When you own a Unimog, this makes perfect sense (right)
I don’t own a Unimog, but I am looking at a Pinzgauer, for hauling grandkids here and there on the mountain. During Elk season, I’ll hire it out with a driver (me) to help get city hunter’s game out of the tough spots after I’ve finally retired and am living the life of a country squire. The Mog works, but for my application, the Pinz may be a better option. What do you all think?
To get the big beasts out intact, I’ll install a winch in the back with some removable rollers there on the rear bumper and will just muscle the trophy wapiti aboard for a fee.
The White Wolf Mine is remote, but it’s right in the heart of the prime elk hunting area in on the Mogollon Rim. I’ve heard that such a service would be in demand. I can advertise at the elk processing trailers where city people come to have their elk skinned, cleaned, butchered, wrapped and frozen for them.
Pinz
Or Mog
Personally, I'd go with the Pinzgauer.
You need an excuse to buy a big boy toy?
Best bang for the buck will be a surplus 2 1/2. Several on Ebay. Another option would be a LMTV. Finding parts wouldn't be a problem.
Make some sort of overhead rail crane like found on WWII US ammo trucks for moving bombs. That would help lift up the big darned dead animals.
And the answer, of course, is whichever one fits the trails and your wallet better. The Pinz looks narrower and shorter so maybe one of those.
Major Surplus in Gardena always one or the other, or both, "In Stock" for inflated prices.
My son liked to go crawl around on them when he was little, and the store staff was always happy to oblige him.
I'm with Beans…get the narrowest one of the two.
I like the look of the Pinz better.
Roll up the sides for the grandkids in summer, lower them in the winter.
The correct answer of course is to get both……
Been looking at these vehicles and others for a long time. So here goes:
Pinzgauer is small, two or three axles. Expensive and not easy to find on the open market. Parts can be expensive. Good off road capabilities. Alternative is the Volvo 303.
Unimog is much bigger than Pinzgauer but also more capable. 404 is most common but slowest. Parts should be easier to get than Pinzgauer. Vehicles can get expensive for newer or diesel models. Watch out for gearsets, some Unimogs are crawlers, some have highway gears and are faster.
M-35 Deuce and a Half are even bigger, simple diesel, cheap. Easy to work on, dependable. But without modifications is not as capable off-road than Unimog or Pinzgauer. Manual transmission, non-power steering.
LMTV M1078 or similar model. I’ve got the LAPES version of the M1087, called a M1081. It has a 11,000 lb self recovery winch, four large tires with Central Tire Inflation, Caterpillar 3116 diesel and Allison transmission, power steering, air ride cab, all wheel drive with locking transfer case. Heavy but comfortable. More expensive to buy and maintain than M-35 but uses American axles, engine, transmission, brakes and other parts. Makes finding parts much easier than Unimog or Pinzgauer, I get many parts from NAPA.
Look at the board Steelsoldiers.com for good info. You’ll see me in the FMTV section.
Happy hunting, they’re all fun to play with!
Wandering Neurons
I love the Pinz and had a lot of fun rolling about a friend's ranch on one. I'm no expert but I think you'd enjoy a Pinz.
Have been selling HMMWV to foreign governments for the last 17 years (now retired). Done extensive reviews of all competitor trucks going back many years. Here is my thinking on this. The Pinz is lighter, narrower and a bit lower to the ground, both better for the kind of territory you are in. The downside of the Pinz is the cooling system and smallish engine and depending on how old it is. getting repair parts. The Unimog is a much larger and heavier unit, does have Mercedes quality and greater availability of parts albeit much more expensive. It is higher CG and not real good on steep slopes. All things considered I would choose the pinz for carrying folks and loading game onto the bed knowing it won't be a speed demon and keep a very close eye on the cooling system. They are both fun to drive. Even after selling and demoing HMMWV all over, would not recommend it as an alternate simply due to weight, maneuverability in heavily wooded land and limited passenger space unless they ride on the troop seats which are not that comfy.
I prefer the look of a Mog. It looks harder which makes it cooler and that many gear-sticks can come in useful.
I've always wanted a Unimog, though I like the old round nose ones better. I can't even come close to justifying one though, so unless I win the lottery, it's off the table. On the bright side, you usually only need to use five or six of those levers at once!
Pinzgauers are neat, but a little too small and bare-bones for me.
Everything all those sensible people above have said about the two vehicles (and alternatives) is dead on.
-Kle.
