🚲 Vehicles & Transport

1. The Transport Hierarchy

In a collapse scenario, transport options should be evaluated by fuel dependence, repairability, and longevity. The list below ranks from most to least durable over a multi-year timeline without supply chain support.

2. Bicycle Maintenance & Repair

Why Bicycles Win

• 50× more efficient than walking at the same caloric expenditure
• No fuel required — ever
• Repairable with simple hand tools and improvised parts
• Can carry 200+ lbs with proper cargo setup (panniers + trailer)
• Access trails and paths cars cannot use
• Silent operation — no acoustic signature
• Can be used as a power generation source (see Bicycle Generator below)

Bicycle Cargo Setup

Critical Spare Parts to Stockpile (Per Bike)

Flat Repair Without a Patch Kit

• Boot a sidewall tear: Fold a dollar bill or a strip of duct tape in thirds and place it inside the tire directly over the tear, between tube and tire casing. Works for hundreds of miles — the bill is just stiff enough to prevent the tube from extruding through.
• Pack the tire: If the tube is destroyed, stuff the tire casing completely with dry grass, moss, rags, or cloth strips. Ride slowly. You will have a rough, bumpy ride but can travel several miles to safety.
• Tube-within-tube: If you have an oversized tube (26" tube in a 24" tire, for example), fold and double it inside the tire — two layers provide enough cushion for limited travel.

Chain Maintenance

• Cleaning: Kerosene, diesel, or hot soapy water. Scrub with an old brush. Dry completely before lubing.
• Lubing: Apply thin oil to inner plates only — the roller-to-sprocket contact area. Wipe outer plates completely clean. Excess lube attracts grit and accelerates wear.

Wheel Truing Without a Stand

Bicycle Generator

• Motor: Salvage a DC motor from a treadmill, washing machine, or car starter (permanent magnet DC motors work best as generators)
• Friction drive: Mount motor with a rubber wheel on its shaft pressing against the tire sidewall. The rubber wheel contacts and spins the motor as you pedal.
• Rectification: Add a bridge rectifier (4 diodes in a bridge configuration) to convert the motor's AC output to DC at ~12V
• Regulation: Add a simple voltage regulator IC (LM7812 or equivalent) to stabilize output for sensitive electronics
• Output connections: 12V battery charging direct; phones via USB 5V regulator; LED strips direct at 12V

3. Engine Basics

The Four-Stroke Cycle

[INTAKE]        [COMPRESSION]    [POWER/IGNITION]  [EXHAUST]
  piston ↓         piston ↑↑        spark → ↓          piston ↑
  intake           both valves       explosion           exhaust
  valve            closed            drives piston       valve
  opens            compress 8:1      down — WORK         opens
  air+fuel         stroke            stroke              gases
  enters                                                 exit

    1               2                   3                 4
    |               |                   |                 |
   ┌─┐             ┌─┐                 ┌─┐               ┌─┐
   │↓│  air+fuel   │ │  compressed     │*│  BANG!        │↑│  exhaust
   │ │─────────→   │ │─────────→       │ │─────────→     │ │─────────→
   └─┘             └─┘                 └─┘               └─┘
   ^intake         ^compression        ^power             ^exhaust
   valve open      valves closed       spark fires        valve open

Understanding these four strokes lets you diagnose any gasoline engine problem as a failure in one of four systems: Fuel · Air · Spark · Compression. If the engine has all four in correct amounts at the right time, it runs. If it doesn't, one of these four is missing.

Carbureted vs. Fuel Injected

Engine Won't Start — Diagnosis Checklist

Tire Repair

• Plug: Drive a rubber plug into the tread puncture from the outside using a plug tool and rubber cement. Fast, field-applicable. Not for sidewalls.
• Patch: Remove tire, buff the tube or inside casing, apply vulcanizing patch and glue. More permanent than a plug.
• Run-flat improvisation: Stuff the tire casing with dense cloth, cut foam, or packed grass. Rim will take damage but allows slow travel to safety.
• Tire irons required for bead seating and unseating on most vehicle tires.

