Any fellow survivalists utilize their truck?

Good stuff there Tim.

Last summer we made a 10 day, 3000 mile camping trip to my land in eastern WA (Kettle Falls). It's my ideal bug out location, water, wild life, farming. With the truck in stock form and fully loaded we really didn't need anything except fuel and water. It really exposed what I needed to change or add to my truck to make it more capable. The most obvious flaw was the cargo capacity. While I could have packed more in the bed I really felt we overpacked some things and didn't have room for others and while the stock suspension did handle the trip it left some things to be desired. It also showed me how much stuff we left behind that would have benifited us had the trip been permanent.

Once I get to a comfortable place with my on hand stockpiles I plan on putting a shipping container on my land in WA and begin stocking supplies there too. That is still a few years off.

Wess

 

as far as the aux fuel tank goes, your can pick up a used circle track fuel cell (22 or 32 gallons). no one builds a commercial fuel tank to fit out trucks like they do the full size deisels. the fuel cells will fit between the wheel.wells, and dwreck at famous fabrication (vegas thread) can build you a bed mounting bracket. or a winch bumper. or rock sliders. the aluminum 22 gallon cell is a nice fit. mount a low pressure autozone fuel pump on a dash toggle switch, and run the plumbing through the bed pocket on the driver's side of the truck, and plumb it into the factory fillerbneck, at the bottom where it connects to the tank. when your fuel tank gets down to 1/4 or so, refill from the bed tank. if you drive like a.sane person 800-1000 miles wouldn't be out of the question. you can throw a.plywood platform in the bed to store things under, and the tank will fit under it. I have a shell, and the fill port is going to be above the factory filler. just need the money to buy the filler neck at summit racing. the racing cells are designed for gasoline storage, have a flapper valve to prevent spillage in the event of a rollover, and are vented. you dont want to make it obvious how much stuff you have in the event the shtf, folks that have not prepared are going to try and steal your stuff.

it is going to be difficult to.find an axle that has the right bolt.pattern, six lug trailers are six on 4 1/2, not six on 5 1/2, that is why I went with the back half of a toyota for my trailer. it already has the right bolt pattern, and toy axles are bullet proof.

 

I have a fabricator at work and we just started talking about it. Probably going to go with a high clearance rear bumper with tire carrier then mount my spare to it. This will give me an ideal location to mount an aux fuel tank where the spare tire was. This location remains low on the vehicle, out of sight and will strengthen the rear of the truck frame. It will be a custom aluminum tank that will fill the entire space. Get a fuel pump that will mount on the side of the tank, wire a switch on the dash, pumb to the filler neck, fill port into the pocket by the 110v plug. Obviously all of the spare tire brackets will be removed to allow the tank to mount as close to bottom of the bed as possible. This and a custom skid plate for it should strengthen the rear of the frame and truck. Ideally this will give 40+ gallons of fuel on hand when filled in a very low profile package that will take up no bed area.

ABC Trailers will build a trailer axle with a 6x5.5 bolt pattern and 12" brakes any width you want delivered to your house. Or you can use a spidertrax spacer to change the bolt pattern. I don't think there is a way to add electric brakes to a Toyota axle.
Wess

 

pretty decent deal on woot.home for today. J&J first aid kit 2 pack for $10.

Contents:

(6) Cleansing Wipes (5” x 7-3/4”)
(2) Gloves, Non-Sterile Disposable
(80) Band-Aid Sheer Comfort-Flex Bandages (Assorted Sizes)
(20) Band-Aid Knuckle & Fingertip Bandages (Assorted Sizes)
(21) Band-Aid Plastic Comfort-Flex Bandages (Assorted Sizes)
(1) Band-Aid Flex Fabric XL (1-3/4” x 4”)
(6) J&J RED CROSS® Gauze Pads (2” x 2”)
(20) Band-Aid Butterfly Closures (1-3/4” x 3/8”)
(2) Band-Aid Sport Strip (1” x 3”)
(1) COACH® Instant Cold Pack
(1) Finger Splint
(1) Tweezers
(1) J&J RED CROSS® Emergency Magnet
(1) J&J Survival Wraps
(2) NEOSPORIN® Ointment (Net wt. 1/32oz)
(1) J&J RED CROSS® Burn Cooling Patch (2.6” x 1.0”)
(1) J&J First Aid Tape Roll (½” x 5 yds)
(1) First Aid Guide
(1) Sorting Tray
(1) Reusable Carrying Case

http://home.woot.com/

 

True, on first one, but I don't have a fabricator, and if the tank is more than 9" deep, it will hang pretty far below the bed. Not to mention, your exhaust is routed down there as well (or at least the one on my D-Cab is). I didn't go with the under bed option because I was looking at using a racing, off the shelf system. A 32 gallon polyurethane cell would be great, but they are 11+ inches deep, and you need room for the filler on the top, now you are loosing departure angles, and it might get a hole in it, etc, etc, etc.

You cannot add electric brakes to a toyota axle, but you CAN use the old military style hydraulic brakes. The pintle hook had a master cylinder on it, and the harder the tow vehicle brakes, the harder you push against the cylinder, thus the more braking you get from your trailer brakes. It does take some getting used to, it handles differently from a standard trailer braking system, but I got used to it in Iraq.

