Nate The Surveyor, post: 369091, member: 291 wrote: 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.
My truck sounds about the same as yours, trailer package (lower rear end) plow package (no plow just the extra wiring and front end gear). I carry a lot of equipment plus a Silver Shield top and organizer also I do a lot of stop and go city driving. I have kept careful records of fuel use and that is about the average mileage. The truck runs great and I love it but at 17 years old in New England it is rusting away and I need a new vehicle. I decided that I would try going back to basic gear is a smaller vehicle as my business has changed with my age and I do mostly small work now and little layout work.
T.W.
Mark Silver, post: 369097, member: 1087 wrote: 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...
Mark: Yes when I bought my truck I looked for something economical to operate and decided that "you can't git there from here". All trucks get pretty bad mileage, I guess because of the low gear ratios. Even smaller trucks get pretty poor mileage and that is why I am considering a Subaru or such. The VW Rabbit actually worked out until I lost reverse, of course I have a lot more gear but that will have to go.
We all worry about the cost of the vehicle when we buy it but with gas prices being what they are (they were $1.00 a gallon when I bought my current truck) make the cost of the truck pale in comparison. I prefer not to think about it, but standing at the pump filling a 30 gallon tank hurts a bit.
T.W.
Mark Silver, post: 369047, member: 1087 wrote: 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.
I favor a pickup -- currently a 2008 Tundra -- with Weatherguard toolboxes for securing the expensive stuff. I have a custom-made aluminum bed box for long items; the tailgate lock keeps those safe under most conditions, though I don't know how hard it is to defeat that lock.
I carry my data collector with charger in a large-ish Pelican case that doesn't fit easily in the Weatherguards, so I usually put it on the front seat. A year or so ago I read about a colleague who stopped at a store on the way back to the office and had some gear stolen from the cab via window smash, so now I padlock the Pelican case to a cable looped through the seat frame.
My favorite survey rig was a 76 impala. I bought it from my Mom for $300. Used it for almost a year getting $225 a month car allowance plus a gas card.
These days we run a 2015 ram 2500 with a highway products diamond plate box. With 37 years in Surveying I'm the young guy on the crew. Heated seats, heated steering wheel, individual climate control, sat radio, WiFi and full length running boards. The only thing missing is a secretary. At some point you have to weigh fuel costs versus comfort...
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.
BAD ford, BAD.
My 3/4 ton 4WD 8,000 lb dodge gets 15 in town and 18-23 (mostly 18-21) on the highway. It gets 12-14 towing a 8,000 lb 30' travel trailer.
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.
Nothing personal here, but this is a perfect example of why surveyors are poor businessmen. our clients pay for this, not us. Business 101 (actually 1.001)!
So- they told me this week that I'll be getting a Ford Escape instead of an F150 extended cab...
[sarcasm]And I told them I would be retiring sooner than expected.[/sarcasm]
Years ago, I worked for a cheap outfit that used an Isuzu Rodeo as the survey vehicle. Both I and the other guy were each about 6'4" and each well over 200 lbs. Working in such a small vehicle, crammed in with equipment and a coworker should have been considered a hostile work environment for anyone over 5'6" and 140 lbs. The Ford Escape is about the same size.
Jim in AZ, post: 369340, member: 249 wrote: our clients pay for this, not us.
Does your bill to the client have a line item for gasoline? If not, you could drive a more efficient vehicle, charge the client the same, and pocket the difference.
I think you will have to go Beverly Hillbillies and strap some pipes to the roof for tripods and rods, maybe there is a step attachment for the tail hitch to aid in getting to the equipment.
In Mexico City they have taxi cabs that consist of VW Bugs with the shotgun seat removed, it is remarkable what that does to the capacity of a vehicle, I am not sure if it is legal but in your shoes I would consider it if I were working alone.
Check out the F550 in the thread: Not the ideal survey chariot.
We use Tahoe's purchased from GSA auctions. I take out the second row seats completely and build custom boxes. The trucks usually have moderate mileage, great service records and can be purchased for a pretty good deal because they are usually stripped down models. I like everything being inside the rig but the rollover crash scenario does concern me sometimes. I try to build the boxes so the rear lift gate locks most projectiles inside the box and strap everything else down as best I can. They've worked well so far and Chevy has been making the 5.3L motor forever, it's pretty dependable.
