Military Truck for Water Crossing

This has bad idea written all over it.

Don, this road... is the road crowned (the highest point) or is it the varied lowest point? Dirt, asphalt, gravel... string straight or meandering? I would expect it to be crowned, thus above the surrounding terrain. What happens when the vehicle wanders off the road and into deeper water in the borrow pit?

How about a mud buggy?

Thanks for the reply. Sorry, I should included more info. The road is asphalt, and it goes through a swamp which is fed by a river. There is almost no current crossing the road during flood levels. During flooding, area residents canoe, kayak and wade the road. The problem is that there are high and low spots in the road which prevents us from boating the road to the highway. When we see that the road will be flooded, via monitoring the NOAA site, we place stakes along the road so we can see where we can drive. Without the stakes, driving would be a very risky venture. So, driving with a proper vehicle, is safe. My son has a jacked-up pickup truck that we use until the water gets in the 3 foot range.

If you only need the truck a few times a year, it's probably not going to start when you need it..................along with all of the other problems that come with leaving a vehicle sitting. Dryrotted tires, ethanol related stuff, bugs and animals moving into it.

I'd seriously consider digging a trench or bringing in fill dirt, and installing one of these:

There are ditches and culverts along the length of the road. All these do is redistribute the water. And, when the river reaches a level that puts just a couple of inches over the road, the ditches and culverts serve no purpose. There really is no option as far as controlling the water. The issue we have to deal with is how to get from point A to point B as safely as possible.

So, it's almost more of a big pond, than a flowing river?

How far from one side to the other?

Rope ferry?

Have you guys looked around for a different sort of vehicle? A LARC comes to mind:

A deuceandahalf sounds like (kramarat listed a few reasons right off the bat) a lot more trouble that it will ever be worth. A LARC type vehicle won't be any less trouble, but would be a better choice for crossing four miles of water.

The road is one mile long so a rope ferry would not work. An "amphibious duck" would be the perfect vehicle but they are rare, expensive and probably more expensive to keep in working order that a deuceandahalf. The deuces are a lot more common and, from what I've seen on Craig's List and other places, will handle up to 5 feet of water if properly equipped.

I think that some type of truck is my best option for getting through a well marked, flooded road. I just wanted to see if anyone has recommendations for the best type of truck. We want to get the best vehicle for the job but we can't afford more than about $8,000. I've seen Army surplus trucks for sale in this price range but I wanted to be reasonably sure that we buy something that will do the job and won't break the bank in maintenance.

I'd be concerned about the maintenance costs. Sounds like a shallow water swamp boat or a hovercraft is what you need.

$8000 would buy a lot of these:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7n_lEoX8axI

• Put a snorkel on it that pickup and buy another two feet.
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One of these might work better, as it would could get year round use...

"

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You could also see some videos about our ATV in Youtube as below:

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I own a 1952 deuce and a half (M211) with the water fording feature.

The amount of maintenance and upkeep required to ensure the water-fording feature is reliable is considerable. Aside from the electrical, there is the mechanical maintenance which is supposed to be performed after so many hours of operation and/or a water crossing of significant depth. You could cross three feet of water on Sunday and on Wednesday one of your many bearings could be seized. Five feet is getting close to real world depth excess for most deuces of any year. Parts availability is up to your ingenious nature and network of support...in other words...not reliable.

If you want the coolness of a military rig whilst performing your own National Guard type rescue the lark (as previously mentioned), or a duck is a much better option, in my opinion.

Swamp buggies are good for redneck roundups but not so much for rescue ops with small children in tow, especially for a mile. That's a long trip at speed for a buggie.

I like the idea of the airboat myself.

Seems to me I have heard stories of people buying Army surplus trucks and then not being able to license them for use on US roads. ... Just something to consider.

