A newb with some questions for all you travelling mogers out there

[ZebFreeman]

Greetings,

I should start off by saying I'm still a ways away from buying my basecamp vehicle, the 416 is my prime target but I have a few questions which I'm hoping might help me make a decision. My situation is as follows; I am a welder who in a years time or so should be Red Seal certified, currently living in Newfoundland working, saving and putting hours toward my apprenticeship. As you may or may not know Canada is full of opportunities for welders from coast to coast, a lot of it is a few weeks here and a couple months there, contract work and etc. I like moving around and packing light. What I'm dreaming of right now is setting up a vehicle with the basics which will give me a place to live and work out of, freeing me up to move easily, without hassle or great costs. While also giving me the ability, and time off, to explore the backwoods and cities and all the things a person with time and mobility would want to explore. It's important to me that the vehicle is all road capable, dependable, maneuverable and I would rather avoid having to modify the running gear.

I have a few ideas for what vehicles would work well for this, the Unimog 416 comes out on top, next is a Fuso FG, then an F250 with the 6.0L TD.

I realize these vehicle are in separate classes, in all likelihood the FG would do almost everything I would want to do with it, but they have no lockers, require aftermarket wheels and cost nearly the same or more than a Mog. The Fords are cheap, but would offer less space and less maneuverability.

Two things worry me about the Mog, first that it is the least discrete option, second is maintenance cost. I would rather draw less attention to myself, living in the back of a truck on the side of the road, in parking lots, wherever, rather than more. I feel the FG, even modified with super singles and bigger tires would blend better and get noticed less. So my question is for you guys that travel in your Unimogs, do you feel you attract more attention to yourselves than you would otherwise, say if you were driving a vehicle that looks more like a plain old box truck, and does it hinder where you might be able to get away with camping out?

 

[ianc]

Zeb,
Based on what you want to use it for, I think the Mog and FG would be overkill both in cost and offroad capability. Keep in mind that the 416 will not be the most fun thing to drive on the highway and it will be very slow. A well sorted American truck with a mounted camper sounds like it would be ideal for what you've described.


But I also recognise that most of us don't base these decisions on anything coming close to logic

I

 

[Joe917]

Welcome Zeb, I agree with Ian for North America you are better off with a NA truck. An F250 is probably way too light , weight adds up fast I would think an F450 cube van would be a better choice. As for going under the radar forget about a Mog, even driving my MB 917 people stop and stare slack jawed.

 

[mogwildRW1]

I'm a die hard mogger. That said, I bought a Unimog off a welder local to me. He had switched to an F350. Why? Well, besides the fact he rolled the Unimog, the Unimog is unstoppable offroad, they are not the best "in the hills" trucks, he was tired of being the slow guy on the road (and this was a 170hp mog, with overdrive), and, when something went wrong, and it took a week to get parts, his competition was more than happy to make up for his absence in the oil fields. His originally idea was to have a Unimog setup as a welder, small crane on the back, big welder, and be able to access lease sites no matter the weather conditions, but like the others mention, a lot of highway manners are given up. So he told me it wasn't the best idea, he switched to domestic iron for the parts availability, highway manners, comfort, safety (ABS, air bags, traction control) etc.

Just food for thought, I'd hate to discourage someone from Unimog ownership, but they are not for everyone.

For interest sake, here's some before and after pictures. Happy to report it is alive and well, a friend purchased it off me and converted it to a camper

 

[chadlanc]

mines for sale
http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/104271-FS-Unimog-1300-Expedition-Camper-46k-OBO

 

[ZebFreeman]

Wish I had that kind of pocket change right now Chad.. As far as fun driving I think I would love driving a unimog, I tend to take my time driving, even if I had a more powerful truck I would probably just use less throttle. I took a driving course through a job I was doing in Alberta two years ago where the test vehicle was a mid 80's f700 or something like that, it was pretty beat up, slow and bouncy but I loved that truck.

After I bought my last truck, an 05 Chevy Colorado 2wd, I swore I'd never buy another 2wd truck again, winter is too long here and the hills are too steep, since then I have upgraded with a locking differential and bigger tires which has helped a lot but I feel if I'm going to be spending a lot of money and a long time with the truck it's better to pay the money and get the right thing to start. So wanting 4x4, good maneuverability and a decent length bed all in one package limits me to either a unimog, the fuso, or building up a different cab over.

