'65 Dodge Power Wagon
Man... check out those bell bottoms! o.O 😀
My dad said that those Dodges would stall in a mud puddle if you were not careful.
Had something to do with the ignition.
Truck with a Nice Camper
I have worked out of both. The suburban has it's strengths. For example, someone would have to break a window to break in. The campers are less secure typically. I prefer the truck becuase if you ever have to haul chainsaws and the extras that come with it (gas) then I feel safer and less fumagated in a truck. Plus you have an 8 foot bed that never has to be made. 😉
I also finally got a box in my truck. I bought it a couple of months ago and after building it wished I had moved the sliding drawer to the center instead of the outside of the bed. Hindsight is 1:1000000.
Good luck!!
I only worked out of one work truck with a camper shell and it was a serious PITA to get stuff out of. Seems we always needed something towards the front. Even little ole me had a tough time clambering through everything.
First surveying place I worked at used Suburbans with the "barn doors" and well-built boxes. Much easier for access.
'65 Dodge Power Wagon
I'm assuming your wearing your good jacket because you're heading up to Winterland after work to see Hot Tuna and the Airplane.
We have 4 door trucks with no camper shell. It's hard to steal something when someone is pumping the gas. 🙂
One man is nearly always with the truck until it's off road.
We had to go to crew cab trucks with a camper shell about 5 years ago. Our safety guy said that the equipment in the back of the truck would become a missle in an accident. We got F 150 Super Crews and the guys like to argue over who gets to ride in the back seat. Lots of leg room!
We have camper shells with doors on both sides, and a bed slide. We can slide 70% of our box out of the truck to access stuff. The only complaint is how tall it is to get the stuff in the top, open compartment.
> We have 4 door trucks with no camper shell. It's hard to steal something when someone is pumping the gas. 🙂
>
> One man is nearly always with the truck until it's off road.
That is what they should do but they roll up to the gas station and after the gas is pumped they all run in and get food and drinks and leave everything unguarded. Or at the end of the day they stop somewhere to get a coke or whatever and same thing everyone runs in to the store.
I don't need something super secure as they unload it all into the motel room every night I just worry about the stops along the way as an open bed is way tempting to a low life thief.
> The only complaint is how tall it is to get the stuff in the top, open compartment.
Us littler fellers have this problem with about all of the new trucks out there these days. I have to stand on top the tires and still have to climb in sometimes.
Truck with a Nice Camper
My wife has that exact same camper top with the left-side-shelf. She purchased it used for $400 last year in almost new condition. (KSL Classifieds) I know that a surveyor had it before because there is a steel plate screwed to the back left corner of the roof for a mag mount.
Her shell has expanded metal grating built into all the windows, so that if you break the glass you still need a torch to get in. And the locks are extra heavy duty. They are really impressive. The back door really works to keep the tailgate from opening.
The best thing is it came with alarm contacts on every opening (even the left side shelf), wired to a harness on the front.
Sue does not need an alarm to haul around saddles, sheep turds and weed spray, but when I steal it from her and put it on the new pickup that I am going to have to buy to fit it, I will definitely hook up the alarm.
I am working on a plan right now so she won't figure out it was me who stole it.
I will let you know how that works out.
M
'65 Dodge Power Wagon
Hot Tuna. Groovy dude. Talk about a blast from the past. I think I still have some of their albums and saw them a couple times back in the days when we didn't care about silly things like brain cells, and herb was legal (I think). Nobody else cared either.
Whew, somehow lived through it all....;-)
'65 Dodge Power Wagon
Hot Tuna and the 'Plane...
a trip indeed o.O
E, I traded in my 2003 F-250 four door diesel for that exact reason. I couldn't reach stuff through my side windows without standing on the tire. And I'm 6'2" and was fairly nimble back then. Still couldn't reach stuff.
I hated that truck and don't recommend it to any surveyor who expects to be productive.
Only owned it about 6 months. Lost my fanny when I swapped it for my 2004 extended cab Ranger, but would do it again. Now my '05 Tundra is perfect size and likely the last truck I ever own. It will go anywhere my '94 Jeep Wrangler will go, and if not - I use my quad. Sometimes even have to walk.... yikes, I hate that
> We have 4 door trucks with no camper shell.
How do you keep everything dry? You must not get much rain there.;-)
Running Boards
Running boards help with the access. You can get the ones that run from wheel well to wheel well, providing a good step for access through the side door to the front end of the pickup box.
I've worked out of suburbans, vans, & trucks and have come to prefer an extended cab 3/4 ton P.U. with a stout campershell that has access from both sides and the back of cab sliding window as well as the tailgate.
I prefer the caps that leave the tailgate in place as opposed to those where you remove the tailgate and have the double doors in back. The tailgate provides a good working surface for writing up stakes, etc. Also, the caps I'm familiar with that have the double doors are less secure than having a locking tailgate and the flip-up hatch.
The last one I used (and still have) was an A.R.E. of aluminum construction, with flip up side doors and tinted windows all around. Many work caps come with the handles that operate door latches via cables or light weight (1/8" dia) rods and can be popped open when locked with a good yank. The A.R.E. has 3/8" diameter rods holding the doors closed and would require a pretty concerted effort to bend enough to let a door open.
I'f it would fit on my new truck, I'd put it on. (new = l.b. F-250, old = s.b. Ram 2500). If I were still operating my private practice, I'd get another A.R.E. or another brand of like construction for my new truck.
Running Boards
Steps like the ones on this truck would help getting into the front part of a shell.
Not sure what brand they are, they were on the truck when I bought it.
James
'65 Dodge Power Wagon
Here's some pictures of our old rig.
Truck with a Nice Camper
You must have learned that from your children. They will steel the wheels off of a rolling car if they think their daddy uses it for work and the objects are cool.
I really like mine. It has worked out great. Those side bins are very useful. Wish I had been working out of those all my career.
'65 Dodge Power Wagon
Darn Don
You haven't changed in appearance at all after all those yeàrs.
🙂
Yeah Wayne I'm about a .5 foot shorter.
'65 Dodge Power Wagon
For lack of any evidence to the contrary, I'll take that as a compliment, Robert.
Thank you.
Don