Mercedes L series trucks

[Jnich77]

I have been noticing that every where I go in the middle east, I can't seem to escape the Mercedes L series trucks. No matter how far from civilization I get, one is never far away.


So I was doing some research, it seems that for 40 years they were the truck of choice for places that would eat anything else for lunch. We have a couple of them here in Qatar and I was looking at them. It seems if you were willing to sacrifice speed, creature comforts, ride quality, and most other modern amenities you would end up with a truck that's bullet proof.

I have noticed that they came in an extended cab version, and some have a very long frame and tandem rear axles. If you were to mix and match parts from various versions I would imagine you could get a suitable expedition, all though it would be very utilitarian. I was thinking, swap in the most powerful motor that they ever came with, all the gears you can get, longest frame, extended cab, tandem rear axles, an any other goodies Mercedes offered and you would have one hell of a truck to mount a camper on to.

I don't know... its something I toy with while I am at work over here since I see them all day every day. I know they are not fast of comfortable... but that's part of the appeal...lol

[nick disjunkt]

I work in Qatar every so often and I too have noticed them in use there. I think they have tradionally been popular in oil field environments and so they seem more common in the middle east and north africa than almost anywhere else.

The were never very common in the UK and most of those which were sold here have been exported to africa.

The only place where I still see large numbers for sale is in Germany where the lighter duty ones (LA 911) were extremely common as fire trucks and municipal vehicles.

The heavier ones seem extremely robust and I've seen them carrying weight which would have had the mercedes engineers weeping. It's not uncommon to see the oil field trucks with massively stretched chassis and tag axles bolted on the back to take some of the weight.

My experiene of the 911 is that it is very slow, very noisy, and not particularly fuel efficient. If your primary priority is a robust vehicle which is easily repaired then I think these trucks make great expedition vehicles but you sacrafice a lot of comfort for these things. In most uses you could use a much more comfortable more modern vehicle without loosing too many of the benefits.

If I was thinking of undertaking a serious expedition to remote and uninhabitted areas then I would consider one of these. Most of what people on this website and people in general call expeditions are glorified holidays or camping trips to areas where people use much less capable vehicles and so one could use a more modern alternative without risk of fatal breakdowns or serious rescue operations.

[Jnich77]

Oh I know man... like I said, I was just thinking. I doubt I'll ever be in a position to build such a vehicle...lol.

So far I am content with a 2wd tundra and a Jumping Jack camper...lol.

[charlieaarons]

They came with the OM352 and then its' successor the OM366. The max rating of the OM366LA is I think 240 hp and 850N-m (~625 ft-lb)
I don't what gearbox options they had; 5. 6 and 9 spd (for the heaviest versions according to Jane's Military Vehicles)?
Tires for the heaviest versions: 14.00R20s, duals in the rear or 24R20.5s for the heaviest versions
There are some very heavy duty older non-electronic cab forward Mercedes trucks, like the 2028 and 2628 6X6s. These have non turbocharged large motors; the 2628 has a GVW of 24000kg.

Charlie

[haven]

There's a short article on Wikipedia that explains why so many L-series
trucks are seen on the Arabian peninsula. They're very common in southern South America, too.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes-Benz_L-series_truck

I love this photo of a day in the life of the L-series, origin unknown:

http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z241/expeditioncampers/mercedes-overload.jpg

The L series was replaced by the Actros line of heavy trucks in 1996.

[mhiscox]

I love this photo of a day in the life of the L-series, origin unknown.
Hah. I'd just begun to read this thread and started thinking, "Where'd I store that picture?," and Chip's saved me the trouble. Indeed, the iconic MBz truck picture.

One of the trash haulers in town has a couple of these, and they must be pretty reliable, because I seen them for a decade or two. Remember, though, that the early trucks with non-turboed OM352s have just 110-130 horsepower, which is not a lot for a big truck. Also remember that many won't go much faster than 85-90 kph, as the commercial truck speed limit in many European countries where these were used was 80 kph.

[6Pins]

I love those trucks. I put myself through college driving one in the late 80s, early 90s for 2 local DC companies. One hauling pool chemicals, the other Wang computer disk packs for off-site storage.

[kerry]

Lots of expedition camper versions end up for sale on www.mobile.de. I've noticed that the spiffier ones have air ride seats. This has led me to assume that the OE ride leaves something to be desired.

[Jnich77]

Yeah..I keep mulling over the options one would have if they stripped one down to a bare frame and started fabricating..... yeah..I have too much time on my hands...lol

[Jnich77]

Lots of expedition camper versions end up for sale on www.mobile.de. I've noticed that the spiffier ones have air ride seats. This has led me to assume that the OE ride leaves something to be desired.

from peeking in the windows of them, they seem to have the interior of a 1950's American truck...lol.