too short not to hit bottom when a big rock poked up in the middle, and I've had to carefully do 3-point (and 5-point and 7-point and so on) turns to get around very tight turns that the smaller trucks could get around with maybe one reverse and go. My friends used to laugh about how I could get my truck to do anything and marvel at some of the places I've steered that big old ship, but there's a reason a I carry a big box of spare parts in the back! If you plan to hit the backroads and tracks in your area, check them out and see if you might be better off with a smaller truck or at least consider getting the truck with a shorter wheelbase and tighter turning radius. Then take it out and scratch it up so you get over the pain of the first scratch quickly and get used to the sound of branches screeching through your paint job!

If you go with a smaller truck, I recommend a Toyota. They last forever and are amazingly rugged. Around here they have a reputation of being the truck of choice if you spend a lot of time off the beaten track.

Re: pickup truck as survival vehicle
 

I am old enough to remember when trucks carrying gas has a "ground chain" dangling off the frame. The purpose was to discharge the static electricity to ground.

This concept should also work for EMP. When my trucks are parked they are attached to a grounding rod. Those trucks see very little daily use, but when in use there is a chin attached.

Guess I'll find out when the EMP strikes.

Re: pickup truck as survival vehicle
 

Wouldn't it have to be grounded?

Re: pickup truck as survival vehicle
 

Seriously? - is this a Ford vs Chebby thread???

Sweet.

Buy the Ford.

The government owns Chevy:yes:

Re: pickup truck as survival vehicle
 

I'm afraid I've limited my choices too much...

http://showtrux.com/events/2008vanfe...s/IMG_7633.jpg

Re: pickup truck as survival vehicle
 

Ford over a Chevrolet? You're kidding right?


Edit: Yes that van is a good choice JJ.

Re: pickup truck as survival vehicle
 

What vehicles are safe from the effects of an EMP? As I understand it, it's older models with less sophisticated electronics, is that right?

Re: pickup truck as survival vehicle
 

If it has a carburetor then no problem. Maybe some earlier fuel injection vehicles also. That I don't know.

Re: pickup truck as survival vehicle
 

I guess I should have said remember to keep spare parts in your Faraday cage.


I actually thought it would be considered a useful post....go figure.

Re: pickup truck as survival vehicle
 

Well -

I totally blew it some years ago when I passed up on

A low mile F250 advertised

"With Wench."

What else can I say?

scyth

Re: pickup truck as survival vehicle
 

i think it's a great survival tool.

sort of like a modern day covered wagon. can be set up so it has everything a person - or a family - needs.

except maybe for stereoscopic Nintendo or something like that.

Re: pickup truck as survival vehicle
 

I am a Ford guy through and through BUT

That is a nice ride!

Re: pickup truck as survival vehicle
 

If your going to add people (crew cab) and load things in the bed of the truck, AND if you want to tow much of anything on top you'd be better off with the 3/4 or 1 ton varieties.
6.0 chevy vs 6.8 v10 vs 5.4 are the options for towing over 7K trailers (or else diesel). The 6.0 and 5.4 both likely would handle 10K, but the v10 would be better suited for heavier trailers (or the diesel).
Manual lock-out hubs, winch as someone has mentioned; tranny cooler if automatic; etc..

Re: pickup truck as survival vehicle
 

I have BOLDED AND HIGHLIGHTED the incorrect statement. Both of my 1985/1986 Chevy 6.2L diesels are MECHANICAL fuel injection, NO ECM, NO PCM, no radio either...

And MOST of the diesels during this time frame WERE mechanical IP, not electronic. GM didn't start with electronic anything UNTIL they went with the 6.5L diesel. Ford was the 7.3L for electronics in their diesel (one of their best IMO).



Again, bolded and highlighted. AGAIN, incorrect assumptions. My 6.2L has been proven over and over again. They finally replaced them out of the Hummers when they had to start up-armoring them, causing their weight to go way up, causing them to NEED more power and torque. The CIVVY 6.2L was junk (weak rear main bearings). BUT the military had them upgrade them to the 'J-code' engine that GM FINALLY put in all their diesel trucks at the end of the 6.2L diesel vehicle runs.


MY D10 Blazer is NOT disposable. But has been made super hard. And it shares the driveline with my M1028, though the axles are heavier duty than the Dana 44/Corp 10 bolt on the Blazer (I'm considering swapping in the M1028 Dana 60 axles because that's the LAST upgrade it needs) and I have a spare 6.2L, TH400, NP208 and extra alternators, starters, etc. that ALL fit BOTH vehicles (Note to self - order that spare IP for the parts stash). And yeah, I do ALL my own work. OK, I had the tranny rebuilt in the dually because of time constraints put on me by my wife. But I'm going to rebuild my spare TH400 this summer. ME, with the help of a good friend who is going to instruct me on GM auto trannies.

My Blazer has 64k miles and the dually has 17k miles on it. BOTH drive great. BOTH can run on almost any fuel. BOTH will survive EMP. Even the windshield wiper motor has a filter on it. And I have a 3/4 ton trailer for each of them to pull. Not large, but will hold a bunch of stuff.

There are so few electrical things on this vehicle I CAN fix it on the side of the road, if necessary. Given that's NOT necessary, I'm pretty happy with my choices. I'm going to swap out the 27 gallon diesel tank in the Blazer for a 42 gallon on that fits the Suburban and drops right in. I'm also adding a second saddle tank and a rear fuel tank in the dually this summer as well. Each will then have at least an 800 mile range without stopping.

And I probably have way less in BOTH my trucks than either of the vehicles the OP is considering spending on either of the trucks he's considering...

Don't even get me started on my deuce ownership.

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Re: pickup truck as survival vehicle
 

This is how I wanna roll.

Re: pickup truck as survival vehicle
 

There's lots of those right hand drive Japanese export suzuki's and toyotas buzzing around in BC. Mostly holding up traffic:)

They are actually quite small. I followed one of those diesel Suzuki's last week up a hill with him carrying perhaps 1/2 - 1 yard of gravel in the back. I was going to offer to push him up the hill with my Dodge diesel:), as the line up behind us was building... Cute trucks though

I'd rather have a Unimog..

Re: pickup truck as survival vehicle
 

I think I just found the ultimate SHTF vehicle.

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