Storm Chasing Vehicle Project and Suggestions!

[Wesley Luginbyhl]

Tim Samaras had something like that for his probes, which you can see here - http://youtu.be/fUGx3PI5ht8?t=2m18s.

 

[Travis Cruz]

Tim Samaras had something like that for his probes, which you can see here - http://youtu.be/fUGx3PI5ht8?t=2m18s.

Ah, Tim. That's perfect, thanks! No probes for me though, not yet at least. Just looking for an easier way to get everything in and out of the bed

 

[Travis Cruz]

Bigger update! Iron Cross Automotive has provided us with some extremely heavy duty front and rear bumpers!
We spent this weekend mounting both bumpers, along with a 20" light bar, two 3x3 flush flood lights, and 4" diameter spot lights in the front bumper! Next weekend's installations will hopefully include welding and mounting our custom roof rack, along with mounting eight 3x3 lights on it. The next few weeks after that will include mounting a 2000W inverter straight to the battery, and mounting two extension cords (with a 3 way splitter on each) on the rear of the center console in the truck, and in a custom made box housing in the bed near the tailgate. I'm also planning on fabricating my own custom designed bed slides, and mounting an on board air compressor in the bed of the truck.

 

[Skip Talbot]

along with a 20" light bar, two 3x3 flush flood lights, and 4" diameter spot lights in the front bumper!

Again, you've got an awesome build and kudos to you.

I'd like ask that you not use any of those lights while you're chasing though. If you need them for some sort of emergency, such as you're stopped in the middle of the road because of debris or an accident, or if you're assisting with search and rescue, that's great. In a normal storm chasing context, however, they're blinding and distracting to other drivers and potentially to yourself because of the glare they create. Hazard flashers, headlights, or some unobstrusive LEDs are fine for driving in heavy precip. If you need more lights than that for visibility, you're driving too fast for conditions and won't be able to see the other traffic anyway. I'm sorry if this comes off as preaching and again I have no issues with folks who love to build trucks and intercept vehicles, but when we're all sharing the roads out there, using these lights responsibility and safely is a courtesy we should all be promoting. And on a less serious note, those lights also screw up the autoexposure on everyone's video.

 

[Wesley Luginbyhl]

I echo everything Skip said. Also, LEO wont look to highly on you using those either. I have been pulled over twice in OK just for my oem fog lights (troopers and city police).

 

[Travis Cruz]

Again, you've got an awesome build and kudos to you.

I'd like ask that you not use any of those lights while you're chasing though. If you need them for some sort of emergency, such as you're stopped in the middle of the road because of debris or an accident, or if you're assisting with search and rescue, that's great. In a normal storm chasing context, however, they're blinding and distracting to other drivers and potentially to yourself because of the glare they create. Hazard flashers, headlights, or some unobstrusive LEDs are fine for driving in heavy precip. If you need more lights than that for visibility, you're driving too fast for conditions and won't be able to see the other traffic anyway. I'm sorry if this comes off as preaching and again I have no issues with folks who love to build trucks and intercept vehicles, but when we're all sharing the roads out there, using these lights responsibility and safely is a courtesy we should all be promoting. And on a less serious note, those lights also screw up the autoexposure on everyone's video.

Of course! They're for off-road or emergency use only. If I tried to turn them on in rain I wouldn't be able to see anything anyways because they're so bright
One of the main reasons I became so interested in getting them was because of our chase last in New Mexico. We chased a storm 60 miles into the desert in New Mexico, but it was the middle of the day. If we had been chasing at dusk, and had to navigate our way back to the interstate in the dark, these lights would be a huge help.

And don't worry about feeling like you're preaching, I completely understand the concern. Hopefully after you get to know me better you'll realize that I really am extremely cautious, I just like to be prepared for every situation. Thank you as well for the maturity of your responses!

 

[ngjere]

And not to put too fine a point on lighting usage but, Recently I crossed paths with a snow plowing operation that had vehicles equipped with LED lighting that was so bright that it actually induced a migraine headache. Fine for working to clear a parking lot but completely irresponsible when occupying the road with others. I've also been told by friends of mine in law enforcement that nothing will get you pulled over faster than a vehicle equipped with brighter lighting than what a standard police vehicle would be equipped with.

