Preper & Survivalist Vehicles

[RicInOR]

via Remus'
Woodpile Report

Seems to me there's a place among homesteaders and survivalists for a general purpose tracked vehicle in the two to five ton range, spartan and rugged, with a low silhouette, low center of gravity, low ground pressure, fast, quiet, infrared cold, modular for field maintenance, adaptable, reconfigurable and proof against small arms and an EMP. Classics from the past, stripped of their military weaponry, provide time-tested starting points. I've put a list, with links, at the very bottom of the page.

Small tracked vehicles from the past.
.... Links didn't come thru ...
... All the links are on Wiki - I fixed a couple, you can search for the rest.


Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

TKS - Italy

Marmon-Herrington CTLS - USA

M29 Weasel - USA

Renault UE Chenillette - France

ASU-57 - USSR

T20 Komsomolets - USSR

Sabre - UK

FV101 Scorpion - UK

FV107 Scimitar - UK

Universal Carrier - UK

Loyd Carrier - UK

Wiesel AWC - Germany

Raupenschlepper Ost - Germany


Armour and Tracked Military Vehicles For Sale – MILWEB Classifieds

Armor Page 1



Stupid --> Not sure why our forum puts this here I deleted the images but the forum wanted to keep them I guess.....


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[druiseeker]

Survival Bike. I think they come with no engine, 49cc, and 125cc models. It's kinda cool that if the engine breaks or you run out of gas, you can start pedaling... I always wanted one, but couldn't justify to myself spending more than 3 grand for a motorized bicycle.

 

[Raidingtime]

Any motorized vehicle is not a survival/ prepper vehicle.

A covered wagon, pack animal, or canoe is more like it.

 

[mjbskwim]

And here we go again
But it's always fun

 

[CamoDeafie]

Seems we always get one of these threads.

I have several bikes that aren't complete...between the lot of them I probably only have one fully functioning bike
Here is a big problem with any form of vehicle, mechanized, or otherwise.....
maintenance
DO not fool yourselves that pack animals are "low maintenance"
Consider this for whatever form of conveyance you choose beyond your own two feet;
how much food or fuel can you provide on your own?
how much medicine or repairs can you do?
how much protection can you provide, to keep thieves away, or hungry people?
Add up all the requirements, and it is looking like a set of wheelchair wheels and a simple frame would be best, low maintenance sort of conveyance to pull behind you.

If you have a source (PSHAW, PDX and Eugene are perfect for this after the liberals die off!) of supplies, a bicycle or two, or a custom built pedal-car would be nice, and you could add in a small gas motor to power it around roads...although off-road...that is more difficult.

Of course, the flip side is that such simple vehicles do not provide much in way of cargo carrying, nor protection in case you have to ram things and run over people..... they are okay as a way to go between abandoned vehicles, but they are also simple targets for people who hates bikes in general (bolt cutters, hacksaws, bending forces, etc to make a bike unusable pretty easily)

We are not going to have a world that is like Mad Max AT ALL. We are far more likely to have a world similar to sub-Sahara Africa or Venezuela, where people are walking between villages, where food animals are nearly extinct, and where militant juntas and warlords are the way of life.

EDIT: Forgot the cars/trucks, tractors, tanks, armored vehicles section.
For all of them... what happens if you blow out a hole in the engine block, and you're miles away from a suitable donor vehicle?
If you're out of tires?
If you don't have a fuel/oil tanker truck?
What about the spare parts themselves?
Are there easily accessible sources for track parts for a WW2 era or post WW2 era vehicle?
Are you going to be able to find the right fluids after the looting starts?
Where are you going to do all this?
Can you get the vehicle away from looters and gangs?
If you're way out in the boonies, and parts start failing...how are you going to maintain it?
Long term, if no manufacturing, no trade of oil, no economy, are we going to really be able to start up again?

 

[Camelfilter]

A good chromolly steel framed pedal bike, with stout hand trued wheels is all one needs, add a trailer.

Add the skills to maintain it, and spare parts & tires & tubes.

Done.

 

[CamoDeafie]

A good chromolly steel framed pedal bike, with stout hand trued wheels is all one needs, add a trailer.

Add the skills to maintain it, and spare parts & tires & tubes.

Done.

Stout how? ATB/MTB Commuter type? Steel or alloy rim? Gearing? Ok good question. What do you do when chainrings are worn and you dont have spares left? (Long term) same with stretched/worn chains? Cables? Brake pads? Innertubes and tire casings? How long would you need to plan this out? Oh yea what about lubes and greases? If ya take a bad hit from a pissed off truck that somehow managed to last as long... what are you gonna do about it?
Sorry if sounds negative on vehicles.. I have had the survival bike thread devolve into a debate on ethical use of force (cyclists=fair targets to shoot at or run over even if same side)

 

[Certaindeaf]

You obviously need a hollow rock to roll your stuff around in.
good talk

 

[CamoDeafie]

You obviously need a hollow rock to roll your stuff around in.
good talk

A lump of iron like an old apc is pretty close

 

[Certaindeaf]

Maybe a steel barrel but it'd wear out pretty quick.
Rocks is where it's at.

 

[CamoDeafie]

Maybe a steel barrel but it'd wear out pretty quick.
Rocks is where it's at.

Give it time. Itll oxidize into iron ore lol

 

[Certaindeaf]

This is why they've always had slaves. Stuff is heavy!

