2002 International Utility Vehicle - Talk me out of it

[dboy]

I've been eyeing this vehicle for a while now when it pops up on Craigslist from time to time. I'm sure you guys see the same potential I do, my wife thinks I'm crazy. Pros/Cons, Talk me out of it!

Cabin area behind the main cab would be driving seats for the kids then convert to bunk beds for sleeping. Kitchen, shower/bathroom, storage would all be accessed from the outside in the storage compartments. Might even put a rooftop tent and "deck" on top for the fun of it.

 

[jwalla]

As I am sure you are aware already this is a forest service hotshot crew buggy or a crew transport for fires. They see a lot of miles and harsh conditions. I didn't see it in the pictures but some of these are only 2wd. I am sure it has many miles on it as well as these criss-cross the country all season. I have a wildland engine the same year and model as the chassis and it has been fairly reliable. They are heavy and slow if you are looking to put long miles on it. Running around in the fire district they do fine. They are notorious for diesel leaks, bad mileage, sometimes issues with 4wd and electrical gremlins. Overall if it is a good price might be a good consideration. You will have maintenance and it is spendy if you don't do it yourself. You will regret it at the fuel pump or the tire shop. It would make a good platform just go into it knowing what you are getting into.

 

[John and Mandi]

Personally, there is no point in having a full standing height habitation that forces you outside to complete basic chores. The trade off for being that large is to have a decent inside and livable space, one that can suit all seasons.

 

[Alanymarce]

I'm not going to try to talk you out of it - you have decided that you want it : )

However... it will be expensive to ship (and you're going to have to go RoRo which is less secure). Spares and maintenance are likely to be a challenge outside the USA/Canada. Secure parking will be expensive, inaccessible, or impossible in many places. If it's (as it looks) a 4 wheel rear axle, changing a punctured inner tyre is a project not a task...

 

[Soapy]

There is a similar sized IH dual cab with a flat bed near me that has been sitting for sale for a few months. In the back of my mind I thought it could pack any size pickup camper with ease or be great for a custom build. Oh the possibiloties.

 

[dboy]

As I am sure you are aware already this is a forest service hotshot crew buggy or a crew transport for fires. They see a lot of miles and harsh conditions. I didn't see it in the pictures but some of these are only 2wd. I am sure it has many miles on it as well as these criss-cross the country all season. I have a wildland engine the same year and model as the chassis and it has been fairly reliable. They are heavy and slow if you are looking to put long miles on it. Running around in the fire district they do fine. They are notorious for diesel leaks, bad mileage, sometimes issues with 4wd and electrical gremlins. Overall if it is a good price might be a good consideration. You will have maintenance and it is spendy if you don't do it yourself. You will regret it at the fuel pump or the tire shop. It would make a good platform just go into it knowing what you are getting into.

Yep, That's California forestry green for sure. 110,287 miles, 3378 engine hours so not a huge amount, even if they were rough miles. Its is only 2wd though. Price is $25k

That's a cool rig. Given the color , I am assuming it's in California. Money will handle any issue, but it won't handle legality, licensing and insurance. Depending on your State, it may not be legal for you to own as a private vehicle. Minimum You may need an upgraded driver's license. California will probably not license it as a private vehicle. The new Diesel emissions requirements here in CA and maybe other states will prevent you from even driving it one block. No one will insure it if you can't get a proper title. So there is often a reason these types of vehicles are cheap at Auction etc. This doesn't appear to be 4x4. So don't ever take it in the dirt. Cool, but move along.

I don't live in Comi-fornia so licensing wont be an issue. Its also under 26k GVW so no CDL required.

I'm not going to try to talk you out of it - you have decided that you want it : )

However... it will be expensive to ship (and you're going to have to go RoRo which is less secure). Spares and maintenance are likely to be a challenge outside the USA/Canada. Secure parking will be expensive, inaccessible, or impossible in many places. If it's (as it looks) a 4 wheel rear axle, changing a punctured inner tyre is a project not a task...

Wont need to ship it anywhere, I'll carry spares and do all maintenance myself, secure parking? (I'll just lock my doors...)If you cant change your own tires in the middle of nowhere you shouldn't own the vehicle. So I've got all those covered.

 

[jwalla]

As I am sure you are aware already this is a forest service hotshot crew buggy or a crew transport for fires. They see a lot of miles and harsh conditions. I didn't see it in the pictures but some of these are only 2wd. I am sure it has many miles on it as well as these criss-cross the country all season. I have a wildland engine the same year and model as the chassis and it has been fairly reliable. They are heavy and slow if you are looking to put long miles on it. Running around in the fire district they do fine. They are notorious for diesel leaks, bad mileage, sometimes issues with 4wd and electrical gremlins. Overall if it is a good price might be a good consideration. You will have maintenance and it is spendy if you don't do it yourself. You will regret it at the fuel pump or the tire shop. It would make a good platform just go into it knowing what you are getting into.

Yep, That's California forestry green for sure. 110,287 miles, 3378 engine hours so not a huge amount, even if they were rough miles. Its is only 2wd though. Price is $25k

That's a cool rig. Given the color , I am assuming it's in California. Money will handle any issue, but it won't handle legality, licensing and insurance. Depending on your State, it may not be legal for you to own as a private vehicle. Minimum You may need an upgraded driver's license. California will probably not license it as a private vehicle. The new Diesel emissions requirements here in CA and maybe other states will prevent you from even driving it one block. No one will insure it if you can't get a proper title. So there is often a reason these types of vehicles are cheap at Auction etc. This doesn't appear to be 4x4. So don't ever take it in the dirt. Cool, but move along.

I don't live in Comi-fornia so licensing wont be an issue. Its also under 26k GVW so no CDL required.