I really don't want to think about a bundle of 50 rebar rocketing forward. Fifty loose bars would be horrible but a bundle would be catastrophic.
I see al your trucks and pickups and I've used a had but never really liked that. Bought myself this a while ago. Constant 4wd, front and rear diff locks. Getting about 18mpg. Although fuel here ia more expensive than in the US.
All the space in the world and can go absolutely anywhere
Sent from my D6503 using Tapatalk
eapls2708, post: 369343, member: 589 wrote: So- they told me this week that I'll be getting a Ford Escape instead of an F150 extended cab...
[sarcasm]And I told them I would be retiring sooner than expected.[/sarcasm]
Years ago, I worked for a cheap outfit that used an Isuzu Rodeo as the survey vehicle. Both I and the other guy were each about 6'4" and each well over 200 lbs. Working in such a small vehicle, crammed in with equipment and a coworker should have been considered a hostile work environment for anyone over 5'6" and 140 lbs. The Ford Escape is about the same size.
A Rodeo dual cab ute is basically the standard size work vehicle here in Australia. Difference flavours of course (Toyota Hilux (our version of the Tacoma), Ford Ranger, etc) but basically the same size.
Surely you guys do not need all the gear every day. With a bit of forethought in your daily planning, the large items can be added or removed as needed. Large items also have the added bonus of being obvious so you don't forget them.
It's just a matter of getting used to what you have. Large vehicles like a F150, etc are regarded as overkill (both in size and fuel usage) here and we get along just fine without them.
Fuel prices compared to SA and the US are what nails us the most. Quick Google search and conversion shows we pay about US$3.22 per gallon compared to US$2.16, ignoring complicated financial matter such as PPP etc. If I had my way, the finances and my own business I would always invest in proper vehicles.
Used to work for a company few years ago and they had a 2006 Ford Ranger and a 2006 Toyota Hilux. Both worked fine but I never got used to them. They had space but it was all in the loading bay, and we never got round to building proper storage boxes so things were always kinda loose. My current work place doesn't have any company vehicles which is a massive pain.
Hopefully this gets released here sometime soon and I'm solo by then and get my hands on one of these.
Seems to be the solution to me
http://www.carmag.co.za/news_post/volkswagen-tristar-concept-revealed/
dirkie2710, post: 369443, member: 10950 wrote: I see al your trucks and pickups and I've used a had but never really liked that. Bought myself this a while ago. Constant 4wd, front and rear diff locks. Getting about 18mpg. Although fuel here ia more expensive than in the US.
All the space in the world and can go absolutely anywhere
Sent from my D6503 using Tapatalk
It's the mystery machine! Get a custom paint job
My former company gave us a Mercury Mariner Hybrid as the survey chariot. Same thing as an Escape except it did not have the ability to reverse up anything greater than an 8% slope (very dangerous in the NC mountains). Even with the rear seats laid down, you have to put your prism pole in at an angle as the vehicle is extremely short. I attached a couple of 8" pipes to the roof for the rods and built a box behind the driver's seat keeping the passenger rear seat open. It will be a pain to figure out a good system, but they are great at getting into tight places and not unpleasant to drive. That said, a single cab truck with a topper or bed cover is to me the best survey vehicle.
I'm building a box for this soon. I had it for sale for a few months and had lots of lookers and a couple of takers that backed out when their wives got wind...
I'm putting her to work. I picked up the Bedslide this past weekend.
Mark Silver, post: 369047, member: 1087 wrote:
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.
M
No what really rocks is getting 40 MPG! Love my VW TDI, but wouldn't want to work out of it.
When are the US car manufacturers going to get with the program and move to diesel?
@daryl beard
That's what I call a land yacht. Put some deck chairs on top to add to the effect. Get some jackstands so you can stabilize the rig, then put your base station on the roof. Leave the tripod in position while moving from job to job for a quick set up.
