# Good Diesel BOV's



## fa35jsf

Hey y'all. I have been poking around here for awhile and I figured I would make my first post. 

One day I would like to buy a BOV. I have a list of needs and wants. 

First, I was thinking of an old school diesel because there is no electronics to go bad in case of a EMP or CME. Also, diesel stores much longer than gas and there is not the same regulations regarding transporting a large amount of it in a truck bed tank.

Secondly the vehicle has to be tough. Now I would love to have a 2.5 or a 5 ton military truck, but I am just not sure if the wife will go for something like that. Plus, from my research, they don't go above ~55mph and they burn through fuel like crazy. None the less, they are still probably tough as nails.

Third, the vehicle must be able to cover some mild to moderate terrain and carry lost of "stuff" so a long bed is probably a must as well as a extended cab. 

Since we are talking about stuff, It would be good if it could pull a trailer. 

Lastly, it would be nice if parts were somewhat inexpensive and relatively easy to find. 

So tell me what y'all think. Did I miss anything?


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## helicopter5472

So how far are you going with this, like cross country or just make'n a short trip to your BO area, are you fight'en snow, what conditions


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## fa35jsf

Well I am in the military so I will be moving around quite a bit. I have family in Texas and that would be my BOL, but I will likely end up in Virgina. And before anyone says anything, yes I know it is a long shot that I will make it if everything truly does collapse, but I have to try. So don't think cold so much as hot, humid, rainy, and possibly muddy.


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## Tirediron

For plain simple toughness it is hard to beat a BT6 cummins mechanical engine, if you are lucky enough to find one with an inline injection pump even better. the truck that they came in leaves a fair bit to be desired, but you can't have everything. Chev 6.5s up to 93 were mechanical, but finding one that is in good shape might be a bit of a challenge. Military trucks aren't so much tough as underpowered. what is your budget for a BOT??


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## Jimthewagontraveler

??????
I think maybe you and I were in a different military?


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## fa35jsf

Well I don't even have a budget yet. This is still a off in the future kind of idea. I am just trying to find a good starting point. The reason I was looking into an old military truck, although underpowered, they have a LOT of mass and once you get it going it would be difficult to stop. Plus the front end of those truck are tough.


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## Bobbb

I would argue that fuel efficiency becomes critical in a post-event scenario because every time your tank runs dry you face a point of failure in your journey if you can't refill that tank. So the fewer times you need to refuel the better your odds of making it from Virginia to Texas.


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## fa35jsf

Exactly Bob! You just hit one of my biggest concerns. Now yes, I could easily plumb in a line from the truck bed tank into the main tank and install a switch or valve in the cab, but if the darn thing only gets 8 MPG then I should just be pulling a semi loaded with diesel fuel. Therefore I still want to keep MPG in mind when deciding on a vehicle. I believe that some of those older 3/4 and 1 ton trucks could get ~18+ MPG highway if they were tuned right.


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## Bobbb

I think what you need are two vehicles. The first is a motorbike which sips gas to get you from Virginia to Texas and the second is your diesel truck at your BOL, parked next to underground diesel tanks which are situated right next to the barn which holds all of your biodiesel manufacturing gear. Now you're sitting pretty from Doomsday until the Sun explodes.


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## Cabowabo

I remember on Doomsday preppers (I WAS BORED, sorry) one couple was planning on using an old Military Truck. Think it was a Duece. They were saying it will run on pretty much anything including oil. 

A lot of it would depend on when you left. How willing are you to go AWOL? For instance if you are in Virgina (Navy/Marines?) then you would have to risk leaving early if things are looking bad enough. It would be about the timing. If you are in the Navy, why not consider a boat depending on where your family lives in Texas. Leaving on a boat would probably be easier then trying to go a thousand of miles by car...


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## LincTex

You described my truck.

1979 F-250 4WD 4-speed, with a 4BT Cummins. I have no overdrive, so it is happiest when kept below 70 MPH. I think I have 285/85 - 16 tires on it. if I keep it around 40-45 MPH, I can get over 25MPG with it. On the freeway it drops down to about 16-17. It is NOT aerodynamic!

It's also a longbed. Stock 20 gallon tank for now, but PLENTY of room to add more.

The pump is a Bosch VE. I would have to take the rubber plunger out of the shut off solenoid, and once that is done (two minutes) I now have a vehicle that needs zero electricity to drive.


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## helicopter5472

LincTex said:


> You described my truck.
> 
> 1979 F-250 4WD 4-speed, with a 4BT Cummins. I have no overdrive, so it is happiest when kept below 70 MPH. I think I have 285/85 - 16 tires on it. if I keep it around 40-45 MPH, I can get over 25MPG with it. On the freeway it drops down to about 16-17. It is NOT aerodynamic!
> 
> It's also a longbed. Stock 20 gallon tank for now, but PLENTY of room to add more.
> 
> The pump is a Bosch VE. I would have to take the rubber plunger out of the shut off solenoid, and once that is done (two minutes) I now have a vehicle that needs zero electricity to drive.


