Suburban drivers

Peter Ehlert, post: 437539, member: 60 wrote: ...my 73 Coupe de Ville...

Beautiful examples of Detroit iron they were. If I remember correctly the hood had two area codes...;)

Kent McMillan, post: 437465, member: 3 wrote: I assume that the dowel sticking out of the side is the locking mechanism for the slide?

That's it. It's low tech, but it works.

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 ..... you have to put some kind of camper shell or bed cover on it for protection.

A pickup without some sort of cover over the back sucks as a survey rig.

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 have the bed cover and the slide extender but I have lost the use of my truck as a truck. I had to buy a utility trailer to haul stuff around.

The problem I had with my suburban was all those projectiles behind me that in a collision might join me in the front seat

Darryl Beard, post: 437558, member: 11556 wrote: I have the bed cover and the slide extender but I have lost the use of my truck as a truck. I had to buy a utility trailer to haul stuff around.

The problem I had with my suburban was all those projectiles behind me that in a collision might join me in the front seat

I've always worried about that with the suburbans I've worked out of and insisted on a steel cage between the driver/passenger seats and the spud bar and loose batteries that would otherwise turn the interior into a blender in a high speed roll over or collision. I mean who wants to get survive the initial impact only to get brained by their own 4 lb. hammer?

If you have a truck then you don't get to sniff saw gas all day long - what fun is that?

Mark Mayer, post: 437549, member: 424 wrote: That's it. It's low tech, but it works.

As long as you or your assistants remember to lock the slide, everything is cool. I had a long drawer that rolled on refrigerator casters in and out of the box that I had in the back of my Suburban once upon a time. I put a latch on the drawer, but it required remembering to engage it. Some type of self-locking latch when the drawer is rolled back into the truck would be my preference.

Kent McMillan, post: 437576, member: 3 wrote: As long as you or your assistants remember to lock the slide, everything is cool.

I have forgotten to put the pin back in a few times. When I do I don't get more than a half a block before a good thump reminds me.

Mark Mayer, post: 437578, member: 424 wrote: I have forgotten to put the pin back in a few times. When I do I don't get more than a half a block before a good thump reminds me.

I've got a bed slide made by Highway Products out of Oregon and even with an automatic latching mechanism things sometimes go awry. Since I'm located in Tennessee, I had the bed slide shipped here and installed by a local company specializing in such work. It has a rock solid mechanism that allows the slide to come out in 8-12 inch increments, locking at preset locations if the handle is released. Something has always been wrong with the very last stop when it is fully extended. Leaning against it or bumping it while loading or unloading will cause it to retract at an amazing rate if the truck is parked even slightly nose down.

A couple of Sundays ago I was out all day on an ALTA with the temp in the mid nineties and the humidity not far behind. Eight elevated travel lanes of Interstate 40/75 to my North, five lanes of state highway to my south, ongoing construction on the lot to my east and a busy fast food joint on the lot to my west; it was one of those sorts of days. It was well after dark when I packed up the instrument and headed for the truck. I must've been more weary than I realized because I was 4 lights down the state highway before I noticed that the truck was handling funny. I looked in the rear view and saw that I'd left the rear glass up on the cap and then a second later it dawned on me that I'd left the whole rear wide open. Cap open, tailgate down, slide fully extended.......as soon as I even thought about letting off the gas, the slide slammed forward so hard that I wondered if I'f be able to slide a sheet of paper between the cab and bed afterwards. Fortunately there was no apparent damage to the truck or slide and somehow I avoided leaving a trail of tripods, rods, hammers, and stakes down the highway.

It'll be a long time before I forget to do my walk around the truck before pulling out again.

James Fleming, post: 437439, member: 136 wrote: 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" 😉

I don't leave home without four sets.

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.

Subs are not all they are cracked up to be. First, you really need a screen between the seats and the cargo area. A light weight hub can be a deadly projectile under the correct circumstances. Second, you still have the same access issues unless you break the windows out of the back. I worked out of SUVs for years and prefer to work out of a properly fitted pickup any day. Just my nickel's worth.

paden cash, post: 437537, member: 20 wrote: 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've often though about throwing a set of legs in the co-pilot seat of my little pro-rally Lancia Scorpion when doing photo control jobs in the timber farms surrounding me. It would be a tight fit but might be worth the drive time on closed logging roads. Usually I just drift the F250 around the projects instead.

I have always surveyed out of a 3/4 ton van.
Strong, steel cage, between rear bench seat, and rest of van, for protection.
High speed collision, the cage may not hold up, but I just cringe, when I see no cage for any protection.
Had 24 cones, inverted on the front bumper.
Held four sets of legs, and four survey signs with their folding legs.
Rear bench seat could seat the third crew member, and had a seat belt.
Held my Trimble S6, digital level, and Trimble R8, all in their cases, sitting on foam that had been inserted in a wooden box.
Inverter, for power.
Would spread out our rain gear, till we got back to the office, to take inside to dry our gear.
Went pretty good in the snow, with the added weight Too much snow, in the office.
Survey van is what I like. ( must say, do not know any different )

I would like a Ford Transit if I could get on in four or all wheel drive.

The Ford "Theodolite" is better...

[USER=7286]@imaudigger[/USER] Really, it's not a shin breaker. It is rounded, it conforms to the contour, and I have never hit it. Besides, as tall as that trucks is, it's more up at the knees. Now, the tow ball.... it has it's share of "Kills".

Nate The Surveyor, post: 437662, member: 291 wrote: [USER=7286]@imaudigger[/USER] Really, it's not a shin breaker. It is rounded, it conforms to the contour, and I have never hit it. Besides, as tall as that trucks is, it's more up at the knees. Now, the tow ball.... it has it's share of "Kills".

Trick is to take the hitch out when not in use...

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 STEP. It's so that you can step up into the back of the truck.
It's welded into the end of the receiver hitch.
Now, the truck is 1 ton. And has 350 gears, and a lock up rear end. (It locks, when one side looses traction). Maybe it's just a tight posi track... but it will get you un stuck. And, it has a cummins, 5speed.
Been working on the front bumper. Eventually, it'll have a winch, and some sort of custom bumper. Not too heavy.
Anyway, it's MY suburban.
N

You need to be getting a check from JAVAD for advertising!

Nate The Surveyor, post: 437658, member: 291 wrote: The Ford "Theodolite" is better...

But will that model do 170 mph?

If you saw what the Javad LS can do...you'd squeek with glee. Yes, it's free advertising, but I got fed up with all the mis-information, and such, from other vendors, that I said, Hey, this is HANDS DOWN the best there is. So, Hey, I got a nice white truck, and it's my "Javad-mobile". No pay for the stickers, but it looks nice. AND I know what Javad means. It's quality.
N