The NorthWest Mogfest is more than just Unimogs. The event also draws a large amount of ther European military 4x4's and 6x6's like these Pinzgauers, Halfinger & Swedish C300-series (TGB).

Written/Phtography by
David & Alex Ratson

NorthWest Mogfest was again held at Sheridan, Oregon this year and Canadian Unimogs from Calgary, Vancouver, Gibsons and Mackenzie were in attendance along with those from throughout the USA. The event is not just for Unimogs, in fact the invitation reads: "All unusual European off-road vehicles are invited". For 2005 the collection in attendance included 39 Unimogs, 7 Pinzgauer, 5 Haflinger and 4 Volvos and a few others. Within that mix were some very unusual trucks. Some hard-core off-roaders have built custom rock buggies using components (such as axles) from some of these trucks but few people know anything about the trucks themselves so that is what this article is about.

Jim Ince from Azalea, Oregon http://www.eurotech-services.com/index.html brought his 1996 Unimog 2450 L/38 double-cab camper. This truck was originally purchased by Steven Spielberg and used in his movie Jurassic Park: Lost World. It did not have the camper box and was a different colour in the movie. The truck was converted by adding a rear passenger box to carry eco-tourists. It was later converted to a camper for some really remote expedition-type trips in the USA. Although this truck is rather on the large size, what with its 51-inch diameter 455/70R 24 tires and 17,800 pounds ready-to-go weight, it comfortably cruises down the freeway at 65mph (105 kph). The air conditioner adds to the comfort factor. The turbo and intercooler diesel mates to a standard 8-speed – that is, standard in the Unimog sense with 8 forward and 8 reverse gears.

Unimogs come in all sizes as is shown by Jim Ince's 1996 Unimog 2450 L/38 double-cab camper (blue). Mike Hiscox from Portland Oregon also had an unusual camper at NorthWest Mogfest this year. His was based on a 1997 Unimog 416T (white). T stands for Traction head.

Mike Hiscox from Portland Oregon also had an unusual camper at NorthWest MogFest this year. His was based on a 1977 Unimog 416T. The 'T' stands for 'traction head' which is the front half of a Unimog ready to be bolted to some other rear frame and axle assembly. This factory option is available to those with very specialized applications. In the case of this Unimog it was so ordered by the Dutch Railroad Company. They then had Werner in Germany attach the unique 4-passenger cab. This cab has a pass-through to the rear and sliding doors which provide really good ventilation according to the previous owner who traveled with it throughout the Sahara. The previous owner converted it to a camper in 1995. There were only four cabs of this style ever made. When the Dutch Railroad was using this Unimog they had a very heavy workshop attached instead of the camper on top of which they mounted a large scissor lift. They mounted rail guidance bogies and in the centre, under the frame was a huge hydraulic ram that could lift the complete unit off the rails, rotate it 90º then lower it down so it can drive away from the tracks, or 180º so it can return on the tracks in the direction from which it just came. If all this sounds heavy, it was! That is why the Unimog was specified as a traction head. They needed a stronger axle in the rear than what was available from Unimog, so they chose a 6-tonne NAF rear axle with an auto-locker and an open drive shaft, rather than a torque tube with a drive shaft inside as is the normal Unimog fashion. The 'pumpkin' for this axle is huge compared to a Unimog's partly because of its load capacity and partly because it does not have reduction gears at the outboard end of the axles. Instead, the pumpkin houses a rather large crown gear required to achieve the same ratio as the front axle's 6.061:1 ratio. It is testament to the Unimog design that the traction head, normally fitted with a non-powered rear axle is able to operate as a front wheel drive, air locker power unit with no modifications to the normal 416. Think about disconnecting the rear drive shaft from your favourite 4X4 and drive for 30 years with 4WD engaged! Mike purchased this Unimog in 2002 from www.classicunimogs.com based in Germany and selling Unimogs though out the world.

In the early 1960s the Austrian company Steyr-Daimler-Puch AG produced a light-weight (600 kg) cross-country (4wd, front and rear differential locks) called the Haflinger. It was marketed for military and civilian uses. It was powered by a thunderous 643 cc 2-cylinder engine putting out 28 hp.

At one time, this little pony held the world record for driving to the highest elevation of any motorized vehicle when a two-man expedition team from Innsbruck drove to 5,680m (18,460 ft) while exploring the Inca temples on the flanks of Mt. Llullaillaco, Chile.

