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Auction says it's a Freightliner, but it sure looks like a Unimog. Perhaps they were marketed to the US Military as a Freight-ticker since they are a division of DaimlerChrysler. Hard to tell when that was bought, but perhaps Mercedes owner Freightliner at the time.
Also the attachments are normal for a Unimog as it was originally designed as a farm tractor.
For those wondering, Freightliner and MB is the same company. The SEE stands for Small Emplacement Excavator. Its a wicked cool truck that should go very high. Not very many of them in civilian hands. This can be cmpared to an entrenching tool. Which would you rather dig your emplacement with?
For anybody interested in reading up on them; the operator's manual, TM9-2420-224-10 is in the tech library. And, for what it's worth, I've got the hard copy version of the 24P manual for same.
The SEE tractors are sweet, but all that frickin equipment makes 'em slower than next Christmas. My bro lives in NC. The guard down there has a fleet of them to clean up pine trees, etc... after ice storms.
A buddy of mine has two CASE model 406's and a 404. Don't mean nothing against the 404 as it sure makes a normal M715 looks light duty. The 406's are incredibly stoudt though!
They are neat, but you don't want to go far or fast in one. They rock back and forth and bounce and will scare the **** out of you. I drove one to a fair distance one time, but I conned my platoon sergeant out of a lowboy and a M916 to drive it back !
The SEE Freightliner Mog is a 406, renamed for Freightliner to be a 416 to make the differance, also for Unimog to handle the parts. It was sold to the US Army as a Freigthliner due to "buy American" request. But they have been built in Gaggenau, Germany. Frughtliner by that time and still is today owned by Daimler.
DaimlerChrysler is dead since more than 1 year and costs Daimler still a big lot of money.
Wolf
If you folks would like I could contact the rancher up by Klamath Falls and see if would part with the Mog rotting away behind his barn!
I recall the SEE's from when I was a young 11 Boo Boo! Always wished for one when digging in the .50 or 81mm. Actually I don't care if I was digging in a hasty pit for my lonesome, I wished for one. Those fine folks that ran them, said what you all said, it's a maintenance nightmare!
I see them over here from time to time mixed in the various military units. I have also seen them being transported with other US equipment. So yes, the Army (is not other branches) do use them.