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You will find with me that I’m a no-frills kinda gal. Living on a low income as I do, my little cabin is not filled with many prepper extras. Instead, I stuff my noggin with knowledge that I hope will be helpful in an all-out apocalypse and I stuff my winter survival cache in expected and unexpected places.
As I get older (yeah, that kinda crept up on me!), I have found that the stubbornness that comes from the Irish side of my family has hit a wall: there are now things that I just can’t do anymore. Sure! I try to do them, and then I pay mightily later, limping around the homestead and muttering to myself about how very, very much my back hurts! OUCH!
The subject of this article is one tool that I could not do without, apocalypse or not, and that cost me less than $20 in an online auction: a simple hand truck.
Pre-Apocalyptic Uses for a Hand Truck
Many years ago, I had the opportunity to use a hand truck that belonged to my building when I moved out. I noticed how much it helped to have it around. I could pile boxes on it and easily manoeuvre them around, even up the moving truck ramp. I noted these features, filing them away for future reference.
Fast forward a decade, and I’m living my dream out on a small homestead. One of the first things I bought when I moved onto my land was a hand truck. I found it on an online auction. It is a well-made one, with chipping paint and a veneer of usefulness on it. Today, I smile at my prescience, as I bought this baby well before my back injury. I just knew somehow that it would be useful.
On my homestead on my own, it has allowed me to do all kinds of outlandish things that you might imagine were impossible. I built a deck for my off-grid tiny home, moving huge, solid hardwood skids into place using my hand truck. It is amazing how much of a wide load it can handle!
Before my back injury, I used to haul around cement blocks by hand like it was nothing….Ah….the good old days! Now, no matter how short a distance they are being moved, I go and get my trusty hand truck and slide it into place. Numerous episodes of Irish stubbornness (too many to admit!) now remind me that….yes, I do need the hand truck to do that.
In one dramatic instance, my hand truck truly saved the day. For my small cabin, we needed to move hollow poured cement steps into place at the front and side doors. The boom truck could not cross the septic line and we had at least 20 feet to cover on the front step and a good 30 – 40 feet to the side door. Both the boom truck operator and the company staff helper said that we would not need the hand truck. I wheeled it out anyways.
Sure enough, the company staff helper almost dropped the thing, which weighed at least 400 pounds and would have crushed anything under it. I gently suggested that we get the hand truck and slide it on. That is how we got the steps into place. For the side door, we had to go up a steep incline. The three of us literally slid the concrete step up the metal back bar of the hand truck. At the end of it all, both men commented on how useful the hand truck had been. Heh heh.
A friend of mine kept chickens well into his eighties. He would have the feed bags loaded into the back of his truck by the staff at the feed depot. He would then do one of two things from the tailgate, depending on how he was feeling: drop the entire feedbag down to the ground and slide his hand truck under it, or open the feed bag and pour some down into a five gallon pail. In both of these cases, he would use the hand truck to drive the feed to his two chicken sheds.
Post-Apocalyptic Uses for a Hand Truck
In my own setting, the hand truck could end up playing a crucial role in an all out SHTF: water collection and transportation. I live within walking distance of two lakes and a wetland. My hand truck could be used to transport my plastic barrel of water. The barrel has a fitted lid that closes tightly, so tipping it is not a problem. I have tons of bungees and attachment cords, too. The barrel originally came with a carrying backpack that the barrel could be slid into. My friends, those days are over! However, sourcing water with this hand truck seems reasonable to me, given how smooth the terrain is.
Is this my only water access plan for SHTF? Heck no! But it’s a solid one. And yes, I would need to filter it from any other these sources and I’m ready for that. I have alsodone trials of tarp collection into barrels and know how to operate a system like that to advantage. Hmmmm….that reminds me to order a few more heavy duty tarps…..can you ever have enough tarps???? If you want to reflect on water and sanitation in a real SHTF, read what Selco has to say on the topic.
If/when SHTF, the last of my propane from civilization runs out, a summer outdoor cooking facility could be swiftly created using the seemingly random assortment and widely ranging cement blocks on my homestead, which I would move into place with my hand truck. No, I don’t keep them in an orderly pile that might attract attention. Wink wink!
Prices and Features to Look For
If you like to buy new, the main feature I saw when reviewing the options at our local hardware store was capacity. It looks like my model is a simple, no-frills 600-pound capacity hand truck, which can be had for around $60 new.
If you want the 1000-pound capacity mega hand truck, expect to pay more: around $120, and for goodness’ sake, watch your back!!! Think carefully about other features and whether you need them. Yes, it does sound cool that the hand truck can fold up. Does that mean it has more moving parts? Yes. Do you really want to increase the risk of a breakdown with a crucial piece of equipment? Hmmmm…..
Hey There, Can You Give Me a Hand…..Truck???
This is one tool that I would never part with. Could you see yourself using a hand truck in any of the ways suggested here? Do you have your own idea or story about a hand truck that you can share with us? Please tell us in the comments below.
About Rowan
Rowan O’Malley is a fourth-generation Irish American who loves all things green: plants (especially shamrocks), trees, herbs, and weeds! She challenges herself daily to live her best life and to be as fit, healthy, and prepared as possible.