I'm not going to try to talk you out of it - you have decided that you want it : )

However... it will be expensive to ship (and you're going to have to go RoRo which is less secure). Spares and maintenance are likely to be a challenge outside the USA/Canada. Secure parking will be expensive, inaccessible, or impossible in many places. If it's (as it looks) a 4 wheel rear axle, changing a punctured inner tyre is a project not a task...

Wont need to ship it anywhere, I'll carry spares and do all maintenance myself, secure parking? (I'll just lock my doors...)If you cant change your own tires in the middle of nowhere you shouldn't own the vehicle. So I've got all those covered.

My last try is unless you are going paved roads everywhere stay away from the 2wd model. If you can find one of these 4wd it would be useful and a fun project. I have seen these have to get towed down roads and even out of camp after even the lightest of rain. They just don't get any traction. The gearing etc just don't make a good off road at all. Again though if you are going to use it to go see the country and stay in campgrounds etc this could be a fun school bus type build.

 

[shortbus4x4]

A lot of times those crew buggies have limited slips or lockers in the rear. Register it as a RV and ignore weigh stations, if the man does chase you down just tell him it's a RV that you own and you are not for hire. I know someone that had one of these and used it as his tow rig. Have some good recovery gear and use good judgment in knowing where you can go. I have a crew buggy body I got a couple of years ago for a project, they are very well built.

 

[WesCad]

Man I have 24 years running International trucks for Pike Electric in the southeast. You do not want to get this truck. The engine is a computer nightmare. The old 4900’s had mechanical 466 engines and they were reliable, the newer ones are junk. My last one was a 4wd 4900 bucket with the maxxforce engine. Impressive looking. It went exactly 6 ft past a 2wd line truck and stopped. This was with the most aggressive mud tires you could find. The tires weren’t even DOT approved. If you really want a medium duty for a build out, look at the stewart and stevenson 2.5 ton military trucks. Several places sell them for about $35,000. They use cat 3116 engines, all mechanical with their own faults but if they run they will get you there.

 

[WesCad]

Just some more info about the 4900. We had one on the farm, it ran good (mechanical injector pump) 1997. But I started finding aluminum shavings in the oil. We took it to a local HD diesel shop, $5500.00 later it turned out the crank was eating into the front cover on the engine because a $20.00 wear button had worn too much . Anyone considering these trucks needs to have deep pockets.

 

[WesCad]

Another thought, you say you are ok with fixing a flat yourself, Do you realize ONE rim and tire weighs 200 lbs. The lugnuts and thimbles are usually put on to about 1200flbs of torque. I bent a 3/4 breaker bar removing one tire at the farm. I could not imagine taking that tire off in the mud or offroad. Good luck , sorry to be such a killjoy but I know how bad these things will beat you down.

 

[WesCad]

Oh sorry, I deferr to the expert

 

[shortbus4x4]

I work on Internationals for a living. The wheels on that are hub piloted, 450-550 ft/lbs of torque. I've taken those lugnuts off with a Milwaukee 18 volt 1/2 impact and only ran into issues a couple of times, probably due to someone putting them on like the old Budd style and rattling them down with a 1" air impact. That truck probably has air brakes and it's easy to put an air fitting on one of the tanks and run an air hose off it for airing up tires, blowing the interior out, and taking wheels off.

If that is a 2006 or older then get a laptop, Nexiq USB2 adapter and download ServiceMaxx J1708 for free for the computer part of troubleshooting. In 2007 the engines got very complicated and choked down with emissions equipment and got called the Maxxforce. In 2010 the emissions changed again but the 2010 and newer Maxxforce engines actually seem to have less issues, and less is a relative term in this case. The 2007-09 engines have a black plastic valve cover while the 2010 and newer have an aluminum cover. Stay away from any Maxxforce that is a V8 unless you have lots and lots of money. The pre 2007 engines have a blue aluminum valve cover and the V8 of that era is a 7.3 called a T444E which is a Ford 7.3 Powerstroke. I much prefer my diesel engines to have all their cylinders in a line.

If you get this PM the last 8 of the VIN and I can get you build info on it. I also have alot of seat time in both 2x4 and 4x4 medium duty rigs, definitely get a 2x4 first and spend some time in it to see if you like it as a 4x4 option adds thousands or 10 of thousands to the price tag in purchasing it and maintaining it.

 

[North American Sojourner]

I'd rock that thing in a minute. When I watched the Dakar Rally I wasn't watching the buggies, cycles or pickups. I was watching the support vehicles, the big ones.
You do you but remember diesel in french is MONEY. LOL
Zim

 

[shortbus4x4]

I'd rock that thing in a minute. When I watched the Dakar Rally I wasn't watching the buggies, cycles or pickups. I was watching the support vehicles, the big ones.
You do you but remember diesel in french is MONEY. LOL
Zim

Me too. The big trucks catching air off a dune is impressive.

 

[shortbus4x4]

Ouch that hurt!

That's putting it mildly. Bet there were a few tears shed too on your part.

DT466 is definitely a good engine until it got choked down with emissions. I see Maxxforce DTs with 200k miles or less on them now needing an inframe. And they had all their regularly scheduled maintenance. I picked up a retired school bus last year that has a DT466, it's a 1997 and the very last year of all mechanical. I got it just for the engine.

 

[shortbus4x4]

Good call!

OH MAN! I am seriously trying to "pare down"! But lets face it... I'm a diesel junkie

And I just have to add... having buddies at a world class BOSCH pump house about 15 minutes south of me doesn't help.

Hey do you want to start thread about: Adventure Vehicle Engines?

Heck yeah, but only engines bearing the last name of Rudolf Diesel need apply.