Here's my favorite TC from the 2013 Overland Expo

jefe 4x4 wrote:
Jeanie and I looked at this MB-Mog too. The builder was out to lunch, so we did not get a look inside. THE cool factor is certainly there. For the record, it is a couple feet taller, pop-top down than my Lance lite-hard side on Dodge.
This brings up an important subject. To what degree do you build up your own rig to motate over bad or worse roads? I have spent a lifetime building four-wheel-drives to one degree or another. My view is the U-Mog above would make a fair rock crawler over non-existent roads. Why? Mongo low gears, lockers all around, huge clearance, Clarence, and even bigger tires which you could run at low pressure to get over the largest slabs of granite. Most of this stuff is a liability on the highway, secondary roads, and even dirt roads. All this leaves is the 'cool' factor. There is almost no place left on the globe that this MB would do better than many of the above poster's rigs would do. Here is my short list of 'must-haves' for a North American centric Expo rig:
1. Enough fuel capacity to travel at least 500 miles without refueling. What? What does that have to do with bad roads or mongo clearance? Nothing. But it has all to do with taking advantage of lower fuel prices (which do vary widely) between Canada/USA/Mexico and even state to state.
2. A truck with mostly stock set up and parts, with a power plant that is not too powerful. The best arrangement is a much more robust drive train than the power plant can deliver power to said drive train. Minimum suspension upgrading. Find the truck with the best stock suspension and leave it alone. This leaves one to up grade to a one-ton, even with a lightweight camper. I keep tweaking my own suspension and it really does not get much better, only less reliable. A stock set up is the most reliable.
3. A truck camper that is only enough to meet your needs and no more. Size and weight are the enemy when you are driving down some lonely dirt road to the hot springs. Just enough camper for a modicum of comfort is the key to success.
4. This last admonition is what not to take. If there is ANY question as to whether you should take any particular thing....leave it at home. Less is more here.
5. Everything you take or install must have good value per weight. This is VERY subjective, as I have a penchant for taking too much recovery gear: 30K pound tow strap, short piece of 7/16's" cable with big hooks, a cat choker, a tree saver, 4 'D' rings of various size, a 6 ton capy snatch block, a 15K pound Warn winch. Yes, I have used every piece of that over time, but not every time.
enough for now. Back to your favorite TC at OE.
regards, as always, jefe

You make some very good points there Jefe, especially regarding modifications and how much stuff you carry. The nice thing about the Unimog mentioned is that the owner has probably achieved 1, 2 and 3 above by using a virtually standard vehicle with a lightweight pup-up camper.

Your point about being not too powerful is also a very good one. Again, very tempting to up the power of a vehicle with consequences on the drive train. My uncle (who designs custom turbo solutions) offered to up the power of my truck, but I've opted to keep it stock since it is sufficient for my needs. It is also the smaller of the two engine sizes available on that truck. I know it is therefore less likely to break the drive train.

Steve.

m37charlie wrote:

valhalla360 wrote:
It's something a 12yr old would dream up as the perfect RV.

In the real world not so much. I'm following a blog of a couple using one for the pan-american highway trip.
- They found a deal on tires: $800 each and they are running thru tires every 15-20k miles.
- Fuel economy is measured in gallons per mile.
- Top speed on level paved road = 50mph.
- Another blog with a family in an old VW doing the same trip show up in all the same places with no 4x4.

Late at night when no ones watching...I still want one.

You are full of crap.
I can get tires for $400 each and they last 60,000mi
I get 9mpg, about the same as a POS Class C
Top speed is 70mph.

Charlie
(Unimog U500/Unicat)

Sorry, just relaying what they posted on their blog.

They complained about 30mph climbing a 6% grade on freeway in the candian rockies. Maybe they have an older weaker engine? 70mph top end still would be annoying assuming that is pedal to the metal.

Wow, so only $1600 to get fresh rubber? Maybe it was a lot of paved road driving or something was eating up thier tires?

I'd much rather save a whole butt load of money and use it to travel more.

If you have such kind of camper, you look for other places than you would look for with a smaller car. There are places were you cannot go to with a large truck, but with a smaller one, and vice-versa.

There so many great places on earth for both types of car, so you wouldn't be able to visit them all during your lifetime. So it really depends on your personal taste, what vehicle you choose.

Last year we visited Ireland with lots of very narrow roads, just as wide as our truck, and had a great time. In the last 6 year we had to use alternate routes because of height only a few times.

There is one large drawback with such kind of off-road campers:
When they get stuck, then on locations other kind of vehicles often are not able to reach. This could take a lot of effort to get out of the mess.

valhalla360 wrote:


Sorry, just relaying what they posted on their blog.

They complained about 30mph climbing a 6% grade on freeway in the candian rockies. Maybe they have an older weaker engine? 70mph top end still would be annoying assuming that is pedal to the metal.

?

I'd much rather save a whole butt load of money and use it to travel more.

The engine is governed at 70. But believe me 60 is fast enough with a 26000 lb truck on 47" tires with a pretty high CG.
I have probably only driven 1/3 of my total mileage in the US. In W. Europe the speed limit for trucks over 3500kg is only 85kph (53mph). Australia does not have interstates, a lot of the paved roads have no shoulder or in the outback are even 1 lane. And in the 3rd world - you'd have to be crazy to try to drive fast.
I have discovered that happiness does not necessitate being able to drive 75mph up long grades.

Charlie

Thanks, Charlie. Your insights on Unimog use and ownership in this thread are invaluable.

Australia does not have interstates

We are developing them. More multilane 6-8 lane freeways are appearing linking cities, but you still have two lane 'crawlways' in other places.

a lot of the paved roads have no shoulder or in the outback are even 1 lane.

Not 100% true. A Lot of Australian paved roads are in better condition than US Ones.Still a lot of dirt roads in the extreme outback.

Man, do I like the looks of 'Nord vom Munchen's six-wheel-drive, 12.8L MAN.
This is a true de welt-wagon in every sense. No puny little F-550 or 5500 domestic here.
egn, thanks for posting the pic in your signature.
If you were at OX, i would have spent a lot of time around your rig, endlessly quizzing you.
regards, as always, jefe

If I could afford it, i'd have one or something like it. Big is better:)

Thanks for the kind comments.

You find more information about the truck here and here.

Here you see a movie with vehicles from Unicat.

Here you see a movie with vehicles from Action Mobile.

You can even go very extrem.

Going through deep water.

But even such beasts get stuck occasionally.

Jefe 4 x4 wrote:
Man, do I like the looks of 'Nord vom Munchen's six-wheel-drive, 12.8L MAN.
This is a true de welt-wagon in every sense. No puny little F-550 or 5500 domestic here.
egn, thanks for posting the pic in your signature.

We have similar locally buit Expedition Vehicles built on large MAN or Isuzu bases.
An old 8.3 Litre Cummins 6 x 6 ACCO


MAN Truck based All Terrain Warriors


Amesz 4 x4 Bus with 14.285 Litre MAN engine.