M1078 vx. Mitsubishi FUSO 4x4

[Tango Zulu]

This is a fun exercise. Would like to hear more about what you have in mind for the project.

I searched a bit and saw a couple of Fusos modified for adventure camping. They seem like cool rigs. But looking at one next to the other, I am having a hard time putting them in the same universe. I share the concern of military vehicle lacking in, shall we say, modern comforts.

Seems like the Fuso is the more practical choice, where the 1078 is just flat cool.

Keep us all posted.

Here is a good thread on 4x4 Fuso RVs.

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/9299-Mitsu-Fuso-Camper-examples

Modern conforts are very low on my priority list. I could bivouac on the bed of the truck if necessary.
The top priorities for me are reliability and off road worthiness.

I know of two companies that produce campers based on the 4x4 Fuso chassis. One of them is Australian and just recently started production here in the U.S.

http://earthcruiser.com/ delivers a complete truck. They call it the Outback. Costs almost $175K for the final product. Definitely out of my budget.

The other one is in Utah.

http://www.hostcampers.com/subs/Expedition/outback_explorer.html also delivers the complete truck. They call it the Outback Explorer. The cab comes with slide outs which is nice. Don't know how much they go for but I know its for **** sure out of my budget.

What I am saying is , you may want to lurk some more or ask on a Mitsubishi Fuso forum if they think an LMTV is better
Anyhow, I think you ask the wrong questions to the wrong people. We have what you dream of. And We would never dream of a Mitsubishi.
Oh and most of us refer to this vehicle as American made and not 'Murican'. Maybe not the right kind of language in order to make friends on a forum called steelsoldiers.

I am on it.
http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/152277-M1078-vx-Mitsubishi-FUSO-4x4

The Expedition portal has a few members with Fuso based RV's. There is also at least one of them that I know which is in the process of building himself an expedition RV based on the 6x6 MTV. The man got his 6x6 straight from Oshkosh and plans on building a custom cab. Not really the way I want to go both financially and time wise.
I learned about this forum from reading his thread.

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/116121-I-ve-been-doing-a-little-design-work

Go with the Japanese product. The pros out weigh the cons.

Ok. Would you mind sharing more info on you come to your conclusion?

After watching an LMTV with the box on the back I think I would go with anything that wasn't so unstable. Yes, we had people at the GMVR this year that worked on them and basically said they roll too easy. Not necessarily all the way over but man, watching them go over a little dip in the road and seeing how far they go would keep me puckered up all the time.

If it were me I'd use a M939 truck. To me it seems far more suitable for off-road camping. Heck, you could even bob the thing and just have 4x4.

Great point. Never thought about the whole safety aspect of it as far as roll over proneness. How can the LMTVs be worse than the old 2 1/2 ton trucks?

I had the same experience when asking buddies (Army) about LMTV or M939-series trucks. After disregarding their advice, my M929 experience has been a blast...BUT that's because it fits my plans of hauling scrap metal to the junkyard and stealing manure from local farms. I would be very interested in the FUSO's civilian accouterments if I were looking at an off-road RV.

If you were specifically looking at a surplus truck for an RV, though, I'd ask why you'd limit yourself to the M1078? Other trucks have boxes and any truck can be cleaned down to the frame and have a box or camper bolted on.

 

[Tango Zulu]

This is a fun exercise. Would like to hear more about what you have in mind for the project.

I searched a bit and saw a couple of Fusos modified for adventure camping. They seem like cool rigs. But looking at one next to the other, I am having a hard time putting them in the same universe. I share the concern of military vehicle lacking in, shall we say, modern comforts.

Seems like the Fuso is the more practical choice, where the 1078 is just flat cool.

Keep us all posted.

Here is a good thread on 4x4 Fuso RVs.

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/9299-Mitsu-Fuso-Camper-examples

Modern conforts are very low on my priority list. I could bivouac on the bed of the truck if necessary.
The top priorities for me are reliability and off road worthiness.

I know of two companies that produce campers based on the 4x4 Fuso chassis. One of them is Australian and just recently started production here in the U.S.

http://earthcruiser.com/ delivers a complete truck. They call it the Outback. Costs almost $175K for the final product. Definitely out of my budget.

The other one is in Utah.

http://www.hostcampers.com/subs/Expedition/outback_explorer.html also delivers the complete truck. They call it the Outback Explorer. The cab comes with slide outs which is nice. Don't know how much they go for but I know its for **** sure out of my budget.

