CUCV, F150, Suburban for bad weather vehicle? Which and why?
I decided that I dont want a Deuce and Half right now. Maybe one day but for now I want something smaller. I want a vehicle that I can drive in the deep snow, heavy rain flooding conditions, off road for fun once and a while, and use if the there ever was a SHTF situation.
I have narrowed it down to the CUCV, 1980-1990 Chevy Suburban, 1994 or 1995 F150 v8 or possibly a super duty.
I drove a 95 F150 and love it. Its fun to drive and maybe I can make it sound cool like a 5.0 mustang I once had. It also gets 16 mpg high way.
Since these are all priced the same what pros would a CUCV have over a suburban or F150?
How many gallons of fuel does a CUCV hold?
Whats the top speed of a CUCV?
Does a CUCV go better off road, in the snow, and heavy rain? Other pros that I missed of getting a CUCV over the other trucks?
Pro F150 is that its fun to drive, gets good gas mileage.
Pro suburban is that its huge and I could camp out in it on a trip. Con is 12 mpg.
I'm not sure how much difference there would be in actual use. The CUCV's all have a locking or limited slip rear end from the factory, while that was not common on the other vehicles you cited. It could be added to the Ford or Suburban for a price, of course.
In the mid-80's onward, most civilian trucks had a form of electronic fuel metering, which would be vulnerable to EMP, for one variant of SHTF.
The CUCV would be more immune to that, but introduces its own gremlins with special needs, like the 24v electric system. Converting to 12v would level the playing field on that score. Top speed is a bit lower with a stock CUCV due to lower gearing and limited redline on the diesel engine (relative to a gas engine). Some parts are starting to go out of production for the CUCV due to overall age.
Diesel will be theoretically more available in a SHTF scenario, but you'll have a wider array of well-maintained specimens of the F-150 and Suburban variety. Diesel engines are not available in the F-150, but are in the F-250/350 due to the heavier suspension.
Personally, I had a Ford Bronco II and a Dakota (both 4wd) and they both were very handy vehicles. I used them mostly on road but also as an emergency services volunteer with the county Amateur Radio group, and they did fine for 85% on road use.
Best recommendation I have is to see if you can get a close look at the CUCV and see if you're happy with the limited noise insulation etc. that were facts of life with them. Any of the three would be closely matched except SHTF in my (non-owner) opinion.
I love my CUCV but none of my friends would understand. It's loud as h3ll. Smells like diesel (I love the way it smells) and needs a little more maintenance than a newer vehicle. Also, doesn't ride very nice (but I LOVE the way mine rides). If you can handle a Deuce, CUCV's wouldn't be any more difficult. You just gotta love em for what they are. I get 17 mpg minimum with up to 1000 LBs on board. But I've never checked mileage while towing or fully loaded. I'm a Chevy guy, but I agree the fords are nice to drive. In my experience, they ARE NOT FUN TO FIX. To each their own though. I love my M1009. Keep in mine M1009's have high speed gears, which lowers the towing capacity but makes them top out at around 90 MPH instead of 65ish for other CUCVs. Also makes it quieter and engine last longer I imagine (lower revs all the time). Camping in a burban is excellent, but not bad in M1009 if there's only you and your lady and you pull the back seat in favor of a mattress. Good Luck!
I have a 3/4 ton 4x4 1991 Chevy Suburban and it is the old style body. I love the truck and prefer it to my newer suburban. The emission system is simple. If you find one with a diesel engine you would find the extra cost of acquisition worth it for the extra fuel economy. My Suburban is gas and gets 15 mpg but that is not normal for these trucks.
The pickup has more of a general cargo carrying capacity but the cargo area is exposed to the weather. There is no difference in towing capacity between a h-d p/u and a h-d suburban.
The other advantage of that generation suburban is the 40 gallon fuel tank. That will take you a long way and is insurance that you will have the ability to maneuver if you cannot get fuel for a few days.
As to 4x4 capability, my suburban is legendary around here for being able to get through and pull other vehicles out of where they are. Some of that is certainly the ability of the driver, and I am not talking about myself alone, and also the tires. I have very aggressive mud and snow tires on the surburban and it performs nicely.
I could have a pickup, but the additional passenger carrying capacity is nice to have and you do not get that with a pickup unless you have a double cab and those pickups are pretty hard to maneuver with an 8 foot bed as they are VERY LONG..
Enough of my babbling....
RL
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Last edited by rlwm211; 07-29-2010 at 11:26.
Reason: cleaned up my grammar
When you say speed in a CUCV, you want a M1009, the Blazer model. The pickups or M1008, M1028, M1010 or other variants are too slow. 55 is about all they should be driven. 48 is probably more realistic.
I think the fuel economy edge goes to the M1009. The M1009 is also much more maneuverable than the other two. The 24 volts system has not caused me any gremlins yet. The lack of A/C here is a major factor for many in my area.
