4x4 Off Road Diesel Military Campers $15-$25K

[LowOnCash]

Hey Guys - Just though I would share this link with you guys. If you're looking for a camper while you're out in the woods, this Military 4x4 could be a great piece to tow your jeep and have a place to hang your hat.

Word is the military sold off around a 100 of these vehicles. They all have low mileage and fully maintained with good rubber. There's one on Ebay right now trending at only $13K

It's has a Cat diesel and a 7 speed Allison Tranny with air suspension lift - Armor plated cab -

Dude these things are Bullet-Proof LOL

Enjoy - Mike

http://vi.vipr.ebaydesc.com/ws/eBay...descgauge=1&cspheader=1&oneClk=1&secureDesc=0

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fr...0&_odkw=military+diesel+camper&LH_TitleDesc=0

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[Chadnutz]

That. Is. Awesome.

 

[steffen707]

that would take up the whole driveway, or the front lawn.

 

[Riddler]

that would take up the whole driveway, or the front lawn.

You are thinking of it wrong, you would be upgrading your water thirsty grass to a more drought tolerant arrangement that also adds extra livable square footage to your property.

 

[Ole Cowboy]

Look to drop about $50k on it up front. Tires run about $1500 each and weigh around 500 lbs, change that tire! Max road speed is 55 mph governed and they are good for about 5 mpg, they weigh 19,000 lbs...hope you don't live in a state where License plates are based upon weight and State Farm prob won't write a policy for it.

TIP: When you leave the curb in your rearview mirror, if a NON-AutoZone part breaks, time and cost can run into weeks and $0,000's.

Sonoran desert, Mexico. We are on a run with a few brave jeepers and we come across the MB UniMog. Guy is sitting in a lawn chair by himself. His Uni is broke Richard, the part was a minor one, but not in stock anywhere in the US, his wife is in Phoenix waiting for the part to be shipped from Germany with another Uni owner who was on the trip with them. I asked the guy if he could put the part on and he yea it was easy, he knew how to do it and had the tools, 30 min job.

Over my many miles beyond the curb, I have seen this story replay time and time again. And NO, Jeeps are not immune when you start adding components that are made by some little company in BumChuck Idaho. Case in point OX Lockers...GREAT locker, Strong and I can on and on BUT on a run, it failed and I had to help the guy back to the trailhead and difficult trail. The locker did not fail but a component did in the assembly, it was a minor part. OX was closed for 4th of July week. Now you know why I run ARB, worldwide company, parts are easy to come by.

 

[Gladiator Overland]

Don’t buy from eBay. Go to the government auctions themselves,

Notes:

They are simple to repair, any major truck shop can work on them. Ain’t no issues with parts as it isn’t a unimog. Tires you don’t buy new you buy surplus from military with 90% Tread life for about $800 for all the tires from auctions.

Easy to drive. The cab is comfortable Auto tranny, central inflation, lockers, quite capable.
There are companies that can help with conversions. It will take a bit of inginuity and cash to get them converted.

 

[ACAD_Cowboy]

The S&S FMTV can be a cool camper and yes they they are capable but they have the same problem all the big trucks, mog, fuso, iveco etc, do and that is care and feeding. Most unimog repairs are simple and reasonably quick IF you happen to have the parts and the tools in hand. These FMTV trucks are no different, you will be just as stuck and just as waiting.

 

[SleepyJeep]

And NO, Jeeps are not immune when you start adding components that are made by some little company in BumChuck Idaho. Case in point OX Lockers...GREAT locker, Strong and I can on and on BUT on a run, it failed and I had to help the guy back to the trailhead and difficult trail. The locker did not fail but a component did in the assembly, it was a minor part. OX was closed for 4th of July week. Now you know why I run ARB, worldwide company, parts are easy to come by.

Does BumChuck Idaho have great trails? I would like to visit

 

[Ole Cowboy]

Don’t buy from eBay. Go to the government auctions themselves,

Notes:

They are simple to repair, any major truck shop can work on them. Ain’t no issues with parts as it isn’t a unimog. Tires you don’t buy new you buy surplus from military with 90% Tread life for about $800 for all the tires from auctions.

Easy to drive. The cab is comfortable Auto tranny, central inflation, lockers, quite capable.
There are companies that can help with conversions. It will take a bit of inginuity and cash to get them converted.

