After making frequent use of my neighbor’s Polaris Ranger side-by-side (SxS) during the aftermath of Helene, I have been considering what would be the most appropriate post-SHTF transportation for us.
This question has been brought to the foreground in the past week because our road has been too icy to drive down. Luckily, we learned from the hurricane and parked one vehicle at the bottom of the road. We are used to an occasional snowstorm preventing us from leaving the property, but the snow usually melts in a few days. This winter has been so cold that the seven inches of fresh powdery snow that fell a week ago is still here but has turned into four or five inches of dense snow. Wherever there are footprints or Polaris tracks, it is compressed and icy. I’ve slipped several times while walking the dog, so I don’t want to drive my truck on it.
Here’s how my thought process has run.
Evaluating our Needs
Where do we Need to Go?
We asked ourselves, do we need to go up and down the mountain or to town? Do we need to traverse the old logging roads, possibly to patrol the mountains around us or to reach defensive positions?
Our primary use will be to travel in our local area and on our land. We want to go on our back roads and the old logging roads but would not need to go down to the state road unless it is an emergency. This means we don’t need a vehicle that is street legal.
How Many People are we Transporting?
The Polaris we borrowed sat six, although five or even four, is more reasonable unless some are kids. A mountain bike can transport one. So can an e-Bike or a dirt bike. A four-wheeler can transport two. Most side-by-sides fit two or three and some have a second row. Do we need to transport four to six people in one vehicle, or might there be more flexibility in having multiple vehicles that seat two?
We decided a minimum of two would be good. Three or four is fine. Five or six is unnecessary.
What Else are we Transporting? Do we Need Towing Capacity?
Do we need to transport tools, food, game, construction materials, firewood or other goods? It’s difficult to transport a deer carcass on an e-bike. It takes a large vehicle to tow logs behind on a chain or pull a trailer. Having a winch might also be useful.
Some kind of cargo carrying capacity would be good, because we have needed to transport groceries up the mountain or firewood down it. Therefore, we need something that can carry gear or tow a trailer.
What Fuel Sources will be Available?
Pedaling may be an improvement over walking, but a gas or electric engine is faster and can do more work. The challenge is that gasoline or diesel fuel could be in short supply and our storage space is limited. We also do not store diesel, although my neighbor with the heavy equipment has a tank of at least 50 gallons.
Assuming our solar panels remain functional after the SHTF, we could generate power for an electric vehicle during lengthy periods of sunny weather. The problem is we have a limited amount of solar power and the more electric devices we add, the thinner our production capacity gets spread. However, if we could use a vehicle battery as a backup power source for our generator, that might be an added plus.
Vehicle Options
Given the above considerations, these are potential vehicles e identified, starting from large to small:
Pickup Truck
Capable of hauling lots of gear and people for long distances, but requires roads to be in good condition and uses a fair amount of gasoline. Also may require maintenance and repairs that we are incapable of doing ourselves. One benefit is that we already have a pickup truck, however it is not suitable for logging road.
Buying an older, smaller pickup we could jack up is an option if it has 4WD. Likewise, an old Jeep might fall into this category.
Side-by-Side (SxS or UTV) with a Dump Bed
There are many options from within this category and across a wide range of costs. Models are available with gas, diesel, or electric engines. Most models carry two or three people, but some can carry up to six.
These can be used on roads, although some models may not be street legal. They are also suitable for off-road use, including our logging roads. The rear bed can haul a nominal amount of cargo, although only a fraction of what can fit into a pickup. Towing power generally ranges from a low of about 1,000 pounds all the way into the 2,500 or more. I’ve been advised to get a unit with at least a 750 or 800 CC motor if I want power for our steep inclines and a good towing capacity.
Before the SHTF, we could outfit a side-by-side with a plow or blower for snow removal. Most come with a winch, which could be useful for logging.
The biggest negative is the cost. Also, modern models are computerized with digital screens and, like the pickup truck, may be more difficult to repair. Finding an older model on the used market might resolve both these issues.
Besides the vehicle itself, I might need a trailer on which to tow it and potentially a smaller trailer for it to tow. That means more dollars.
A Small Tractor
This was not part of my original list until we got all this snow. A tractor with a blade could be useful for scraping snow. A bucket and the ability to acquire other implements would also extend the value of a tractor. Funny thing is, however, we don’t need it for mowing, bush hogging, tilling the soil, or other traditional tractor uses.
One downside is that the most tractors in the size I need have diesel engines. This would complicate my fuel storage program. They are also expensive, and every implement you add just hikes the price. (For example, I don’t think I can justify the cost of a back hoe.) Of course, every implement also increases their utility.
While a tractor can only seat one person, they can easily tow a trailer or a wagon. I’m sure most of you have taken a hay ride.
My biggest concern is that a small tractor with smaller front wheels cannot handle the very steep logging roads in my areas. I would hate to buy a tractor for logging and then not be able to reach half our land because the terrain is too steep. We’ve driven a SxS up the mountain, but never a tractor. I have been told that with weighted tires, a four-wheel-drive tractor should be fine on our logging roads, but I’d like to see proof.
While I can see hopping on the UTV to zip down to the neighbor’s house, I don’t see myself hopping onto the tractor to do so.
Four-Wheeler or ATV
I do not consider this a good option because the dump bed of a SxS is just so useful for what we are and will be doing. I see many of these where people have hung bags and boxes all over their ATV just to give them cargo-carrying capacity. Why not buy the model that already has a dump bed?
These may be fun to drive, but my goal is utility, no not recreation/
Dirt Bike
There probably is not a better option than a dirt bike for getting one person from point A to point B in a hurry in rough terrain, including logging roads and back-woods trails. But our goal is transportation of multiple individuals plus gear, so it’s not a good fit
Maybe it is my bias as a parent, but I consider a dirt bike a little more dangerous than an ATV, which I think is also a little more dangerous than riding on a UTV. Plus, this won’t haul logs or plow the road. I don’t consider it is a serious option.
E-Bike
I have never ridden on an E-bike. I can see the advantage of using one to go up and down the mountain, hopefully charging the battery on the way down, but most of the dirt-bike disadvantages apply here as well. That said, the value of a motorized piece of equipment I can recharge with our solar power system has its appeal. I might consider this a future purchase if we buy a tractor.
Horse, Donkey, or Mule
There are people in this area who have horses and donkeys, but I lack the infrastructure. These are sometimes referred to as “hay burners,” and you’re looking at a guy who has no hay, no pasture, and no barn.
If we get knocked back to the 1880s in a long-term grid-down scenario, I might wish I had a couple horses or a pack mule, but I don’t see them having much utility before the SHTF.
Decisions, Decisions
Right now, my thinking comes down to either a side-by-side or a tractor.
My friend Karl, who owns a Polaris, encouraged me to buy the tractor. He said there have been many times he wished he had a tractor instead. The Polaris is fun, and he can take his grandson for rides around their property, but a tractor would be useful.
I think I need a side-by-side that is more utility that sport or a tractor that is more utility vehicle than farm plow.
Before I decide, I need to do some more research, both on cost and capabilities. Please leave a comment below with what you would do or have done when faced with this issue.
