I think this might be good consideration for a Prepper truck?

[Curmudgeon]

Let's hope we don't have to test the theory.

 

[Bacpacker]

Something else to consider is a 2000-2006 TUNDRA as an alternative to a new Tacoma. Its about the same size of a new Taco, but with a bigger engine, better payload, towing capacity, and MUCH cheaper.

Agreed. I had a 2002 Tundra. It wasn't quite as heavy duty as my 2008, but is way more than any taco would be. Added benefit the 02 got 20mpg with decent driving habits. I have to baby the 08 to get close to that

 

[Tirediron]

The whole whats the best Prepper truck is far from the best Paw truck, Best prepper truck is the one you like, and suits where you live. the most common truck in your area is probably the best PAW truck, less electronica the better, because when electronics fail, one sensor can take down the whole machine, and can be a bitch to diagnose. And don't bring up the just use a scanner, if you don't have a really good scanner you are going to have trouble. And as to the fuel economy BS, if you don't have actual numbers , don;t be quoting urban ledgend fuel economy numbers, If you have a toyota rav 4 , it mat last but if you do'nt stay on top of the maintainance you are going to have a headache, The huge bonus of an old carburated unit is that it can almost always be nursed home with some skills. your mileage may vary

 

[Rick]

PS: This does not mean anything else in his novel wasn't spot on vis-a-vis EMPs. But the part about all cars stopping or breaking down due to EMP was speculation with very little basis in known fact.
Very very few, if any, automotive ECUs will get "fried" during an EMP.

 

[Rick]

What does this mean for us as preppers?
Because even in this scenario it makes sense to (safely) store extra fuel in quality Jerry Cans.

Will that be able to sustain us through a SHTF?
No, but it will open up options in the early phases such as a trip to the doctor, a buddys farm thats butchering a cow, rescuing a child etc that otherwise might not be available.

 

[Aklogcabin]

Here's my prepper truck. No computer chips in this rig. And built kinda tough too. I also have a bunch of old wheelers n snogos. Old but reliable n fixable.

 

[Aklogcabin]

Also have 100 gallons of gasoline at our remote cabin. And 5 gallons of diesel. And the tools n knowledge to fix them. Including rebuilding engines. And have taught our kids. They helped change the engine in our plow truck. Also have several sets of tools at the cabin along with a few wheelers n spare parts.
Hey I'm blessed to be able to have a remote place to go hunting n hanging out. And be able to use it if our family needed too.
Now I just need to convince them that they need to get some more training in out at the cabin. Got trapping season coming up. Always need to just go out n learn the lay of the land.
If I may add to the consideration list. Teaching yourself n others how to take care of themselves. Right down to changing your own oil. Easier to take it to the shop. But maybe learning how to look at your car n be familiar with basic maintenance. How about buying a repair manual n some tools n learn what getting dirty is.
Learning how to get up off the couch is the first place to start. Not being critical here. And we all have different sideboards in life. Even a walk or working in the yard or garden patio even if it's raining. It rains during survival stuff too. I know I could do better. And I also know that I don't know everything. But enjoy figuring out what works for me n my family.
Good thread lots of different thoughts

 

[zoomzoom]

Here's my prepper truck. No computer chips in this rig. And built kinda tough too. I also have a bunch of old wheelers n snogos. Old but reliable n fixable.

Is that a Aktiv Snowtrac I see in the background?
Here's a great site for those vehicles.
https://www.forumsforums.com/#snowcats-outdoor-fun-forums.65

 

[viking]

I'm not sold on the Nissans. Pretty much everyone I've known who has had one got rid of theirs. Trans problems, rust problems including frames, and generally inferior build quality. Plus for me, the seating position is one of the worst of any vehicle I've ever tried. The Toyotas have their own problems, namely overpriced for buying pre-owned, overly complicated computer controlled systems, and lesser reliability than previous generations of Toyotas...

I helped a friend intall a rebuilt engine in his Nissan 4X4, what a nightmare, he had to remove all kinds of stuff to get the engine out. As it is, he claims the rebuilder didn't give him the original crank that he had put in before, he wasn't happy in the rebuild and ended up selling the truck, he bought a newer Nissan 4X4 with a V-6 and ended up selling it. If anyone likes Nissan, I won't short them, I just happen to like Toyotas, our 2005 Sienna has 194,000+ miles and our 2007 Tundra DC 4X4 has around 246,000, both run like new. I've installed EMP Shields on both of them. When we were looking to replace our 1989 F-250 diesel 4X4 I did a bunch of research and found that there were two Tundra pickups that made it to one million miles, one was used as an oil field service truck and I know what they go through, so seeing 244,000 mile on the odometer and seeing the service records didn't bother me.

