Suburban drivers

Peter Ehlert, post: 437539, member: 60 wrote: 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.

That trunk is about 6 feet deep, larger than the Suburban hatch. I had a red 73 Eldorado in the late '90s but I always really wanted the Deville for the rear wheel drive (part of me still wants one). The 6 stock cigarette lighters would be great today for charging all of the electronic equipment. We could call the Sedan DeVille a "crew cab"

I'm considering this Suburban as a survey rig:

Williwaw, post: 437564, member: 7066 wrote: I've always worried about that with the suburbans I've worked out of and insisted on a steel cage between the driver/passenger seat

The steel cage is definitely a must.
Almost every Suburban I've worked out of needed beefier springs in the rear to safely carry the weight of the survey gear - handling was simply UNSAFE.
None of my employers ever sprang for the springs.
Make sure the springs are appropriate for the load - better steering, braking, headlight aim, and driver visibility.

I also never found a safe way to transport saw/cobra/punjar fuel (that was also a problem with cargo vans). A bumper mount box in the front to carry fuel might work OK.

I know that some of you are using Sprinters. A 4-wheel drive Sprinter may even be better than a converted Unimog! If you have a Sprinter survey rig - let's see some photos.

3/4 ton Suburbans last a long time in the field. So do 3/4 ton pickups (or one ton though I don't see the value of the extra suspension for survey equipment) but for the mountain goat trails I'm usually trying to drive up I'd prefer to go lighter and smaller if I could find something that would withstand the abuse.

I agree that half-ton suburban is not a great off-road survey rig with a wooden box in the back.

JKinAK, post: 437695, member: 7219 wrote: I know that some of you are using Sprinters. A 4-wheel drive Sprinter may even be better than a converted Unimog! If you have a Sprinter survey rig - let's see some photos.

Had to look that one up:

Unimog: ground clearance, under the axles. 18" clear below the pumpkin, and no low hanging A arms or struts either.
Basketball size cobbles no problem

Isn't a Unimog articulated as well?

Richard Imrie, post: 437700, member: 11256 wrote: Isn't a Unimog articulated as well?

flexible frame, about 15 degrees.

http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT7fFNjsStfNeK6XzVui7cdYfyEl4A1bqgkBne7NzqDl0oRGuPN9Q
Stupid big tires aside...

The Unimog starts at about $250k - that's not a problem for the gentlemen surveyors who survey for the pure joy of the activity. Everybody else - fuggedaboutit.

The Sprinter 4x4 van starts at $52k (I think you could easily add $10-20k with options and setting it up). That's still less money than many of 4x4 pickups.
And.... you can stand up in it to put on/take off rain/winter gear.

In 1977 I worked out of a 3 door suburban. We usually worked 2 or 3 man crews, but on the rare occasion we had a 4th person it was loathsome to be the low chainman on the totem pole. The driver's side back seat awaited you. Cramped, no door, having to slide across the bench seat like a wormy dog to get in and out. I wasn't too impressed with the cargo area either. You could carry a bunch of stuff. You just couldn't get to most of it. We'd have to use lath to try and claw or chop stick stuff out of the depths of boxes. The rig was similar to this 71 model -

Mike Berry, post: 437709, member: 123 wrote: In 1977 I worked out of a 3 door suburban. We usually worked 2 or 3 man crews, but on the rare occasion we had a 4th person it was loathsome to be the low chainman on the totem pole. The driver's side back seat awaited you. Cramped, no door, having to slide across the bench seat like a wormy dog to get in and out. I wasn't too impressed with the cargo area either. You could carry a bunch of stuff. You just couldn't get to most of it. We'd have to use lath to try and claw or chop stick stuff out of the depths of boxes. The rig was similar to this 71 model -

My career started in a '59 or '60 GMC. We called it a "Carryall" but it may have well been a Suburban. That was a few years before I started filing memories.
It too had the seat behind the driver with no door. But instead of loathing that spot, I coveted it. "Last one out" meant when the PC wanted something flagged or a pole stacked on a sight, someone closer to a door would have the chore instead of me.

