Dear Jim and Survival Blog:
I'm sure the question of the best truck for a survival retreat will
generate a large response. By trade, I am an engineer; however, I
currently am working as a maintenance person for a large camping
facility in upstate New York. In my experience with equipment and
vehicles, I would have to say anything with a Cummins 6B or 4B diesel
power plant will earn the owners respect for the amount of work it
will do and the long life you can expect from the unit. I live next
to a medium size farm operation and they have several tractors powered
by a Cummins engine and they regularly get 15,000 hours before any
major work needs to be done to the motor. In my estimates, this
is the same as driving 1,500,000 miles (yes, that's 1.5 million)
on the highways and by-ways. Anything built to last that long
should
be
looked into. Most people know that Dodge is the main supplier of
Cummins powered vehicles to the masses; however, the Cummins engine
can also be found in Ford medium and heavy duty trucks and buses.
If you are mechanically inclined, buy an early Cummins powered Dodge
with less than 300,000 miles, replace the transmission with a later
NV5500 or NV6500, or even an Eaton-Fuller 5-speed. Four-wheel drive
is a personal choice. A lot of people get good performance from a
differential locker on a two wheel drive truck, and there is less
rolling weight to boot. Even a two-wheel drive truck can be set up
to plow with the right equipment and weight over the rear axle. I
do not have the experience with plow vehicles, so I will bow out
for now. Thanks to you Jim for al the work you do. - AJR
James,
I've also been researching diesel pickups, though my objective is to
convert one of them to Waste Vegetable Oil (WVO).
With that in mind, I contacted the
good folks at goldenfuelsystems.com for recommendations. They have
a page with comments about the reliability and strengths/weaknesses
of different engines and fuel systems. IMHO, the best bang for the
buck is going to be the Ford diesel pickups made before 1994 (pre-Powerstroke).
There is no computer (as best I can determine), they have dual fuel
tanks (better for WVO conversions), and they have reliable fuel pumps
that are not expensive to rebuild if the need arises. Dodge trucks
equipped with Cummins engines appear to have a stellar reputation,
but the used truck prices are commensurate with that reputation;
and the fuel pumps are far more costly to rebuild. Both Ford and
Dodge
only put diesels in the 250 & 350 series trucks, not in the half-ton
150s. Judging by the trucks I see advertised for sale, longevity
on these units runs well over 200K miles, with several of them over
300K and still commanding a healthy price. - Dave S. in Missouri
Hi James,
In response to David J.'s questions I offer the following:
1) I would suggest attempting to find a truck that is already equipped
with a plow, perhaps a used municipal truck. This makes for a better “package
deal”. Equipping an older truck sans plow equipment with plow
equipment could prove to be a challenge, not to mention expensive.
While some older aftermarket equipment exists, it is harder to get
from a stocking dealer because the demand has waned - most of their
stock is for the latest vehicles. If you buy the equipment used, how
do you know you have every part you need and that some components aren’t
missing? Mind you, the equipment for older trucks can be found, but
it will take some effort. While a municipal vehicle likely has high
mileage, having the engine/transmission components rebuilt will give
the vehicle a known date/mileage of the start of a new service life
and most likely some form of brief warranty. Since the engines are
used in a number of different truck/van models and not just snow plows,
rebuilding the original diesel engine and transmission will likely
be more economical than finding new or used plow equipment for an older
truck as the engine and transmission service parts will be commonly
available than model specific snow plow components.
2) My own preference is Ford, but I prefer to avoid the 1995 model
year and later Powerstroke diesel models for a endurance/survival application,
leaning toward the 1994 and older normally aspirated 7.3L diesels.
The Powerstroke engines are indeed more powerful but do have engine
management systems - computers (EMP vulnerable)
- one failed sensor can cause some problems. The older 7.3L Ford diesel
is mechanical except
for the starter, glow plug circuit and injection pump solenoid - as
memory serves. The injection pump solenoid is used to turn the engine
fuel supply off when you turn off the key - thus the engine stops.
