Which Unimog??

[stevenmd]

Although I am a few years away from this I thought I would get some direction now. I'm not worried about designing the sleeping/living quarters just yet. I need to find something that will accommodate 6 people comfortably in the cab during travel. I see there are several models of the famous Unimog... which one will meet my requirements?

[Robthebrit]

6 in the cab?

You can only get 2 in the front of any mog in comfort. The tranny and its many sticks sits between the front seats so there is no chance of a bench seat. Some sqaure cab mogs have double passenger seat but is not really big enough for 2 adults you may be able to squeeze an adult and a child but not if the child needs a car seat.

4 in the back is also really tight, 3 is more doable if you use the double front seat. This puts you in a square cab doka which at the moment are going to be $50k+ easily. Another options would be an 1300L37 fire truck, these have a much bigger can with two back seats in a club seating configuration. Even though these have a long wheelbase the bed is no bigger because of the monster sized cab. If you can find one of these trucks they are going to be a small fortune.

For 6 you best bet is to make a camper back with a pass through and sit them all on a couch in the back.

Rob

[stevenmd]

4 in the back is also really tight, 3 is more doable if you use the double front seat. This puts you in a square cab doka which at the moment are going to be $50k+ easily.
Is this the cab with two forward facing front seats and two rear facing seats directly behind them, then a forward facing bench seat after that?

[stevenmd]

Something like one of these?

[Blair G]

Something like one of these?
No, both those examples have forward facing seats. What Rob was talking about are the SBU with an additional stretch between the front and rear doors. With this though you get a really short bed. Nothings free!

Blair

[norseman]

If you want a Unimog based 6 person cab why not go the whole hog and get a Maximog plus trailer.

http://www.maximog.com/

Only about $1M for the Mog and likely the same again for the trailer

Other options might be MAN, Tatra or Kamaz with custom built cab.

Whichever route you go down you will end up spending a very big pot of money to get something for global travel on/off road that will take 6 people.

best of luck from David Gudmunsen

[Lynn]

I know that there are several members here who are also members of www.expeditioncampers.com, but you might get more feedback by posting your question over there.

As RobtheBrit suggested, your only choice might be a pass-through with cabin seating. However, full-sized pass-throughs on Unimogs are rare, because of the extreme frame flex, and resulting mis-alignment of the cab and cabin. On vehicles with a lot of frame flex, the accordion seal between the cab and cabin is a pain (hard to design, noisy, ugly, etc.)

I've been weighing a similar issue. I only need seating for four, but I want a full-sized pass-through.

You might be able to find a van-bodied vehicle, rather than a cab / chassis type, that doesn't have the mis-alignment issues.

If you aren't sold on a 'Mog, maybe consider something like this Volvo (http://www.rockymountainmoggers.com/pix/volvoc303023s.jpg)?

[tamangel]

how about something like this



full link:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=013&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&viewitem=&item=230157438493&rd=1

Mike

[Lynn]

how about something like this



full link:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=013&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&viewitem=&item=230157438493&rd=1

Mike


Oooooh, now THAT's what I'M tallkin' about!

[haven]

There are great photos of a 1971 Unimog fire truck here

http://classicunimogs.com/unimog_404_rosenbauer.htm

The crew cabin has seats for four or maybe six in fire fighting gear, with one seat facing forward and one facing to the rear. This layout precludes a pass through to the driver's compartment.

Given the need to seat six, you should consider a full-size American van, converted to 4x4. These vehicles are very capable of travel on just about anything that looks remotely like a road. For an example, see the 4x4 section of the Sportsmobile web site
http://www.sportsmobile.com/index.html

For other examples see the Vans and RVs section of this forum. Here's one recently described by group member "ujointclothing."

http://www.ujointclothing.com/rigs/images/115.jpg

Tell us more about your need for driver plus five passengers. It might make more sense to have two vehicles like the new Jeep JK four door. That way one vehicle can recover the second when you get stuck, go for help when the second breaks down, and so forth.

