It didn’t take long after first looking at Unimogs to see that a fair percentage of camper conversions are done on the model U1300L chassis. What we found is that there are basically two different types of Unimog. The first being agricultural spec (these come with all different kinds of extras fitted, such as three point linkage, PTO drives, hydraulics, hiab etc). The second type of Unimog is the military spec unit that generally the cab chassis fitted with a flatbed/pickup on its back.

There’re also three main different size Unimogs, but we were only interested on the larger square cab models with a MPGW of at least 7.5ton. There are models built in more recent with much larger payloads, but these are very expensive to buy. You certainly need to be spending in excess of £50,000 for an all singing all dancing large unit.

The ex-military Unimogs that come available all seem to come from the German Army and are U1300L’s from the early 1980’s. Their prices tend to range from €9000 to €20,000. Don’t forget that on top of buying the chassis the Unimog needs a box built on its back to house the living space and this will cost anything from £6000. The U1300, U1500, U1700, U2100 and U2400 all have axles and chassis that are longer and more substantial than other models.

So the U1300L was selected as the best option. A big issue that had to be discussed was the running cost of a vehicle like this. It’s quite obvious that it will cost more than your average motorhome. Servicing and repairs aren’t such a concern to us as the technology employed is old now, the use of computers was almost non existent and they are very well built. I hope to learn enough about the vehicle to do the bulk of mechanical work by myself.

The tyres will be expensive to replace, though this could be eased for me as I might be able to get them trade price. The biggest worry and talking point for us is the fuel consumption, especially considering the vast amount of distance we intend to do. From the research I’ve done the Unimog could do anything from 12mpg to 18mpg. I expect to get about 14mph. The cost of fuel in Africa will be much cheaper than we’re accustomed to, so this issue will be less of a problem.

For the technically minded amongst you, here's the specification for my U1300L:

Model Unimog L 1300
Gearbox 8 forward + 4 reverses
Engine Diesel 6 cyl OM 352
Year 1982
Steering RHD
Axle 4x4
Engine: Diesel 6 cyl OM 352
Power rating: 130 HP (96 kW)@2,800 rpm
Capacity: 5,675 cc
Torque: 36.3 mkg @ 1,800rpm
Compression: 1 :17
Cooling: Water
Transmission: 4x4 (Front wheel drive can be disconnected)
Gearbox: 8 forward + 4 reverses
Ratio: 1st : 13.85 ; 2nd : 9.61 ; 3rd : 6.35 ; 4th : 4.38; 5th : 3.17 ; 6th : 2.2 ; 7th : 1.57 ; 8th : 1.00
Chassis: U type, helicoidally suspension
Steering: Power steering
Brakes: Air - Hydraulic, double circuit, disk on 4 wheels
Length: 5,700 mm
Width: 2,310 mm
Height: 3,550 mm
Wheelbase: 3,250 mm
Ground clearance: 440 mm
Track: 1,860 m
Attack angle: 46°
Total weight: 7,500 kg
Empty weight: 5,250 kg (with empty box)
Payload: 2,250 kg
Tyres: Michelin 365/80 R20 XZL
Combustible tank capacity: 160 l
Max. speed: 80 km/h

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