 

[Travis Cruz]

And not to put too fine a point on lighting usage but, Recently I crossed paths with a snow plowing operation that had vehicles equipped with LED lighting that was so bright that it actually induced a migraine headache. Fine for working to clear a parking lot but completely irresponsible when occupying the road with others. I've also been told by friends of mine in law enforcement that nothing will get you pulled over faster than a vehicle equipped with brighter lighting than what a standard police vehicle would be equipped with.

I agree completely. I know you can even get pulled over for having certain off-road lights if they aren't covered as well, even if they're off.

 

[Dean D Davison]

Travis makes improvements for safety.I respect what he does as a fellow member of the Blue Ridge AMS NWA.

 

[joel ewing]

I've been chasing for decades, and have used a wide variety of vehicle to do so. In addition, I live in Arizona. Probably 1 our of every 3 or 4 vehicles in Az. is a huge, jacked-up truck just like yours. I myself have a primary driver of a F-350 Dually Ford longbed, with everything that was possible to throw at it in the order book. I kept it 2wd. The eng. is the bad-ass 7.3. I LOVE the truck. I had a chip installed last month and I hate it, but I think it was not properly dialed in. It's going back to the mechanic next week.
The one thing that stuck out in my mind from the moment I saw pics of your chase vehicle is "man....he's gonna HATE driving that thing in the wind". You end up chasing in some of the stuff we veterans have been thru over the years....you'll get blown all over the road. You heard it here first! Best of luck to you. OH.....and if I were you, I really would keep all the tempting "storm-chaser" graphics, advertisements, fender-call-outs etc, off of your vehicle. I think the way the political winds and negative-chaser vibes that are becoming reality right now for us all bides for us to keep as low a profile as possible. Besides that, you get a chase-vehicle that plastered all over with "storm chase team / tornado safari extraordinaire. etc. etc. on the vehicle, Midwesterners, especially those from the small towns, are EXTREMELY opposed to do anything that calls attention to oneself....it appears as a form of bragging. And you get a grown man who has been stuck in that little town all his life....getting beat down working at the local mills or hog plant all his life...with no hope of a change for the better in his future.....you'll find you will have a mighty jealous stranger on your hands. Just a real word to the wise.

 

[Todd Lemery]

Cruzzer, you were looking for input on your truck and I have one thought on it. I would take the lift kit out of it. With it raised you have just increased the wind profile on your vehicle which I'm sure you don't want with tornadic winds or even an RFD. Your axle is still just as close to the ground as before you lifted it. You could lift it four feet and that would still be the case. On a heavily rutted secondary road, your axle is the most likely place you'll get hung up. I personally wouldn't trade the higher wind profile for whatever perceived benefit gained from the lift.

 

[Todd Lemery]

Also maybe a built in inverter. You could have outlets in various locations front and back without all the extra exposed wires

 

[STexan]

My best simple and single advice is to run the best rubber you can afford and that makes sense for the vehicle. Don't push your luck with tires that are getting into the sub 5/32 tread depth range. Between better heavy rain/water removal at highway speed, and less chances of flats from sharp rocks found on many non-paved roads, new[er] QUALITY tires are so much appreciated by me and the money spent is well worth the peace of mind. Don't skimp on tires you do purchase, and replace when it's time (if not before). Not much sense in chasing with thin rubber you're trying to get a few more months out of.

Also, replace your vehicle battery with the biggest battery you can find that's priced right, every 30 months or so whether you think you need it or not. Especially if you're otherwise living in TX/OK and other regions where summer temps regularly exceed 100 degrees F.

All the other stuff is useless if you're stuck with a dead battery or flat tire, or hydro-planed off the road and stuck in the ditch

 

[Jason Boggs]

I think Todd made a great suggestion. Lower the truck. With it being raised, it looks "cool" but does nothing to help you in your drivability.

 

[Travis Cruz]

Cruzzer, you were looking for input on your truck and I have one thought on it. I would take the lift kit out of it. With it raised you have just increased the wind profile on your vehicle which I'm sure you don't want with tornadic winds or even an RFD. Your axle is still just as close to the ground as before you lifted it. You could lift it four feet and that would still be the case. On a heavily rutted secondary road, your axle is the most likely place you'll get hung up. I personally wouldn't trade the higher wind profile for whatever perceived benefit gained from the lift.

