SHTF Vehicle

[muncie1]

If I believed in the need for a SHTF vehicle it sure as heck would not be a gasoline powered vehicle. It would be an older diesel with the ability to also run on bio-diesel, I'd also invest in a small home bio-diesel brewer so I could make my own fuel.

Further the vehicle would have minimal electronic components, wouldn't want an EMP from a distant nuke to take out the vehicles electronic system.

But as I say, I don't really believe in such stuff.

Where can you get a home biodiesel brewer?

 

[ghitch75]

the old dodge is cool!!!!

 

[ghitch75]

Where can you get a home biodiesel brewer?

goggle it there are a bunch out there....and plans to biuld you own..

 

[SD45]

Mine is a KLR 650 Kawasaki bike. Onroad/offroad dual sport....can take a beating, reliable, can squeeze down the deer trails, but also run 80 mph down the road. My gas version gets roughly 50 mpg, but the version I would really love is the Marine M103M1 Diesel which gets 93 mpg at 50 mph. There is some talk of conversion kits to make the gasser into a diesel, but I have not seen any that have caught my eye yet....

The 6.0 gallon capacity tank gives me about 300 miles range at highway speeds with the gas setup (And roughly 560 miles with the Diesel...woohooo!)

The downside to it obviously is my haulage capacity is limited. So I would only be able to haul what is on my back....but for a scout or "get the hell out of here" transportation, I do not think you can beat it. In a true SHTF scenario, I would be awfully leery of roads or any transportation network that can be easily accessed. Looters, beggars, rebels, etc will all converge upon these points. This bike allows me to work the back trails...but also haul ass down a road if necessary. Plus it makes a MUCH smaller target then a 4x4...

 

[DaKruiser]

Well red that is a very nice powerwagon! Mine is not that nice, I think it will do for me. You will have to use the link to check it out it's a 91' Toyota Landcruiser with a 2 1/2" lift and 35" Boggers. I built the bumpers front and rear out of mostly 1/4" steel. Horrible gas mileage but I'm standing my ground! I'm out in the boonies and my extended family knows where to come stay when shtf! I have most of what I need and can make or grow the rest. Like the song says "I have a shotgun a rifle and a Fourwheel drive and a country boy can survive" words to live by!
Any of you guys with extra guns and ammo look me up if you need somewhere to go, we will make room! Down in the hollar, hollar back, in the woods!
http://i1001.photobucket.com/albums/af133/kinnards80/0361f90c.jpg

 

[melensdad]

Where can you get a home biodiesel brewer?

Lots of those are available, you can even download plans off the internet to build your own out of an old water heater and some plastic tubs, tubes, timers, etc. Probably could be built for $500. Do an internet search for 'make your own bio-diesel plans'

Complicated/sophisticated full automatic bio-diesel brewers can cost up to $5000, but semi-automatic units can be purchased ready built for under $2000, I've seen decent units in the $1200 range. Do an internet search for 'make bio-diesel at home'

make your own biodiesel at home - Google Search

Now considering you can brew your own bio-diesel fuel for roughly 75-cents a gallon, and even now with temporarily low cost fuel, that is still a savings of $2.00 PER GALLON. So the cost of the bio-diesel brewer all of a sudden does not look very expensive when you can drive for 75-cents a gallon plus a few hours a month of your time.

Someone with 2 diesel cars/trucks could get by for a long time, and could potentially make money selling fuel to some select friends or neighbors, when times get really tough.

 

[TiminMishawaka]

SD45 - yeah, I was looking into a rokon or something like that for the same reason of easily ""getting out" to somewhere but I like the idea of getting something that's also street legal for everything else normal in life. Everyone should have a "cabin" within 300 miles of home anyway for getting away or spending time with the family or whatever. Just about anyone can find one on an acre or even a couple acres for dirt cheap anymore. Only makes sense for the "cabin" to double up as your shtf cache.

 

[TiminMishawaka]

Had to update this thread after I just did a deal with another INGO member, Menzer, who drove a Toyota landcruiser to the deal. No photos of his rig (didn't take any and don't have his permission). I want to say it was an 80s or 90s era rig and I believe he needed a towel to clean up my drool after checking out his rig. Since then I've double checked a lot of African safari photos and have seen more and more landcuisers in there than I noticed before. I did some more research and am pretty much sold.

My main vehicle now is an F150. I was going to sell my 97 cherokee and a 93 E350 van and use the proceeds from that to outfit my F150 for more SHTF stuff but I have to say that after the research I did, I may have to keep the 150 a standard run around truck and start fresh with a landcruiser. Very impressive vehicle.

 

[Gungho_1989]

I am curious about the EMP and batteries statement?


I have to go with what I have and thats a Suburban we can haul a bit in it and the wife and kids can pile into it and go.
Me I have a second option with my bike. Its a bit bigger than the KLR and heavier, but works well on light off road and is great for negotiating traffic and jams.
They also make a ton of boxes for hauling gear for these things. I looked at BMW's but had to go with what I could afford.

SHTF I would hope most of us are helping each other out as well. Theoretically moving to friends and their families would be easier and more efficient with a bike as well. Practicality well I can see plenty of pro's and con's

 

[lovemachine]

I would think that good winch would come in handy. I plan on buying one for my jeep.

 

[bigiron]

I thought that this always was the way travel when the SHTF.

In operates on bio-fuel and water, producing fertilizer, and is environmentally friendly.

this too shall be my method of travel. i plan to have several within the next few years if GOD wills. so, if you see a large white man with a bald head riding a horse like hell i'd stand aside! its easy to pimp out a horse too, nice saddle, leather long gun holsters, a$$less chaps and a cowboy hat. that'll keep the bad guys away! yeeeeeehaaaaaawwwwww motha-................

 

[jason867]

If I believed in the need for a SHTF vehicle it sure as heck would not be a gasoline powered vehicle. It would be an older diesel with the ability to also run on bio-diesel, I'd also invest in a small home bio-diesel brewer so I could make my own fuel.

Further the vehicle would have minimal electronic components, wouldn't want an EMP from a distant nuke to take out the vehicles electronic system.

But as I say, I don't really believe in such stuff.

I agree a diesel would be great as they are efficient, powerful, and you can do the whole bio-diesel thing. But doesn't that require vegie oil? I may be mistaken but if that's basically what you have to use then it would be a limited supply, at least long term. I don't know all of the ins and outs of bio-diesel and it's production so maybe I'm mistaken.

But I feel there's another alternative that may be worthwhile alongside bio-diesel: wood-gas.

Wood gas - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I don't think it's as quick to deploy as bio-diesel, but there is a nearly never ending supply of wood, and it's renewable.

Just get an old carberurated gas vehicle, such as this late 70s ford (my baby)

and rig up the wood-gas generator.

I think it would be easier to find lots of wood than it would be to find lots of veggie oil, at least in the long run when all of the restaurants have been ransacked.

 

[jason867]

Of course there's advantages and disadvantages to both.

Wood gas will dirty up an engine quick unless you filter it very well.
Wood gas generators are slow to start up because they have to reach a certain temperature range.

wood gas can also be used with diesel engines, although some diesel injection is still required in order to burn the wood gas. But it would stretch how long you can use the diesel.

 

[Tryin']

Bah, if it gets to that point, I'll be in my Kenworth. All mechanical, no ECM, 600 gallons of fuel on board plus access to another 15000 gal. If things get REAL bad, I can load up my dozer and 20 ton trackhoe. It's not gonna get to that point. . .