 

[Spikedriver]

I helped a friend intall a rebuilt engine in his Nissan 4X4, what a nightmare, he had to remove all kinds of stuff to get the engine out. As it is, he claims the rebuilder didn't give him the original crank that he had put in before, he wasn't happy in the rebuild and ended up selling the truck, he bought a newer Nissan 4X4 with a V-6 and ended up selling it. If anyone likes Nissan, I won't sort them, I just happen to like Toyotas, our 2005 Sienna has 194,000+ miles and our 2007 Tundra DC 4X4 has around 246,000, both run like new. I've installed EMP Shields on both of them. When we were looking to replace our 1989 F-250 diesel 4X4 I did a bunch of research and found that there were two Tundra pickups that made it to one million miles, one was used as an oil field service truck and I know what they go through, so seeing 244,000 mile on the odometer and seeing the service records didn't bother me.

Those old Nissan Hardbody small trucks from the 80s and early 90s were monsters. You couldn't kill them. I knew guys who drove them until the frame rusted through, but the drivetrain was still going strong. Same with the old Toyotas. Those trucks were simple and rugged. Now Toyotas are still rugged, but they have so much electronic stuff in them, they're like any other vehicle. One control module failure can put you on foot real quick. I think Toyota uses better electronic components than GM, you don't hear about near as many problems as GM has. But it still worries me. I'm planning on keeping my Tacoma at least 10 years. It has 3500 miles on it now. We'll see how it's doing in 10 years, with hopefully 200k+ on it...

 

[Rick]

The Nissan Armada is based on the Y62 patrol which in the middle east is accepted as a Landcruiser competitor .
Here its slightly discontented (no rear locker and a couple other nits) and can be had for 60% the price of a Landcruiser.
Or same price as a 4Runner while being a class above the 4Runner (bigger/better motor, better sightlines, better headlights, better seats etc etc etc)

Toyota has great products but sometimes I think Nissan which is generally in some areas as good or better, gets lost due to the huge Toyota marketing machine and the resulting fandom.

 

[thankful_k]

Also have 100 gallons of gasoline at our remote cabin. And 5 gallons of diesel. And the tools n knowledge to fix them. Including rebuilding engines. And have taught our kids. They helped change the engine in our plow truck. Also have several sets of tools at the cabin along with a few wheelers n spare parts.
Hey I'm blessed to be able to have a remote place to go hunting n hanging out. And be able to use it if our family needed too.
Now I just need to convince them that they need to get some more training in out at the cabin. Got trapping season coming up. Always need to just go out n learn the lay of the land.
If I may add to the consideration list. Teaching yourself n others how to take care of themselves. Right down to changing your own oil. Easier to take it to the shop. But maybe learning how to look at your car n be familiar with basic maintenance. How about buying a repair manual n some tools n learn what getting dirty is.
Learning how to get up off the couch is the first place to start. Not being critical here. And we all have different sideboards in life. Even a walk or working in the yard or garden patio even if it's raining. It rains during survival stuff too. I know I could do better. And I also know that I don't know everything. But enjoy figuring out what works for me n my family.
Good thread lots of different thoughts

Do you have to cycle out the gasoline? Or do you use stabilizer?

 

[Cabin Fever]

I'm thinking a 1940-something Dodge Power Wagon would make a good prepper truck. It would run even after an EMT attack.

 

[SheepDog]

The engine would run but you will have to re-polarize the generator.

