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We have been wondering?
We have MOHs where I'm working now that can run on train tracks for shunting tankers around the facility. Pretty cool to see one trundling by .
Everyday transport, whats not to like ?
i was talking to a fella in a festival who had one of those massive russian bastards as his camper.
it was so so so cool. i brought up the inevitable subject of fuel costs, since it was a 12 litre v8 and he laughed and said it was better than free.
he had got a waste carrier licence and got paid to collect fuel from garages sorting out people who have put the wrong fuel in. turns out those sneaky russians have made engines that will run on diesel, petrol or paraffin or indeed a mix of all three
Well, do we have a mc_mog?
When I went to view it the vendor had just received a cheque for it. It's bargain status was confirmed as the buyer was a Yorkshireman.
Meantime, I've been reading up on them and for the limited mileage I'd use it for it would be viable. Low insurance and no road tax too for an early one. I still would go for one with the insulated body to make some sort of camper rather than the flat bed utility truck.
Its back on ebay at more than double the Scottish price!
I had a 404s flat bed many years ago, you could buy them at auction for a few hundred pounds - mine wouldn't start and I paid £240.00, parts were super expensive to get. I put a Perkins 6354 engine in mine for a cop sprayer conversion.
Stick to your Land Rover ambulance camper!
The new price is probably taking into account the amount of petrol he used driving it to Sheffield!
I was reading through this thread yesterday and thought you might be interested in a few pics of my old Land Rover 101 called "Spanky" (this was due to a defective fuel pump that had to be hit repeatedly with a spanner), we used to drive her all round Morocco then down into West Africa take friends and the odd paying punter.
It was an original GS body with canvas top, but we welded on the basic roof rack and swing-aways on the back for spare wheels, got a sailmaker to stitch in windows to the rear canvas and a metal roof to the front cab for security, along with a rack for 4 jerry cans down the left hand side.
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Sorry about the picture quality, they are scanned from original old proper photos, I attached one of a Pinzgauer that we always used to run into and I coveted.
It was a great truck and good times, but it was unreliable, sitting on top of the engine with no air con in 110 degrees was a good weight loss plan and it had a 3.5lt V8 engine originally where you could visibly watch the fuel gauge go down as you drove (later swapped for a Perkins diesel).
Don't do it McMogter! If you do, your ability to use the caps key will all but disappear. (Based on the last 2 ebay ads for that one!)
Great thread this, would love a 'Mog camper!
Love the 101fc - can relate to the 3.5v8 fuel gauge syndrome.
I had a quarter tank and was just tuning the carb on the drive and checking the vac advance was working.
Then it cut out.
Thought id turned the carbs too far ....oh no its empty of fuel :/
Scud, that's a proper truck for a proper overland adventure.
I had a pal up in Orkney who had a radio bodied 101, it was a great piece of kit. Unlike his IIA forward control very few parts were interchangeable between regular Land Rover stuff and the 101. I think he went for an LPG conversion instead of fitting a big Perkins diesel.
We had the 101 going back 13-14 years ago when i was in my early 20's, I seem to remember the french had started to see LPG as a good proposition, but over here there wasn't many places selling it, I think vehicles like this are ripe for LPG conversions.
Was great fun while it lasted though, if i had the time and money these days for serious use over in Africe it would be a Land Cruiser every time, earlyish one before they got too many fancy electrics. We were talking about Toyotas with a german guy who used to have 2 Unimogs, a kitted out Nissan Patrol and a Hilux and he said the Hilux was by far the most reliable and the "choice of African warlords everywhere"!
Suckered in then .
Toyota can see merit in a loss leader . Land rover cut their supply when they found they were often not getting paid for vehicles.( source land rover international mag a couple months back)
Had the misfortune to drive an african hilux-old or new - they are nothing like european spec. - much closer to a land rover than you would think.
But it does serve to pepetuate a myth quite well
Trail Rate, i have driven a lot of Land Rovers of a certain age, you have to have a love for them, as i bit like classic VW's, there were so many "traits" like the heaters or for a broad guy like me, the door just being to close to the steering wheel etc, that I truly believe that the Land Cruiser is by far the best vehicle for the job, with the Nissan Patrol close behind, you want to be able to know when you set off that the vehicle is reliable.