It was similar to this pic. It was grey and nick-named "the gray ghost".

paden cash, post: 437711, member: 20 wrote: It was similar to this pic. It was grey and nick-named "the gray ghost".

Ours was green; we called it the Turtle...

the steering had about 3" of play in it...
One day it caught on fire; we jumped out, grabbed the shovels and put it out...that was stupid...
The boss fixed it and we drove it for another couple years.

My first solo work vehicle was a 1971 El Camino with 4 bolt 350 block and 327 bow tie heads, Holley 750 dual pumpin into 12:1 compression with a munci 5 speed and 373 positrac. Headers, turbo flow mufflers and 4ft fire resistors that were completely free flow and no mufflin materials inside. Big block spring in front and station wagon springs and a 3in lift in the back made it stiff enough to carry a load and still be the first to the next redlight.
She would begin floatin the valves reaching for 160mph.
20yrs ago traded down for a swb chevy PU with a straight 6 and 3 speed on the column and left my thrill seeking days behind.

Lets see

2004 Toyota Hilux single cab - can take a massive load but rides hard as hell so hates it
2005 Ford Ranger - better but the squeeking drove me nuts. Everything broke off eventually
1989 VW Jetta - bad idea. No clearance
2003 VW Jetta - massive boot. But even less clearance.
2014 Renault clio - small space but maybe 1" clearance
1991 VW vanagon syncro - est survey vehicle bur worst fuel consumption
Current
2009 Nissan Xtrail - AWD 2.5 petrol. Enough space for 3 tripods,gps pole,prism pole all facing sideways,1 x R8 box 1 x S6 box and 2 x toolbkxes with pegs paint and tools. All fit in the back behind seats all facing sideways so no projectiles towards me and is covered by a retractible sheet thing. Works well so far

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2008 F250 crew cab 7' bed, plywood box, steel shell.

RSAsurv, post: 437757, member: 10950 wrote: Lets see

2004 Toyota Hilux single cab - can take a massive load but rides hard as hell so hates it
2005 Ford Ranger - better but the squeeking drove me nuts. Everything broke off eventually
1989 VW Jetta - bad idea. No clearance
2003 VW Jetta - massive boot. But even less clearance.
2014 Renault clio - small space but maybe 1" clearance
1991 VW vanagon syncro - est survey vehicle bur worst fuel consumption
Current
2009 Nissan Xtrail - AWD 2.5 petrol. Enough space for 3 tripods,gps pole,prism pole all facing sideways,1 x R8 box 1 x S6 box and 2 x toolbkxes with pegs paint and tools. All fit in the back behind seats all facing sideways so no projectiles towards me and is covered by a retractible sheet thing. Works well so far

Sent from my SM-N920C using Tapatalk

Sounds like you need to get a split window VW bus. That would actually make a pretty good survey rig depending on the door configuration.
Punch it out - carb it up.

My kids great grandfather used to feed cows out of a split window bus.

With the advent of 4 wheelers it's been full sized 3/4 ton truck super cabs with 8'beds, a ramp to load the 4 wheeler and tool boxes lining the bed for equipment. Back in 1992 our largest client said don't show up on site without the 4 wheeler or you are gone. He was tired of watching surveyors walking.

Now some corporate clients won't allow a 4 wheeler, only side by sides with a roll cage and belts. Which means a trailer, makes a suburban type rig a bit more attractive, kinda like the old days with the 6 wheelers.......

I'm liking the ford flex for our next vehicle.

foggyidea, post: 437819, member: 155 wrote: I'm liking the ford flex for our next vehicle.

It's a shame they don't still make the AWD Chevy Astro Van.

Just A. Surveyor, post: 437821, member: 12855 wrote: It's a shame they don't still make the AWD Chevy Astro Van.

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