Another strike against Powerstrokes is while Powerstrokes are more
powerful than standard 7.3L diesels since they are equipped with a
turbocharger (and in theory more efficient), that same turbocharger
can be a hindrance if its seals fail at an inopportune time. A friend
who’s a mechanic that specializes in Ford Powerstrokes drove
his 1996 F350 supercab from SE Texas to Colorado on an Elk hunting
trip. The seals on the turbo failed along the way and the engine ended
up pumping its lubricating oil (the turbo is lubricated by an engine
oil line) into the engines intake tract because of the failed turbo
seal. At least my friend knew what to do - purchase a sizable quantity
of engine oil and continue adding it until he could get to area where
he could order/replace the turbo! He was not happy with the experience.
In a non-turbo diesel this won’t happen, thus it is one less
concern. The older Ford diesels often have Ford C6 automatic transmissions,
which are excellent and have no electronic controls on them other than
perhaps a neutral safety switch. The drawback with the C6 is it doesn’t
have overdrive. You can add a very tough Gear Vendors overdrive unit
($3,000 but you get what you pay for) to the C6 if you want overdrive
on an older model. I would trust a C6/Gear Vendors overdrive equipped
diesel over one of the later Powerstrokes that has a computer controlling
the transmission shift points. With a manual transmission the only
significant concern is clutch wear and lubricant level. I would go
with either
an F250 or F350 model. F350 will carry the most at the sacrifice of
ride quality.
3) I won’t claim to know what the "best" diesel made
is or was, rather, I think it is more of an issue what one’s
preferences/intended uses are. I am admittedly Ford biased as that’s
where my experience is. GM and Dodge have very fine engines as well.
All of them have their benefits and their quirks like any man-made
creation (kind of like discussing the best .308 battle rifle). This
to me is what’s more important. If a diesel is properly maintained
it should have a service life that can approach/surpass 300,000 miles.
Change the fuel filter more frequently than the manufacturer recommends.
Clean fuel is life to an injector pump and injectors. When changing
fuel filters I fill the fuel filter with automatic transmission fluid
(ATF). ATF can be safely burned as a fuel in diesel engines and has
the added benefit of being a detergent that will clean the injection
pump and injectors. I like to add STP Diesel fuel treatment and also
one quart of ATF to the fuel tank every third fill up. Change the oil
and filter regularly, preferably every 3,000 miles. I prefer Shell
Rotella diesel oil as it has a very high zinc content. Zinc is an anti-wear
additive that is being reduced/removed from engine oil specified
for automobile engines (can you say EPA?). In fact, I recommend Shell
Rotella diesel oil (note to self - stock up on Rotella) for older gasoline
engines with flat tappet camshafts, as do many aftermarket camshaft
manufacturers. The flat tappets benefit from the zinc additive. I prefer
to change the coolant and thermostat annually, as I’m convinced
this makes the water pump and other cooling system parts last longer.
4) When looking at a used diesel vehicle, if possible, start the engine
from a cold start. When the rings and or valve seals begin to wear,
visible exhaust smoke manifest when the engine is cold and lessens/subsides
as the engine warms up. A seller who wishes to hide the fact that the
vehicle smokes excessively may try to warm it up before you arrive.
(He may also do this innocently). Also check for fuel leaks. Diesel
fuel will turn coolant hoses into useless goo. The diesel fuel contaminated
hoses will “swell up like a toady-frog”, then burst. Resist
the urge to drive a diesel with a fuel leak - have the leak repaired.
The first thing I do to a diesel with an unverifiable service history
is replace the fuel filter, then coolant and coolant hoses. Once you
acquire the vehicle of your choice, keep a spare starter, glow plug
relay and alternator in “the recently mentioned on the blog” homemade
Faraday cage - a used/discarded microwave oven(!) - and keep it in
the back of the truck in a Rubbermaid Action Packer.
Hope this helps. When writing this I had a BFO about
another diesel vehicle that might be ideal - an '89 Ford E350 diesel
17" box
(moving) van I saw for sale recently. Perfect for that trip to the
big box store (or that ultimate trip out of Dodge)! Kind Regards,
- M. Artixerxes
