MB 'round nose' trucks as expo vehicle

[Lynn]

I've seen a few of these older Mercedes 'round nose' trucks, and ran across an interesting article on wikipedia talking about the long production run and their reputation for durability. Seems that they were especially popular in oil countries, where they have developed a very good reputation for reliability, even when excessively overloaded. They were exported around the world in large numbers, so parts and support should be fairly easy to find. Evidently they are still being produced in South America and some other countries. Sorry, I didn't save the wiki link (when will I learn??) and can't find it now.

Here's a link to some interesting info, though.

Do any of you know of sources for more info on these trucks? Model #s and comparisons? Personal experience?

 

[kerry]

There are different model numbers for the same basic truck appearance such as 911 and 1117. See the thread on the Mog/Mercedes truck forum on Mercedes 911 truck.

 

[Lynn]

There are different model numbers for the same basic truck appearance such as 911 and 1117. See the thread on the Mog/Mercedes truck forum on Mercedes 911 truck.

Thanks, kerry,

I guess what I'm hoping for is a link to a chart showing the different model #s and how each is equipped.

I'd rather find a collection someone else has put together than do the research myself... I'm lazy that way.

 

[kerry]

First number or first two numbers are the chassis rating in tons and the last numbers are the horsepower rating of the engine (I believe) 911= 9 tons with 110 horsepower. 1117=11 tons and 170 horsepower.

 

[mhiscox]

Kerry wrote:

First number or first two numbers are the chassis rating in tons and the last numbers are the horsepower rating of the engine (I believe) 911= 9 tons with 110 horsepower. 1117=11 tons and 170 horsepower.

Which, confusingly, is completely different from the way Mercedes did Unimogs. On them, the "sales designation" is an intial "U" (to show it's a Mog) followed by the horsepower with a trailing zero. So a U2450 has 245 horsepower, a U1300 has 130 and a U1100 has 110.

**Stop reading here to avoid subsequent confusing MBz illogic.**

Except that this doesn't work very well. There are U1100s with 90 hp and U1300s with 150, and the sales designation didn't help any to identify how old the Mog was or the chassis capability. And they didn't even follow their own rules, at one point dropping the zero on some models, so they sold 90 hp U90s and 140 hp U140s while also selling U1250s and U1700s. (And the sales designation for the popular gas-powered Mog was, unhelpfully, the Unimog S.)

Then again, there's also a "model designation" taken from the first three numbers of the VIN. Under that scheme, the S morphs into the well-known 404, the U900 is the 406, the U1100 is the popular 416. However, the newer big trucks are all 435s and you have to identify them with the more numbers from the VIN. as in 435.115 for most 1300s.

Bad enough as is, but now the current Mog lineup has just the "implement carrier" U300, 400s and 500 (of which the U500 was imported into the US by Freightliner) and the more off-road-oriented U3000, 4000 and 5000. Their engines run from 156 to 268 hp, so no clue there.

In point of fact, in the US, older "round" trucks usually go by their model designation, while 80s and later "square" trucks more often go by the sales designation. So you'll most commonly hear of 404s, 406s, 411s, 416s, and 421s but, probably because they are generally all 435s, people speak of U1300s, U1700s, U2450s, etc. Except for the U500.

Clear as mud, ain't it? :sunflower If you really care, there's a good write up at:

http://unimogcentre.com/unimogmodels.html


Mike Hiscox
'77/'95 UNIMOG 416 DoKa Expedition Camper (for sale)
2005 mid/tall Sprinter 2500 Expedition Camper

 

[mhiscox]

Hey, this thread's been going for five hours or so with no one posting the world-famous overloaded round nose Benz trucks photo.

No worries; I can remedy that.

Mike Hiscox

View attachment 18934

 

[762X39]

What makes you think they are over-loaded? (I always loved that picture).

 

[Troppo]

I love that picture too. It's the reason why I want one of these. Although I think the models in the picture are heavy duty dump trucks, so could quite possibly still be within weight limits...
The unimog is the only Mercedes commercial range that deviates from the standard numbering system. All other commercials use the weight/HP designation, even the vans. Although, this is not always an accurate way to determine engine power, with most 911 trucks having either a 130hp or a 168hp (turbo) engine, and some I have seen have up to a 12tonne payload.
Mercedes has some letter designations for its trucks, just like the cars (oh how I love the german sense of order and rationality). 'L' means truck, 'A' means 4x4, 'K' means fire truck (I think) and there were a few other letters I found on a website somewhere.
The designation can also be followed by some numbers which indicate wheelbase eg LAK911/42 would be a 4.2 metre wheelbase version. I've only ever seen 42 and 36 in regards to the 911.

 

[egn]

Here are links with some 911 info:
http://www.zztosh.de/mercedes.html
http://www.kurzhauber.de/Brunos 710 A/brunos_710_a_kurzhauber.html
http://www.armyvehicles.dk/merc911.htm
http://www.bagger-und-bahnen.de/lkw-mercedes.htm

The following book should contain most of the info:
http://www.ulb.tu-darmstadt.de/tocs/180471244.pdf
Titel: Mercedes-Benz-Lastwagen seit 1945 / Michael Kern
Beteiligt: Kern, Michael
Ausgabe: 1. Aufl..
Erschienen: Stuttgart : Motorbuch-Verl., 2006
Umfang: 224 S. : zahlr. Ill. ; 25 cm
ISBN: 978-3-613-02658-2 ; 3-613-02658-9
Bestellnr.: 2658


@Troppo:
K is Kipper (dump truck)
F is Feuerwehr (fire truck)

May be this thread should be combined with the 911 thread.