Get both.
There is a Pinz mechanic in Sedona, which isn't that far away. I think that I need to brave the vortexes and go chat with him. Spare parts are always a concern as is having somebody with enough skill – and the necessary tools – to bolt them in. Both the Pinz and the Mog require some specialty tools. I need to know what those tools are, how to acquire them and then how to use them. The big thing with the Unimogs is transmission seal replacement. I don't know how big of a job it is, but it's one of those things.
It would also be useful to have a mechanic to take a Pinz to and ask him "what's wrong with it" before I buy it.
So I need to meet the wrench.
I HAVE considered a deuce-and-a-half. And I haven't written it off. I don't need an excuse to buy. I just need to look at the options and make a decision. The Humvee (or civilian Hummers) are not on the table. I've used those before and they're more trouble than they are worth.
Those vehicle recovery trucks/wreckers with the large hooks are suitable to lift dead bison…but it would be a bit of over kill.
The Pinz is narrower, and even though the engine is small, the rig has a lot of torque and while not a rock crawler, it can go almost anywhere if you can get traction.
That was precisely my thought.
Of course.
Sound advice all the way around.
Neither of these are speed demons, but I don't have any plans to take them that far afield. Because I live IN the Coconino National Forrest, the running and gunning is all local.
Thanks Terrapod. The HMMWV isn't something that I'd consider for the reasons that you outlined. Good advice, good analysis.
Yes, no shortage of gear shifts in the Unimog.
The old 404's are not that expensive, but it's always difficult to know what the true mechanical condition is without an expert view and I'm about a million miles from being an expert.
You're a practical man.
I drove a duece and a half in the army on many occasions: quite the off road vehicle for how big it was. Hardly ever got stuck, regardless of how lousy the terrain was: snow, mud, inclines, never an issue. I got stuck once in pretty sloppy mud, all it took was a platoon of guys pushing on it to get me rocking back and forth and on my way.
Very reliable, easy to work on, and power steering is overrated.
You have a lot of rubber turning, a lot of horsepower, a ton of torque, locked differentials and I think that the only thing that will stop them is mud as you described.
A seal replacement in the trans would involve pulling the trans out, and taking it apart. You *might* be able to replace the output shaft seal with it in place, but if the input seal is leaking, it has to come out.
And if the trans is out of the vehicle, it would be an excellent time to replace the clutch disc, pressure plate, pilot bearing and release ("throw out") bearing.
Not that I'm repeating myself, but I need to meet the guy who will do all of that and get an idea of how often and how much.
Clutch wear depends on driving habits and usage, but I would expect a clutch on one of those to be good for at least 30k miles.
Resealing the trans should make it good almost 'forever' if it's done correctly and you don't bounce over a rock hard enough to break the case!
As a young lad, I learned to drive in a WWII surplus jeep. I was motoring around our ranch by myself at 8 years old. One would be perfect for teaching the grand kids. Even though it only had a four-banger, there was a lot of capability there, especially with the matching trailer. I have to admit, a hard top cab is better in winter.
What ever you wind up with, I suggest Afrika Korps colors (sans insignia) for the desert–although a set of magnetic balkenkreuz might prove useful from time to time.
Around 15 or 20 years ago I designed and built some hoists to fit in a receiver hitch for dressing large deer or elk. they are pretty simple and you could have it fabricated locally or build it yourself. If you're interested I will be glad to send pictures and or drawings
DRJIM, I am told reliably that the Unimog transmission seals tend to leak every 15-20K miles. That's on the old 404's. That may not be good information, but I've heard it more than once.
My son-in-law is building up a '46 Willies for that very purpose. I told him that if he headquartered it at the mine, I'd paint the beast. It's not 'restored' to original, and I helped him slip the Chevy small block into it about a month ago. But it runs now and in due time, it should make its way up there. He still talks about selling it first, and doing another one (that's just my son-in-law, he has three project cars in his garage). If it ends up there on the property, I'll take a photo.
Yes, please send. The e-mail address is on my profile in the sidebar.
Sounds like a 'known problem' then.
I looked into these:
real4x4.com/Volvo303.shtml
Swedish military, mid-engine 6 cyl, portal axles. Smaller and more maneuverable than a Mog or a Pinz. and easier to drive.
Set up right they are real head-turners.
In action:
youtube.com/watch?v=3IvvJ1IG1_g
For the record, I ended up with a VW Syncro Vanagon instead.
=TW=
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