Chip Haven

[charlieaarons]

You can get a double cab added to a U500. It is very ugly. The same company in South Carolina (factory approved, warranty still applies) can lengthen the frame/wheelbase up to 1 meter. I have a pass-through on my U500 camper and it works great and doesn't increase noise much, we can still talk and listen to music at 60 mph.

Charlie

[Robthebrit]

My 416 camper has a pass through with the same type of security door as the main entrance door, when its closed its like its not there at all. The 416 is not a u500 so it is noisey with the door open. The doorway is big enough that you could mount a third seat in it but thats about all you are going to get.

Is it legal to drive in the back of these campers? The wife has slept in the back while I drive but I have no idea if its legal, it has seat belts. Is the pass through what makes it legal? Would it be legal to ride in the back without a pass though? Whats the difference between a passthough and a class C RV.

Rob

[Robthebrit]

Tell us more about your need for driver plus five passengers. It might make more sense to have two vehicles like the new Jeep JK four door. That way one vehicle can recover the second when you get stuck, go for help when the second breaks down, and so forth.

Chip Haven

Two vehicles would be good but they should be the same class of vehicle or you need to prepare differently. If you take something like a mog and a jeep and the mog gets stuck you are screwed. We have tried before and even on an almost flat dirt road a 4x4 toyota had great difficultly moving my camper (maybe 15000pound), an SBU or U500 camper could be 10,000 pounds heavier than me.

Traction was its biggest problem, I guess we could of loaded the back up with rocks but you have to be careful not to break something. Loading a 4 door jeep is not a real option. With enough rocks in the back of a small pickup to give any serious traction you'll be overweight and pulling three times the rated tow capacity (if the small truck has traction and the big truck is really stuck you might be pulling at 5 or 6 times the tow capacity of the small truck). It may not break but your are pushing your luck especially when in the middle of nowhere.

Even if the mog had a big winch the jeep wouldn't even work as an anchor. I am not 100% sure but I think If you wedged the jeep so it couldn't move you would risk serious structural damage, especially if the pull was not dead straight.

If you are prepared miss sized trucks can be useful but the big trucks have to be capable of self recovery. Anybody want to donate their jeep to test my winch theory.

Rob

[Lynn]

Is it legal to drive in the back of these campers? The wife has slept in the back while I drive but I have no idea if its legal, it has seat belts. Is the pass through what makes it legal? Would it be legal to ride in the back without a pass though? Whats the difference between a passthough and a class C RV.

Rob

It is legal. I can't cite the statutes, though. Maybe someone else can. I was told years ago that it was legal to ride inside a 5th-wheel pull-behind camper, but not other pull-behind campers, because the 5th-wheel hitch is much safer than the bumper or goose-neck hitch, but I have never confirmed that. I believe it is also legal to ride inside a slide-in (demountable) camper. So I don't think the pass-through has anything to do with it.

Seat belt laws vary from state to state, but to the best of my knowledge most states only require seat belts in the front positions. I think rear seat belts are a marketing item more than anything. This position can be supported by the fact that I've seen some seatbelts that were poorly anchored, giving me the impression that they were for looks only, and not to pass any DOT regulation.

With regard to RV class, for the most part all American motor homes have the pass-through. The only vehicles I've seen without are the expedition-class RVs which, as you know, are rare here, and a few older pickup truck-based Class C motorhomes.

Class A:

http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/classa/12740-2_small.jpg

Chassis and engine are either supplied by a truck/bus maker, or are custom made by the RV builder. The entire body is made by RV builder. The most obvious way to recognize a Class A is that there is no distinction between the cab area and the cabin area.


Class B:

http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/classc/12737-1_small.jpg

Van converted to RV, using entire van body.


Class C:

http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/classc/12296-1_small.jpg

chassis and cab are supplied by auto maker, camper body added by RV builder. A lot of Class Cs use a cut-off van body for the cab, but the fact that they only use the cab and not the entire body distinguishes them from the Class B. Some say that the over-the-cab bed is a distinguishing feature of Class Cs.

