How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It - James Wesley Rawles [96]
Propane Vehicles
Because propane might be hard to come by on the road, I don’t recommend it for Bugout vehicles, unless your retreat is within range of one tank of fuel. But propane is ideal for trucks and tractors that will not often leave your retreat property. I prefer converting pickups rather than SUVs, since propane fuel tanks are relatively large.
There are some issues involving payment of road taxes in some states when converting to propane. If it were not for that, I believe that propane conversions would be much more popular. Consult your state and local laws before doing a conversion.
For the sake of versatility and flexibility, I highly recommend that one of the vehicles at your retreat can run on propane.
Diesel Vehicles
I recommend having at least one diesel tractor and one diesel car at every retreat. Although they are fairly scarce, in my experience, a pre-1986 Mercedes diesel 300D-series station wagon (on the W123 chassis) is worth looking for. These share a drivetrain with the much more common 300D-series four-door sedans, so parts are readily available.
Ready Made Resources offers an affordable small-scale biodiesel-making system. The recent spike in diesel prices will give you a big advantage in bargaining for a price when buying any diesel vehicle.
For short-term low-amperage power requirements, a vehicle with a diesel engine can act as an impromptu power generator. As long as the engine is left running at low to moderate RPMs, then using a vehicle’s alternator as a power source—for DC loads and/or to run a small 120-volt AC inverter—will not cause excessive wear and tear on your battery or alternator. You may have to rig a manually controlled set throttle. Just keep in mind the usual safety precautions, such as carbon-monoxide venting and making sure that the transmission lever does not get bumped into Drive. To conserve your precious fuel, it is best to buy a bank of deep-cycle (golf-cart-type) batteries that you can charge whenever you run the engine.
Rather than using jumper-cable clamps, for safety it is best to attached heavy-gauge battery cable and terminal lugs. Use a detachable high-amperage-rated twelve-volt DC polarity-protected pigtail block connector, in parallel with your vehicle battery cables. That way you can quickly disconnect and still be able to drive your vehicle without a time-consuming cable-unbolting procedure. Ideally, your battery bank will be the heart of an alternative power system that will also—as your budget eventually allows—include some photovoltaic panels.
For twelve-VDC devices “downstream” from your battery bank that draw thirty amps or less, I recommend standardizing with Anderson Powerpole connectors rather than flimsy cigarette-lighter plugs and jacks.
Run-Flat Tires
Run-flat tires are available on BMW 3-series cars, as well as the Toyota Sienna. Many tire manufacturers now produce them for after-market installation for a variety of cars and light trucks. These include: Bridgestone RFT (run-flat tire), Dunlop’s DSST (Dunlop self-supporting technology), Firestone RFT (run-flat tire), Goodyear EMT (extended-mobility technology), Michelin ZP (zero pressure), Pirelli RFT (run-flat technology), and Yokohama. These are all “self-supporting” designs, meaning that they are supported by special sidewall designs rather than a rim-mounted insert. The latter would be preferable. I suspect that run-flat tires will become commonplace in the next few years,