New Tassie member

G_ute

G_ute

Well-Known Member
Hi all,
Looks like a great forum from the discussions I have read.
I have a fairly unusual vehicle, a 1987 Mercedes G ute (Gelandewagen)
Its a bit of a bitsa being a an ex-Dutch army amubulance cab mounted on a 5-door LWB chassis (shorter wheelbase than the new G300 utes)
It has a 2800 Toyota-70 tray (locally made by Triple-M) which is just long enough for my Trayon slide-on camper.
Its also got a later model engine, being a 6-cyl 3.0 TD with 5-speed manual.

cheers,
Graham.

avatar1.jpg
 
Minelabmaster

Minelabmaster

Member
Welcome Graham,
I agree with Jim, good to see something different.
Do you do much off-roading in Tassie?
Where do you call home?
I’ve got a brother who lives in Orford on the east coast.
 
G_ute

G_ute

Well-Known Member
We moved down from Qld almost 3 years ago and have been too busy for much more than on-road day trips. We are on the North West near a place called Forth. Also the ute is a project which is not quite finished yet. I traded in my old 3-door G-wagen for the ute, which was put together by a friend in Qld. Previous fourbies include a Hilux, GQ, GU and Vitara.
I intend to join a local 4wd club soon.
We did a trip to the Big Desert in NW Victoria recently, with a bunch of other G-wagens and that was a lot of fun, mostly sand driving.
Cant wait to explore the more remote parts of Tassie although we wont do anything too extreme with the camper on the back.
 
T

Tink

Well-Known Member
Welcome to Earth Graham.
Interesing ute conversion. Was it right hand drive in Holland or was it converted also? How do you find the ride without the camper on the back? What sort pf rear suspension?
Tink
 
G_ute

G_ute

Well-Known Member
Yes, it was converted to RHD which was pretty simple with such a basic design, just needing a pedal box.

Here is a picture of how it would have looked in the Dutch army.
157.jpg


The suspension is the same as a LWB 5-door wagen although I am about to fit Dobinsons coils and shocks.
Then I will see how it sits with the camper and possibly fit airbags later on.
Its a bit light on the back when empty, even with the steel tray.
 
G_ute

G_ute

Well-Known Member
G_ute

G_ute

Well-Known Member
Here is a brochure of the ADF ones if anyone is interested.
https://www.army.gov.au/sites/g/files/net1846/f/g_wagon_booklet.pdf

40th Anniversary of G-wagen production this year, Mercedes oldest continuous model.

Another Euro offroader, a brochure for Unimog showing some of its uses.
https://www.kolumankamu.com/vakumlu...cedes-Benz-Brochure-Unimog-Brand-brochure.pdf

This is also made by Steyr-Daimler-Puch (who manufacture the G-wagen but not the Unimog) the Haflinger. Would love one on the farm instead of a side-by-side.
https://www.kolumankamu.com/vakumlu...cedes-Benz-Brochure-Unimog-Brand-brochure.pdf

And to round it out they also made the Pinzgauer
https://www.wikizero.com/en/Pinzgauer_High-Mobility_All-Terrain_Vehicle
The NZ army have a large fleet of these in RHD which they must be replacing soon...
One of these featured in the movie "Thor"
 
G_ute

G_ute

Well-Known Member
No worries, will let you know.
Also consider joining a local 4wd club, that would be best for local knowledge of the tracks down there.
 
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