At least till it gets dark, or you try to use the lighter to fire up your "contractors" cigar


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## helicopter5472

Cabowabo said:


> I remember on Doomsday preppers (I WAS BORED, sorry) one couple was planning on using an old Military Truck. Think it was a Duece. They were saying it will run on pretty much anything including oil.
> 
> A lot of it would depend on when you left. How willing are you to go AWOL? For instance if you are in Virgina (Navy/Marines?) then you would have to risk leaving early if things are looking bad enough. It would be about the timing. If you are in the Navy, why not consider a boat depending on where your family lives in Texas. Leaving on a boat would probably be easier then trying to go a thousand of miles by car...


"Leaving on a boat would probably be easier then trying to go a thousand of miles by car..." Could be hard to do if your heading for Colorado...just sayin :brickwall:


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## LincTex

helicopter5472 said:


> At least till it gets dark,


I have a self exciting alternator with a neodymium magnet attached to the back of the rotor shaft, So once I get up a few RPM's I'll have lights, even with no battery.


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## HamiltonFelix

I'm thinking about small diesels. Had a friend who ran his rattletrap Chevette to death, but could not kill the little Isuzu diesel. Used to have a two cylinder diesel Yanmar tractor. How small does a diesel have to be before hand cranking like Dad's old Fordson becomes feasible? With fuel being scarce, but many simple diesels able to run on several varieties of light oil, perhaps I may be forgiven for thinking "diesel Suzuki Samurai." I'm finding that much can be accomplished with a small car and a trailer, no need to crank up my gas hog F250.


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## cowboyhermit

With regards to small diesels, the old (80's) ranger diesels were awesome, but they all have a million miles on them now or are scrapped. 
If I could buy a new, mechanical direct injected diesel in a compact truck I would be so happy right now.


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## Shammua

1979 F250 or F350 with diesel, you can put a lift on it (no more than 4") and bigger tires to assist in offloading when needed, then re gear the axles to help bring back to more of a stock or better MPG along with some engine and exhaust tweaking and you can roll along nicely. 
My wife is all for us getting one as long as its a 4 door, long bed, and we get it setup with a secondary fuel tank, duel batteries, duel alternators, plus my SAR build in it along with our Bug Out setup. If I can do that then she is all for it. We figured all said and done with mid to high range quality stuff it can be done and done right for about $30,000 including the cost of buying the truck itself.


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## Shammua

Offloading was supposed to be offroading. Stupid autocorrect, and posting from my phone.


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## LincTex

HamiltonFelix said:


> How small does a diesel have to be before hand cranking like Dad's old Fordson becomes feasible?


I think it depends on the bore/stroke ratio and flywheel mass more than anything. My Listeroid 6-1 is a HUGE engine, but it starts with a crank. Same with my little Chang Chai tractor.... and that thing will start at like, 40 RPM. It's criminal how easy it starts.

I have wondered how hard it would be to get a Yanmar YM2000 running with a crank. It would need a MUCH larger flywheel. (See: vehicles after batteries thread)


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## HamiltonFelix

It just seems that the ultimate "after the EMP" vehicle would need NO electricity, not even worry if the battery and charging system for its lights and starter died, just keep chugging on with manual starting. BTW, I just watched a YouTube video of hand starting a Tiger Tank. I never knew they had inertial starters. I grew up around airplanes, so intertial starters are not alien to me, just having them in tanks. 

The BOV has to be chosen around the Bugout Load. But if the load is small, I do like the idea of a small diesel pickup.


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## helicopter5472

HamiltonFelix said:


> It just seems that the ultimate "after the EMP" vehicle would need NO electricity, not even worry if the battery and charging system for its lights and starter died, just keep chugging on with manual starting. BTW, I just watched a YouTube video of hand starting a Tiger Tank. I never knew they had inertial starters. I grew up around airplanes, so intertial starters are not alien to me, just having them in tanks.
> 
> The BOV has to be chosen around the Bugout Load. But if the load is small, I do like the idea of a small diesel pickup.


A lot of semi trucks in the past had air starters, hope you didn't have a line leak.


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## Shammua

HamiltonFelix if you are wanting the ultimate after EMP vehicle then buy a horse. Otherwise I would plan for at least a vehicle to be able to start using the intended starting system. I'm not planning on some sort of hand start system for a vehicle, if I can't start it normally, then I'm getting a horse...


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## northfarmer

This emp talk is pretty distracting.

In a maybe something happens,maybe something doesn't,but i still have decent truck world...

My preference is early 2000's late 1990's 7.3 fords.

They are coveted in my area and getting hard to find.


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## cowboyhermit

Distracting to who and from what?