 

[Heartbroken]

I haven't given any thought to an EMP attack, I'm more thinking about just day to day reliability and how frustrated I am with all the overpriced, overcomplicated, overdone nonsense that's on vehicles these days.
My main idea is to be able to respond to a call for help at any time in any weather, now that I don't have to commute anymore. I know I have the equipment and the skills; when I was commuting I always left for work before the plows had been out. If it was ice I would stay home, but other than that I went and have literally driven around vehicles that were stuck in the snow in the middle of the road and been able to get through every time. A full tank of gas, another 5 gal can in the back, 4 wheel drive and common sense can get you a long ways. (Yes, I always stopped and made sure they were ok and had help coming.)
I have 296,000 miles on my 07 Sierra and it's still going strong. It has too many computers on it but so far just normal oil, tires, brakes, etc for maintenance. My 16 Silverado has 90,000 on it but I still like the old truck better. The 16 is just completely overburdened with onstar and auto this and magical that and of course the stupid collapsable lifters that are just a problem waiting to happen. If I had the money to choose a dream I would get a 1970s era truck with a V8 and completely restore it. Would probably have to find a Texas truck, a Michigan truck from that era would be lucky to have a door panel left amidst all the rust. As it is the best I can do is keep my trucks well maintained, keep some oil and filters and gasoline on hand, and hope for the best.

 

[theheathen13]

I happen to be a bit of a car guy. EMP proof is back to basic with points ignition and hopefully a good battery! All these newer cars have some sort of computer that any given day have a meltdown! Don’t think your Toyota or pile of crap Nisan is going make your life any better! Get you a old Chevy or ford and dodge or that matter! Besides those Toyotas don’t get that great of gas mileage in a truck or suv!

 

[theheathen13]

The engine would run but you will have to re-polarize the generator.

Go back to sleep… sleep dog!

 

[Morgan101]

I couldn't fix a car back when they were easy to fix. I think they call it "No Mechanical Aptitude" disease. I missed that gene completely.

If an EMP hits I will either ride a bicycle or a horse.

 

[Cabin Fever]

When the SHTF and the EMP attacks hit, our stored gasoline is not gonna be wasted in any vehicle. It's gonna be used in our chainsaws.

 

[Magus]

There is ONE vehicle that is still fairly available that can be rolled to a start in the event of battery failure or EMP and has NO computer crap at all and is as tough as nails. the mid 70's Ford Bronco! with the addition of an internal roll cage and a transmission tweak, they're unstoppable! With the exception of a bull brace front bumper and 5 ton winch, this one is identical to my dad's. it was driven over a cliff, off a 20' bridge, rolled, flipped and just kept on coming back for more!

 

[zoomzoom]

Would love to get my hands on one of those old Bronco's.
I have a very low hour 1976 Ford 300 CID Straight-6 industrial engine sitting around that runs flawlessly. No electronics or anything. Just looking for something to put it in (or sell to someone that could use it).

 

[Magus]

Broncos are pretty easy to come by in the south. back in the day, there were the big three of Bronco, Jeep, and Cherokee scout that if you were a stump jumper, swamp rat or ridge runner, you had one of them.

 

[Aerindel]

When the SHTF and the EMP attacks hit, our stored gasoline is not gonna be wasted in any vehicle. It's gonna be used in our chainsaws.

Nothing is wasted if used for something you need. If you need to go somewhere, you need to go somewhere.

But yes, a chainsaw may very well be more useful than a truck.

The real mistake I think most people will make, is using the fuel they have, to run generators, to keep freezers, furnaces, lights, etc going.

 

[Supervisor42]

Would love to get my hands on one of those old Bronco's.
I have a very low hour 1976 Ford 300 CID Straight-6 industrial engine sitting around that runs flawlessly. No electronics or anything. Just looking for something to put it in (or sell to someone that could use it).

Those Ford 300 straight-6 engines were bulletproof, (and that is coming from a lifetime Chevy guy )
They were in our bigger industrial machines and subjected to every kind of abuse you can imagine.... and they SURVIVED!
The only thing Ford did wrong was screw those cheap Autolite spark plugs in them to pinch pennies which didn't last very long.

 

[Hardcalibres]

Nothing is wasted if used for something you need. If you need to go somewhere, you need to go somewhere.

But yes, a chainsaw may very well be more useful than a truck.

The real mistake I think most people will make, is using the fuel they have, to run generators, to keep freezers, furnaces, lights, etc going.

Agreed - if a really bad sudden crisis hits, much of the fuel in private hands is going to be poured into the Normalcy Bias monster's (ie generator) mouth. People (and their families) will just burn it up to keep the normal world in their home going for a few more days. Many will still fail to believe that they can't just "go buy more at the gas station".

The other mistake I see people post, is working out what they would do with the gas they have, rather than working out what they need and storing/stock rotating that.

Personally, I stock diesel for vehicles and medium to large machinery and gasoline for small to medium gear (including pumps and chainsaws).

