The fastest way to get mounts in Satisfactory is to unlock the Vehicle Workshop via the Molecular Analysis Machine (MAM), then craft an Explorer using 10 Iron Plate, 5 Copper Sheet, 2 Rotor, 1 Motor, and 10 Rubber, which can be built within the first 30 minutes of a fresh save. This guide breaks down each step, exact material counts, research costs, and fuel setup so you can have a working mount fleet before your first coal power plant is online.
Unlocking the Vehicle Workshop
Before you can build any mount, you must research the Vehicle Workshop in the MAM. The Vehicle node costs 2,500 research points (RP). Early‑game RP generation is easiest with limestone, iron ore, and copper ore. Each limestone yields 10 RP, iron ore 20 RP, and copper ore 20 RP. Feeding 125 limestone, or 62 iron ore, or 62 copper ore will hit the 2,500 RP target. Build a small miner on a limestone node, connect it to a storage container, and use a conveyor belt to feed the MAM. Once the research completes, the Vehicle Workshop becomes available for construction at a cost of 10 Iron Plate, 10 Copper Sheet, 10 Steel Pipe, and 10 Rotor.
Place the Vehicle Workshop on a flat foundation near your main base. Connect it to power (a single Biomass Burner is enough at this stage) and set up input belts for the listed materials. While the workshop is building, start gathering the resources needed for your first mount: iron ore, copper ore, coal (for steel), and limestone for rubber production later. With this setup, you’ll have the workshop ready in under 10 minutes of real‑time play.
Crafting the Explorer (Early Mount)
The Explorer is the cheapest and fastest mount to unlock. Its recipe requires:
- 10 Iron Plate
- 5 Copper Sheet
- 2 Rotor
- 1 Motor
- 10 Rubber
Iron Plate is made directly from Iron Ingots in a Constructor (1:1). Copper Sheet comes from Copper Ingots the same way. To make a Rotor, combine 1 Steel Pipe and 1 Motor in a Constructor. A Motor needs 2 Iron Plate and 1 Copper Sheet. Rubber is produced by processing Oil in a Refinery; each unit of Oil yields 1 Rubber. Early oil can be harvested from a small oil patch using a Portable Miner, then fed into a Refinery set to produce Rubber.
Assuming you have a basic smelting line (Iron Ore → Iron Ingot → Iron Plate, Copper Ore → Copper Ingot → Copper Sheet, Coal + Iron Ingot → Steel Ingot → Steel Pipe), you can craft the Explorer in roughly 5 minutes once the Vehicle Workshop is online. Place the completed Explorer on a flat surface, interact with it to enter, and press W to drive. The Explorer has a base speed of 12 m/s and can carry 4 inventory slots, making it ideal for scouting resource nodes and hauling small batches of ore.
Building the Tractor for Mid‑Game Mobility
When you need more cargo capacity and slightly higher speed, upgrade to the Tractor. Its recipe is:
- 20 Iron Plate
- 10 Copper Sheet
- 4 Rotor
- 2 Motor
- 20 Rubber
The Tractor doubles the material cost of the Explorer but offers a top speed of 16 m/s and 8 inventory slots. It also has a slightly larger collision box, which helps when pushing through dense foliage. To produce the extra Rubber, set up a second Refinery line fed by a Portable Miner on a richer oil deposit (look for the dark, shiny patches near the desert biome). With a steady oil supply, you can keep the Tractor’s rubber needs met without interrupting your main production lines.
Build the Tractor in the Vehicle Workshop just like the Explorer. Once crafted, replace your Explorer with the Tractor for longer hauls between your main base and remote outposts. The increased inventory space reduces the number of trips needed to move large quantities of iron plates or concrete, accelerating factory expansion.
Acquiring the Truck for Late‑Game Speed
The Truck is the ultimate ground mount, boasting a speed of 22 m/s and 12 inventory slots. Its recipe demands:
- 30 Iron Plate
- 15 Copper Sheet
- 6 Rotor
- 3 Motor
- 30 Rubber
Because the Truck requires triple the Explorer’s material cost, it’s best pursued after you have established a stable smelting and refining setup. Aim for a production line that outputs at least 5 Iron Plate, 2 Copper Sheet, 1 Rotor, and 5 Rubber per minute. With those rates, you can assemble a Truck in about 6–8 minutes of real‑time crafting.
Unlock the Truck as soon as you have access to the Advanced Vehicle Workshop upgrade (available after researching “Advanced Vehicles” in the MAM for 7,500 RP). The Advanced Workshop reduces crafting time by 30% and allows parallel building of multiple vehicles. Use the Truck for long‑distance travel between major hubs, such as moving from your coal power plant to a distant copper mining outpost. Its high speed drastically cuts travel time, letting you spend more time optimizing production lines.
Setting Up Fuel Production for Continuous Mount Use
All mounts consume Biofuel at a rate of 0.2 units per second while moving. To keep your fleet running, establish a reliable biofuel line. Start by harvesting Wood and Leaves using a Portable Miner on a forest node (look for dense green clusters). Combine 1 Wood and 1 Leaf in a Constructor to create Solid Biofuel. Feed Solid Biofuel into a Refinery set to produce Biofuel (1:1 ratio).
For a single Explorer running continuously, you need roughly 0.2 Biofuel/s, which equals 0.01 Solid Biofuel/s. A modest setup of one Wood miner, one Leaf miner, and a single Constructor/Refinery pair can sustain three Explorers simultaneously. Scale up by adding more miner‑constructor‑refinery chains as you add Tractors and Trucks. Store excess Biofuel in a Tank or Pipe system to buffer against temporary shortages.
Connect the Biofuel output directly to the Vehicle Workshop’s fuel input using a Pipe Junction, or place Fuel Tanks near each mount’s parking spot and manually refuel when needed. Automating fuel delivery ensures your mounts never stall during long hauls.
Optimizing Routes and Automating Mount Deployment
To get the most out of your mounts, design efficient loops and use conveyors to automate loading and unloading. Build a simple oval track with two-way splitters at each end so mounts can reverse direction without manual intervention. Place a Loader at the resource pickup point (e.g., an iron ore node) and an Unloader at your main storage area. Set the Loader to pull from the miner’s output belt and the Unloader to push into a storage container.
Program the mount’s AI (accessible via the vehicle’s control panel) to follow the loop: load at the Loader, travel to the Unloader, unload, then return. With this setup, a single Tractor can continuously move iron ore from a remote node to your smelting line, freeing you to focus on other tasks. For multiple mounts, create parallel lanes separated by foundations to avoid collisions.
Finally, monitor fuel levels via the Vehicle Workshop’s UI. If you notice a mount frequently running low, add an extra biofuel pipe branch or increase the output of your Solid Biofuel line. By combining fast mount acquisition, steady fuel production, and automated routes, you’ll maintain a high‑tempo factory that expands rapidly without the tedium of constant back‑and‑forth walking.
For more details on Satisfactory’s early‑game progression, see our guide on how to get mounts fast early on (Palworld concepts translate well to resource gathering). To understand the best graphics settings for smooth vehicle rendering, check Dragons Dogma 2’s FPS guide. The official Satisfactory Wiki offers deep dives on vehicle recipes: Satisfactory Wiki. Grab the game on Steam via Steam Store.