Planning an Expedition to Oymyakon, Yakutia and the on Kamchatka Peninsula-- U900...

[Victorian]

Sounds like a cool project! Good luck!
I have helped outfitting several "expedition docu team trucks" all of them had woodburning stoves/heating systems on board. Together with a super insulated composite living box they made for a cozy basecamp.

Cheers,
A

 

[OttoVonMog]

Sounds like a cool project! Good luck!
I have helped outfitting several "expedition docu team trucks" all of them had woodburning stoves/heating systems on board. Together with a super insulated composite living box they made for a cozy basecamp.

Cheers,
A

That is something I would be very interested in learning more about.

 

[charlieaarons]

why don't you go in march instead of of the
coldest part of the year? there will be muchlightand the temps
will moderate. as far as going off established ice roads,forget it.you willquickly get stuck or break
through river ice.
charlie

 

[OttoVonMog]

why don't you go in march instead of of the
coldest part of the year? there will be muchlightand the temps
will moderate. as far as going off established ice roads,forget it.you willquickly get stuck or break
through river ice.
charlie

You make an awful lot of assumptions don't you. First off you cannot get to many places in Siberia in the Arctic Circle unless it is the dead of winter with a truck. Which is why I want to go. I also want to join a convoy of trucks to reach the arctic circle. It will be give me a better sense of the people and way in which they live. As for going off established ice-roads-- I never said that. I said I want to go Kamchatka over land after I'm done with Oymyakon and the Arctic circle. Not that I'm going off established ice roads I plan on going to Kamchatka in late spring and this will be guided by some local. I know I can make it to the Peninsula over land-- the question is just how long will it take.

And I'm seriously doubting you've seen the Tatra T-813 Kolos in action-- with a few modifications this truck is monster off road. I'll use the smaller U1400 series truck as a scout since it is very mobile and small. Then the big Tatra T-813 will come through area after we have an idea of what we're dealing with.

 

[Möglich]

IMHO it is mechanically do-able. There are diesel-fueled or compressed gas-fueled engine heaters available. Insulated fuel lines are possible; anything is possible with enough $$. The difficulty will be in insulating the engine etc. enough to resist the cold without having it overheat in warmer conditions. Obviously the congealing of all lubricants is also a factor, in the engine gearbox and axles. Extreme cold embrittles most materials, so that would have to be considered carefully in the choice of materials and their dimensions to allow for extra reserves of strength. Solid or run-flat tires would be essential IMO. In terms of survivability, the living space would need to be extremely well-insulated and sufficient reserves of food, water and fuel carried to allow weeks or even months of independent survival in case of becoming stuck in an isolated area where rescue during winter would be difficult or impossible.

 

[charlieaarons]

Again, I repeat myself, it is sheer masochism and machismo to contemplate doing such a trip in December-Jan. Late Feb thru early April offers more moderate temperatures (still well below freezing), much more daylight and better chance of assistance and survival if there is a breakdown. No matter how much prep one does, exposure of yourself and vehicles to possible -50 to even -60C temps is just asking for trouble in a big way. Do you have any experience in vehicle dependant travel in even -30 to -40C?

Charlie

 

[haven]

OttoVonMog, you should listen to what Charlie has to say. He's a Unimog expert who owns a U500 camper at present, and has traveled internationally with it. Charlie lives in Alaska, so he knows a lot about operating vehicles in very cold weather. And Charlie attends European military truck shows, so he undoubtedly knows a lot about the T-813.

My personal opinion is that you should stick with vehicles of Russian manufacture (Ural, Kamaz). It's more likely that you will be able to find parts and people who know how to repair the truck in the Russian backcountry.

A trip that establishes a tourist overland route on the Kamchatka Peninsula is an epic undertaking! I look forward to hearing about this part of your trip. How did you get the appropriate visas and permissions to travel in Kamchatka?

 

[haven]

Two more thoughts.

First, consider using two or more of the same type of vehicle. You'll reduce the amount of spares and special tools that you'll need to carry. You'll also increase the chance that you can find a experienced mechanic to join the team. Traveling with one small and one large vehicle may mean the smaller one won't be able to recover the larger one in the event it gets stuck. And the smaller vehicle may not have enough space to evacuate your team if the larger vehicle has to be abandoned.