You need this :

http://video.search.yahoo.com/video/play;_ylt=A2KLqICAuvVQ3lgAQPL7w8QF;_ylu=X3oDMTBrc3VyamVwBHNlYwNzcgRzbGsDdmlkBHZ0aWQD?p=monster+volkswagen+beetle+floating&vid=de7d10858657c1782d547a93ebc45a27&l=5%3A38&turl=http%3A%2F%2Fts3.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DV.4920779230740486%26pid%3D15.1&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DtwocyBdCLIM&tit=Monster+Beetle&c=0&sigr=11a2sfpau&fr=yfp-t-701-s&tt=b

IIRC this had a Hercules engine, it would run on most any liquid that burns. As they are military, they are well built, but extremely maintenance intensive. Parts will be hard to get. However, I recall these on the east end of LI hauling potatoes. Doubt that anything was ever done to them other than gas or diesel, and air in the tires. We ran ours on 87 octane gas. I don't think they do too well if the engine gets wet. I wouldn't really trust it, even with a snorkel. You will have to do some serious messing with it to be sure. I doubt that it will even pass an emissions test in Indonesia.

They will be 24 volts, don't even think about converting it. If you can, buy 2, one for spare parts.

They are sure fun to drive, and are great at the local drive thru. Bet you can take out all the flourescent lamps in one easy pass.

When land is available, use wheels, when there is more water than land, a boat is best, when none of the above are available, airplanes, or amphibious planes, choppers etc. are the way to go. Do not make trucks be boats. In Mexico, during heavy flooding seasons, before the Main Hwy 1 was finished, they used huge winches and cabled trucks and cars across, and or with the use of "sleds", i.e., small barges--I am afraid 1 mile is a large distance, but this is what engineers are for.. Outboard Jet drive boat would be my choice..It can pull a small platform boat behind it, for loading supplies, and if you need more capacity, add more length, width, more freeboard, and more horsepower..

Much easier than trying to reach the road with tires, IMHO..

For all the reasons stated before, this likely isn't practical but I have always wanted an Alvis Stalwart (Stolly) not going to be many in the US and spares are going to be a pain anywhere. But just think of the fun!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mr_pCrhTkk

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alvis_Stalwart_(FV620)

If the Dukes of Hazard had been into dump trucks, that would have been the "General Lee. Yeehooo! What were they feeding that driver???

I would have to agree with response #9, the air boat. They can be built cheap, can run on very shallow water, low maintenance, and in a swamp can be used year round. Also, if you dont like it, in your area I bet it would sell quick, whereas a military vehicle may be a bit harder to sell.

Perfect...and you can make some money on the side!

I like the airboat as first and the amphibious ATV 2nd. I guess most choices involve leaving some road going vehicle at the highway all the time.

The airboat should be the cheapest and be the safest in the water. Also, highest resale value and most likely to find parts in your area.

The ATV can be used for other things so that is something to keep in mind.

The deuce and a half has the cool factor but I think that would get old quick with sourcing parts and maintenance.

The best option I see is to build up the roadbed.In the long run, it will be more beneficial to all.If the costs can be shared by all users, then it may not be that expensive.Perhaps do it a foot or so at the time,to spread the cost out over a longer period.

That is what I would do, GA. Also may want to place several of Kramarat's useful but large culverts. Installing culverts may prevent doing it in stages. My advice, do it all at once while others are in agreement. Heck it is just money. The first emergency call (priceless) should pay for it. Also check for environmental constraints.

Cuba Pete, thanks for sharing your personal experience with your deuce. I like the deuce size, being built to military specs, and there seem to be a fair amount available. I just don't want a mainteance head ache.

A couple of people have recommended air boats. I like air boats but they won't go over land. My mile-long road has high (one stretch is 100 yards) and low spots so I need something with wheels.

My son has his jacked up Chevy with big tires. He has driven through 3 ft of water but it starts to float. He got the truck specifically for the flood situations. I guess we could get narrower tires that don't have the floatation and raise the truck up some more.

I do like the duck but I am a little apprehensive about parts and maintenance. Also, the amphibious ATV is appealing. I know someone who has one that he mounted a trolling motor for better propulsion through the water but it seats only two people. The other thing I don't like about them is their susceptibility to wakes from passing vehicles. Some people still drive the road with 2-4 ft of water on it and make a considerable wake when passing.

