The turret was duly popped by Bill after about 30 seconds. The boys were pumped, though.Īfter a few oohs, aahs and exclamations of ‘that’s huge’ they leapt into the cabin and started exploring. It was a steamy 36 degrees that day, and the vinyl seats were toasty as we climbed into the cab.
Unimog u1300 vs tractor how to#
I picked up the Mog from a trucking yard in Darwin, after being given a three-second lesson on how to turn it on and how to apply the air brakes. Only one out of three survived the journey home. We stopped in at various auto parts stores in Darwin to grab the cheapest and nastiest camp chairs on offer. I settled on three blocks of wood from a Darwin timber mill and a six tonne bottle jack. I also had to hunt around for a jack to not only carry the momentous weight of the rig, but to reach and lift from beneath the dizzying 520mm heights. And when checking the tyres, I found that the optimal dirt road pressure in these big tyres is 80psi. My regular snatch strap couldn’t cut it – not strong enough. I’m pretty accustomed to wheeling around in ‘normal’ 4X4s, but what I didn’t bargain on were the challenges of setting up a seven tonne truck. So after a fantastic Facebook discussion, it seemed that my daughter Charlotte’s suggestion of ‘Tiny’ was the most popular. Of course, every 4X4 deserves a name, and this one was no different. Beware, 11-year old infidels, when my boys are near! Actually, young Bill and Gus have that side of things sorted with their Super Soaker assault water pistols. And I’m thinking that the turret will turn this into a pretty fine hunting vehicle – all I need now is a gun. The Unimog U1700L that I bought has a turret, and let’s face it, every man should have a turret in his 4X4, right? It operates as a sunroof, and a peephole, and it is pretty good at circulating cool air (which is a good thing considering there is no air-con). So the theory in all of this is the next time I see a half-metre boulder in the middle of the track, I won’t even decelerate!īut there’s a second reason. This keeps the axle nice and high, and gives the Unimog more than half a metre of ground clearance (most 4WDs have about 200mm). They’re called portal axles, and rather than pushing the drive along the axles to the wheels in a straight line, they feature hub reduction gears which sit inside the massive steel wheels. I’ve admired the Mercedes Benz Unimog for many years, largely because of what lies beneath.
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