Anyone working out of one of these? They look dinky....
I'd be interested in pictures of your ideas for equipment storage... light bar, etc.
On the plus side. It will be all-wheel drive....
Rankin_File, post: 369021, member: 101 wrote: Anyone working out of one of these? They look dinky....
I'd be interested in pictures of your ideas for equipment storage... light bar, etc.
On the plus side. It will be all-wheel drive....
I loved, loved my ford escape, that thing was fantastic,,,,,,,,,,that being said,,,,,working out of it? Surveying? Really?
With the back seats down, my dog just could squeeze in. Can't imagine it as a survey rig, you would have to do it as a two seater.
Good luck 🙁
With equipment getting smaller, I dream of someday going to a motorcycle.
Small trailer for base.
Side boxes.
In the year 2027, and your GPS going in your shirt pocket...
If I worked out of an escape, I'd consider a porch on back.slides into receiver hitch, with a box.
If its 4wd and has AC I wouldnt complain. It will take some getting used to but i would think it will work out just fine.
I work out of a 2002 Range Rover. I think they are similar in size. I have 60/40 split on the second row. I had to unbolt remove the 60 part of the seat. I Built a box for specifically for my equipment. Took two times to get it right. Level rod is the hardest thing to fit in the truck. One or two man crew is best, couldn't imagine 3.
If it makes you feel better, I have a friend who works for the state, and works out of an escape. He is 6'4" and about 260. He actually says it fits fine.
Storage is going to be tight, depending on your usage. I would say at MINIMUM, you need a mesh barrier to protect you in the even of an accident, and a well thought out storage solution for your equipment. If it was me, I would suggest tearing out the back seat and putting it in storage.
I work out of a Kia Sorrento. Works for me. I built this box as anew organizer. Fits all my stuff including my rebars etc. Usually I just have a bundle of stakes down to the left, but right now I'm out of stakes.
Kia was leased for 3 years for only 260/mo. The Kia was nice bc it was cheap but was much bigger than most mid sized Suv. Not as big tho as a full sized.
Kia goes back next month. And we are getting GMC terrains. A bit smaller but should work.
I looked at the Ford Escape. That thing is terribly small. I ruled it out in once glance at the trunk. The Ford edge is about the same size as the terrain but it's much more expensive.
I guess we all make do, I use to work out of a VW Rabbit. Actually the Rabbit worked out well with the rear seat down. As I bought larger vehicles I started to carry more equipment, now a F150 with everything I own in it. I am now looking at Escape sized vehicles, I figured I can probably get the job done without having to carry 5 shovels and 5 hammers to every job and save some money.
T.W.
My company car is similar.
In my opinion, the trick is to keep all poles, tripods (things with points on them) behind the passenger seat. That way if I get rear ended, the points get pushed through the passenger seat and not me.
My current car gets 28 MPG (or higher). Since I cover all of Utah, Nevada, Wyoming and Montana the cost of fuel can add up over a year. 28 MPG rocks when gas is $4.50 / gallon.
The thing that I like the most is the back windows are dark tinted. I can have a couple of robots, 3 RTK pairs plus all the data collectors, poles and tripods and you can't see them from outside the vehicle. Sometimes I will have $175K worth of brand new equipment, sitting in a car in the parking lot of the hotel. It makes me crazy worrying about getting broken into. Did I lock the doors? I wake up at 2:00 am and have to run out and check.
When I had a 3/4 ton pickup, everything was just under a shell. I had a job box bolted in the back to put my laptop into. I used to schlep everything into the hotel every night, but I am not sure if it safer in the room than the truck. And that was when you did not hear about stolen equipment every week.
My next vehicle is probably going to be 1/2 ton pickup. I already have the topper. It has expanded metal welded behind the glass and there are already alarm contacts on the all the doors. I am going to get a fancy alarm that reports via a cellular connection texting me every time the vehicle so much as rocks.
My most prolific customer ever surveyed out of a Lincoln Continental. He weighed over 350 pounds and completed an average of 5 surveys (mortgage) per day. He told me he would not consider any other vehicle because he fit in the Lincoln.
If you like the escape, it will be just fine.
M
My 02 Range Rover
Mark: "My next vehicle is probably going to be 1/2 ton pickup"
My F150 gets 10 miles per gallon around town, on the highway it gets 10 miles per gallon. I have 130,000 miles on it which means I have bought 13,000 gallons of gas, you do the math, and that is why I am looking at smaller vehicles.
