We have spent more than a full year, in aggregate, in our Alaskan Camper over the last few years. It is a superior solution for high mobility in a go-anywhere package. The 1300 makes off road easy and is arguably the best platform for hard-core wheeling. The problem is that we don't do that much hard core wheeling any more. So, while the Alaskan is a great package, it is just too small for an extended road trip. This current trip is at 5 months at the time of this writing, so we are in a pretty good position to assess the situation.
We located an alternate platform that would offer 85% or more of what the mog offers in off road capability and would have nearly double the living foot print. The Mercedes 1017A is a world-class off road cargo hauler and is capable of hauling 10 metric tons. The platform is in wide use in most of the world except the U.S. When we discovered one for sale, we thought about it long and hard and finally decided that it would make a grand experiment. The objective is to get a truck-cabin combination that allows us to go where we "normally" go and provides additional living amenities.
The photos
below show the truck and the planned cabin.
The 1017A
with the bed still attached. This unit is shown with stock tires
which are 10.00R22.5 street tires. Note the duals in the rear.
Above is
the battery box with the air system below.
On the left
of the photo is the cab tilt hydraulic system. On the right is
the 4-way valve and feed lines. At the top, the compressed air
line comes through the frame from the engine-mounted air compressor.
Stock 30
gallon diesel tank. The tank is in pretty good shape, but has
lots of crud inside.
The cab
seats 3 (with the center seat installed) and the seats are user
adjustable. The small lever is the parking brake, the long lever
is the shifter.
Standard
Mercedes truck dashboard. Oddly, the mog's setup is exactly
reversed with the gauges on the left and the speedo on the right.
Looking
down from the shift lever. On the left is the parking
brake. The large center knob is the headlight level adjustment --
the lights can be lowered if you have enough cargo in the bed and it
causes the headlights to point at the moon. The rear axle
differential lock is the right knob.
Controls under the dash: ether injector, idle adjust and an anti-EMP cutoff switch.
The plan is
to remove the stock bed to provide a lower mounting platform for the
cabin. Above, Rob backs the truck to where the fork lifts are
located. The bed has already been unbolted from the frame.
One fork
lift on each side, removal was easy.
No
problem. Note the tool boxes still attached to the bed.
With the
bed removed, the frame rails are clearly visible as are the rear
springs with overload.
The
mounting saddle for the bed was a massive chunk of cast iron.
Like most
trucks, there is a lever arm that controls the brake boost when loads
are heavy.
We did an
articulation test by backing the truck over a loading ramp. I
doubt that this is the full limit of travel, but we used the full
height of the wall.
The
transfer case, unlike the Unimog, is separate from the
transmission. But, this guy is beefy.
I found a
brand new 18' HiLo camper for sale and about 1/2 of the list
price. So, after some careful measurements, we decided that it
would fit nicely on the 1017's frame. In general, the plan is to
cutoff the tongue, remove the wheels and axle, remove leveling jacks
and then place the resulting cabin on a 3-point mounting frame on the
1017. Along the way, we will likely remove the cargo compartments
under the trailer and replace them with something bigger and more
robust. The propane will likely be mounted directly to the 1017's
frame.
The inside
of the cabin is roughly double the footprint of the Alaskan. In
the photo above, we are about 1/2 cleaned up from using the unit for
sleeping the previous night. Note the deep alcove next to the
front window.
Unlike the
Alaskan, this galley has a oven in addition to a cook top and sink.
The control
panel is along side of the 3-way refrigerator.
3 way
refrigerator.
This cabin
has a/c which was a requirement for us. In addition, the factory
supplied an iPod-ready stereo.
The
cabin has a normal RV toilet system.
The
lavatory has a sink with a shower nozzle. Somewhat minimalist,
but will likely work fine.
I parked
the mog next to the 1017A for size comparison. The 1017 is a bit
taller at the cab than the mog, but it will be at least 6" taller when
the off-road tires are installed.
A parting shot of the trucks. The frame heights of both rigs are about the same.
This will be a grand experiment. I think that the chance of a successful conclusion is high. In question is the overall robustness of the cabin, but there will be no way to tell until we take it out on the trail and beat it up awhile. In the case that the cabin is not up to the task, we will purchase or design an alternative while retaining the basic platform.| Previous Adventure | ||
Photos
and Text Copyright Bill Caid 2010, all rights reserved.
For your enjoyment only, not for commercial use.