Now the unimog costs the most and is the least discrete but pulls the hardest at my heart strings! The Fuso FG is probably the more "logical" choice however. I'm wondering if anybody has ever done a maintenance cost comparison between the two? I don't imagine a couple of Unimog guys would want to steer me toward a 2wd cab over? Hah

 

[mogwildRW1]

Can't comment on the Fuso, but the Unimogs maintenance really, isn't that bad. Considering. The brake rotors are the size of most vehicles engine flywheel, brake pads are standard fare. Lots of the parts are Bosch, Wabco, etc, so you don't have to buy the Mercedes part, if you can find the OEM supplier (cheaper). Never had an issue getting parts, there are many independent vendors in the USofA, several in Europe that are more than happy to help. I have posted a list of them before, and can give you a list should you decide to go the Unimog route.

Also lots of parts on the Unimog are servicable, such as the brake valve. To buy the brake valve is $450-650, but the service kit is around $50 last time I checked, and it's really simple inside, take it apart, clean it, replace the o-rings, grease, good to go. Same goes with big parts such as the brake calipers, rebuild kits are available.

 

[mhiscox]

Trev and the others have covered the important bases, but I'd just like to emphasize how ill-equipped a 416 is for North American highway use. Acceleration is glacial and its maximum speed in most configurations is under 55 mph (that's an issue of the redline of the engine). But even if you are generally content to proceed in the slow lane, the hills will still test your patience. Gearing on a 416 is not brilliant for highway use, and when you hit a grade at 55, you have to slow 20 mph before you can safely downshift to regain power to climb the hill. And the naturally-aspirated OM352 will suffer mightily as you gain altitude; the rule of thumb is a 3% power loss for each thousand feet about sea level, and it felt every bit that much in my experience. Additionally, the standard cab of a 416 is not particularly comfortable for the driver, very cramped for a passenger, and quite noisy for either. All in all, not a vehicle for making time over long distances.

There are also virtually no dedicated Unimog mechanics to be found. Most diesel truck shops will be able to work on many parts of your truck, but should a Unimog-specific part like a portal axle component go out, you could face a problem that you wouldn't have with repairing a modern truck.

But I loved CamperMog and had a great time with her. She was reliable, got 10 mpg, and because of her special cab, very comfortable. And I believe most everyone can profit by having a Unimog once in their life; they are very much old-school quality Mercedes vehicles, and they make you feel like you're accomplishing something when you go somewhere. But they're better viewed as part hobby/part adventure than as routine transportation. Your description of the proposed use doesn't seem to me to fit well with a 416.

Since your butt is over the front axle, the ride quality of a low-cab-forward truck isn't as good as one would hope, and the build quality isn't always great. But if this doesn't bother you too much, something like an Isuzu NPR would offer substantial advantages and your chances of finding something that'll meet your needs are much greater.

 

[ZebFreeman]

Thanks for all of your opinions guys, I have decided that your right, I'd be better served by something a little more common, a little more conventional, and a little more friendly for use over long hours although for me the main stumbling block is it's inability to blend in. Now I just need to figure out which model cabover will offer me the best combination of utility, affordability and availability. If the rest of this board is as helpful as you all have been I'm sure it won't be too much trouble. Thanks again!

 

[Tennmogger]

If I had your requirements and wanted to do it at reasonable cost, I'd look at a used box truck. All the rental companies sell off older trucks. I'd put a separator across the middle of the box and live in the front, work out of the back. You can add windows as desired, and a side door out of the front of the box, or even cut a walk-through to the cab. The rear of the truck could be set up with all your welding gear. A cassette toilet would solve that requirement.

A box truck fits in anywhere. You could park in any Walmart, Home Depot, grocery store, rest area, truck stop.....and no one would be the wiser.

Mike and others really nailed the problems with a 416. Business use of a vehicle, vs recreational, often rules against the Unimog unless severe offroad capability is a requirement. Sounds like you don't need that capability.

Bob

 

[sambot]

Perhaps a truck like this

I just dug this up on the web. No connection
http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAP...2275&item=301029222275&lgeo=1&vectorid=229466
I sometimes wonder if your life style would fit me better than my 9to5 with 3 weeks off each year.
Make the best of it.