IPFS News Link • Prepping
The Survival Mule Secure Locker/Trailer Combo
• survivalblog.comMost of them are just variations on a theme. But I recently had some conversations with a consulting client that amazed me. This former Marine has truly "built a better mousetrap". He calls it The Survival Mule. This is a fantastic solution to a common prepper dilemma: "How do I get a trailer load of Get Out of Dodge gear on the road, quickly?" What he came up was a wall storage locker/gun locker that quickly converts into a versatile trailer. These Survival Mules are assembled in Minnesota with primarily U.S. and Canadian components.
These photos tell most of the story.
The Survival Mule can be towed with the weather-tight door on for secure transport; with the lid removed, turning it into a box trailer, for transporting bulky items; or with the entire locker removed and replaced by a standard sheet of 1″ plywood, turning it into a small flatbed trailer. The locker itself can be bolted to a wall or floor, making it a decent gun and ammunition storage locker. And, since it is stored vertically, it is like keeping a pre-packed trailer in your garage and out of the weather but without taking up a garage parking space. That is absolutely brilliant.
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2 Comments in Response to The Survival Mule Secure Locker/Trailer Combo
Hello, Thanks for the posting and comment on the Survival MULE, I appreciate your thoughts. Pricing is now as low as $2350 for MULE-tide Seasons Greetings, plus delivery (unless you pick it up in MN). The 11% tongue weight figure is excellent, and should definitely be kept in mind as the MULE is loaded. I have driven it loaded with 670 pounds to 75 MPH, and it spent 6+ hours at 80 MPH, loaded with about 400 pounds, on a trip to Montana in November. We had 30-40 MPH crosswinds, and it tracked straight and true. The suspension is provided by rubber torsion half-axles, rated to 2,000 pounds GVW. Photos of these can be seen on the website www.survivalmule.com. There is also a video of towing the MULE behind an ATV over a furrowed field, bouncing along well. We are also on Facebook: www.facebook.com/survivalmule1776 I'd enjoy hearing your thoughts and questions: contact (at) survivalmule (dot) com! Thanks and Merry Christmas! Chris
I dig trailers like Brit trainspotters dig trains, so I was extremely interested in this product. The first thing I noticed was that the wheels were set unusually far back. The video shows that the manufacturer recommends you load your heaviest stuff at the bottom of the standing case, which becomes the rear of the trailer. Obviously, this makes it possible for a normal person to lower the trailer to horizontal without injuring himself, and accounts for the wheels being so far back. Unfortunately, this combination results in an unbalanced trailer that is likely to sway like a pendulum during tow. For safe towing, a trailer's hitch weight should be about 11% of its total weight -- in other words, it should be about 11% overbalanced toward the front end to prevent dangerous sway. That's going to be hard to achieve with the wheels so far back. Also, there is zero suspension on this trailer. A bug-out trailer is likely to be driven at highway speeds for the first part of its duty cycle (how street-worthy is this axle set, by the way?), and likely to be driven more or less off-road for the last part. The contents of this trailer are going to be subject to quite a bit of shock in both modes. Packing liquids won't be straightforward. All in all, I like the concept, but I think it's going to need a bit more development.