Vehicle Preparations

The fourth layer

Layers of Preparedness

This post addresses layer 4.

1. Mind and Body

2. Everyday Carry (EDC)

3. Go-Bag, Get Home Bag, or 24/72 hr Bag (that’s just a few of the names)

4. Vehicle

5. House

6. Homestead

Vehicle Electronics Might Be a Problem

My 2013 F150 is a piece of business equipment, which is to say if it doesn’t go, the business, especially the Sawmill Services business, doesn’t go. Therefore, maintaining the truck is of primary importance, as is an ability to make repairs.

There are some weaknesses of “modern” vehicles, which are primarily electronic in nature, in my opinion. Computers are great, until they’re not; eventually all electronics fail, and I am not capable of repairing computers roadside. Now you might be asking yourself, how bad could it have been in 2013? Well, depending upon the model and options selected, a 2013 F150 could have up to 17, yes, you read that right, seventeen, “control modules,” also known as computers. The truck would probably be drive-able without most of these, but I reckon I would need spares for at least three of them; the Powertrain Control Module, the Transfer Case Control module, and the HVAC Module. As a result of this review I intend to add spare control modules to my Vehicle Tote. I would also need to know where they are located and how to replace them. See if you can figure out what else is missing from the Vehicle Tote; and I’ll probably still be missing something. Let me know in the comments.

Complete loadout for Sawmill Service work, but the Tool Box, Vehicle Tote and 5 gallon fuel cans stay in the bed year-round.

Contents of the Vehicle Tote

• Roof rack tool kit

• Ice scraper

• Bungee cords (on top)

• Tow strap (on top)

• Large ratchet straps, 2

• Road flares

• Duct tape

• Jumper cables

• Spare parts

  • F-150 serpentine belts, 2

• Shelter

  • Tarp (on top)

  • Space blanket

  • Rain suit

• Cap light

• Tires

  • Fix-a-Flat

  • Tire repair kit

  • Air compressor, 12VDC

• Fluids

  • Brake fluid

  • ATF

  • Electronics cleaner

  • WD-40

  • Starting fluid

• First Aid Kit

• Storm Survival Kit

Contents of the Tool Box

Of course any repair would require tools; these tools are kept in the truck primarily for work on the Wood-Mizer bandsaw mill, but they double for use in keeping the truck on the road.

• Tray

  • Pliers

  • Channellocks

  • Pin nose pliers

  • Dikes

  • Small adj wrench

  • Large adj wrench

  • Vice Grips, normal

  • Vice Grips, pin nose

  • Hemostats, curved, large

  • Black Sharpie

  • Headlamp, AAA

• Box

  • Electrical repair kit

  • Fluke multimeter

  • Fluke multimeter mag stand

  • Extech test lead kit

  • Hacksaw

  • Claw hammer

  • Pry bar, small (hive tool)

  • Box cutter

  • Plug gap tool

  • Feeler gages

  • 1/4" driver

  • 5/16" driver

  • Allen wrench set

  • Emory cloth

  • Steel wool

  • Zip ties

The Bottom Line

Unless you want to resort to walking, it’s important that you are able to keep your vehicle on the road. This requires some “stuff,” as I’ve described above, and some skills. When I “upgrade” from the 2013 F150 in three years or so, I will probably go much older, pre-1984, maybe even pre-1980, to avoid emissions controls and electronics; without special tools and diagnostic equipment it is simply not possible for a DIY’er to maintain and repair the newer vehicles.

And in case you are wondering, I’ve carried these tools and spares in the trunk of a car, so a pickup truck is not necessary for sufficient storage space.

Update: 2023 Apr 11

I talked about the computers in my 2013 F150. Recently my friend Greg Murphy from the USS Clifton Sprague FFG-16 days visited, and turned me on to the OBDLink EX: Automotive Diagnostic Scan Tool and the necessary software, FORScan. Sure enough, there are 17 modules in my 10 years old F150; see image below.

A next step will be to establish which of these modules will render the truck inoperable.