Few vehicles command the type of respect a Mercedes Unimog does. First of all, these trucks are brutes, pure and simple, no matter which way you look at it. But of course, what good is a brute if it can’t walk the walk? Of that, there’s little doubt a Unimog is up to almost any task you can throw at it, hence why it’s a popular choice for both highway departments and military units alike. This 1975 406 example runs and drives, but it needs the brakes serviced before it can drive home safely. There’s also some rust in the cab, but the seller is – amazingly – including a NOS replacement cab in the sale. Find the Unimog here on eBay with bidding at $8,600 and the reserve unmet.
Now, truthfully, this Unimog doesn’t look that rusty to me – crunchy in places, yes, but not rusty – but there could be more that we’re not seeing in the photos. The Unimog of this generation is powered by a variety of diesel engines, including the OM 312; OM 352; and OM 353. No word which one is used here, but at least we know it runs. The truck is referred to as a “Case MB4/494”, which refers to the company called Case Corporation that imported the U-900 Unimog into the U.S. throughout the 70s and 80s and sold them at Case tractor dealerships. One of the tell-tale signs is the graphics on the door, which would have clearly read “Case” when new.
Case put their own spin on the Unimog, oftentimes adding a short bed like the one seen here. I’m not sure if the bed design was intended to remain a blank canvas, but it seems to me that a vehicle like this should at least come collapsible bed sides. The seller notes that the Unimog wears “….new old stock tires on freshly powdercoated wheels.” While the new rubber looks plenty beefy and of the right toughness for a truck like this, I’m curious where the seller found new sold stock tires and just how old they are. Really, the age of the tires matters just as much as the condition, so if they’re over a certain number of years old, the lack of use is really irrelevant.
Now, here’s the really intriguing feature: a new old stock Unimog cab that will accompany the sale. I’d love to know how the seller got his hands on this – another government surplus auction, perhaps? I doubt you can just call Mercedes Classic up and ask them to drop-ship you a Unimog cab, so it seems likely the seller has had this brand-new bodywork for as long as he has owned the truck in question. Really, a Unimog may be super cool, but it still takes a lot of time, money, and parts to keep one happily on the road. Hopefully, the next owner can simply address the brakes and be back on the road, terrorizing small children, in short order.
One of the most capable and versatile rigs around. The number of implements available is crazy. In Europe small farms use these as their tractors and then drive to town in them. Another neat thing is the frame is designed to twist to give the truck articulation. Older models such as this top out at 45-50mph I believe depending on the axle ratios but the newer models can be highway driven. I can’t personally attest to reliability but you would think they would be pretty reliable once it’s brought back to good running order.
I’d be curious to see where the seller bought “new sold stock” tires too tbh
They used Case Mogs with snowblowers on them during Olympics in Lake Placid. Impressive machines.
3 things will survive a nucular[sic] blast, cockroaches, twinkies, and Unimogs. The Unimog story is actually quite interesting and almost never came to be. I read, after the war, the inventor had to convince the world, it was for peaceful purposes, and quickly became the “Swiss Army Knife” of vehicles in Europe. It had a power take off, and was used in dozens of applications. While Jeep had a similar calling, Unimog did it times 10. Unlike the Jeep, these could handle highway speeds, and with gearing, reduced to a crawl. One thing for sure, not much will follow you except another Unimog. Great vehicles. Even in this condition, which doesn’t look too bad for the Badger, no question, you’re getting $8,800 dollars worth of vehicle.
Aaahhh UNIMOG! This is an interesting one to be here. To ant prospective buyers the extra cab is great beyond what you may think, if you were to order a cab like this in it would cost you at least 25k USD! The trucks are very reliable but take a little maintenance. Portal hubs are one of the keys to Unimogs off-road abilities which are the best in the world but the hubs need to be checked and oil changed once every couple years. These trucks don’t care that much for highway driving although they do it fine the hubs can run warm. The truck has an air system/air brakes and they run much higher pressure in the system then regulate it down to 120 psi at the brakes. Parts are very available in the US, they are truly wonderful trucks! I started with a 404 and the last UNIMOG I bought is a U1300L !
Most likely had a blade on the front and a backhoe on the back when new.
You may be correct on some of that it would then be a 419 SEE which was a joint venture between Case/UNIMOG to get a US contract and if that were the case it would have been a loader and bucket on the front and an excavator on the rear. Right now today you can buy a 419 complete with stupid low hours for around 25k but with that you can expect to replace all hydraulic lines and there are a lot of them! But once that is done they are a good reliable unit!
One of those “barn find” vehicles that I 1) do not have the cash for, 2) do not have the space for, 3) do not have a use for, but, I would love to have it just to see the looks on the faces of the people I roll over.
tem location:
Eau Claire, Wisconsin
I like the smaller Mogs (404, et al). Didn’t realize case had a hand @ it. Tires? “…age of the tires matters just as much as the condition,…” if of hi rubber content we have 8o yr old tires w/o checking, etc on a 80 y/o deer cultivator that are fine (condition and tread).