I think Todd made a great suggestion. Lower the truck. With it being raised, it looks "cool" but does nothing to help you in your drivability.

Thank's for the input. Adding the lift was one of the biggest decisions I had to make when designing the truck. Although it is true that ground clearance of the axle wont change from the lift, adding the lift allowed me to safely add bigger tires, more wheel travel, and beef up the suspension components. When I had the lift installed I had the torsion keys set at a 6" lift in the front to allow more room for the front tires, but now that I've added the aftermarket bumper I can turn them down and reduce the lift to 4". While it does look extremely tall in pictures, its overall height, even with a lift, is the same height, or even slightly shorter than a stock F250 and F350. Everything I've done to the vehicle has been to increase performance and durability and reliability, and I felt the benefits outweighed the risks. Part of the reason I went with a 4wd truck over a smaller SUV or Crossover is so I would have the ability to get wherever we may need without having to worry about breaking anything. I may end up finding out that the lift isn't worth it in the future, but from last years Mid-West chase and Hurricane Arthur chase, it's everything I expected it to be. I do agree that the wind profile is slightly larger, but I don't think it's enough difference to outweigh the added benefits. Plus, it doesn't come anywhere close to the profile of most of the storm chasing tour vans

Also maybe a built in inverter. You could have outlets in various locations front and back without all the extra exposed wires

Hardwired one up a few weeks ago! 1500W. Still have to run some extension cords from it and mount them in better places when I have time, but at least I have the inverter for now. Switch to turn the inverter on and off is also mounted by the drivers right leg.

My best simple and single advice is to run the best rubber you can afford and that makes sense for the vehicle. Don't push your luck with tires that are getting into the sub 5/32 tread depth range. Between better heavy rain/water removal at highway speed, and less chances of flats from sharp rocks found on many non-paved roads, new[er] QUALITY tires are so much appreciated by me and the money spent is well worth the peace of mind. Don't skimp on tires you do purchase, and replace when it's time (if not before). Not much sense in chasing with thin rubber you're trying to get a few more months out of.

Also, replace your vehicle battery with the biggest battery you can find that's priced right, every 30 months or so whether you think you need it or not. Especially if you're otherwise living in TX/OK and other regions where summer temps regularly exceed 100 degrees F.

All the other stuff is useless if you're stuck with a dead battery or flat tire, or hydro-planed off the road and stuck in the ditch

I run a Mickey Thompson ATZ P3's, radial tires that are a mixture of all terrain and mud. They've handle rain and snow extremely well, and give me a whole lot of extra traction on slick mud and clay. I have roughly 12,000 miles on them now and they barely look worn, I rotate them every 3k or so. Including the spare. They're all terrain tires so they're extremely thick and rugged as well.

As for the batteries, I have dual batteries and alternators, so luckily I don't have to worry about them as much, but I actually just replaced them both with AutoCraft Platinum AGM batteries a few weeks ago so I should be good there as well!







Also spent a little time making some drawers for the bed. Now I don't have tools and gear cluttered in the cab and bed

 

[Travis Cruz]

As an Edit to my response about removing the lift kit; with or without the lift, the surface area for the wind to push on is the same. The only thing that changes is a slight increase in center of gravity, but that's counteracted heavily by the extra 2500lbs that's been added to the truck

 

[Kevin Rimcoski]

Looks nice man!

 

[Travis Cruz]

Time Lapse that we took in Lamar, Co. the other day. Cows were more interested in us than in the storm

And for all the haters who have been talking about how dumb of a vehicle this is, and that when I say we're out there to "help others" you call bs.. We pulled an 18 wheeler that was blocking the entire road out of the mud, and off the road.. We risked getting stuck ourselves, along with the integrity of the truck (tow rope snapping and damaging our vehicle or windows, or engine overheating and blowing something while revving in 4wd), to help others out. There were 10+ chase vehicles stranded on this side of the Semi because the entire road was blocked, along with another family that was passing through in their Dodge that got stuck in the mud as well. At the time we stopped, the line had hail capable of denting the metal on vehicles. At the end of the video you can see the line that was about to pass over.