Thanks for the info on ABC trailers, I didn't know that. The folks I talked to n New Mexico claimed that it couldn't be done. Shows how much they know.

Darth

 

AWESOME!! Thanks for posting that up!! Glad I checked the forum today!! That is an amazing deal - simple first aid kits but great to leave @ work or even as Christmas presents for some of the folks at work!!

Thanks again!!

ps - they are great prepper stocking stuffers!!!

 

You save $5 plus tax I guess, but I don't think this is an amazing deal, especially since the chems are close to expiration. Walmart and Target have this same kit for $10 every day. Woot is $15 shipped for two.

 

Interesting -- Run Flats -- there was a thing on TV the other week about armored cars and they had a whole segment on Run Flats and I thought the same thing!! How cool would it be to have a set put in the Tacoma!! Did some research but never followed through -- they do seem to be plastic/polycarbonite/miracle material that is bolted around the inner rim to absorb the shock in case of rapid deflation....

Look pretty frickin' cool!!! Watching to see what someone else finds out -- and this rekindles my desire!!!

http://www.bulldogdirect.com/tire-protection

http://www.runflatinternational.com/

http://www.designarmor.com/Run_Flat_Tire_Inserts.html

Thanks!!!!!

 

Thats a cool thread...
I used to have a little zuk that I built for survival. Everything from fishing gear, to marinading stuff and stove. and of course all the first aid, comealong, winch, all kinda oil, tapes, tarps, kinfe, saw, axe, shovel, many flash lights, condom, water pump for out door hot tub....

Missing her,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DUfd6TJhKc

 

If things got bad...

I'm going to assume the fuel supply will be gone
along with most planned preparation of a survival rig.

If folk are banking on their truck to be the mule of supplies...
I think... "up the river without a paddle" ...explains that away.

Better to invest in guns and ammo, food and water.

Even with extra fuel carried...
I think I can only get 500 miles outta the city...
after that... I'd expect to be on foot.

Unless I could steal a horse

Survival gear will shrivel down to the very basic necessities...
and likely what you can carry on yer back.

Guns and ammo might let you live longer...
But the odds will be against you...
as there will be plenty of other desperate folk with similar arsenal...
and the willingness to use it.

All the folk planning, preparing....
had better head out now... while gas is still available

Head north... and find yerself a nice little rock to hide under.
even tho' that won't likely save ya.

Keep in mind...
the folks up north probably won't welcome you with open arms.
So don't expect a bunch of love

I think I might just stay put...
and use up some ammo before time runs out

Watch that 70's movie... "The Boy and his Dog"

that will give you all an idea of what yer survival will net

 

I just discovered this thread. Love it. My truck is pretty well set up,I think at least. I keep at all times a Springfield Armory XD .357 Sig and a Henry lever action .22 rifle with plenty of ammo in my truck. I installed a 1200 watt / 120 volt power converter behind the rear seat. And also 3 spare ACC plugs as well. I have matches, fire starting sticks, batteries, flares, tool kit, poncho, regular flashlight, rechargeable flashlight, tp, water, air compressor, and 2-way radios. I think I'm set. At the house I have a water purifier for hiking. And lots of ammo!

 

This is a really really good point. 20' of rubber hose and a manual fuel pump are important for getting the gas out of those abandoned fuel stations. Most are likely not empty.

 

I'm running recentered hummer bead locks with run flats and still carry two spares, and I've needed them both to get home too. Run flats are great in soft terrain if you go slow, just to get back to camp. Any speed or distance and the tires fall apart. Don't ditch the spare, unless your plan is to come anywhere near Oregon in which case disregard everything I just said. Dell quit sending people north! Too many useless Californians here already, lol. Plus we have a wolf problem, overpopulated cougars, and bears everywhere. North is a hard place to live without an apocalypse.

 

remember "two is one and one is none"

 

You can get hummer bead locks for half that, with tires, and have a bomb proof setup. Plus you could break the tires down on the trail to patch up holes if need be. Just throwing that out there...http://www.trailworthyfab.com/Custom-Hummer-Wheels

 

If there is a zombie invasion I just hope it starts in Vegas cause what happens in Vegas...

 

A regular hose will collapse when trying to pull a vacumn from an underground fuel tank. Better to use a composite hose that will not collapse under a vacumn, add an inline filter too so your not sucking up any sediment. Also a good idea to no fill directly to your vehicle as there may be excessive water in the fuel or you may have found the diesel tank. Also look around for the diagrams for the fill ports as most of them are tamper resistant now. You may be better off finding the electrical diagrams online and figure out how to power up the pumps or station.

User that is badass and a really good deal. The only downsides are the 16.5" rim which can be hard to get tires for and the 37" tires which takes tons of work to make useable on our trucks. If I was to SAS my truck I would look into those wheels and tires and have lots of spares too. If they made those rims in common sizes I would be all over it too.

 

Tagged for later reading. This is a great thread.

 

LOL!!!

That is what Britney thought too - but, just like zombies, she never goes away!! She also found out what happens in Vegas - can be enforced in LA!!


http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment...-hour-marriage/story?id=15506535#.T6kz7-2yTZc

 

I live in Vegas, and I have a lot of work to do before I am ready for the zombies. Of course, if you see our local breed of meth head, crack head, and the general freak/weirdo we have here, you would think that the invasion had started already.