CAP and H1s

[billford1]

I'm sure the U.S. Military has a few Hummers they would be glad to give us. They weigh over 6000 pounds and I'm sure the fuel cost of diesel to drive them would leave them sitting around a lot.  The cost of maintenance is a big consideration also with most anything on an H-1 that needs to be fixed. On a side note I know of a local Police Dept that took receipt of a donated UH-1 Huey Helicopter. The donor threw in 2 additional scrapped Hueys for spare parts. The Police Dept couldn't afford the cost to keep one flying.

I think a six passenger 4WD  Chevy supercab truck or a Suburban would be a better bet as a standard vehicle for CAP.

[N Harmon]

I'm not sure how many of you actually go off-road with your vehicles, because there is one thing you are missing with regard to the H-1. In addition to reasons supplied already, the Hummer H-1 is simply too wide of a vehicle to access remote trails.

More appropriate would be a Jeep:



The advantage with the Jeep is that it is flat-towable behind a CAP van, and can be deployed when needed.

[jeders]

The advantage with the Jeep is that it is flat-towable behind a CAP van, and can be deployed when needed.

Not to mention cheaper to purchase, cheaper to own, and they are still manufactured. Besides, I don't think you'll ever find a video game themed H1

[Nathan]

Hummers are silly for pretty much any civilian use.

[Bluelakes 13]

I've seen a few of those MW3 Jeep Unlimiteds on the lot.  Nice, but not worth the overcharge for the bling.  A nice Rubicon or Sahara may be in my future soon.

[SarDragon]

$45K+ out the door is a bit of a turn-off though.

You weren't turned off at "14 mpg"?

It was a consideration, but it fits my needs. I can carry around 8 people, or juggle the seats and carry 4'x8' sheets of whatever, totally weather-proof. A pick-up is cheaper, and gets a little better MPG, but doesn't do what I want. And, I have managed to successfully repress the urge to barf when I spend $100+ to fill my tank.

[Major Lord]

Hummers are silly for pretty much any civilian use.

I had a client with a cattle ranch. The Hummer was good for carrying lots of hay, dead cows, etc. Good farm vehicle.

Major Lord

[sardak]

...carrying lots of hay, dead cows, etc.

Like this: http://captalk.net/index.php?topic=15111.msg272272#msg272272

Mike

[Major Lord]

Oooooh, snow cats! I would love to drive a tracked vehicle around Napa, CA! I am sure my neighbors would be delighted...

Major Lord

[bosshawk]

In Napa, an M-1  would be better than a Snow Cat.

[usafcap1]

Here in FLWG, we have a handful of nice expeditions.  Of course, the nicest one is issued to the Wing Commander, another one to the CV, one has a DDR Wrap on it, and there's a few others elsewhere.  They can seat 8 so are decent for transport, as well as being ideal for back country SAR.  They have CAP and aircraft band radios and a light bar.  Something like this is way more practical for our use.  Though, I'd love to find a stockpile of good condition Bronco's out there somewhere!

Bronco's are a High risk vehicle. meaning their pron to tipping over when driving

[SarDragon]

Well, we have mutually exclusive conditions - prone to tipping over, and good condition. The former units are at least 35 years olde, and likely not in good enough condition to be useful to CAP. The newer, full-size units, do not have handling issues.

[usafcap1]

We don't need them at all. If any old military vehicles would come in handy I'd say the CUCV would seem like a better fit.

oooooo aaaaaaaaaah painted trucks

[usafcap1]

Ford Bronco
Fuel mileage isn't the greatest expect to average 12-13 MPG with a bone stock truck
The tailgates had a tendency to rust on the bottom
The brakes are bit undersized for the weight of the vehicle, hence a set of front pads don't last as long as you might expect
The automatic hubs aren't the best, mine never failed, but plenty of people had theirs break
They ten to tip over

The only major repair that I had to do on mine was a transmission rebuild around the 170k mile mark.





http://answers.yahoo.com

[SarDragon]

What year is that commentary about? Do you own it, or is this just something you got off the 'Net?

The link is useless, since it goes to the Yahoo! Answers home page.

[usafcap1]

What year is that commentary about? Do you own it, or is this just something you got off the 'Net?

The link is useless, since it goes to the Yahoo! Answers home page.

off the Net

[SarDragon]

Without additional details, your info is essentially useless, by being too generalized.

[LTC Don]

I've seen a few of those MW3 Jeep Unlimiteds on the lot.  Nice, but not worth the overcharge for the bling.  A nice Rubicon or Sahara may be in my future soon.

As stated, the only Jeep worth having to actually go off pavement  - The Rubicon, all others not worth having except for mall cruising.  Beyond that,  MAYBE the Toyota FJ Cruiser.

Outside of that, and for personnel transport, the 12-pax vans currently being provided seem the best bang for the buck, but it would be nice if they had limited-slip diffs for added traction capability.

[Spaceman3750]

I've seen a few of those MW3 Jeep Unlimiteds on the lot.  Nice, but not worth the overcharge for the bling.  A nice Rubicon or Sahara may be in my future soon.

As stated, the only Jeep worth having to actually go off pavement  - The Rubicon, all others not worth having except for mall cruising.  Beyond that,  MAYBE the Toyota FJ Cruiser.

Outside of that, and for personnel transport, the 12-pax vans currently being provided seem the best bang for the buck, but it would be nice if they had limited-slip diffs for added traction capability.

Actually, when you consider that the operating cost of a 12 passenger van is much higher than a 7 passenger, the cost per passenger per mile is roughly equal ("bang for the buck"). That's not factoring in MX costs which I can only assume are higher on bigger, older vans. Yes, you can carry more people, but nobody in their right mind tries to carry 12 people in a 12pac for any extended period unless they have very small, non-whiney cadets.

[whatevah]

I've seen a few of those MW3 Jeep Unlimiteds on the lot.  Nice, but not worth the overcharge for the bling.  A nice Rubicon or Sahara may be in my future soon.

As stated, the only Jeep worth having to actually go off pavement  - The Rubicon, all others not worth having except for mall cruising.  Beyond that,  MAYBE the Toyota FJ Cruiser.

Outside of that, and for personnel transport, the 12-pax vans currently being provided seem the best bang for the buck, but it would be nice if they had limited-slip diffs for added traction capability.

I'll fight you on that one, my 2001 Cherokee (last year of the standard size Cherokee) could go almost anywhere. Even had it out at "2 Bravo" at NESA during a medical emergency call several years ago, 2005 or 2006. A student passed out from dehydration and a 12pax van tried driving down the humvee course to get him.  They didn't get very far. I strapped a backboard to the roof of my Jeep, tossed an EMT in the passenger seat, drove around the van to get to where we needed to be.  Then went back to drag the van back to a graded trail.

A Jeep Wrangler Unlimited (4 door) would be a great ground team vehicle, room for 4 with web gear on and storage room for 72hr gear in the back. Holds 5 for shorter distances without gear (3 in the back seat gets a little cramped, it's still an SUV, not a full size van).  A Sport (the current base model) would be plenty as long as you upgraded the tires from the base street tires to match the all-terrain tires that the Sahara comes with.  The only real benefit to the Rubicon is the mud tires and locking differentials which aren't needed for most driving. And you can order the other models with a limited slip rear diff.  I now have a 2012 Rubicon and lead trail rides for my local Jeep club, most of the guys don't have lockers and still get through some pretty tough rocky mountain trails.  Save the $5000 you'll pay extra for a Rubicon and buy 2 shovels and a couple recovery straps.     Rubicons also get less (2-3mpg) gas mileage due to the mud tires and steeper axle gearing.