There is a lot of confusion about the definitions. For instance, an over-the-road bus (greyhound) converted to an RV is considered a Class A, even though it typically uses the bus body with little alteration, more like a Class B. I think the reason is that anyone who spends over $100K on an RV doesn't want people to think that they are anything less than 'class A.'

Then you might also see the 'Class B+' designation used for Class Bs that have the roof raised and an over-the-cab bed.

Worse yet, some people (mostly advertising/sales folks) define an RVs 'class' by its amenities. I was checking into renting a Class B one time, and the guy told me it was a "full Class A" because it had toilet/shower, kitchen, holding tanks, etc. The 'Class B+' designation also seems to come from the marketing department.

UPDATE: according to this site (http://www.towingworld.com/articles/TowingLaws.htm) in most states it's legal to ride in a truck camper, in some states it's legal to ride in a 5th wheel, and in a few states it's legal to ride in a bumper pull.

'NOTHER UPDATE: I can't find anything comprehensive, but I have found several State info sites that state that the occupants of a motor home, other than the driver and front passenger, are exempt from seatbelt laws.

JUST TO FURTHER THE HIJACK: At least one State, PA, requires children to be in car seats or booster seats (as appropriate) even if they are in trucks, antique or classic cars, the back of a motor home, or in a 'cargo area.' Guess I'll have to get a ton of car seats next time I haul that truck full of babies. Here's the facts. (http://www.psp.state.pa.us/troopp/cwp/view.asp?A=568&Q=171888)

[haven]

RobtheBrit wrote:
"Two vehicles would be good but they should be the same class of vehicle..."

That's what I meant. Two Jeep JK four door models would provide seats for six plus room for some gear inside.

Chip Haven

[mhiscox]

Not that it is a common solution (only five of these cabs were ever made), but my expedition Mog has a standing-height passthrough that makes it easy to seat four in the cab and several more on the cabin's rear lounge.

http://lh5.google.com/mhiscox01/RilQisMNIqI/AAAAAAAAAaQ/uJq2iEvwj5c/s288/Camper%20Mog%20053.JPG

http://lh4.google.com/mhiscox01/RilQGcMNIgI/AAAAAAAAAZA/XZxI93oXkwY/s288/Camper%20Mog%20044.jpg

http://lh5.google.com/mhiscox01/RilOxsMNIFI/AAAAAAAAAVo/RF1GMBMOJKk/s288/Camper%20Mog%20017.JPG

Camper Mog also has a very interesting way of doing the passthrough while allowing articulation. Both the cab back and cabin front have about six inch extensions around the top and side openings, the smaller one fitting inside the larger one. This has been a perfectly trouble-free system, and possibly an improvement over trying to keep a rubber bellows in place.

This Mog's for sale, and there are lots more pictures of this arrangement in an album linked to the post I put in the Expedition Vehicles for Sale section.

Mike Hiscox

[haven]

Monroe Truck recently announced plans to produce this
variant of the GMC Topkick crew cab. The width of the
vehicle allows three-across seating for adults of typical size.

http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z241/expeditioncampers/ironhide.jpg

The original version of this truck appeared in the "Transformers"
movie. Response was positive, so Monroe Truck decided
to go into limited production.

The vehicle specs include the Duramax diesel, Allison 6 speed
auto trans, air suspension, single rear wheels with 40 inch
tall tires, plus off-road front bumper and winch. The bed
is 8 feet long. Cargo capacity is 5500 lbs. Turning circle is
47 feet, less than many longbed pickups.

Edit: Thanks to Charlie Aarons for pointing out that the same
truck with dual rear wheels gains 2000 lbs cargo capacity, so
maybe this version of single rear wheels isn't a good idea.
You could run 20 inch or 22.5 inch Michelin tactical tires in place
of the tires offered and gain that 2000 lbs capacity.

The standard C4500 diesel crew cab 4x4 (or Ford F450 or Dodge 3500)
without pickup bed costs a bit less than $50,000. That's $30K cheaper
than the Monroe truck, enough to build the camper you want. If you
prefer a longer wheelbase for a bigger camper, that's available too.

Chip Haven