Land Rovers problem seems to have been, that they knew they had a product that people had an affection for and that was truly great off road, but they seemed to have rested on their laurels and stopped any sort of innovation really, a lot of the traits in the original 50'/60's LR's where still present when they finished production this year (?) of the Defender, all their innovation seems to have been put into the top end vehicles I feel, which have some amazingingly clever electronic gizmos but are no good when travelling to places where the mechanics don't have a laptop and a electronic engineers degree.
The Hilux is what it is, a very simple workhorse that just works, the African spec will never be the same, but most things could be repaired with a hammer and bubblegum which is what suits an African mechanic.
I messaged the seller of the mog asking what he had done to the vehicle in a month to add three grand to the price. He replied (sort of) with blank message!
Here is/was my off road camper. It might not be right pretty but it got 9 of use from here to Tanzania
[url= http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5472/11665708106_0b04df9e79_z.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/john_clinch/11665708106/ ]Christmas (2 of 3)[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/john_clinch/ ]John Clinch[/url], on Flickr
[url= http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3665/11665160433_ab4bbcfb56_z.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/john_clinch/11665160433/ ]Christmas (1 of 3)[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/john_clinch/ ]John Clinch[/url], on Flickr
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[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/john_clinch/9219899181/ ]africa (1 of 1)[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/john_clinch/ ]John Clinch[/url], on Flickr
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[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/john_clinch/5716757675/ ]africa dom0046.jpg[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/john_clinch/ ]John Clinch[/url], on Flickr
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[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/john_clinch/11665550024/ ]Africa (1 of 1)[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/john_clinch/ ]John Clinch[/url], on Flickr
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[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/john_clinch/11665188123/ ]Christmas (3 of 3)[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/john_clinch/ ]John Clinch[/url], on Flickr
For many of us that trip burst the Unimog dream. In every way the Unimog is the better vehicle. But in some ways that was the problem
We crossed the Norhern sahara during a freezing winter. In Algeria you you have to register in and out of every major town for safety.
We stopped outside a Police Station next to a brand new Unimog camper. Even the 80s it must have cost over £60,000. Our MKP2BMO cost £2000. A large annoyed German came out of the Police Station and went back to get more paper work out his vehicle.
We got into the Police station and were immediatly shown through the desk to a comfortable warm seating area. We were all given hot sweet mint tea and engaged in friendly banter. Some one collected our passports and took them away. Tea finished and glad to have got warm our passports were returned. Some one did all the paper work for us. We headed back out through the desk. To our amazement the German was till waiting to be served!!!
Where ever we went in our lorry people got that we were travelling in the back of an open lorry, the way they travelled
Not disputing the land cruiser or the patrol- but id be equally happy taking a 3.9efi rangie with me.
Agree defender is an aquired taste - the african spec hilux isnt much better in that respect.
Ampthill, love those pics, i drove a Bedford from Portsmouth to Cape Town with a mates 72 Land Rover with us and 14 people in all, although some dropped out and we picced up some strays on the way, still the journey of a lifetime and it took us 7 1/2 months, by the end of it we were so skint we were exchanging the pots and pans off the truck for fuel. Sad to think that many of the countries in West and Central Africa we passed through are no longer open to tourists.
Thats cool as **** ampthill.
Before y time but looks very much like a bullnose merc. Another african and middle east stable.
I think Trail Rat the problem is that the 3.9efi is a great vehicle, but once a vehicle becomes a "standard" like the Land Cruiser in places like Africa, Australia etc, it is getting the parts for other vehicles, we had a friend in the UK who had travelled extensively in Africa and we left him with a load of catalogues and contact telephone numbers for parts suppliers so that when (not if) we broke down, if it was terminal he could hopefully get parts to us.
Don't get me wrong, i still love seeing a well kitted out Land Rover or early Range Rover as much as the next geek, but those little traits and niggles that are laughed about over a beer in the UK, become major bugbears (sp.?) when you have to live with them day in day out hundreds of miles from anywhere don't they?
From what ive seen in the last 5 years is that either old hilux' and land cruisers dont exist in the west african countries i work in or they only have relitively new ones - loads of prados and mid 90s cruisers and patrols . Very little in the way old older stuff
Head out of port harcourt on the road to onni and there is a series land rover grave yard an many old series 2 and een rangies kicking about as recovery vehicles. - ill dig out aome photos later
Middle east love their prados and old yank trucks - saw more broncos in kuwait than i did in california !