Above from left: The orange 1973 Pinzgauer 710M shown here is owned by Hans Purdy of Tacoma, Washington. Kristal Dale's 1963 700 AP-series I Halfinger is at the centre. Erik Purdon's 1973 Pinzgauer 712M 6x6 is at right.

The frame was also unique in that it was essentially a single tube down the centre of the vehicle within which the drive shafts spun. The suspension was independent and the axles were of course, portal (spur gears on the out board ends) with front and rear lockers. The Haflinger shown here was purchased by Kristal Dale of Olympia Washington from: www.expedition-imports.com located in Vallejo, California in 2005. It is a 1963 700 AP-series I with the series II crawler gear. This provides a crawl ratio of 95:1 but that is a lot considering the 12" rims sport a tire diameter of about 23"! Kristal's Haflinger was originally purchased by the Swiss army as a reconnaissance and base-transport vehicle. Kristal bought it to use around the farm and have fun with.

In the early 1970s this Austrian company introduced a 'super' 4 wheel drive model called the Pinzgauer, named after another local horse breed. Like the Haflinger, it has center tube frame, independent suspension, portal axles and an air-cooled engine although the Pinz has a 4-cylinder 2.5-litre 90 hp engine and hydraulic actuated lockers. It was originally designed as a troop carrier. The orange 1973 710M shown here is owned by Hans Purdy of Tacoma, Washington. Hans bought it in 2004 privately for recreational touring. He prefers this model because it is more agile, manoeuvrable, and reliable and parts are more plentiful than the 6X6 712M that his brother has.

The 6X6 version of the Pinzgauer, model 712M, came out shortly after the 4X4 710M. Erik Purdon from Washougal, Washington purchased this 1973 712M in 1999 from: http://www.swissarmyvehicles.com/ in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Erik prefers the 6X6 because it is more stable in rough terrain and the leaf spring walking beam between the two rear axles moderates the ride over irregular surfaces compared to his brother's 4X4 model. Eric's 712M also has the 25% overdrive gear box which is good for 75 mph (120kph).

In the mid 1960s, the Swedish armed forces wanted a replacement for their small 4X4 which was itself a replacement for the post war Willys they were using. Production of the C300-series began in 1974 for both 2-axle and 3-axle versions for both military and civilian markets. The military model designation was TGB. These trucks were technologically advanced, that is to say expensive. By the time production ceased in 1980, less than 9,000 were produced. This compares to some 64,000 Unimog 404 models.

Dr. Jim Molloy's 1976 TGB11 (Swedish model fire truck). Jim's brother Sean, alias Uncle Buck, brought his 1975 TGB 1111 all the way from Houston, Texas.

Dr. Jim Molloy, host for NorthWest MogFest has a very nice 1976 TGB11. This truck was originally used by the Jönköping, Fire Department in Sweden. The emergency response versions were equipped with faster axles. Jim purchased this truck in 2004, because at the time he was commuting daily across the Cascades to a clinic and wanted to have something that would be the last vehicle allowed through during one of the many snow storms that frequently close the highway. Although this truck has the usual portal axles found on many European off-road vehicles, it will cruise at 65 mph (105 kph). The gasoline B30A inline 3-litre, 6-cylinder engine is a detuned version of that used in the Volvo 164 car, and puts out 125 hp. Four-wheel drive can be engaged on the fly as can the vacuum-powered front and rear differential locks. The solid axles have a 6:1 gear ratio, are sprung by leafs and the drive shaft is exposed. This is a configuration that puts these axles in high demand by the cannibals building rock buggies. More photos of Jim's Volvo can be viewed at www.volvo4x4.com.

Jim's brother Sean, alias Uncle Buck, brought his 1975 TGB 1111 all the way from Houston Texas. Sean bought this truck in 2005 from a private sale. It only had 5,000 km on it. Being from Texas, Sean wanted an open air touring vehicle and this truck was perfect. It is simpler mechanically than the Unimog, competent off-road, quieter down the road but, alas, more rare. This model was previously a 'tank killer' for the Swedish army. It sported a TOW missile launcher, but even in Texas, they are not allowed to be owned by the public. A unique feature of this model is that it has a fully collapsible roll cage, which is handy for storing the vehicle in your garage, although its intended purpose was to be out of the way when the missile launcher was in use. Another handy feature is the huge multi storage available in the rear compartments, originally used to store ammunition.