The F150 is a popular truck and there are millions of them on the road. They have good resale value and even though I am not a Ford guy, they seem to be quite durable. I work part time for an auto wholesaler and as a rule, the F-150s come in with few mechanical issues.
The Suburban is Chevrolet's all around sweetheart. It is hard not to like a Suburban if you ever spend some time in one. The old 6.2 powered Suburbans with the over drive transmission were really popular with the crowd that caught onto them. They would get get fuel economy and keep the engines turning slow enough to survive. The transmission/transfer case gave them enough gear to have good pulling power, they were gutless on the highway though. The 2wd 6.2 Suburbans probably had the longest lived 6.2 diesels in them, due to the low rpm and most people did not call upon them to pull extremely heavy loads.
I found this chart, which is not accurate as the M-10?? series trucks, excluding the M1009 were not engine governed at 55, but they should have been. They have an insanely high governed speed for the 6.2.
Fuel Tank 20 Gallons US (75.7 liters)
Maximum Speeds At Governed RPM
High Range 1st 25 mph (40.2 kph)
2nd 35 mph (56.3 kph)
Drv 55 mph (88.5 kph)
Rev 9 mph (24.5 kph)
Maximum Speeds At Governed RPM
Low Range 1st 14 mph (22.5 kph)
2nd 23 mph (37.0 kph)
Drv 35 mph (56.3 kph)
Rev 6 mph ( 9.6 kph)
You will hear guys saying they run their 4.56 geared trucks all day long with no engine troubles at 60-65 mph. I think they are living on luck and/or borrowed time.
Most people do not realize just how spartan a military vehicle is, they are plain, plain as they can be purchased. For a lot of us, that means less to go wrong and easier to fix. I have grown to appreciate the no wax CARC paint. No chamois time either, wash it off and get the show on the road.
You will find that your CUCV will get much more attention than the other two. Glen
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It really depends on what SHTF scenario you are thinking of. Around here it is all hurricane related. I am 140 miles from the coast, so bugging out isn't really a need. Getting around with downed trees and not having fuel because all of Houston drove through my town for the past week is my concern. That is what happened with Rita and to some extent with Ike. My town had no ice, water, fuel, beer or cigarettes for a week.
If you need to bug out, what are you going to need. Space for people or space for stuff? Stuff means truck, people means Suburban or Blazer.
I think a 3/4 ton diesel Suburban would be your best all around compromise. Lots of people, pull a trailer with lots of stuff, get through the snow/mud/water and still be usable everyday until that need happens with good mileage.
A M1009 fills up pretty fast. I took mine to summer camp with the Boy Scouts a few weeks ago. Once all of my stuff, my sons stuff and a pair of coolers were loaded. We only had room for 2 other boys to ride and no room for more gear.
Add a M101 though and you are golden.
It all comes down to what you want the vehicle to do.
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CUCVs and almost all other MVs require a level of intimacy. They have some differences that the general population is not aware of, or understand(or want to understand).
As you mentioned in your other thread(and this one could have simply added to it), you don't have that ability to maintain one your self.
So a link to the other thread, here would help others understand what your contemplating.
And I think a civilian vehicle, that you can have maintained and repaired at any decent shop, would be best for you.
Where you gonna find a 24 volt stater, the day the sun doesn't rise? Not alot of other CUCVs in your neighborhood, to scavenge parts from, to keep you going, when a zombie is about to eat your brain.
I wash mine only to knock the mud out of the fenders and to rinse the salt brine off of the seams. Sheet metal lasts a lot longer if you keep it free of clinging or packed dirt clods. I agree with Barrman though, a heavy duty Suburban is hard to beat when the manure strikes the rotating blades. They are a very nice vehicle. Take the back seats out and you can haul about as much as a pickup. They drive nice, ride nice, and have a huge tank to move quite some distance. We used them as supervisor vehicles here for years, the guys really loved the truck, just hated all the vibrating noises from the equipment inside. Now we use a F250 with a heavy utility service topper. The ride is not nearly as nice and they bought a gasser with a small V8, it is a turd for performance.
I have two M1009s, one with no back seat. It is great for one person and one dog or two persons to camp out of. Not so good if you add a second dog or person. They go great in snow, they are not quite so good in slick mud. The rear end wants to come around and they are hard to keep on the road. They will generally move, just not where you want them too. I think a tall skinny tire would be a huge improvement over the 10.50 X 15 LTs.
__________________ My name is Glen and I have an addiction....
I love my M1009, Amazing Off road, good gas mileage, and it holds 27 Gallons, more than the other vehicles. If you would want to go on highway i would recommend the M1009 since its gear ratio is 3.08, where as the M1008 has a 4.56 gear ratio. Highway these vehicles get 24 highway going 60-65.
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CUCV, F150, Suburban for bad weather vehicle? Which and why?