I prefer a mechanical direct injection diesel over a computer controlled one today, as well as in a shtf scenario. I think many people who have extensive experience with them and also are preparedness minded would as well. Yes they are getting harder to find, that does not make them any less valuable. Dodges with Cummins from that era are in very high demand here, as well as fords like you mentioned.

Now with the new diesels needing DEF

Same thing with getting an engine going without a starter. I and many people I know have started vehicles when the starting system was not functional for whatever reason. In those cases having a manual transmission was a huge benefit and there was no downside in a normal situation.

This is a preparedness site, so we are talking about being prepared for many scenarios including everything from being stuck on the side of the road in a isolated or bad area, to a long term SHTF. 
Does this not make sense?


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## HamiltonFelix

I have to agree with Shammua that the ultimate post-EMP vehicle is a horse. 

Having lived with horses, I think that if you like to ride you should have good friends or relatives who own horses.  Seriously, horses are work and people who plan in that direction take on a lot. When my folks had the packer and guide service, there was a lot of work involved. There are advantages to "self-renewing" transportation, but I can park my pickup and not feed it when I'm not using it. If you're thinking LONG term survival with infrastructure collapse not recovering for decades, then livestock is the way to go. 

I have gas vehicles at present, and keep some stabilized fuel around. But I like the idea of direct injection diesel, no electronic engine management. Some diesels will tolerate quite a range of fuel, too. The military got rid of their last gasoline machines (some motorcycles and some portable generators) a few years back. The must know something. (Hmm.. diesel chainsaw, anyone?)


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## helicopter5472

HamiltonFelix said:


> I have to agree with Shammua that the ultimate post-EMP vehicle is a horse.
> 
> Having lived with horses, I think that if you like to ride you should have good friends or relatives who own horses.  Seriously, horses are work and people who plan in that direction take on a lot. When my folks had the packer and guide service, there was a lot of work involved. There are advantages to "self-renewing" transportation, but I can park my pickup and not feed it when I'm not using it. If you're thinking LONG term survival with infrastructure collapse not recovering for decades, then livestock is the way to go.
> 
> I have gas vehicles at present, and keep some stabilized fuel around. But I like the idea of direct injection diesel, no electronic engine management. Some diesels will tolerate quite a range of fuel, too. The military got rid of their last gasoline machines (some motorcycles and some portable generators) a few years back. The must know something. (Hmm.. diesel chainsaw, anyone?)


They have diesel outboards for boats now too... There is one more advantage of a horse...Your able to hear that diesel coming and other actions going on around you, that could alone could be a life saver.


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## HamiltonFelix

That's a good point. On horseback or on foot, you can hear. You can only make a mechanized vehicle so quiet.


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## Shammua

HamiltonFelix said:


> That's a good point. On horseback or on foot, you can hear. You can only make a mechanized vehicle so quiet.


Turn it off and it's quieter than any animal.


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## d_saum

Shammua said:


> Offloading was supposed to be offroading. Stupid autocorrect, and posting from my phone.


For some reason that made me laugh.... out loud. :laugh:


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## Provider

The old Deuce and a Half trucks have big pluses and equally big minuses. Like changing a flat for example. Mine is great for a relatively short distance evac, but I wouldn't want to have to go more than 500-600 miles in it. It has a 50 gallon tank and it does get about 10mpg, which isn't too bad considering. I actually carry about 15 additional gallons in mounted fuel cans. One plus is that all of the belts and filters for it, I get at NAPA. 

Top speed is about 50-55. It will go just about anywhere, but if you get it stuck you better set up camp and hunker down. All in all, for under six grand, I call it a great option. For what it may be worth...my back up rig is a 2000 Ford Excursion 7.3 4x4. I'll never part with it.


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## Geek999

So what's with the water in the photo?


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## Provider

Geek999 said:


> So what's with the water in the photo?


That was Isaac.


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## Geek999

Well, you know the vehicle will work in a Hurricane. . When Sandy came through here there were so many trees down that it really didn't matter what kind of vehicle you had. The real issue was did you have a chain saw in your car.


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## LincTex

LincTex said:


> I have a self exciting alternator with a neodymium magnet attached to the back of the rotor shaft, So once I get up a few RPM's I'll have lights, even with no battery.


I need to do a tutorial on this.

1) The metal plug behind the needle bearing on the back needs to be machined out to a little over .500" or so. A nitrile O-ring will seal the shaft at this location. It may need to be shimmed with plastic washers.
2) You need to use a compass to determine if that end is N or S (remember, opposites attract! (also need to find N or S on magnet)
3) you need one of these: http://www.ebay.com/itm/321182869402 (yes, it has to be N52 or stronger)
4) You need some really good structural adhesive epoxy from 3M (think aerospace) to adhere to the shaft.
5) You can't have any other ferrous objects near the rear of the alternator


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