Scud
We really regret not carrying onto Cap Town. It would have been so easy. I agree about the Countries we that have now shut or are now in a worse state, tragic
We sold the lorry and spares for $9000 in Tanzania. That was roughly what they'd cots but still a good outcome
Trail Rat
we saw loads of those old Mercs. They kept that shape for the developing world long after they were flat fronted in the West. They seemed to be the truck of choice with the locals
I remember stopping at one of the very few light controlled junctions we saw in Nigeria, looked down to see someone trying to unbolt the headlights while we were blaitantly sitting in the vehicle! It is nearly 16 years since i last travelled down through West Africa, so i guess a lot has changed really, was always amazed though at the ingenuity of african mechanics.
West african mechanics scare me , by far the scariest car ive ever been in from a mechanic point of view was our guinean base mechanics pug 405 saloon. Not sure there was any shock absorbers or a single bush left in the rear suspension .... If i hadnt seen the wheels before we got in id have assumed we were a wheel or 2 short at the back end. Going round a round about and im sure the rear end was going to carry on straight.
Sme awesome trips you guys have been on but i wouldnt fancy doing those trips these days.
Like i said ill dig out some photos later but i have a shot of one of our hiluxes that still has a bullet hole in the dash where it came in the front quarterlight through the dash and out the scuttle from a job down in warri.
And if i an find it - a 3.9efi rangy pulling an l200 bus out of a bus sized hole that opened up on the road.
More pics ampthill!
Worst thread ever, worse than a Fat Bike thread, at least I can afford and have space for one of those. Blinking annoyed a trader beat McMooter to it. I could have lived the dream via his thread!
Ampthill - so are you the same John Clinch that we know through Sophie & Nick Wood?
All these 4x4s have got me thinking about Iceland again. We did the south this summer, but decided venturing inland would be better done with a cheap 4x4 that we shipped there / back and then sold(?) after the trip. All the hire 4x4s were a bit wimpy, stupid expensive and not insured during river crossings - which could get even more expensive ....
Mick (of the homebuilt bikes) 🙂
Yes Mike that's me. I asked Sophie on that trip but she said no. Apparently she didn't really believe that we would go
I use to have keen 4wd driving mates and wondered about getting a ferry with them to Iceland
Sadly they no longer own a suitable vehicle.
Your idea certainly sounds worth costing. However I'd want to know a few things before spending any money
One would be about river crossing risks as looking back Sue and I did some stupid walking through rivers in New Zealand back in the day
The other is how much traffic roads get. Its probably be fine but if its really remote 1 vehicle is a bit of a risk. Ironically the sahara was so full of people we were never ever nervous. Just after we got into the desert we came across a Toyota with a puncture and stopped to help. The lorry had an airline which was very popular with other vehicles
Anyway I think within 10 minutes 4 vehicles has stopped and the puncture repaired, so we never ever felt on our own. The repairing the puncture was amazing. some one glue on a piece of inner tube with contact adhesive. But rather than letting it dry they set it on fire. Just as the flames were dieing they put on the patch and then jacked another 4 wd drive up with the patch under the jack to act as press
I had picked up some of your threads on here. I sent Sophie a link to one where you helped make an adult balance bike
Ps final thought the guy who was chief mechanic on that trip and still runs a Land Rover lives in Preston. So I might be able to put you in touch if your buying a 4wd and want advice. Although I don't think there is anything very magic about buying a 4wd
The repairing the puncture was amazing. some one glue on a piece of inner tube with contact adhesive. But rather than letting it dry they set it on fire. Just as the flames were dieing they put on the patch
The best way - works well on bikes too
Mick loud and clear om the iceland trip . Once my landy is rebuilt thats top on my list - holds much more llure than africa
Ampthill, your pictures are really inspiring, funnily enough before the 'mog came up I had been looking at one of those Bedford trucks too, but reasoned it was just too big even for my log gathering needs.
Got any more pictures from your trip?