 

[Camelfilter]

Stout how? ATB/MTB Commuter type? Steel or alloy rim? Gearing? Ok good question. What do you do when chainrings are worn and you dont have spares left? (Long term) same with stretched/worn chains? Cables? Brake pads? Innertubes and tire casings? How long would you need to plan this out? Oh yea what about lubes and greases? If ya take a bad hit from a pissed off truck that somehow managed to last as long... what are you gonna do about it?
Sorry if sounds negative on vehicles.. I have had the survival bike thread devolve into a debate on ethical use of force (cyclists=fair targets to shoot at or run over even if same side)

All great points to consider!

Stout? Good chromolly steel, think old school non-suspension MTB or better yet touring bike.

Those new fangled "fat tire" bikes would be great short term, but as you point out you'd run into problems in regards to rims & tires.

On the tires "problem", 26" or 700c would be relatively "easy" to scrounge/trade replacements for... well, decades. Reasonably easy to repair as well.

Tubes? hahahah! People are extremely clever in coming up with solutions. Having traveled a bit in 2nd & 3rd world countries, I've seen some very crafty solutions. Use grass or any other "stuffing" to fill the tire (foam bits, plastic packaging wrap etc etc). Done. Tire falling apart? Stitch/wrap it with chording on the outside.

I should point out that in a lot of poorer countries, that once the bike is no longer suitable to use a conveyance...which itself takes a long while...it is than used to haul goods while just pushing it. The North Vietnamese utilized that method to haul supplies & munitions during the war over extremely challenging terrain.

Cables? Brakes? Pads? Chains? Once your spare parts run out & you cant find nor trade for them, then you would have a single speed with no brakes. Less of a great means of conveyance, but better than walking or jogging.

Hits from pissed off truck driver that somehow lasts as long? Not bicycle specific, could happen with any means of transport (tracked vehicle, donkey, horse, cart and on foot etc).

The "nifty" thing about a bike is that its non-motorized. You would "hopefully" hear any motorized vehicles with enough notice to evade/hide.

 

[HuckleberryFun]

In a world WROL you are going to be exposed and vulnerable whenever you travel out and about in any vehicle. Your best bet is to get to your Secure Undisclosed Location fast before the roadblocks go up and then stay there. Even if you have an armored vehicle you can bet that someone out there has got his hands on a rocket launcher...

 

[Koda]

Noob question, bear with me...

Where are you going to go that any car cant take you?

 

[Who The F R U]

Can always feed your victims to the motor.

 

[CamoDeafie]

Noob question, bear with me...

Where are you going to go that any car cant take you?

Lets suppose the roads became permanent parking lots full of abandoned cars and trucks thats been looted.... and then theres the relatively simple fact that bikes or motorcycles can often go on trails thats too narrow for a vehicle to safely pass.

One could say the same for pack mules and pack goats and horses and so on, goats are awesome because you can make cheese with their milk and if needed you can eat their meat... although they do eat pretty much anything in the woods so the meat maybe not the best.....
but consider this for any animal.... how much space and food and maintenance (meds and such) can you provide? Far better a community that can take care of each other... then the animals and people both will be better off. If this means make small villages of like minded people and so on... so be it. If it means a trappers/fisher/hunter community in the mountains that rendezvous at a central place....that is alright too

Form community bonds and network so that your group can have diverse skills and protection; even if it means the possibility of being branded "warlords" simply because your group has all the guns and ammo that other groups dont...

Back to the vehicle question. A major limitation of any 4 wheel motor vehicle is width of the paths, and because of variety of conditions, some pathways won't support a car, much less a 4x4 truck.. even then there are places where a 4 wheel quad/atv cannot go because of the narrowness of the trails or the presence of debris and rubble, this is where the motoped or bicycle or dirt motorcycle may come into their own.

In short, any place that is less than 2 person width,

 

[Who The F R U]

In a world WROL you are going to be exposed and vulnerable whenever you travel out and about in any vehicle. Your best bet is to get to your Secure Undisclosed Location fast before the roadblocks go up and then stay there. Even if you have an armored vehicle you can bet that someone out there has got his hands on a rocket launcher...

___________________________________________________________________________

Or other nasty stuff...............

 

[albin25]

ATB's.....


Well... they DO have treads.

 

[Koda]

Lets suppose the roads became permanent parking lots full of abandoned cars and trucks thats been looted.... and then theres the relatively simple fact that bikes or motorcycles can often go on trails thats too narrow for a vehicle to safely pass.

One could say the same for pack mules and pack goats and horses and so on, goats are awesome because you can make cheese with their milk and if needed you can eat their meat... although they do eat pretty much anything in the woods so the meat maybe not the best.....
but consider this for any animal.... how much space and food and maintenance (meds and such) can you provide? Far better a community that can take care of each other... then the animals and people both will be better off. If this means make small villages of like minded people and so on... so be it. If it means a trappers/fisher/hunter community in the mountains that rendezvous at a central place....that is alright too

Form community bonds and network so that your group can have diverse skills and protection; even if it means the possibility of being branded "warlords" simply because your group has all the guns and ammo that other groups dont...

Back to the vehicle question. A major limitation of any 4 wheel motor vehicle is width of the paths, and because of variety of conditions, some pathways won't support a car, much less a 4x4 truck.. even then there are places where a 4 wheel quad/atv cannot go because of the narrowness of the trails or the presence of debris and rubble, this is where the motoped or bicycle or dirt motorcycle may come into their own.

In short, any place that is less than 2 person width,

Ok, that makes sense. But I thought we were talking about a "small" tracked vehicle the OP suggested like a M29 Weasle.