I don't think raising parts of the road 3-5 ft is an option. Even split between 50 families the price would be very high. We would probably be looking at $3,000 to $5,000 per family. Our homeowner's association did raise the lowest part of the road so the local government would take it over. So, the local government owns it now and they are not going to raise it.

Thanks for all of your opinions and information. I'll get together with my son and friends and see what happens.

Well...........if you don't want to build the road up, I suppose you could just knock down the high spots and make the whole thing level enough for the airboat.

Heck, with the decreased water displacement, you might be able to get your son's truck all the way through.

Or something like this............

I'm thinking simple wheel barrow tires and rims mounted to the sides of the airboat, with the bottoms of the tires sitting about 3" below the bottom of the boat. I'd go with three tires on each side to avoid bending the boat. You'd zip right over those high spots. This is sounding fun!

I do like the idea of the fan boat with wheels! I'm gonna talk with my son about that.

Thanks.

You dismissed the snorkle idea?

No, I am still considering utilizing a snorkel. It may be the most affordable option. I do need to find out more about using vehicles with a snorkel:

-I would like to have the truck elevated enough to keep the passengers, like my grandkids, dry. Is that possible to do when driving through 5 ft of water?

-Is it better for drivability/mechanics/cost to install larger tires or higher suspension kit?

-Does the engine need to be kept above the water level? I'm concerned about the radiator, and radiator fan blade being submerged. I've seen radiators damaged by fan blades bent from running in water.

Keeping the water level below the doors will negate the need for a snorkel. Sealing the doors against water intrusion will cause the rig to float if the passenger compartment goes very far under water.

I'd opt for lifting as opposed to larger tires, but it depends on the vehicle and its age as to how complicated lifting the suspension will be. Radical lifting might require repositioning the drive shaft angles, too. There is also the opting of lifting the body off the frame. Then you might need the snorkel.

You definitely need a viscous clutch or electric fan if you submerge the fan.

The ATV pictured seats 6, it's larger than a traditional atv, don't know the cost though....

Bingo!!!!

http://saveitforparts.wordpress.com/2011/09/27/latest-project-mini-airboat/

ohhhmuhgawd

Gotta have one!

I want a full sized one...............But I'd have to move in with Don, drink his beer, and wait for a flood, to put it to use.

Personally, I'd find a pontoon boat with a ruined motor, throw the motor in the trash, convert it to an air-boat, find a good fabricator that knows how to weld aluminum, and mount the tires inside the pontoons.

They would add to bouyancy, and added drag would almost zero.

Kinda like this................minus the plane:

Don't bother putting wheels on the air-boat. Just weld a big wheel on the tongue of the trailer, and leave the boat on the trailer.Worked on some surplus army trucks. Mostly 50s 2.5 ton versions. Very tough trucks. Not too sophisticated. Memphis Truck and Equipment seemed to have everything we ever needed. The Ducks are much harder to maintain. Water intrusion is always an issue. Needed to pressurise all of the running gear to keep water out. The 2.5s we had used small 20 inch tires. Going to a taller tire would be easier and cheaper than raising the suspension. The trucks were designed from the ground up for deep water. All venting is brought to a common venting pipe system. This is then brought to the air inlet. So using the deep water forging kit does work out very well. Air inlet and exhaust become about eye level while driving. I do not remember anything special about the engine fan, but it could have just been a very strong fan blade.

Another option would be to add some high powered LED lighting to the existing boat. Even if the boat's charging system can not keep up with the lights, LEDs consume so little power, you should be able to just add another battery, and run it down during the round trip and recharge when back home.

One concern I would have in using a 6x6 is weight. If the road is waterlogged, the weight of the truck may cause the road to crumble and you could overturn or slide off the road into deep water. It is never a good idea to ford a water covered road when you can't see the road.

Thanks for the info guys. The main problem is being able to traverse water and road due to the highs and lows of the road. Also, the stability of the road is not really a problem as the road is a county installed asphalt surface and is regularly traveled by large vehicles such as garbege trucks and cement trucks.