What I am saying is , you may want to lurk some more or ask on a Mitsubishi Fuso forum if they think an LMTV is better
Anyhow, I think you ask the wrong questions to the wrong people. We have what you dream of. And We would never dream of a Mitsubishi.
Oh and most of us refer to this vehicle as American made and not 'Murican'. Maybe not the right kind of language in order to make friends on a forum called steelsoldiers.

I am on it.
http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/152277-M1078-vx-Mitsubishi-FUSO-4x4

The Expedition portal has a few members with Fuso based RV's. There is also at least one of them that I know which is in the process of building himself an expedition RV based on the 6x6 MTV. The man got his 6x6 straight from Oshkosh and plans on building a custom cab. Not really the way I want to go both financially and time wise.
I learned about this forum from reading his thread.

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/116121-I-ve-been-doing-a-little-design-work

Go with the Japanese product. The pros out weigh the cons.

Ok. Would you mind sharing more info on you come to your conclusion?

After watching an LMTV with the box on the back I think I would go with anything that wasn't so unstable. Yes, we had people at the GMVR this year that worked on them and basically said they roll too easy. Not necessarily all the way over but man, watching them go over a little dip in the road and seeing how far they go would keep me puckered up all the time.

If it were me I'd use a M939 truck. To me it seems far more suitable for off-road camping. Heck, you could even bob the thing and just have 4x4.

Great point. Never thought about the whole safety aspect of it as far as roll over proneness. How can the LMTVs be worse than the old 2 1/2 ton trucks?

I had the same experience when asking buddies (Army) about LMTV or M939-series trucks. After disregarding their advice, my M929 experience has been a blast...BUT that's because it fits my plans of hauling scrap metal to the junkyard and stealing manure from local farms. I would be very interested in the FUSO's civilian accouterments if I were looking at an off-road RV.

If you were specifically looking at a surplus truck for an RV, though, I'd ask why you'd limit yourself to the M1078? Other trucks have boxes and any truck can be cleaned down to the frame and have a box or camper bolted on.

 

[Tango Zulu]

This is a fun exercise. Would like to hear more about what you have in mind for the project.

I searched a bit and saw a couple of Fusos modified for adventure camping. They seem like cool rigs. But looking at one next to the other, I am having a hard time putting them in the same universe. I share the concern of military vehicle lacking in, shall we say, modern comforts.

Seems like the Fuso is the more practical choice, where the 1078 is just flat cool.

Keep us all posted.

Modern conforts are very low on my priority list. I could bivouac on the bed of the truck if necessary.
The top priorities for me are reliability and off road worthiness.

I know of two companies that produce campers based on the 4x4 Fuso chassis. One of them is Australian and just recently started production here in the U.S.

Earthcruiser delivers a complete truck. They call it the Outback. Costs almost $175K for the final product. Definitely out of my budget.

The other one is called Host industries in Utah and also delivers the complete truck. They call it the Outback Explorer. The cab comes with slide outs which is nice. Don't know how much they go for but I know its for **** sure out of my budget.

What I am saying is , you may want to lurk some more or ask on a Mitsubishi Fuso forum if they think an LMTV is better
Anyhow, I think you ask the wrong questions to the wrong people. We have what you dream of. And We would never dream of a Mitsubishi.
Oh and most of us refer to this vehicle as American made and not 'Murican'. Maybe not the right kind of language in order to make friends on a forum called steelsoldiers.

I am on it.

The Expedition portal forum has a few members with Fuso based RV's. There is also at least one of them that I know which is in the process of building himself an expedition RV based on the 6x6 MTV. The man got his 6x6 straight from Oshkosh and plans on building a custom cab. Not really the way I want to go both financially and time wise.
I learned about this forum from reading on of the threads there.

Go with the Japanese product. The pros out weigh the cons.

Ok. Would you mind sharing more info on you come to your conclusion?

After watching an LMTV with the box on the back I think I would go with anything that wasn't so unstable. Yes, we had people at the GMVR this year that worked on them and basically said they roll too easy. Not necessarily all the way over but man, watching them go over a little dip in the road and seeing how far they go would keep me puckered up all the time.

If it were me I'd use a M939 truck. To me it seems far more suitable for off-road camping. Heck, you could even bob the thing and just have 4x4.

Great point. Never thought about the whole safety aspect of it as far as roll over proneness. How can the LMTVs be more prone to rolling over than the older 2 1/2 ton trucks?
And why would you recommend an M939? More reliable? More off-road capable?