Second, Gary and Monika Wescott drove the Road of Bones in Feb and March of 1996. Their first hand experience with driving in Siberia in winter will certainly help you prepare. Hire Gary to review your plans and preparations. Gary can be contacted through the website http://www.turtleexpedition.com You can read about their Siberia trip by clicking on the "Adventures" menu in the banner near the top of the Turtle Expedition web pages.

 

[OttoVonMog]

Again, I repeat myself, it is sheer masochism and machismo to contemplate doing such a trip in December-Jan. Late Feb thru early April offers more moderate temperatures (still well below freezing), much more daylight and better chance of assistance and survival if there is a breakdown. No matter how much prep one does, exposure of yourself and vehicles to possible -50 to even -60C temps is just asking for trouble in a big way. Do you have any experience in vehicle dependant travel in even -30 to -40C?

Charlie

Well Charlie-- I'm going to have to disregard your advice. Thanks for your advice and help.

 

[OttoVonMog]

OttoVonMog, you should listen to what Charlie has to say. He's a Unimog expert who owns a U500 camper at present, and has traveled internationally with it. Charlie lives in Alaska, so he knows a lot about operating vehicles in very cold weather. And Charlie attends European military truck shows, so he undoubtedly knows a lot about the T-813.

My personal opinion is that you should stick with vehicles of Russian manufacture (Ural, Kamaz). It's more likely that you will be able to find parts and people who know how to repair the truck in the Russian backcountry.

A trip that establishes a tourist overland route on the Kamchatka Peninsula is an epic undertaking! I look forward to hearing about this part of your trip. How did you get the appropriate visas and permissions to travel in Kamchatka?

Well Kamchatka is a tourist hot spot now in Russia. The only hard part is getting their any way other than ferries or flight. You need a work visa and you need some other permits but greasing the wheels of Russian Bureaucrats is often expensive.

As for the trucks: Urals and Kamaz are common as are Zil's and Maz trucks in the East--- but so are Tatras actually. In fact they have monument for them in Eastern Siberia. The memorial is in Magadan-- I plan on going to it. So they use them in the area but not as often.

As for the two sized vehicles-- well if you put a big enough winch on the Mog say a 300kilonetwon winch it will pull out a a fully loaded Tatra T813 from a lot of places.

Do you know that Anchorage, AK isn't all that cold... Fairbanks is colder. I've been to some very cold places and where I live in the US it is actually colder on average than Anchorage. And for all his knowledge-- all he's said is that it cannot be done. Well people live and work in Oymyakon 365.25 days a year and they drive around in -50C or less and they can do it-- So is it rough? Yes, is it impossible... no.

 

[grizzlyj]

if you put a big enough winch on the Mog say a 300kilonetwon winch it will pull out a a fully loaded Tatra T813 from a lot of places.

Wouldn't a winch that big have to be bed mounted, making the mog a one trick pony? No accomodation, minimal other use due to space but a winch truck?

How do you get an anchor that good on permafrost?

And on a tight road how does the mog winch the trailer through afterwards?

I would also think a small convoy of identical trucks, each with a winch capable of front and rear pull, would be better in any given off road scenario than one huge and one small. The only reason to go with a big and small would be to explore away from the base truck, but that would only be for the three in the mog cab and minimal gear, and would leave both vehicles vulnerable? But you're talking about both vehicles just going to one place so roving in the meantime is not on the game plan?

The locals I'm sure are used to dealing with all manner of problems, but they have a base, with friends and heated homes and garages?

Hire this man?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFcZxqv4JhQ&feature=related

Good luck

 

[OttoVonMog]

Hello Mr. VonMog,
I know its dumbassed of me to ask, But here goes anyway.
Do you or did you own a Ferrari ?

NO... I'm more a fan of Tatra Trucks rather than Ferraris' ...

 

[Chuckles!]

http://extremeoffroadexpeditions.com/

 

[jaguar_wawa]

road to Kamchatka

Hey, I have disappoint you, but even the truck did not arrive to Kamchatka. You can get to Pevek and even the Shmidt Peninsula. The network of winter roads are fairly well developed. That is not totally maintained land connection with the Kamchatka

Regards,
Michal Rej - expedition specialist
http://www.facebook.com/OffroadExpedition

Ps. It is possible to get to Kamchatka. But the budget is closed by the sum of $ 1 million. If you are interested, this is my mail:mrworldadventure@gmail.com