Anybody using a Subaru Forestor for surveying and can you give some pros and/or cons? I'm working solo and occasionally need to go off road where a 2wd pick up can't get good traction. Years ago I worked on a crew that had an '84 Subaru station wagon with 4wd (high and lo) and that car would go just about anywhere including places that were to wide for a Jeep to go. I currently work out of a Tacoma X-cab with 2wd and pulling equipment from behind the seat isn't agreeing with my back. Thanks.
Phil
My '05 4x4 Tundra will go anywhere my '95 Jeep Wrangler will go. It is prone to periodic flat tires and some serious brush scratches, but all my gear fits nicely in the box in the bed and the GPS and/or robot fit nicely in the rear seat.
> Anybody using a Subaru Forestor for surveying and can you give some pros and/or cons? I'm working solo and occasionally need to go off road where a 2wd pick up can't get good traction. Years ago I worked on a crew that had an '84 Subaru station wagon with 4wd (high and lo) and that car would go just about anywhere including places that were to wide for a Jeep to go. I currently work out of a Tacoma X-cab with 2wd and pulling equipment from behind the seat isn't agreeing with my back. Thanks.
>
> Phil
No experience with a Forester.
I had a couple Subaru wagons, one from the late 70's and another from the late 80's. Both were fairly new when I had them.
The early one had the high-low, the later one did not; high only. Low range is essential!
The later one had less ground clearance, way more overhang, was a little bit wider, and was generally fragile.
Yes, size does matter. I was able to go in narrow places that a CJ5 would not go. I also had a '63 F100 4x4 for when I needed more space. All were good work options.
> Anybody using a Subaru Forestor for surveying and can you give some pros and/or cons? I'm working solo and occasionally need to go off road where a 2wd pick up can't get good traction. Years ago I worked on a crew that had an '84 Subaru station wagon with 4wd (high and lo) and that car would go just about anywhere including places that were to wide for a Jeep to go. I currently work out of a Tacoma X-cab with 2wd and pulling equipment from behind the seat isn't agreeing with my back. Thanks.
>
> Phil
I work out of a Subaru Outback; I built a custom wood box that fits 2 tripods, a locator, 2 bundles of stakes, a range pole, and one last chamber for misc tools. I folded down one back seat, and was able to leave on of the seats up for a 3rd passenger.
The outback, while great in snow:
and for going around construction sites, is ill suited for true off roading. It's simply too low to the ground. The Forrester looks to be a little higher off the ground; at the very least it will be better than what you are in now.
I have a 2002 Forester and a 1999 Outback that I occasionally use for survey work but like Newton I wouldn't recommend them for any serious off-road work. They are AWD drive as opposed to 4WD and there is no 'low" option for the relatively new Subaru's. You might be able to tow an ATV or UTV with a Forester though and have the best of both worlds.
I don't know, if it's not a white van I wouldn't how to work out of it!
Actually I have used suburbans, but now I'm back to a white van.
> ... but now I'm back to a white van.
Well, at least the lobsters are red. So we can't call you a racist...:-P
PS - that's a joke. My old girlfriend used to call them Wayneisms.... whatever those are
the other PSS - why work out of a station wagon? I never understood that approach to a such an important "professional" piece of equipment. You pull up on a job in a real truck and they know you're the surveyor. You pull up on a job in a station wagon and they scratch their head....huh
$0.02
Personally, I was inflicted with a van for to many years. I hate them.
Give me a F250 4WD pickup truck. It's not really a true off road vehicle, though, too heavy.
I bought a ford van (1997) 3 years ago for $1,800 and just had to junk it this week. i went and bought a dodge 3500 (2001) for $2000 and since the guy was a sign maker he threw in the lettering. He was asking $2,500, I offered $1,800 (that number seems to sit well with me)
if it last 2-3 years (and it's in better shape underneath than the ford was) then I'll be happy.
I am hoping for a ford transit someday, but used prices are still up there...
My 4x4 is a truck and if I have to use it surveying something has gone wrong! Our four wheeling is for chasing stripers at the beach, those nice fish with stripes on them, not the pole dancing type (i.e strippers)!
you could put a pole in the back of the van, I'm just sayin' 😉
Last new rig I bought was a 74 Mazda rotary pickup, still have it. I have payed cash for used rigs since, have been known to replace engines and such myself, again a cash deal. The Jone's can work for the banks for appearances sake or bragging rights, never needed that, also driving the same survey rig for years saves a bunch of people wondering who is driving around and coming to check when they see me out and about. All the police agency's also know who is driving the rig, what I am doing and wave instead of stopping. Nice to work in an area where most know you, if not personally but by sight for a 100 mile radius and when you drive up to get permission to stomp around their lands, no problem, they already know I will close gates, not make ruts, dig out grass by spinning tires, know about range fire danger and will give them a hand if needed.
jud
Had a 92 Subaru Legacy wagon from 95-01 went off-road many times with it no problems here in the south---mud not snow or ice. Gave it to my nephew in East Glacier MT at the end of 01 when I bought my current 97 Legacy Outback wagon. The little 92 is still going up in E.G. at over 260k miles and an elk kill that required the windshield frame to be jacked back into position in order to fit a new windshield. My 97 is a 5 speed manual, I've towed a heavy 5x8 iron/pine floored trailer with a Honda 300 Fourtrax with it often, hell, it's even thrown a pack of cookies from the dash into our very own Dan McCabes lap upon acceleration once upon a time.