I'm not here trying to gloat, I just want to prove that I designed the vehicle like I did for a reason.

And a quick shot of our view of the Canadian Tornado.

 

[Kevin Rimcoski]

Cool

 

[joel ewing]

I drive a Ford F-350 Dually with the 7.3 Powerstroke. I ordered it new in '98....it came in as a '99. I threw every single thing at it that the order book offered...except 4x4, which I didn't need. I LOVE that truck almost as much as my beloved wife....the "Lucky" Mrs. Joel. I have approx. 250K miles on it, and due to changing out the oil long before it's really due (I change every 3-3500 mi), it runs like a new one.
I say all that because although I do not take it chasing in the alley with me each spring (I rent SUV's) I know that it would be pretty miserable to drive in the heavy winds we often encounter. I don't know how much real chasing you've done, but I predict that you're going to get sick of battling the wind with that truck of yours eventually. I wouldn't put a lift in it if it were mine, but hey......that's what young guys do....and it's your right to do so. I can tell you've given a lot of consideration as to how you're going to equip this truck, and I applaud you for that. But really, I think you'll get sick of that tall beast when in heavy winds sooner than later. You may not ever admit that to anyone, but you'll know it internally Just one man's opinion! Best of luck with it.

 

[Travis Cruz]

You all had me questioning myself but this past trip re-solidified my decision. Having the ability to pull completely off the road quickly and safely without worrying about messing something up in the undercarriage is huge for me. Being able to make U-turns on dirt roads and not having to make multiple point turns was also a great advantage. There were a couple times that we drove quickly through some mud holes that ended abruptly with a sharp rise in dry dirt, many of which would have damaged the suspension or under-body if I didn't have the lift. Maybe I am being stubborn, but I see it as just a part of the package, and to me the advantages still very much outweigh the drawbacks. I've driven bigger vehicles all my life so I'm used to being pushed around by the wind by now. "A day may come when the power of the wind overcomes, and I find out that I've made a grave mistake, but it is not this day." - Aragorn. True story

 

[Kevin Rimcoski]

I can do that with my stock height wrx

Good that you went out of your way to help, but does sound like you're also going out of your way to brag about it...especially by explaining what you did and trying to say you're not gloating....sounds a lot like that though

 

[joel ewing]

You all had me questioning myself but this past trip re-solidified my decision. Having the ability to pull completely off the road quickly and safely without worrying about messing something up in the undercarriage is huge for me. Being able to make U-turns on dirt roads and not having to make multiple point turns was also a great advantage. There were a couple times that we drove quickly through some mud holes that ended abruptly with a sharp rise in dry dirt, many of which would have damaged the suspension or under-body if I didn't have the lift. Maybe I am being stubborn, but I see it as just a part of the package, and to me the advantages still very much outweigh the drawbacks. I've driven bigger vehicles all my life so I'm used to being pushed around by the wind by now. "A day may come when the power of the wind overcomes, and I find out that I've made a grave mistake, but it is not this day." - Aragorn. True story[/QUOTE

Plus...you want to be seen in that tall truck. That's in the mix too.

 

[Drew Terril]

I don't have to do a terrible a lot of fighting the wind in my Titan to be honest. Certainly no more than the 2,000 lb lighter Camaro. Stock height though. The Suburban I used to have was like having a big sail on it though. I believe it was also a few hundred pounds lighter as well as vastly underpowered.

I'm sure I could chase in a smaller vehicle without any trouble, but even a mid sized truck isn't going to do what I need done on the family farm. It's not going to pull a flatbed with 8 round bales of hay on it. You'll never see a lift kit on one of my trucks though. I'm not going to risk drivetrain damage when trying to pull with a lifted truck, and if a truck can't pull, it's useless to me. It does very well chasing, but it definitely wasn't the reason I bought it. Most chasers don't need a farm truck like I do though, and I'm guessing based off the thread that the OP doesn't either. Just thought I'd throw that out there based on my experience fighting the Oklahoma wind year round.

 

[Travis Cruz]

I think the big point that you all are missing is that yes, although the center of gravity does increase slightly, the surface area for the wind to push on doesn't get larger with a lift.. Not to mention that all those storm chasing tour vans have a whole lot more surface area and higher center of gravity than The StormCruzzer does..