I had the same experience when asking buddies (Army) about LMTV or M939-series trucks. After disregarding their advice, my M929 experience has been a blast...BUT that's because it fits my plans of hauling scrap metal to the junkyard and stealing manure from local farms. I would be very interested in the FUSO's civilian accouterments if I were looking at an off-road RV.

If you were specifically looking at a surplus truck for an RV, though, I'd ask why you'd limit yourself to the M1078? Other trucks have boxes and any truck can be cleaned down to the frame and have a box or camper bolted on.

I am open to other MIL spec platforms or other platforms in general. I just like cab overs so would prefer something of that nature.

 

[Tango Zulu]

This is a fun exercise. Would like to hear more about what you have in mind for the project.

I searched a bit and saw a couple of Fusos modified for adventure camping. They seem like cool rigs. But looking at one next to the other, I am having a hard time putting them in the same universe. I share the concern of military vehicle lacking in, shall we say, modern comforts.

Seems like the Fuso is the more practical choice, where the 1078 is just flat cool.

Keep us all posted.

Here is a good thread on 4x4 Fuso RVs.

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/9299-Mitsu-Fuso-Camper-examples

Modern conforts are very low on my priority list. I could bivouac on the bed of the truck if necessary.
The top priorities for me are reliability and off road worthiness.

I know of two companies that produce campers based on the 4x4 Fuso chassis. One of them is Australian and just recently started production here in the U.S.

http://earthcruiser.com/ delivers a complete truck. They call it the Outback. Costs almost $175K for the final product. Definitely out of my budget.

The other one is in Utah.

http://www.hostcampers.com/subs/Expedition/outback_explorer.html also delivers the complete truck. They call it the Outback Explorer. The cab comes with slide outs which is nice. Don't know how much they go for but I know its for **** sure out of my budget.

What I am saying is , you may want to lurk some more or ask on a Mitsubishi Fuso forum if they think an LMTV is better
Anyhow, I think you ask the wrong questions to the wrong people. We have what you dream of. And We would never dream of a Mitsubishi.
Oh and most of us refer to this vehicle as American made and not 'Murican'. Maybe not the right kind of language in order to make friends on a forum called steelsoldiers.

I am on it.
http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/152277-M1078-vx-Mitsubishi-FUSO-4x4

The Expedition portal has a few members with Fuso based RV's. There is also at least one of them that I know which is in the process of building himself an expedition RV based on the 6x6 MTV. The man got his 6x6 straight from Oshkosh and plans on building a custom cab. Not really the way I want to go both financially and time wise.
I learned about this forum from reading his thread.

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/116121-I-ve-been-doing-a-little-design-work

Go with the Japanese product. The pros out weigh the cons.

Ok. Would you mind sharing more info on you come to your conclusion?

After watching an LMTV with the box on the back I think I would go with anything that wasn't so unstable. Yes, we had people at the GMVR this year that worked on them and basically said they roll too easy. Not necessarily all the way over but man, watching them go over a little dip in the road and seeing how far they go would keep me puckered up all the time.

If it were me I'd use a M939 truck. To me it seems far more suitable for off-road camping. Heck, you could even bob the thing and just have 4x4.

Great point. Never thought about the whole safety aspect of it as far as roll over proneness. How can the LMTVs be worse than the old 2 1/2 ton trucks?

I had the same experience when asking buddies (Army) about LMTV or M939-series trucks. After disregarding their advice, my M929 experience has been a blast...BUT that's because it fits my plans of hauling scrap metal to the junkyard and stealing manure from local farms. I would be very interested in the FUSO's civilian accouterments if I were looking at an off-road RV.

If you were specifically looking at a surplus truck for an RV, though, I'd ask why you'd limit yourself to the M1078? Other trucks have boxes and any truck can be cleaned down to the frame and have a box or camper bolted on.

I am open to other MIL spec platforms or other platforms in general. I just like cab overs so would prefer something of that nature.

 

[Tango Zulu]

This is a fun exercise. Would like to hear more about what you have in mind for the project.

I searched a bit and saw a couple of Fusos modified for adventure camping. They seem like cool rigs. But looking at one next to the other, I am having a hard time putting them in the same universe. I share the concern of military vehicle lacking in, shall we say, modern comforts.

Seems like the Fuso is the more practical choice, where the 1078 is just flat cool.

Keep us all posted.

Here is a good thread on 4x4 Fuso RVs.

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/9299-Mitsu-Fuso-Camper-examples

Modern conforts are very low on my priority list. I could bivouac on the bed of the truck if necessary.
The top priorities for me are reliability and off road worthiness.

