What are you using as your BOV?

I searched and did not find what people are using for a BOV. I want to hear thoughts on your idea of a good BOV. I am not talking the DHS MRAP. This is an obtainable vehicle you already own or plan to buy. I personally have two. First go to is a 2007 FJ Cruiser 4x4, MANLEY ORV trailer. Second is my Honda FourTrax Rincon. I will be adding an ATV Wagon 1600 AL as soon as funds allow. My justification behind these two are the location I live and where I have to get. Being that I am in an urban setting. The only real way out, I see, are not on main roads. Luckly I have storm drains with paths wide enough to drive a vehicle on. These storm drains will get me all the way to my BOL. The FJ Pretty much will go anywhere in its current state. I am in the process of building it although its really good to go as of now. The extra add ons to the FJ are personal wants. If the area of travel is narrow ie. storm drains etc. The quad will be the next bet. This is my personal solution. Lets hear yours.

 

dodge 1500 stock fits the whole family and the dog and a whole pile of our supplies ...
2 arctic cats ...
also have a trailer i can pull behind the quads ...
but dont plan on leaving unless im running from a hurricane then i just head what ever way the storm is not ... other than that ... i just have family vehicle and toys ...

 

Depending on the situation, either our motorhome pulling the Wrangler, my non-electronic diesel Trooper or canoes and rafts.

Since we will once again be living at our home, which is the BOL for a number of others, within a week, The chances of our bugging out are slim and most likely would only be a matter of temporarily moving to one of our backup locations within 10 miles of the house, either the MH or the boats are the most likely.

 

Question? explain a little more about the non-electric diesel Trooper. My wife really wants me to build her a 80 series land cruiser and I have been thinking of putting a new but older "non-electrical" cummins in one and dialing it in for a more then capable off road rig. Did you have to do anything more/less? Just looking for insight. On a side note, I feel lucky to have a wife from Southern California that does not want at BMW/Benz. which she could have if she wanted.

 

Personally, I have some conflictions about BOVs. So a few of the competing thoughts.

Shy of an EMP or similar event that happens to fry an electronic engine, there may be value in a vehicle that is very very popular as the potential for harvesting used parts may be better than others. 4WD is a requirement and something fuel efficient is probably good.

For hauling lots of stuff a pickup with a topper on the back is hard to beat. Diesel is more fuel efficient when it's all loaded up and one might be able to scavenge fuel. Personally I favor the Cummins and Ford Powerstroke engines.

For a BOV, I recommend to not get a 2007 or later diesel engine, do not get one that uses diesel exhaust fluid (DEF), many 2010 and after, and absolutely do not do not get a 2013 diesel with DEF. The reason has to do with the on-board diagnostics required by ARB and starting in 2013 the SCR inducements in the controls required by the EPA. For example if you don't have good quality DEF (an ultrapure urea that works with the SCR catalyst system to reduce nitrous oxides) or run out of DEF the controls will de-rate the engine power and eventually limit vehicle speed to 5 mph and you can not circumvent these by clearing fault codes or trying to trick speed sensors. There are detections and diagnostics required for all that crap too.

Personally I'm looking for a good condition reasonable priced 4wd 1996 Ram 2500 with the Cummins engine and manual gearbox. Not the best cab but the engine is superb and the powertrain ain't bad.

AT

 

Beware of the vehicle inspection and/or emissions requirements of your state or locale before doing this. Changing the emission performance OR the on-board diagnostic systems on the vehicle can put you in a position of not being able to license the vehicle for on-highway operation. You might be better to find a good condition much older vehicle to rehab and repower with a little Cummins. I recommend the old straight line injection pumps or the high pressure common rail system if you don't mind electronics. Pass on the Bosch VP44 electronic pump. The HPCR can run injection pressures upto about 29,000 psi which yields a much more efficient and cleaner engine. Also because of the ability to inject small amounts at any time, the engine can employ what's called pilot injections to really quiet the engine way down. That could be advantageous.

AT

 

I do not plan on BO. I plan on staying put, I live in my BO location....Unless you live in the city or close to a place that could be a danger to you if you stayed I think you are safer staying put.

 

I too plan on staying put as long as possible. However, if I am forced to leave, we have a few vehicles to choose from so depending on the circumstances, we can adapt: Ford F150 4X4, Mini Cooper All4, Yamaha Kodiak 4X4, two Suzuki motorcycles, bicycles, horses, or foot travel. We are very flexible when required to be.

 

I would have sworn I answered this last night...puzzling.

I actually don't know an awful lot about the switch...I told a friend who has an automotive shop that I wanted as simple a diesel as possible in the Trooper, he made suggestions and I nodded my head and wrote checks.

The engine is a 3L Isuzu diesel from a small commercial truck made for the domestic Japanese market in the '70s...the standard 3.1L V6 diesel that was an option in the '94 is apparently too computerized for my purposes. There is one electronic controller for mine, but I got a couple spares just in case.

I know there was a fair amount of cutting and fabrication in order to make it fit and it took appreciably longer than he had projected.

 

Thanks for the info. I have about a year more on my current engine (for the FJ Cruiser) then I am putting a Toyota-built 1KD-FTV D-4D common-rail turbo diesel. It does have too many electronics for my liking but its all I can do for the FJ with out dropping 50K in engine, trans, and fab work.

 

No Bug Out Vehicle, just a daily driver that fits the whole family and plenty of gear. Hook up flatbed trailer and go, still need a camper though.

 

Yes sir, that be a diesel F350 dually with a 13,000 lb. GVW, truck weighs 8200 lbs. dry. If my '74 K5 Blazer could fit in the bed, I can almost haul it w/o being overloaded.

 

Well...going for no computers, I was told a tranny switch was a given....and still stayed down under 10% of that amount.

But then, the fabrication and other labor was done by a good old boy with his shop on his home property instead of a SoCal car and truck builder..

 

That is a nice truck.
What kind of oil do you run in it?

 

Thank you for the kind words. The beast runs on 15 quarts of 5W-40 Shell Rotella synthetic....

 

This could be useful, I suppose. Well at least fun.
The Awesome Off-Road Vehicle - Chainlink Extreme 4x4 | Unusual Corner

 

Talk about articulation, that there is somebody who has money to burn....