The big difference in practice is shelf life (with the shelf life of well stored, treated diesel being more than a decade).

 

[zoomzoom]

Agreed - if a really bad sudden crisis hits, much of the fuel in private hands is going to be poured into the Normalcy Bias monster's (ie generator) mouth.

I have what I'll call a pretty decent amount of gas, diesel, kero, alcohol and propane.

If a really bad sudden crisis hits, it won't be normalcy bias that makes me run my generators. It'll be to preserve what frozen foods I have as well as running other needed (for awhile anyway, e.g. well & septic pumps) until alternate means are established.

Doing some rough numbers here, I can cut, split and haul a cord of firewood using under 2 gallons of gas and about 1/2 gallon of diesel. With the fuel I have available, that's (pun intended) a drop in the bucket so running a "right sized" generator wouldn't bother me. When I say "right sized", I'm using the generator that matches my power consumption needs at the time, ranging from 15KW and stepping down from there several times until I reach my smallest which is 1KW.

 

[Magus]

Those Ford 300 straight-6 engines were bulletproof, (and that is coming from a lifetime Chevy guy )
They were in our bigger industrial machines and subjected to every kind of abuse you can imagine.... and they SURVIVED!
The only thing Ford did wrong was screw those cheap Autolite spark plugs in them to pinch pennies which didn't last very long.

Dad put AC Delco in everything we had. at the time that was the best there was.

 

[Frodo]

Allow me to jump in this fine circle of learned men and woman with a thought all my own
When Katrina hit looseranna was a really good lab. We could sit back and test all kinds of prepped theories. One that I found very interesting was the simple fact that:
When you lose power gas pumps do not work
The interstate is one huge parking lot because the gas pumps do not work
Because their wet thousands of abandoned cars on the interstate gangs roamed and looted the cars at will
Hold on dang it I am getting to the point
So what is my point?
Point is, if you have preps, they need to be in place waiting on you to arrive
Because the only way you will get from A to B in that type of shitsheaction is Mutt and Jeff or a bycycle
Hold on just a dadhum minute one of you is saying. I am a self sufficient survival type person that can carry 23 million gallons of gas on my hummer roof top
Hell I did it in mumble mumble and we did just
Fine
Ok
Ok. You have a super Doppler truck and lots of gas but can not go down the road because there are 8 thousand cars every where blocking your path
We saw this play out time and time again during Katrina. And. Over passes are a pre made choke point to relieve you of your stuff


Lol that was s fun. Must be the pain pills

 

[Neb]

Allow me to jump in this fine circle of learned men and woman with a thought all my own
When Katrina hit looseranna was a really good lab. We could sit back and test all kinds of prepped theories. One that I found very interesting was the simple fact that:
When you lose power gas pumps do not work
The interstate is one huge parking lot because the gas pumps do not work
Because their wet thousands of abandoned cars on the interstate gangs roamed and looted the cars at will
Hold on dang it I am getting to the point
So what is my point?
Point is, if you have preps, they need to be in place waiting on you to arrive
Because the only way you will get from A to B in that type of shitsheaction is Mutt and Jeff or a bycycle
Hold on just a dadhum minute one of you is saying. I am a self sufficient survival type person that can carry 23 million gallons of gas on my hummer roof top
Hell I did it in mumble mumble and we did just
Fine
Ok
Ok. You have a super Doppler truck and lots of gas but can not go down the road because there are 8 thousand cars every where blocking your path
We saw this play out time and time again during Katrina. And. Over passes are a pre made choke point to relieve you of your stuff


Lol that was s fun. Must be the pain pills

While I have a long way to go my long term plan is coal fired steam engines. I have a coal seam on The Ridge, a 2-HP steam engine, and a large belt driven generator. I do need a boiler and a line shaft to run the shop.

My limited budget is between me and the end goal.

Steam is a viable option.

Ben

 

[Frodo]

We did an expatiment. Really we were drunk and wanted see if it true
160 proof stump water
Disconnected the fuel line to the carb and fed the car using a coke can and gravity tubing
Car was an old Ford with points and condenser
It ran like. **** played with the timing, still ****

So we did the same thing to a newer model that had computer on boards and fuel injection
Car ran surprisingly weill

Our theory
The onboard pc can make changes faster than we could
2. People been lying about running old trucks for years it is a old wives tale