I know of two companies that produce campers based on the 4x4 Fuso chassis. One of them is Australian and just recently started production here in the U.S.

http://earthcruiser.com/ delivers a complete truck. They call it the Outback. Costs almost $175K for the final product. Definitely out of my budget.

The other one is in Utah.

http://www.hostcampers.com/subs/Expedition/outback_explorer.html also delivers the complete truck. They call it the Outback Explorer. The cab comes with slide outs which is nice. Don't know how much they go for but I know its for **** sure out of my budget.

 

[Tango Zulu]

merged

 

[tim292stro]

My post was to point out your recommendation that, to build a custom camper is about the same price as buying one, is incorrect. People on this forum have proved that.

I bought a 40-foot transit bus at auction from a county liquidating its auxiliary fleet in Oregon in 2003 for $1,572 and change. It was/is a runner and was driven home after auction. A new 40-foot Prevost shell is >$120k, so I'm already $100K ahead including the $1K in service (provided by Stewart and Stevenson of San Leandro California as happens to be topical), and ten years of storage at $100/month...

...I have a different take on the question of reliability based on how something is assembled. S&S might very well not have a resume in the business of building trucks but I think the assembly part is only one of may aspects in the production of the truck. You can somewhat bodge the assembly but if the major systems are based on quality components you can still have a long lasting product. I read on one of the threads here a member who claimed to work for Allison and he stated that the 3700 series transmissions on the M1078s were bulletproof. You couple that with the proven reliability of the 3116 Cat engines and it should provide a solid platform. Where I don't have a clue is on the quality/reliability of other major components such as transfer case, axles, hydraulic system etc...

As I understand it, the drive-train post transfer case is an issue on the 4x4 version due to drive angles, and because of the shorter wheelbase it's impossible to fix after the fact - don't have one to experience for myself though.

• First question is what kind of camping are you trying to do? Utah and Arizona mostly. Off road. No RV parks. Rock and sandy terrain. May be Alaska in the future. Need to be self-sustainable for up to two weeks.

What kind of power requirements are you hoping for (PC, TV, etc... goes towards the battery/solar/generator/fuel question)? Is this just you or multiple people (this goes towards the water usage, and black water storage questions). What kind of food/cooking are you planning (goes towards the refrigeration storage space questions)?

Also do you plan to travel in a group or just by yourself (goes to questions about self recovery and other space claims on the truck for gear)?

• Next question is how much of the conversion work and maintenance are you planning to do? I plan on doing it all me lonely self.

Good, that'll keep it cheap if you're mechanically inclined - can you give more background on what you're about? We are just learning about you now as a new publishing member, so it'll give us an idea about how best to guide you. I.e, have you ever built anything or fabricated anything before?

• Final question would be what's your budget (time/fiscal)? Up to 15K for the truck. The cab- not sure yet.

You should be able to get either an FMTV or M939 series truck in rather good shape for that much coin. Smart buying will leave you more to build the body.

For the type of camping you're suggesting, I might recommend an M939 (M923/M925) utility bed truck, which you could remove the box or build upon the box frame. With the cab-over style of truck the FMTVs are there is less space under the body (next to the frame) for infrastructure like battery boxes and water tanks. I like heavy things LOW if you're thinking of doing any kind of actual off-road. If you don't have frame-space for mounting tanks or batteries you would have to move them into the camper body, thereby eating up living space. There are ways around that, but the more work-arounds you put into place the heavier it'll get.

As for building the camper body, consider starting with a ROPS cage for the body and filling the gaps with aluminum/foam insulation units since you are expecting to do an activity with the camper where roll-over is more likely than even on-road travel. For off-road, there's nothing like having your stuff spread all over nature because it crushed like a cardboard box. On a bus conversion forum I was on for several years before my wife made me pause my bus project, we called pre-built campers sticks and staples because they are most commonly 2x2 pine with fiberglass sheets glued or "stapled" to the wood. As a result of this construction, they tend to not behave well in a roll over (the wood snapping where the body meets the frame). All of these crashes were fatal for at least one occupant, in some cases entire families were wiped out:

 

[tburk49760]

I have not driven it through deep sand post regear. I have however driven it through deep snow without issue. First gear is plenty low so far. I will likely add a few horsepower anyways...

 

[Jeepsinker]

The M44 and M939 series trucks are more stable because of the suspension design and because they have a lower center of gravity. The box body LMTV trucks are ridiculously high, and sway just moving them around in the yard. Not a snowball's chance in he'll I'd ever own one.

