Which is better for expedition camper U1300L or U1000L?

Jolly Roger

Adventurer
Hi all

In my quest for an expedition vehicle, one of my choices is purchasing a used Unimog and having a camper built for it. There are a couple of used Unimogs for sale in my local area . . . a 1985 U1300L and a 1999 U1000L.

I'm hoping someone could tell me which would be the better platform for a camper and why?

I have another posting on this forum detailing my requirements in a bit more detail:

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=47158

I don't know a whole lot about the Unimogs so any advice would be much appreciated.

Many thanks
 

Victorian

Approved Vendor : Total Composites
The U100 has less power and load capacity, not sure how much but certainly less than the 1300. If possible, try and get a 1300 even better with the 170HP engine! The 130hp version is a pig.... I have driven them in the military for years and was always amazed how gutless the non-turbo version was.

Cheers,
Andreas
 

Victorian

Approved Vendor : Total Composites
Without sounding like an snob I would always choose an Unimog over ANY North American brand. Drive one, compare them and you will see.
 

Jolly Roger

Adventurer
The U100 has less power and load capacity, not sure how much but certainly less than the 1300. If possible, try and get a 1300 even better with the 170HP engine! The 130hp version is a pig.... I have driven them in the military for years and was always amazed how gutless the non-turbo version was.

So you think the U100 would be too underpowered to carry a small camper? I like the fact that it would probably be more comfortable on the highway than something like the U1300, although perhaps not quite as capable offroad. Any U100 owners out there who could offer any comments???
 

Victorian

Approved Vendor : Total Composites
I just got my Unimog spec book out...

U100 92HP ,5 gears, 2.3 tons of load capacity, shorter and more narrow, smaller tires (cheaper!)

U1300 136HP (no turbo), 8 gears, close to 4 tons load capacity


Just keep in mind that non of the Unimogs are racing cars... You will have to change gear every 10km/h till you reach 80km/h! That is a lot of gear changes at the end of the day and can get tiring in city traffic.
 

rhodos

Observer
what typ exactly ? - U100L aka 408, not a bad choice for a camper - modern technic, light, big enough for a camper - if i had to decide between a 408 and a 1300 i guess i would go for the 408.

check all tecnical data at:

http://www.daimler.com/Projects/c2c/channel/images/6787_9660_-1_-1_20399.pdf

In the German UNIMURR forum (http://www.unimurr.de/forum-unimurr/wbblite/index.php) is a guy (Tom Held) who is building a camper on base of an U100L, if you are interested contact him, or mail/pm me for his email.

hth, Werner
 

Iain_U1250

Explorer
The main advantage of the U100 over the U1300 is that it is faster in standard trim - it should be able to do 100kph on the flat. A U1300 will need "fast axles" or an overdrive able to reach 100kph. If you add a high camper back to it - then you will need to up the engine power a bit - add a turbo and intercooler to the U1300 an it should be able to drive at 100kph. I'm not sure what you would do to the U100L - but since the engine is the same as the Sprinters - there should be some tweaks you can get to get a bit more power.


If you are looking for a smaller Unimog, try a U1250 like mine - they are a bit lighter, a bit narrower then the U1300 yet have a 124hp turbo engine that can be tweaked up to around 160hp with an intercooler and fuel pump adjustment - they will definitely need fast axles and an overdrive - in standard form their max speed is 78kph. U1300's are more common - plenty of ex-military trucks in Europe.

The U110L/U140L range is another option - but they were meant for municipal use as tractor/ implement carriers, they have a bit more power.
I think all the U100-U140's are fugly, especially the asymmetric nose ones that are most common - the bigger SBU are much nicer.

In the end it depends on your own personal needs - work out how much stuff you want to carry, how much fuel and water you need, and whether you plan to be able to live in, or just sleep in the back. In my own truck I'm going to need all of the 3 ton capacity.
 

Jolly Roger

Adventurer
In the end it depends on your own personal needs - work out how much stuff you want to carry, how much fuel and water you need, and whether you plan to be able to live in, or just sleep in the back. In my own truck I'm going to need all of the 3 ton capacity.

Hi Iain

Thanks for all of the info. We're still in the process of trying to figure out what we'll need and how much it will all weigh. Not an easy task for a newbie. Ideally, we'd like something that we can live in as we hope to be on the road for quite a few years. I also hope to be able to work on the road (all I need is a laptop), so having a bit of space to do that would be important. We're going to look at the1300L this weekend so at least after seeing that in person we'll have a better idea of what they are like. At the moment, all I have to go on is what I've seen and read on the internet.

Cheers
 

Tmax

New member
the U100L you are looking at is a turbo model and is actually quite fast. unless you are looking for big cargo capacity, it's a much better choice than a ex millitary 1300L. a/c and leather go a long way too.
 

Jolly Roger

Adventurer
I had a look and a test ride in it last night and it looked great. Our idea is to have a custom camper box constructed for the back. Even with the turbo, do you think it would have enough grunt to haul a decent sized box around with all the accoutrements and supplies inside? I agree that the seats and AC would make a big difference.
 

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