In it's previous life this 979 C306 quad cab 6x6 owned by George Vaughan; from Lincoln City, Oregon; spent it's time as a miltary airport fire truck.

George Vaughan from Lincoln City Oregon brought along his 1979 C306 quad cab 6X6. George bought this truck in 2004 from BAT Unimog at: www.clatskanie.com/bat via their US representative. The truck's prior life was spent as a military airport fire truck. George purchased it for recreational wheeling but it is fitted with some pretty unique fire fighting equipment such as hydraulic fittings at the rear, originally used for the 'jaws of life' and a hydraulic motor-driven water pump for the water cannon. Many military vehicles are fitted out with 24-volt electrical systems; George's C306 is 12-volt making it a bit easier to find compatible electrics in North America. George regularly shops for all sorts of parts at NAPA. The Warn 6000 winch has a Swedish designed quick disconnect so it can be easily moved front or rear. It is the best designed system I have seen. Certainly better than the more common wobbly hitch type. The axle ratio for the 6X6 is 7.14:1 including the portal gearing at the axle ends. The 6 drum brakes have an 'emergency fast brake' feature which automatically engages all wheel drive when brakes are applied in a panicky stopping manner. Perhaps the most unusual feature is the number of selectable drive options the driver can chose from. There are two different 2WD modes, centre axle or front axle. The later allows front-wheel drive with its high speed directional control for snowy highway cruising, 4WD with the front and centre axles engaged and 6WD with all axles engaged. The front axles can be locked independently from the 2 rear axles.

Although the cannibals like the 'taste' of Unimog portal axles in their Jeeps, they are missing two other important ingredients that make a Unimog such an outstanding off-road vehicle. One is the so-called torque tube. This is essentially a very long control arm within which the drive shaft runs. It bolts to and swings from the output end of the transmission. The cannibals just lop it off because it does not easily attach to the end of any other transmission. It is said to be the key to successfully getting lots of power to the ground. The other ingredient is the 'torsionally flexible' Unimog frame. By providing some of the needed articulation through the frame, as well as the coil springs, the suspension is capable of supporting heavy loads without the 'roly-poly' type antics of very long travel suspensions. Of course, if a frame is designed to twist, it is not good for high speed traveling when you only want the suspension to do the moving, which is usually not a problem for the 50 mph (80 kph) Unimogs, but it does pose a problem for anything attached to the frame, such as body and engine. To overcome this, everything in a Unimog and in particular the Diesel versions, is attached to the frame with '3-point mounts'. The frame can twist all it wants and all body and mechanicals remain flat and in line. Have you not heard all that creaking when your vehicle is really twisted? Your frame isn't supposed to twist but it does, and the rubber body mounts are groaning in protest.

So, if you retained all three of these important Unimog ingredients in a rock buggy you would have something like John van Horn's.

John Van Horn from Munroe, Washington brought his 1955 Swiss 404 Unimog-based rock buggy. John bought the 404 in 1999 from a Southern Oregon dealer at: www.unimogwherehaus.com.

John chose the 404 as a base for a rock crawler because it is relatively cheap he feels it is the best Unimog off-road. The truck was originally a troop carrier for the French army. The wheel base is 105 inches, 11 inches shorter than normal. John took everything off the frame then put only what he wanted back on. The open cab with the safari-type fold down or tip out at the bottom is great for wheeling on the hot rocks.

It uses the 'standard' Unimog 20 speed transmission. The crawl ratio is 347:1 with 19 others to choose from if that is a bit too low. The Michelin XZL 335/80R20 tires (41-inch diameter) are held on with Trailready bead locks. John replaced the rear coils with King coil-over-shocks and the fronts with softer Bronco II springs. The 404 'arm-strong' manual steering was replace by the power steering unit from a Diesel 406 but the installation of this required a 1-inch cab lift. The fuel tank and battery box were also lifted out of harm's way from trail nasties. The electrics were converted to 12-volt and a 12,000 lb Megawinch was installed at both ends of the vehicle. The rear of the open cab was lopped off and a section added to create a four-passenger cab with two additional seats facing the rear in the bed. A full roll cage was made so now the whole Munroe family can rock crawl together. A pull-out ladder step helps the young'uns clamber into the back. This 'candy Mog green' buggy really rocks in John's skilled hands and demonstrates to the cannibals what a 'full meal deal' is really like.

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