T.W.
I tell ya, all the new stuff is designed to be operated by Ethiopian jockeys, not cornfed Midwesterners. We have two Jeeps and both are a gigantic pain in the rear whether I'm gettin' in or gettin' out.
Since 2004 I've been happy with Toyota Tacoma with towing and off road and under armor packages rated at 3/4 ton that gets 20å± mpg.
Works great solo or with a helper. Holds most everything and pulls a 5x10 trailer loaded with ATV and extra tools.
It is much shorter than my '89 F150 4WD with same packages. Takes an extra sidestep to get tools from the bed.
In the mid '80s I had an '84 Bronco II 4WD that worked as well.
It was about the same size and setup as the Escape and without the folding backseat, it would have been very limited at carrying enough tools.
Both are top heavy vehicles that do not safely turn sharp at high speeds.
Just be aware of that and you will not have any problems.
For those extra equipment days, a receiver rack comes in handy. Most Escapes come with a 1" receiver and that may be lacking in strength.
good luck and enjoy
Rankin_File, post: 369021, member: 101 wrote: Anyone working out of one of these? They look dinky....
I'd be interested in pictures of your ideas for equipment storage... light bar, etc.
On the plus side. It will be all-wheel drive....
What was Second Prize? TWO Ford Escapes?
My biggest concern about working out of an suv is the fact that everything is in the cab with you. Last year I was working out of a Dodge Ram with a bed cover (very good truck, by the way). Well, one morning right after leaving the house, I guess I was still half asleep. Someone was stopped in the 2-lane road in front of me and I didn't realize they were stopped until it was way too late. I took the ditch, crossed a driveway, and went up a sharp embankment before coming to a stop.
All my equipment was in the back the truck and it went everywhere. Stakes and equipment were all over the ground. I had a wooden box that completely filled the truck bed, and I later found a tribrach underneath it. The box was badly damaged, the truck was totaled, and I ended up in the hospital with a broken back. If all of that equipment flying around in the truck bed had been in the cab with me, it could have been even worse.
the funny thing about getting the news was that at the time I was on the phone with my boss - the load in my current rig- an F150 extended cab was:
Pair of R8's in a suitcase,
35W repeater radio in a suit case.
S6 robot in its case
small pelican case with chargers
3 trimax tripods
Work laptop
Personal laptop
briefcase.
pelican case with tribachs and mirrors
rover rod
robot rod
2 bipods
posthole shovel
thunderbolt.
saddle tool box with assorted nails hammers etc.
4000w generator
Makita sawzall
Dewalt corded drill
36V Bosch hammerdrill in case.
Huskvarna chainsaw
saw gas can.
5 gal tool bucket.
bundle of lath
bundle of stakes
my suitcase
my lunch cooler.
bug out bag with misc foul weather gear.
No metal detector to sniff out stones?
Tom Wilson, post: 369063, member: 247 wrote: Mark: "My next vehicle is probably going to be 1/2 ton pickup"
My F150 gets 10 miles per gallon around town, on the highway it gets 10 miles per gallon. I have 130,000 miles on it which means I have bought 13,000 gallons of gas, you do the math, and that is why I am looking at smaller vehicles.
T.W.
I had a 1983 f-150. 5.4 v8. I got 12.5 mpg, on the road, fully loaded.about 12 otherwise. If yours is the newer one, it should get 16 mpg.
I'd say it has something wrong with it.
Mine had the c6 3 speed auto trans. In it.
Holy Cow, post: 369086, member: 50 wrote: No metal detector to sniff out stones?
metal detector in case behind the seat...
Tom Wilson, post: 369063, member: 247 wrote: Mark: "My next vehicle is probably going to be 1/2 ton pickup"
My F150 gets 10 miles per gallon around town, on the highway it gets 10 miles per gallon. I have 130,000 miles on it which means I have bought 13,000 gallons of gas, you do the math, and that is why I am looking at smaller vehicles.
T.W.
Tom: My F250 (just the stock 460) gets 8 MPG. It has 210,000 miles on it. I am not really in good enough health to want to brave the total but here goes...
(220,000 miles / 8 MPG) * $4.00 ($/Gal Average) = $105,000
I hear you brother...