Hi John (and Terry trail rat)
Iceland is not a serious plan at the moment (certainly not for 2014), but we absolutely loved the place on the first visit. The main killer is getting there in something big and thirsty within a sensible timescale and cost. The ferry used to do a great cloverleaf route including Scotland, Faroes, Bergen, Scotland, Iceland and Denmark. Now it just does Denmark-Faroes-Iceland, so that means drive to Harwich, 21 hour £££ Ferry to Denmark, drive up Denmark and then ££££ multi day ferry crossing. Or do overnight Hull-Rotterdam and then more than 1000km to get to ferry in Denmark 🙁
You simply can't cross the centre of Iceland without fording multiple rivers. Not too risky as there are plenty of people doing it plus 4x4 coaches on the main routes in summer. I think the bigger problems are afternoon crossings in sunny weather as daytime glacial melt makes things a bit lively....
What does a Mog actually get taxed / registered as - truck or agricultural vehicle? (and if the latter, are there mileage constraints).
One of the best "budget" truck options would be a Leyland DAF T244. I was an apprentice at Leyland in the years when they were finishing development / running the production. A lot of development went into them and they were pretty well sorted from what I remember. Prices are good and plenty of new spares at surplus prices. Just need somewhere to store one...... And a licence unless can get it downplated to 7.5 tonne.
Also always fancied a Uaz - you can even buy new ones, although probably impossible to get it registered in UK. http://www.uaz.ru/eng/models/commercial/39625/
Mick , been a passenger in the back of one of those uaz and a uaz jeep and a ural truck .... I wouldnt like to travel anywhere in any of them .
Russian cars not fun.
Frigging ugly
UAZes are hateful.
I shall dig around later for more pics
Buts its a double tragedy. I had my camera knicked in Burundi
But i then shared a camera with a friend
He kept all the slides and the plan was i would scan them. By the time I bought a scanner he has lost the set of the best slides....
I did watch a video of a Uaz in Iceland - the bounciness suggested that it didn't use dampers (just inter leaf friction I guess). I'll cross it off the list of things I'll never actually buy 🙂
[url= http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3776/11684195895_4352fe5599_z.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/john_clinch/11684195895/ ]Africa (1 of 1)-11[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/john_clinch/ ]John Clinch[/url], on Flickr
First service in North Africa. we had the Lorry for about 3 months before leaving. You can see what we did. Benches down the side for seating and storage. 2 people could sleep on each side. 2x180 litre water tanks at the back of the benches. Additional 88 gallon fuel tank on the right.
[url= http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2850/11683998705_836f52c35c_z.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/john_clinch/11683998705/ ]Africa (1 of 1)[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/john_clinch/ ]John Clinch[/url], on Flickr
Just before we sold the lorry. You can see the big storage area up at the front. 3 could sleep on here. Plus 2 in stretchers hung in the roof. But once it was hot most of us slept around the outside, with the lorry to tie our mosquito nets to
[url= http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2854/11684436593_984cd1f431_z.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/john_clinch/11684436593/ ]Africa (1 of 1)-10[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/john_clinch/ ]John Clinch[/url], on Flickr
We broke the main steering bearings mid desert. The ones fitted were incorrectly speced. One of the guys on the bikes flew home for the funeral and flew out with some bearings. We carried their petrol for the next 700 miles
[url= http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7351/11684941746_18dab3c01f_z.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/john_clinch/11684941746/ ]Africa (1 of 1)-9[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/john_clinch/ ]John Clinch[/url], on Flickr
To avoid the corrugations or wash board people drive to the edge of the main track. So in places the area driven over is more than 10 miles wide
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[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/john_clinch/11684090955/ ]Africa (1 of 1)-6[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/john_clinch/ ]John Clinch[/url], on Flickr
We met a gang of proper truck runners. Every year they brought trucks to drive to Africa and sell. This was one of them. They would carry 100s of gallons of diesel as it could be bought so cheaply in Algeria. They also made a killing bringing retired truck tyres from Germany
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[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/john_clinch/11684498794/ ]Africa (1 of 1)-8[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/john_clinch/ ]John Clinch[/url], on Flickr
Ferry probably in Zaire
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[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/john_clinch/11684373643/ ]Africa (1 of 1)-7[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/john_clinch/ ]John Clinch[/url], on Flickr
Typical main road in zaire. One day we covered 56 miles in 8 hours. You just drive to the next mud hole. A lorry drives in and gets stuck. The next one going the other way pulls it out. That Lorry then drives in and gets stuck...