4. Fuel Alternatives

Wood Gas (Producer Gas)

Principle: Burning wood in a restricted-oxygen environment produces carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen (H₂) gas. This gas mixture is combustible and runs in any carbureted gasoline engine. Expect a 30–40% power reduction versus gasoline.

Key Gasifier Components

• Reactor vessel: Heat-resistant steel drum or pipe, ¼"+ wall. Fire brick lining ideal for throat area where temperatures reach 1,100°C.
• Air nozzle: 1–2 steel pipes entering at combustion zone. The restriction creates gasification, not full combustion.
• Reduction zone: Below combustion, above the grate. CO₂ + H₂O → CO + H₂ conversion happens here — this is where the usable fuel gas is made.
• Ash grate: Perforated steel plate. Ash falls through; fuel bed rests on top; gas rises and exits sideways.
• Cooling tubes: 10–15 feet of 2" pipe. Cools hot gas to a usable temperature for the engine. Coil in water or air-cool with fins.
• Condensate trap: Lowest point in the cooling run. Collects tar and water. Drain after every use — neglected traps cause engine failure.
• Filter: Sawdust or hay box removes particulates. Clean and replace regularly. Particulates destroy engine rings.
• Output: Connect cleaned, cooled gas to carburetor air intake. Replace or bypass the choke butterfly valve.

Biodiesel — From Waste Cooking Oil

Appleseed Processor — Step by Step

Ethanol as Fuel

• Ferment any sugar or starch source → distill to 85%+ ABV → fuel grade ethanol (see Chemistry section for full distillation process)
• Runs in flex-fuel vehicles natively; carbureted engines need main jet needle adjustment (~30% richer mixture)
• Lower energy density: approximately 30% more volume needed than equivalent gasoline energy
• Also functions as: solvent, disinfectant (at 70–90% ABV), trade commodity, antiseptic for medical use

Fuel Storage Reference

5. Animal Transport

When fuel is gone and vehicles are inoperable, draft animals become the backbone of agriculture, hauling, and transport. Communities with animal power will outperform those without by an enormous margin over a multi-year timeline.

Horse Care Essentials

Harness Basics

Collar harness is the most efficient for draft work — the load is distributed across the horse's shoulders. Breastplate harness is simpler and lighter but less efficient for heavy loads. Traces connect collar to load. Singletree distributes the pull evenly between traces. A skilled person can fabricate functional harness from heavy leather (see Textiles / Tanning sections) with hand tools.

Mule vs. Horse

Ox and Draft Cattle

• Any cattle breed can be trained as draft animals; start at 1–2 years old before they're fully set in their ways
• Slower than a horse, but with greater pulling strength for their size and dramatically lower maintenance cost
• Yoke construction: Neck yoke for single ox (wooden bow fits under throat); head yoke for a team of two (crossbeam rests on poll)
• Basic commands: Gee (right), Haw (left), Whoa (stop), Get up (forward) — consistent training from the start is critical
• Key advantage: The ox becomes food at the end of its working life — horses and mules do not

Donkey

• The hardiest of all working animals — survives on minimal forage where horses and mules cannot
• Excellent pack animal; carries 20–30% of body weight (50–80 lbs) reliably
• Strong attachment to home territory makes them difficult to steal and easy to return
• The loud bray is a liability in stealth situations — consider this for operational security

6. Watercraft

Dugout Canoe

Flat-Bottomed Skiff

Flat-Bottomed Skiff Construction Sequence

Raft Construction

• Lash logs or planks to cross-members. No joinery required — only lashing skill.
• Buoyancy calculation: 1 cubic foot of wood floats approximately 30–40 lbs net. A raft 10 ft × 10 ft × 6" thick uses about 50 cu ft of wood → ~1,500–2,000 lbs gross buoyancy → supports ~800 lbs cargo plus raft weight.
• Steering oar: long pole or oar at the stern on a simple pin pivot. One person steering; others can pole in shallow water.
• Current does most of the downstream work — reserve energy for poling upstream or across current.

Reading Water