Ideal Bugout Vehicle - Help Me Build It
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And it looks cool too. Kind of has a futuristic look, like it might be able to fly or something.
While I like it a lot, I wonder if it would be better to just get a small motorcycle that could go a lot faster if you ever needed it to?
I thought of that too.....but this thing can be pedaled like a bicycle if it runs out of gas.
Also, it gets much better gas milage than a motorcycle, and is easier to work on with simple tools.
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It looks pretty nice from the picture. But like anything from Walmart, check it real close for quality and see if you're satisfied with it. Are the engine parts readily available. I don't know much about bikes, does it have gearing, brakes, etc that you can find replacement parts for.
From my research, yes.
I know enough about engines (I actually learned about engines and motors from my mother, RIP) to see that many (not all) of the parts can be swapped out from certian lawn mowers.
Weight and cost. Motorcycles have gotten crazy expensive and they will be harder to lift over obstacles. I am still partial to the electric bikes due to noise and fuel issues. It is their extremely high cost that I really dislike.
Well, after SHTF there will only be gas available for a limited time so it would be nice to have something one could use after that.
I agree.
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Having the skills necessary to make repairs and modifications from scavenged parts will be critical in an emergency. And thanks to your mom it sounds like you have the skills needed to make any repairs that you come across.
Thank you.
How about a vehicle that has the layout of a rugged 4x4 off-roader, runs on only water & wood (in any condition) and will never require 3rd party maintenance/spare-parts?
To boot, you will also get a water purifier for drinking, heat/convection to warm your living space and cook your food, electric generator and power take off (all inherent to the vehicle, under
the same parameters I've mentioned).
It is, off course, a steam-powered car. But one that has never been built before.
The idea is to manufacture the most durable automotive machine ever designed. It is actually more simple than you might think, since there are still quite a few steam-car enthusiasts
in the world (mostly in the US), and I was fortunate to partner with the 2 leading steam-car designers in the world (I allow myself to say that, because between them they have filled the
senior professional capacity in every commercial steam-car project in the last ~20 years; there were about 3 of those). Steam engines have lost their place in the modern world for 1 reason
only - the electric starter motor. Steam cars usually take 2-10 minutes (depending mostly on weather) to get going from ignition of the heating fuel, so obviously this is not your typical everyday
commute vehicle. But after SHTF this factor will be less crucial, since the modern pace of life as we know will take a major step back.
So once I have approached those 2 steam-car specialists and explained the purpose of the car - they quickly saw the perfect match between that technology and off-grid transportation. I
gave them a very short brief: make a car with no perishable components (no brake pads, no battery acid, no oils for lubrication, etc.). It's been a couple of years in the planning, but we are finally ready to build our prototype. Just to get you a perspective of how much more durable this car will be: a modern, internal-combustion car has more than 20,000 parts. Our car will have less than 1,000. It is like comparing the most recent iPhone with a 70's short-wave radio.
Like many of my prepper friends - I am not a rich person, and there are considerably cheaper options (like the motorized bike) out there, but this vehicle can also save money. If you have
access to trees and water, the car will remove your dependency on electricity/gas for cooking and heating in your current house on an everyday basis. It can actually eliminate the need
for grid-sourced electricity altogether. I know that solar panels can also do it, but I don't have the resources and knowledge to fix a solar system on my own (let alone on the road), and when I invest money on my preps - I'd rather buy something I can maintain myself and is more resilient anyway. Not to mention that steam power is not dependent on the sun to function.
I like this steam power idea - going back to the beginnings of the industrial revolution before we made things too complicated for our own brains. But solar has it's appeal too, and if the sun is no longer an option for power, we have much, much bigger problems. For one thing, all the trees would be dead, so there goes our power source for steam. I still like the idea though; it seems like something they would have in the show "Revolution."
LOL since you mentioned it, I'll confess that the idea dropped to my mind while day dreaming about time travel - I tried to think how could I move around in more or less modern scope if I went back in time 2,000 years... what fuel would have been available back then?
Of course! wood and water!!!
And I didn't mean if the sun would somehow diminish - just cloudy skies would also make solar power ineffective.