[url= http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3825/11684328473_2303893719_z.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/john_clinch/11684328473/ ]Africa (1 of 1)-5[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/john_clinch/ ]John Clinch[/url], on Flickr
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[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/john_clinch/11684795916/ ]Africa (1 of 1)-2[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/john_clinch/ ]John Clinch[/url], on Flickr
Crossing the zaire River on a stupid trip down a side road. I think it was 5 km wide
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[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/john_clinch/11684037225/ ]Africa (1 of 1)-3[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/john_clinch/ ]John Clinch[/url], on Flickr
I put 2 wheels off the road here. It took about 20 of us 36 hours to dig it out. To then be told the road was a dead end. All a huge disaster as for the first time we had split up. We left 4 people stuck in small town for 10 days waiting for us, they had very little money..
[url= http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7414/11684309753_bf6a47f418_z.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/john_clinch/11684309753/ ]Africa (1 of 1)-4[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/john_clinch/ ]John Clinch[/url], on Flickr
Buying Fuel from a lorry that had fallen over in he dreaded black cotton soil in Tanzania. He'd been there for ages selling Fuel to buy food. I think he was even keeping chickens. Several days later we met the owner coming the other way, to see what he could do about a recovery
Mike have you been to Utah
The White rim trail would be a great family 4wd and biking venture
[url= http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7035/6426913797_0a5d7de4a8_z.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/john_clinch/6426913797/ ]Sue with a big climb behind her[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/john_clinch/ ]John Clinch[/url], on Flickr
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[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/john_clinch/8206922698/ ]White Rim Trail, Close to the White Rim[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/john_clinch/ ]John Clinch[/url], on Flickr
I think the 4 wd rentals in Moab let you drive the Rim. Its not the best cycling but its scenic. We met loads of families with mum or dad driving and the kids cycling as as much or as little as they wanted
Plus you could do all the other Moab classics
[url= http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7167/6426905781_8bc2e72994_z.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/john_clinch/6426905781/ ]Slick Rock Trail[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/john_clinch/ ]John Clinch[/url], on Flickr
A few more photos here
http://www.flickr.com/photos/john_clinch/sets/72157622853968687/
love the photos ampthill,
what year was that ?
must be some great memories to go with those great piccys
John - stop it stop it stop it stop it 🙂
Funnily enough we are just trying to decide what to do for holidays. Sophie always raved about Moab.
The early Leyland Landmaster suffered in Africa, so we had corrugation, herringbone and 1" / 2" setts surfaces on the test track (sadly out of use now). Different speeds = different frequencies. If you went too slow then it coincided with the natural frequency of the suspension and was like driving on ice. Just googled this picture which is in one of my lab rooms at work - the floor is a 1100 tonne seismic block on 20mm of air suspension so we don't shake the building down.......
http://www.imcdb.org/vehicle_380343-Leyland-Landmaster.html
Corrugations must be an engineering nightmare. It certainly seems that driving though resonance is much more comfortable. Well i assume thats what happens. We often lacked the power for this. we also set up our own transverse cab resonance by badly seating a tyre on a rim...
I've just got from a dog walk around the edges of Milbrooke test track. i don't think that they have corrugations either. They do have Pave and a 1:1 hill
We met two guys in what was a sort of long wheel base Land Rover kebab van. Well that's what they claimed it had started as. They used it as motor home. But for some reason the modification changed the way that the suspension reacted to the washboard. They'd come across the desert on a much more corrugated route than us. Every they time they sped up on Corrugations the back end would step out and the vehicle got slowly move side ways. So they'd had to bump along at under 30 mph for hundreds of miles
If you can afford to get to America and can get away in Spring or Autumn Utah would be a great family holiday. Perhaps throw in some rafting or just exploring the National Parks
I think our concrete corrugations were something like 1 metre pitch, and generally driven at about 50-55 kph giving a frequency around 16Hz - 18Hz ish. Under 40kph was rather scary. Sometimes didn't do the corrugations element for European market vehicles but was essential for Africa.
Awesome photos, very jealous!
Ampthill, those are terrific photos, what an adventure! Your truck reminds me of the Dakar-style RAID racing trucks, just cheaper! There are DAF trucks racing which look like a cheaper commercial 4x4 version would make an excellent exploration camper. Where did you get the Bedford from? I assume it was a 4x4, I can see what looks like a transmission in the front axle.
Oh, and seeing Mick's reference to the Leyland DAF I did a quick Goog, and found this:
http://www.pistonheads.com/news/default.asp?storyId=27728 😉
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