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2002
TIV-1
The Tornado Intercept Vehicle 1 (TIV 1) is a heavily modified 1997 Ford F-450 Super Duty used as a storm chasing tripod on wheels and built by Sean Casey. This heavily armored vehicle can drive into a weak to relatively strong tornado (EF0 to EF3) to film the heart of the tornado and take scientific measurements. Work began when Sean bought the truck December 28th 2002, the vehicle took around eight months to finish, at a total cost of around US$81,000. TIV's armored shell consists of ⅛ inch steel plating welded onto a two-inch square steel tubing frame. The windows are bullet resistant polycarbonate, measuring 1.5 in (38 mm) thick on the windshield and 0.5 in (13 mm) thick on the sides. The TIV weighs approximately 14,000 lb (6,400 kg) and is powered by a 7.3-L Powerstroke Turbo Diesel Engine.
2006-2007
TIV-1 Continued
Before entering a tornado, TIV 1 drops its front airbags and deploys four hydraulic claws to stabilize itself. The truck can reach a top speed of 80 mph, holds 60 gallons of fuel, and can travel 500 miles on a full tank. It gained fame on Natural Geographic’s Tornado Intercept in 2006 and Discovery Channel’s Storm Chasers in 2007. Although it was replaced by TIV 2 in 2008, TIV 1 remained as a secondary film vehicle and as backup when TIV 2 had issues. Later, the vehicle was left on a Kansas farm and later originally planned to be put in a museum, but instead was used as a scavenger hunt prize due to Sean Casey being busy filming his newer film Extreme Weather (2017).
2007-2008
Birth of TIV-2
As the 2008 tornado season was around the corner, thanks to the funding of Discovery Network the idea of building the second Tornado Intercept Vehicle, called TIV 2, for his new IMAX movie and the Storm Chasers series was now to be set in motion. The base truck Sean bought to be reconstructed to be what is TIV 2 was a Black 2007 Dodge Ram 3500 4x4, which held a 6.7-liter Cummins turbocharged diesel engine, and was modified with propane and water injection to produce 625 horsepower (466 kW). It’s fueltank was made to hold up to 92 US gallons (348 L) of fuel, allowing it to travel about 750 miles (1,210 km). The body was stripped down to its bare frame and converted to 6x6 by ATS Diesel Performance. It is constructed from a 1/8-inch steel skin welded over a frame of 2-inch square steel tubing, and its windows are made of bullet-resistant polycarbonate sheets and tempered glass. TIV 2 also features an IMAX filming turret like the original TIV. Instead of using the original’s air ride suspension and claws, it uses six hydraulic skirts to deflect wind and protect its underside from debris. Work began in September 2007 with forty welding students at the Great Plains Technology Center in Lawton, Oklahoma, and finished in time for the 2008 tornado season. TIV 2 was designed to fix issues with the original TIV, such as low ground clearance, no four-wheel drive, and a low top speed. When not in use, it can handle winds up to 130 mph (210 km/h)
2008
TIV-2’s First Season
Just in time for the 2008 storm season, TIV 2 was up and running to be out chasing and getting Sean his footage & to be with scientific instruments supplied by CSWR, later to be a project called Vortex 2 (2009-2010), the largest scientific tornado research project in history. Unfortunately unbeknown to Sean and the rest of the TIV Team, the first chase day would be abruptly interrupted with an axle snap, due to using a “light rock crawler” 6x6 axle system, that was never intended to be put under the weight it sat at, & this would be the first of a plethora of mechanical problems due to its sheer weight. After the continuous stack-up of mechanical issues and problems, TIV 1 was to be brought back as the main chase vehicle for the rest of the chase season, while TIV 2 stayed back as a support vehicle for TIV 1 for the continuity of the show. It did not get any intercepts throughout the season.
2009
TIV 2’s Makeover
After the storm season had ended, Sean would bring TIV 2 to his garage in California to then start the reconstruction for the 2009 chasing season, cutting off any less critical areas of steel before bringing it all the way to Amarillo, TX after Utility Equipment Repair of Amarillo offered to help out with the makeover. Finishing the rest of stripping it down, hollowing out the inner layers on the body to add the rubber kevlar polycarbonate composite, reinforcing the body to keep any debris from being able to pierce into the cabin area. The rest of the less critical areas were replaced with aluminum to cut down on its major weight problem. TIV 2’s original front flipping flaps were replaced with 1 big piece that comes down to the ground to also help with the previous big air gaps at the front even after dropping down. Alongside it’s new flap system also came with the addition of hydraulic spikes, allowing it to fully anchor itself in place to keep it from sliding, fitted with a sharp harpoon styled tip to allow it to pierce the ground with ease. It wouldn’t be ready until midway through the season when it was reintroduced in the Storm Chasers series, highlighting its new features.
2009-2010
Back on the Road
TIV 2 returned before the middle of the third season of Storm Chasers. Between seasons three and four, it also appeared on the Discovery Channel show Mythbusters, where it and Reed Timmer’s SRV Dominator were tested behind a Boeing 747 with full-throttle engines to see how they handled storm-force winds. At 160 mph (260 km/h), TIV 2’s driver’s door opened because Casey forgot to lock it. When tested at 250 mph (400 km/h), similar to an EF5 tornado’s wind, TIV 2 only had its anchoring spikes slightly bowed, while the Dominator with its tow strap that was attatched to the landing gear snapped in half, and was pushed about 50 feet (15 m) but stayed upright.
Interactive TIV-2 Intercept Map
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