 

[Shark Bait]

The Allison in the LMTV starts out in 2nd gear, 1st is manually selected and is the "low" gear.

 

[MaiNiaK]

Not sure how much the Fuso weighs, but the M1078 is pretty heavy to start with.
My M1078 climbs my 1/2 mile driveway very well though. 35 degree mudy slope with 1ft ruts in spots (right now) So it does handle off-road well. As far as loads go, 10,800lbs of gravel is about all I care to haul in mine and that's with the wieght right in the bed. I have hauled 14,400 lbs of gravel and to be honest it felt realy tipsy when turning. Both loads were brought up my driveway.
So with a camper box the center of gravity will change but it is doable if the camper box is built with weight in mind.
have you looked at the M1079? They are 4x4 and have the camper box already on them.

Welcome to SS.

 

[Jeepsinker]

I think you'd be much better off buying an M923A2 and loading an S-280 shelter in the back. Build the camper in the shelter so it can be removed if need be, leaving you with a usable cargo truck. Also, the 923 A2 with shelter in the back will give you extra bed room for other things, and lots of room under the bed and between the frame rails. They aren't top heavy at all either, even with a lot of weight in the bed.

 

[Lmtv772]

I think you'd be much better off buying an M923A2 and loading an S-280 shelter in the back. Build the camper in the shelter so it can be removed if need be, leaving you with a usable cargo truck. Also, the 923 A2 with shelter in the back will give you extra bed room for other things, and lots of room under the bed and between the frame rails. They aren't top heavy at all either, even with a lot of weight in the bed.

You mean kind of like this?
https://youtu.be/z3nU5G5ZkbY

 

[rchalmers3]

You might consider the Mercedes Benz 1017 5 ton or the Unimog 425 2 1/2 ton ex military trucks. Both are available at government auction in Europe and are standard platforms for expedition vehicles all over the world.

I believe that company you mentioned in Utah has experience with the 1017. I had a visitor who was having a truck built by them and had good words about their expertise.

Rick

 

[k9lestat]

To the op. Go check out the expeditionportal. There some great build for the purposes you're looking for.

 

[Tango Zulu]

I bought a 40-foot transit bus at auction from a county liquidating its auxiliary fleet in Oregon in 2003 for $1,572 and change. It was/is a runner and was driven home after auction. A new 40-foot Prevost shell is >$120k, so I'm already $100K ahead including the $1K in service (provided by Stewart and Stevenson of San Leandro California as happens to be topical), and ten years of storage at $100/month...


As I understand it, the drive-train post transfer case is an issue on the 4x4 version due to drive angles, and because of the shorter wheelbase it's impossible to fix after the fact - don't have one to experience for myself though.


What kind of power requirements are you hoping for (PC, TV, etc... goes towards the battery/solar/generator/fuel question)? Is this just you or multiple people (this goes towards the water usage, and black water storage questions). What kind of food/cooking are you planning (goes towards the refrigeration storage space questions)?

Also do you plan to travel in a group or just by yourself (goes to questions about self recovery and other space claims on the truck for gear)?


Good, that'll keep it cheap if you're mechanically inclined - can you give more background on what you're about? We are just learning about you now as a new publishing member, so it'll give us an idea about how best to guide you. I.e, have you ever built anything or fabricated anything before?


You should be able to get either an FMTV or M939 series truck in rather good shape for that much coin. Smart buying will leave you more to build the body.

For the type of camping you're suggesting, I might recommend an M939 (M923/M925) utility bed truck, which you could remove the box or build upon the box frame. With the cab-over style of truck the FMTVs are there is less space under the body (next to the frame) for infrastructure like battery boxes and water tanks. I like heavy things LOW if you're thinking of doing any kind of actual off-road. If you don't have frame-space for mounting tanks or batteries you would have to move them into the camper body, thereby eating up living space. There are ways around that, but the more work-arounds you put into place the heavier it'll get.

