Rough country pickup or SUV for remote Arizona and Utah?

[Sid Post]

I'm looking at buying or building a strong reliable 4x4 vehicle to pull an Adventure Trailer and get me through harsh terrain. What I have considered:

• old Toyota Land Cruiser
• old Land Rover
• Jeep Rubicon
• Dodge PowerWagon
• Dodge 5500

A $100K for a Unimog is out of the question. Land Cruisers and Land Rovers are highly regarded but, aftermarket support seems limited. A classic Jeep modded up or a new Rubicon seems like an easy choice. The Dodge PowerWagon is nice but, 12MPG and a ~$55K price point are a little much. Where does the Dodge 5500 with the Cummins diesel fit into the mix with appropriate mods?

I'm looking at ~15,000 miles a year and need the ability to pull a reasonable trailer weight. I want an unrefueled range of 500~600 miles with enough water and food for two weeks for two people. If you had a budget or $30K, where would you look for a good reliable vehicle?

 

[Erik N]

I want an unrefueled range of 500~600 miles with enough water and food for two weeks for two people. If you had a budget or $30K, where would you look for a good reliable vehicle?

Are you traveling on the surface of the moon?
Gas is everywhere. And there is a McDonald's within 100 miles of pretty much everywhere as well.
If you are desert traveling, water will be the limiting factor, and shade.

 

[redthies]

I love the older land cruisers, but to get a 600 mile range, you'd need to haul lot of Jerry cans! I would look for a '06-'07.5 3500 cummins 6 spd. That should be doable with Carli or Thuren suspension for $30k.

 

[Sid Post]

Are you traveling on the surface of the moon?
Gas is everywhere. And there is a McDonald's within 100 miles of pretty much everywhere as well.

I've done 10 days with no fresh water or gasoline so, while not an everyday occurrence to go from living your life normally and then going totally off grid with nothing but what have right then and there has happened to me personally.

500 or 600 miles on the Interstate isn't a big deal. Reduced speeds in remote areas is a real issue, especially if the one gas station between here and there is closed or abandoned. Remote Arizona, Utah, New Mexico isn't West Texas. And, it won't hurt my feelings to come home with ~30 gallons of gas or diesel in my vehicle. If I run out of gas, what do I do when I run out of water and I'm out of cell phone range?

 

[Sid Post]

I love the older land cruisers, but to get a 600 mile range, you'd need to haul lot of Jerry cans! I would look for a '06-'07.5 3500 cummins 6 spd. That should be doable with Carli or Thuren suspension for $30k.

Thanks, that's along the lines of what I was thinking. With a fuel tank in the bed and another for water, extra fuel and water is a lot easier then with an SUV style vehicle.

 

[locrwln]

I'm going to vote for an older domestic diesel pickup with a larger replacement fuel tank. I don't like fuel tanks that take up bed space personally and I dislike "gerry" can about as much.

My '02 F350, PSD, 6spd with a factory 38 gallon tank would pull 600 miles to a tank on the freeway and about 400 with my cabover, which would probably equate to true offroad mileage. MPG with cabover was between 12-14 mpg.

My current Chevy 2500hd Duramax/Allison combo had a 26 gallon from the factory and I had Aerotanks install one of their 52 gallon replacement tanks. I liked their tank because it gave the most capacity, was metal and doesn't hang below the frame like Titan and Transfer flow does. I haven't done a regular highway run with the new tank with the truck empty, but on my last empty trip traveling at ~70 mph, I was averaging 19-20 mpg, so that would put the range in the neighborhood of 800-900 miles comfortably, and should give me 500-600 miles in the back country based on the mileage dropping to 10-12 mpg depending. Which is what I have observed when traveling around the boonies of NV, UT, CA.

I had an 80 series landcruiser with the factory 25g tank and a 24g auxillary tank for a total of 49 gallons and believe me, it was not enough. On one trip through central NV, I topped it off in Tonapah and barely made it back on fumes. And Tonapah is the only place for fuel in that area.

Now if you buy one of those magical cummins that get 24 mpg, towing 20k at 80 mph, then all bets are off...:sombrero:

Jack

 

[Rot Box]

I'm looking at ~15,000 miles a year and need the ability to pull a reasonable trailer weight. I want an unrefueled range of 500~600 miles with enough water and food for two weeks for two people. If you had a budget or $30K, where would you look for a good reliable vehicle?

You mentioned old LC and old LR so I'm going to recommend old 1st gen Cummins. There are a few great builds on this forum if you look around.

My vote is intercooled 91.5-93 Dodge with a 5 speed with a decent set of aftermarket leaf springs/shocks. You get 18+ (typically much more) miles to the gallon, a legendary engine, a drivetrain (kingpin-selectable hub dana 60 and full floating rear :Wow1 that a as simple and reliable as a hammer and well over 400 mile range on the stock fuel system. Throw in a transfer flow fuel tank and you'll have NO problem passing the 600mile mark. Just a thought...

Andrew

 

[goin camping]

To carry and support a two week off grid wilderness excursion. A full size domestic truck seems the way to go. It'll carry plenty of supplies and fluids along with comfort items. Why carry a stool when you can carry a chair?

A Dodge diesel with a few upgrades seem a hard choice to beat.

 

[Nicaragüense]

I have a 2000 Dodge Ram 2500, cummins 24v. Avg about 19 mpg as it sits now(unless I lend it to my relatives/friends), 12 - 14 with the lance camper. Good ground clearance, lots of storage space, so I think this type of setup would fit the bill. Just increase range with a new tank like the ones mentioned. Just have to decide what bed/cab config you need.

I guess you could also shop around those aftermarket tank companies and see what vehicles they offer them for

 

[82fb]

My 98 suburban has a 42 gallon tank and gets 15 mpg. That would be 630 miles. Surprisingly capable off road. Not going to be doing the Rubicon or hammers any time soon, but a set of 285/75's aired down a bit will get you a lot of places. Best part is burbs are a dime a dozen on craigslist, and they ride super nice on rough roads at about 18psi.