Are there any year Fords that are better than the others for off road/ survival use?

Aside from the Raptor, are there any other models designed mainly for off road use? I think I would go with the 1995 F150 or 1 03-2008 F250/ 350. Is there anything that makes Fords more suited to off road/ bad weather/ natural diaster driving than the others?

 

The Super Duty isn't bad, but no matter what you buy, you'll want to add modifications. Survival/natural disaster means different things to different people. I didn't know what "hurricane" meant until I had to go to Florida for work after a hurricane as part of a cat (catastrophe) team. Nothing like that where I live, but then again, we've had large cities d*mned near completely shut down due to snow, which I doubt a native Floridian would understand. So, name your disaster or survival situation and work toward that goal. I will say that the Super Duty is a pretty good starting point, at least for what I would use it.

 

The Super Duty is pretty rugged because of the massive underpinnings. The Dana 60 front axle will hold up in rugged conditions muck better than the GM ifs front ends.

The weight can work for or against you- it'll be your friend if you need to drag a downed tree limb out of the road because the weight can help you get traction. If you have to slog through a bunch of bad mud, the heavy Super Duty will sink quickly.

I'm not sure what your asking in your OP. But I can tell you that my 4wd Super Duty has gotten through flooded areas after storms and stayed dry. It sits high and can ford some fairly deep water with just a level kit and extended diff and transmission breathers.

Let us know what you have in mind. But just so far I can say I'd rather be in my F250 in really bad and stormy weather.

 

How much money are we talking about here?

Are you wanting a Bigfoot- Day After Tomorrow Apocalypse survival truck? Or just a decent, runs 37s and doesn't get stuck in wet grass truck?

Stay away from the 150s, replacing the IFS isn't impossible, but it's a lot harder than just buying the solid axle in the SD. The D60 is good to 39s if you built it right, don't get scary with the engine mods, and don't plan on bogging the truck.

 

interesting topic. a 250 gasser is probably what you would want. Gas is much easier to find in a bad situation.

We have worked on a few when I used to live at home growing up. Started with the frames, adding purpose built skid plates and plates to the sides of the frames around shocks and stuff.

Work your way up.

 

What you want cannot be bought. You have to build it. 7 passengers and off road capability don't go hand in hand. You need a small rig to go most places.

If you really want a Ford truck then check out EarthRoamer Home Page

 

I don't know why you wouldn't want a F150. There good trucks and will serve you welll.If you have a lot of heavy towing then maybe the SD is the best choice. Both trucks will take a beating. I would install manual hubs on the F150 if you go that route. The SD naturally stands alittle higher so you might not have to put any money in lifting the truck. I have stock highth and do fairly good w/ mud and water in pastures. The SD cab is bigger if that is a plus for you. As to what kind of engine, match it to what you going to be doing. Other features to the SD is heavier brake system.

 

Three words: independent front suspension. A SAS in a newer 150 requires something like 8" of minimum lift to clear an engine cross member, and tires over 35" will eat front components under any kind of stress.

 

google search -> Petersen's 4 Wheel and Off-Road / ultimate Super Duty... That thing on Michelin 54's and lockers would go about anywhere you wanted it to.

 

They had all kinds of problems with that truck. It just wasn't reliable and had steering problems. They later redid it and called it the Ultimate Ranch Truck (if I remember correctly). I think some lessons learned were built into that truck so those articles might be more interesting.

 

That truck was running the big Michelin XML tires, and the Super Duty was having some axle problems. They even "boat-sided" the truck if I remember, which was cool but not practical for most people.

 

This is an interesting thread. Like an earlier poster said, it depends on your situation / region / etc.

With regards to gas vs diesel, I guess you can look at it two ways. Around here during the hurricane (Houston), we actually had more access to diesel, as the users of gasoline greatly outnumbered the diesel users and drained the gas supply fast, but a few places still had diesel.

If I was going to make "survival mods" to my truck, here are some of the things I'd pick (and have picked).

(Opinions / requirements will vary widely I'm sure. Everyone feel free to add/change, etc. This should be a fun and thought provoking list ! )

- Extended fuel range in the form of larger primary fuel tank, or auxillary tank, or some form of temporary fuel tank(s) when the situation starts to deteriorate.

- A good winch. While a dedicated winch in the front bumper is handy, a more practical approach may be a receiver mounted winch, and have receivers (and the appropriate power couplings) on the front and back so you can put the winch where you need it most.

- An additional spare of the appropriate size, mounted somewhere easy to get to like in the bed or a roof rack mount. And perhaps yet a third spare tire.

- A wide variety of tow straps, ****** blocks, jacks, additional winch line, etc. to hopefully help you retrieve the truck out of most any situation.

- On-board air compressor or auxillary 12V air compressor to allow you deflate and inflate your tires as the terrain requires.

- As much external auxillary lighting as is practicable and / or hand held auxillary lighting.

- A variety of on-board or hand held communication devices which could include cell phone, CB, Ham, marine, etc... as is appropriate for your area.

 

Survival situation? Maybe it's just me but I get the biggest kick out of this mind set. I can think of no natural disaster that necessitates a purpose built "survival" vehicle. Nothing the ol' Lime Green Family Truckster couldn't get you through. Most people that get hammered during disasters, hurricanes, floods, etc get it through shear stupidity and not through any lack of the proper survival gear.

I'm sure I'll get a bunch of flak over this and I'll have to go into more detail about how people pay to much attention to hollywood and why any disaster sufficient in scope to require a "bug out bag" and "survival stuff" is more likely to just kill you outright, but that's ok. I'll probably have more energy tomorrow.

 

Hmm, dont forget about tool storage, extra parts, air compressor, generator.....

Also, I would go with an Excursion over the 250/350. One can sleep in the back of the Ex in relative comfort during a storm.

 

give me a pre 98, good running, stock, standard shift, 1-ton with a set of 33s and a good winch and I will feel safe as can be just about anywhere.....