As for building the camper body, consider starting with a ROPS cage for the body and filling the gaps with aluminum/foam insulation units since you are expecting to do an activity with the camper where roll-over is more likely than even on-road travel. For off-road, there's nothing like having your stuff spread all over nature because it crushed like a cardboard box. On a bus conversion forum I was on for several years before my wife made me pause my bus project, we called pre-built campers sticks and staples because they are most commonly 2x2 pine with fiberglass sheets glued or "stapled" to the wood. As a result of this construction, they tend to not behave well in a roll over (the wood snapping where the body meets the frame). All of these crashes were fatal for at least one occupant, in some cases entire families were wiped out:
View attachment 600493View attachment 600494View attachment 600495View attachment 600496View attachment 600498

Usage would be for 2 people.
For cooking I am aiming for being able to carry enough food to remain self sustained for 2 weeks or more.
Don't plan to be traveling in a group. At least not now. Self recovery options via winches etc would be required.
I have not build a camper on an off road platform before. My fabrication experience is limited to automotive and motorcyle stuff but I also have construction background. Building the camper from the ground up is not what I am currently looking for. I'd like to start with a simple sort of bolt-on camber/box and then may be go from there and upgrade at a future date once I have a better idea of what it is I want in an off road camper. Don't want to sink too much money at the beginning and then get stuck with something that isnt going to meet my needs. The one thing I have is experience with projects where you think you know what you need but once completed you realize you didn't really build what you needed. The idea suggested further below with the M939 and a standard mil spec cab for the truck seems like a good idea for my needs. Both time wise and financially.

The Allison in the LMTV starts out in 2nd gear, 1st is manually selected and is the "low" gear.

In your signature you list both a M1078 and a M931. Do you go off road with both? Would you mind sharing some of your thoughts on how the two compare as far as off road capability in addition to what's already been mentioned?

I think you'd be much better off buying an M923A2 and loading an S-280 shelter in the back. Build the camper in the shelter so it can be removed if need be, leaving you with a usable cargo truck. Also, the 923 A2 with shelter in the back will give you extra bed room for other things, and lots of room under the bed and between the frame rails. They aren't top heavy at all either, even with a lot of weight in the bed.

An M923A2 with a S-280 shelter might do the trick. I will certainly look into them.
The reason I sort of discarded the M939 trucks when I started looking was due to all the torque converter lock up issues causing the brakes to lock leading to accidents. I think there was an ABS upgrade to the brake system later on. In addition, like stated earlier I do prefer a cab over design due to the visibility. Its pretty neat going over terrain from the drivers position in these type of trucks and the terrain is also much easier to read when up close.

Not sure how much the Fuso weighs, but the M1078 is pretty heavy to start with.
My M1078 climbs my 1/2 mile driveway very well though. 35 degree mudy slope with 1ft ruts in spots (right now) So it does handle off-road well. As far as loads go, 10,800lbs of gravel is about all I care to haul in mine and that's with the wieght right in the bed. I have hauled 14,400 lbs of gravel and to be honest it felt realy tipsy when turning. Both loads were brought up my driveway.
So with a camper box the center of gravity will change but it is doable if the camper box is built with weight in mind.
have you looked at the M1079? They are 4x4 and have the camper box already on them.

Welcome to SS.

Yes. I have looked at the M1079. There was one on Iron Planet not too long. IIRC it went for a pretty good price though. I think it was +20K.
How would you compare a M1079 to a M939A2 with a the mil spec cab?

You might consider the Mercedes Benz 1017 5 ton or the Unimog 425 2 1/2 ton ex military trucks. Both are available at government auction in Europe and are standard platforms for expedition vehicles all over the world.

I believe that company you mentioned in Utah has experience with the 1017. I had a visitor who was having a truck built by them and had good words about their expertise.

Rick

Those are out of my budget.

 

[k9lestat]

http://www.robgray.com/graynomad/wothahellizat/wot2/diaries/index.php

This link I think you'll find interesting. He is a forum member at expeditionportal.com. lots out build in varying degrees of difficulty.

 

[Shark Bait]

In your signature you list both a M1078 and a M931. Do you go off road with both? Would you mind sharing some of your thoughts on how the two compare as far as off road capability in addition to what's already been mentioned?

I don't drive the 931's much. Just wanted one and ended up with two. The M1078 is most comfortable to drive though out of all my MV's. the air ride cab is a little forgiving. I'm going to change out the seats from the MRAP's. Wehring on here has done mods to his LMTV that has made it an awesome a dependable ride. Search for his threads on here. The cab of the LMTV is much larger, it can have much potential to make it comfortable for long hauls. Dynamat or Hush Mat can be used to insulate and sound deaden the cab. Large viewing area from the windshield but too, it is a large magnet for stray rocks. I believe it can be done with the 1078 and be made very good to what you want. Off road capability is pretty good but I haven't been "mudding" or anything too rough.

 

[Tango Zulu]

Found it.
Thanks.

http://www.steelsoldiers.com/showthread.php?131893-Wehring-LMTV-Mods&highlight=Wehring