Suburban drivers

Just A. Surveyor, post: 437429, member: 12855 wrote: Ironically an El Camino would probably be a great choice...

Au contraire mon fr??re....not so fast.

I actually had the misfortune of working out of an El Camino for about 18 months in '75-'77. It sucked. The biggest problem was ground clearance (there wasn't any). I actually got high-centered on a 6" barrier curb on a residential street. And with the infancy of catalytic converters at the time the local fire departments tracked my movements daily so they would know how many brush pumpers to put on line.

You can get IN and OUT of a normal vehicle. An EL Camino requires getting "down into" and "climbing up out of". And the doors were 4' long and probably weighed 600 pounds. If you opened the door while off road you had to put it in gear and get moving to close it. Otherwise you could grab up a half a bale of straw and cram it into the cab by merely shutting the door.

And the only place for any instruments was in the back. There was simply no room whatsoever in the cab. And the dashboard (what I have always affectionately referred to as my "desktop") was also non-existent. You couldn't even balance a small cup of coffee up there because of the slant of the windshield.

El Caminos are NOT an option....;)

I run 4 Tahoe's all setup very similar to this. The 10" PVC donated from trash piles on construction sites comes in very handy for keeping things put & protected.

Just A. Surveyor, post: 437429, member: 12855 wrote: Ironically an El Camino would probably be a great choice because you reach into the bead without a bloody step ladder. Most modern full size pickups sit so darned high it is difficult to reach anything from the side.

Well that's just great...I'm only 53 an I have apparently graduated to crotchety old coot status.

With all apologizes to Jeff Foxworthy; "If you don't have a place for three sets of heavy duty wooden legs to run control, you might be a GIS Technician" 😉

James Fleming, post: 437439, member: 136 wrote: crotchety old coot

Nailed it :joy:
The 3rd set fits if the task calls for it although 90% of our work can be done quite efficiently with one backsight and the rod.

I like Suburbans, the kind with Doors, not tailgates.
Tailgates are terrible, for either the Pickups or Suburbans. They are always in the way for access, and they don't hold up well to being opened and closed all day.
I had a couple mid size pickups that were low enough to reach into the middle of the bed, and with shell that had flip up side access from both sides, and double doors in the back... They worked great.

Mark Mayer, post: 437340, member: 424 wrote: Don't hold back. Tell us what you really think.

Mark, my primary issue is this, a truck is great for hauling stuff, like manure, gravel, lumber, but when you try to turn it into a functional survey rig gaining access to the entire bed is difficult unless you have a sliding bed extender (you do) and then you have to put some kind of camper shell or bed cover on it for protection (you have).

I have worked out of trucks for many years and probably will for a bit more but I'm gonna try to put an end to it soon.

Just A. Surveyor, post: 437458, member: 12855 wrote: Mark, my primary issue is this, a truck is great for hauling stuff, like manure, gravel, lumber, but when you try to turn it into a functional survey rig gaining access to the entire bed is difficult unless you have a sliding bed extender (you do) and then you have to put some kind of camper shell or bed cover on it for protection (you have).

I have worked out of trucks for many years and probably will for a bit more but I'm gonna try to put an end to it soon.

I had a 'Burb for years and they're great for surveying....until you drive into something that is bigger than you...then all that junk in the back tries to get up in the front seat with you. Been there and got a whole box of t-shirts.

If you're going to keep your gear in the same compartment as you and the passengers make sure you install some active restraint (steel mesh) between you and the gear. A range pole passing your ear at 60 mph as it exits the windshield can make you a little weak-kneed.

Mark Mayer, post: 437341, member: 424 wrote: This is in a truck, which I'm told sucks as a proper survey vehicle, but since I adapted it from something I'd seen in a Suburban I thought I'd offer it.

I assume that the dowel sticking out of the side is the locking mechanism for the slide? That's the one drawback to anything that slides too freely in a truck or van. If the slide isn't locked, the drawer or slide will tend to beat things up when driving. Something that locks automatically when the slide is retracted would be best.

Very true, passenger area needs to be secure. However, stuff in the bed can also go right thru the glass... a good headboard is always a good idea.
I worked out of panel vans too, they had expanded mesh separators. Light, air, view was good but no flying objects.
Back in the day my dad had a VW combi van, with a paste board separator with a window in it. It worked great to keep it warm in the front and muffle the sound. When he rolled it (this is pre-seatbelt days) he went thru the separator and got a bit shredded by the tools in the back.

Doing work for the Corp, there safety requirements on Suburbans deemed that a cargo barrier was installed between the backseat and storage to
prevent flying objects.
There was an 'urban myth' that some poor rodman caught a flying range pole to the skull.
Switched to 3/4 PUs with tonneaus or later lids with side access.
Those old 3/4T GMC Suburbans with manual transmission were reliable beasts. Very rugged.

[USER=556]@gschrock[/USER]
Ok, i fold. Your suburban beats mine.
🙂

I've been working out of suburbans for the last decade and my first choice, but the new ones are lame and more tailored to soccer moms than surveyors.

Williwaw, post: 437489, member: 7066 wrote: I've been working out of suburbans for the last decade and my first choice, but the new ones are lame and more tailored to soccer moms than surveyors.

My fav was an '81 C2500 4x4 with a manual transmission. It became my field vehicle because all the other PCs wanted the ones with an automatic tranny. It had 15k on it when I took it over and was on its 3rd. clutch. When we finally shot her out behind the barn she had 175k and still had the clutch that was in it when I got it. That thing would idle up a wall in low/ low...

ps - just like every other GM I've owned it went through several front ends and none of the door knobs or handles worked...but the running gear was superb. A testament to the Dana Corp.

Mark Mayer, post: 437341, member: 424 wrote: This is in a truck, which I'm told sucks as a proper survey vehicle, but since I adapted it from something I'd seen in a Suburban I thought I'd offer it.

I like it. You may want to get some thin walled pvc pipe and cut it to length. Then slide the rods in there. It prevents them from knocking into each other.

And grab the belt sander to round off those sharp corners, old people have thin skin.

paden cash, post: 437433, member: 20 wrote: El Caminos are NOT an option....;)

Unless "street credibility" is the main concern.

Richard Imrie, post: 437533, member: 11256 wrote: Unless "street credibility" is the main concern.

My brother Holden and I actually 'surveyed' out of his 911 Porsche...once. Technically it was a "survey"...we took a pin finder over to a friend's house to scratch up some pins..and there was barely enough room for the pin finder...but we got there in record time!

I worked out of the trunk of my 73 Coupe de Ville several times, it was fine... then and there.
It all depends what you need and where the site is.

Nate The Surveyor, post: 437415, member: 291 wrote:
Now, if you look under the left rear tail light, and under the end of the bumper, there is a little paddle sticking out. That is a SHIN BREAKER. It's so that you can walk behind the truck and whack your shin before breaking the Third Commandment, finally stepping up into the back of the truck.
It's welded into the end of the receiver hitch so as to not give an inch when you hammer it with your shin.