I recently purchased a 2007 Oshkosh MTVR. We intend to convert it into an overland expedition type vehicle and do full-time RV living.
For those not familiar with the MTVR, it is an all-terrain military 6x6 truck built for the U.S. Marine Corps, and it is...big- nearly 12 feet tall. MTVR occupants look down into 18-wheel tractor-trailer rigs on the highway. It's powered by an 11.9 liter (730 cubic inch) Caterpillar turbodiesel that puts out 425 horsepower and 1,550 pound-feet of torque. The runflat tires are 53" tall, and weigh 500 pounds each. The truck weighs about 30,000 pounds empty, and with a GVWR of 62,200 pounds, has a rated payload capacity of 30,000 pounds. It can ford five feet of water.
It's also much more sophisticated than the older/smaller 2-1/2 ton and 5-ton trucks- the MTVR has a heavy-duty 7-speed Allison double overdrive automatic transmission, a single-speed transfer case, full-time all-wheel-drive, five selectable drivetrain lockers, coil-sprung long-travel fully independent suspension, dual central tire inflation systems, beadlocks, ABS, traction control, power steering, air-ride seats, can easily do 65mph, and the late-model ones like mine even have air conditioning.
The U.S. government originally paid about $250,000 for it. After they put about 3,000 miles on it, I was able to purchase it at auction for $15,500. The tubeless Michelin radial tires still look like new.
For those not familiar with the MTVR, it is an all-terrain military 6x6 truck built for the U.S. Marine Corps, and it is...big- nearly 12 feet tall. MTVR occupants look down into 18-wheel tractor-trailer rigs on the highway. It's powered by an 11.9 liter (730 cubic inch) Caterpillar turbodiesel that puts out 425 horsepower and 1,550 pound-feet of torque. The runflat tires are 53" tall, and weigh 500 pounds each. The truck weighs about 30,000 pounds empty, and with a GVWR of 62,200 pounds, has a rated payload capacity of 30,000 pounds. It can ford five feet of water.
It's also much more sophisticated than the older/smaller 2-1/2 ton and 5-ton trucks- the MTVR has a heavy-duty 7-speed Allison double overdrive automatic transmission, a single-speed transfer case, full-time all-wheel-drive, five selectable drivetrain lockers, coil-sprung long-travel fully independent suspension, dual central tire inflation systems, beadlocks, ABS, traction control, power steering, air-ride seats, can easily do 65mph, and the late-model ones like mine even have air conditioning.
The U.S. government originally paid about $250,000 for it. After they put about 3,000 miles on it, I was able to purchase it at auction for $15,500. The tubeless Michelin radial tires still look like new.
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