Recently came into a 98 Legacy Outback wagon with an automatic. It's a highway cruiser compared to the 97. Although I haven't done it, the "trick" is to use a set of struts/springs from an 04 and later Forester on the generation 1 Legacy Outbacks (96-99) to gain a bit more on ground clearance.
They are great cars, especially here in the South where they are few and far between but not rusty and relatively good bargains when you can find one. Subarus have a "cult" following in that the people that own them really like them and tend to drive them as long as possible. They all have their quirks when it comes to what breaks---generally nothing but the headgaskets on any of the 96-04 2.5 engines. If you want a Subaru I'd suggest you research them before you make a decision on one, that being said I'd opt for the Legacy chassis based Outback wagons for hauling surveying gear over the Impreza chassis based Foresters, simply due to the length of the interior behind the front seats to the tailgate with the rear seats folded down. Mine carries everything I need to survey plus a lot more, no goofy #300 plywood box weighting it down and sucking up gas. Expect to get 23-25 mpg all around, up towards 28 or better on the highway.
Carl Correll posted pictures of his Ford Escape with the back seat folded down and loaded with gear the other day. That looked pretty tight, I would expect the Forester to be about the same. I don't see the days of a 4 man crew and a monster Suburban ever coming back to our profession, for the solo operator that has downsized everywhere else it only makes sense to find a more economical vehicle to work out of. Hell, even our own Ted Dura Dura drives a Subaru, albeit one of those ill-fated Legacy Baja things that makes the outback wagons look like a Baja with a camper shell---a REALLY secure camper shell.
Google "Ultimate Subaru Message Board" and peruse the info there. Good Luck!:-)
> Anybody using a Subaru Forestor for surveying and can you give some pros and/or cons? I'm working solo and occasionally need to go off road where a 2wd pick up can't get good traction. Years ago I worked on a crew that had an '84 Subaru station wagon with 4wd (high and lo) and that car would go just about anywhere including places that were to wide for a Jeep to go. I currently work out of a Tacoma X-cab with 2wd and pulling equipment from behind the seat isn't agreeing with my back. Thanks.
>
> Phil
I wish I had a CJ/Wrangler Jeep. None better off road, just an oversized ATV. The original
FSJ's w/quadratrac were good so were the downsized Jeep Cherokees.
We have a Forester 2005.
Good car. We use it for some odd jobs, especially when there's heavy equipment as the low and large boot is far more accessible for us short people than the tray of a ute.
However, a decent ute craps all over the forester from a conventional surveying point of view. We have a Ford Ranger and a Holden Rodeo, both setup with boxes in the back and they are far more suitable. It doesn't matter if they have to slide around on rocks a bit as they both have decent bash plates underneath.
The trays are long enough to ensure that everything has a place, whereas trying to operate out of a Forester will just trash the interior.
The State probably bought half the production run of those little four door Cherokees.
They were tight for me to get in and out of but they make a great 4WD vehicle, small, maneuverable and lightweight. Don't get bogged down very easily.
IT DEPENDS! (okay...got that out of the way).
Over the last 44 years of surveying, I have worked out of just about every kind of vehicle one can imagine. Some were great, some were horrible, most were “okay,” NONE were “perfect” for EVERY scenario.
I believe that it REALLY does depend on WHAT you are doing, WHERE you need to do it, and HOW MUCH gear you need to take along.
Residential Survey day trips around town are a LOT different than large Construction Staking Projects, or a week or two in BFE, 500 miles from the office, and 50 miles of jeep trail from the nearest pavement.
In my experience, the average “SUV” is NOT designed to carry the kind of weight associated with a well equipped Survey “crew” (even a solo guy). They will do it (for a while), but don't expect them to last like a commercial Truck or other more “heavy duty” vehicle. On the other hand, the “average SUV” is a LOT nicer for scooting around town, or covering that 500 miles of pavement between the office and the dirt road.
One size doesn't fit all!
Personally, I would rather have 500 lbs of stuff I don't need (that day), than NOT have a 6 oz. whatsit that I do NEED that day.
Just my 2-bits,
Loyal
Nope. Have a Range Rover. Goes anywhere on those occasions when it's running... Like some others, I only fold down part of the back seat for poles 'n such so I can have passengers as well as equipment.
What the heck? Get a lift kit for your Forester. My brother has a Forester and loves it but he never goes off road.