First of all its a MIL-SPEC vehicle, parts are not at Wal Mart OR Autozone. You can get NOS tires from the surplus houses for about $500 per tire plus shipping. That said most of these out there have sat in storage for years before they got released, tires dry rot if one goes out on you on the side of the road or a trail somewhere, swapping out a tire that weighs 500 lbs, and the lugs holding the wheel on are right at 500 lb of torque, so just whip out your can of Fix A Flat and your 1/2 in socket while you buddy holds up his corner of 19,000 lbs and swap tires.

If you want you one, there is a place in Bend Orgeon . https://www.grigsbytrucks.com/ . That sells them completely reconditioned. DON'T buy from a GOVT auction, you do not know what has been cannibalized off it, last time it has run or rmuch else. Grigsby Trucks sells them for about $50k ready to roll.

Overhead on things like this can be VERY $$$$. The military has deep pockets and a motor pool that takes care of this stuff. Some of it requires special tools. That off-road jack you bought for your Jeep may no lift high enough???

When I was Army Captain, Logistics Officer and had Motorpools under my command in Korea and Germany I know WELL what it takes to keep this stuff rolling in time, manpower and materials and COST!

 

[LowOnCash]

It's definitely for a guy who wants a project. These must have sold for $150-200K new. Never had any luck with Cat truck engines they have always been prone with problems. In fact they no longer make truck engines.

Here's a link showing some of these trucks converted:

Mike


https://www.grigsbytrucks.com/gallery/

 

[Gladiator Overland]

First of all its a MIL-SPEC vehicle, parts are not at Wal Mart OR Autozone. You can get NOS tires from the surplus houses for about $500 per tire plus shipping. That said most of these out there have sat in storage for years before they got released, tires dry rot if one goes out on you on the side of the road or a trail somewhere, swapping out a tire that weighs 500 lbs, and the lugs holding the wheel on are right at 500 lb of torque, so just whip out your can of Fix A Flat and your 1/2 in socket while you buddy holds up his corner of 19,000 lbs and swap tires.........

Not going to argue too much here but I completely disagree with you here. I know you have a background in the Army and so do I. I have had much experience behind the wheels of these, around under, even considered a command vehicle as a Overlanding rig. That said milspec is not what you think it means. Yes the parts are heavy duty and yes they are not autozone parts. That said they are commercial truck parts and comparable / compatible with big rigs. So any diesel mechanic can work on, parts are interchangeable as are most of the other parts. Some are specific yet there are many surplus and other suppliers that can get you parts for it with ease. Again not as hard as one would think here.

Tires on the secondary market can be expensive. This is why you end up going directly to the source and purchase yourself right from auction. Not difficult to do , see government planet for a plethora of examples here, even spare axles, engines etc. Of course as with anything surplus you might run into some dry rotted tires. Though I have seen first hand even brand spanking new tires that are at auctions and are perfect in every aspect. Tires on these trucks are gonna wear out before you really have an issue. There a bear to change, yet with proper preparation and tools anyone can change them even though they are in the neighborhood rf 300-500 pounds depending on the vehicle. The Craine is on many of these trucks for a reason as well as 4 jacks quite capable of lifting the whole truck. A on board air system and ad an impact wrench and one can do a tire change. As well as all repairs, maintenance everything is in easy to follow manuals that are free. I have changed a tire on one and it isn’t what you make it to be. Right tools, proper preparation and some patience and it can be done. Though the chance of really blowing one isn’t going to be what you’d think. Good reason to also be prepared and have roadside assistance. Yes they will help with a rig like this if registered as an RV. Learning to properly patch a tire as well as proper maintenance when the tires wear down past 20% of Tread life and most will never have any issues.

To each their own as to where and not buy them from. Again if interested, get your hands on the manuals for the vehicle study and become familiar, join groups and forums. Get to know experts and become friends. Take them, or pay a professional to go and help 8nsoect the vehicle before bidding. Otherwise as said you can buy refurbished for at least 5x what one can purchase one in excellent condition from a auction. Even ones that ave returned from the depot fully reconditioned. Patience is key here as well as knowledge.


As far as major money for these things, again anymajor diesel mechanic can work on them. These engines and chaos are designed for high mileage and abuse. The money is going to come with paying someone to do a conversion. There are many articles on diy conversions on this truck on the internet. Do your due diligence. Yes Jacks are included with this vehicle lol..

Awesome after 18 years in the Army as a NCO I have a very different hands on experience with and around these and many more vehicles, I very well known first hand what it takes and have done repairs on all the variants of the lmtv , humvees, murals, buffalos, Jltv, deuce and half, m151, m1008, m1009, all sorts of tracked vehicles from Bradley to name it. From 91-2013 with a break in service. The military and being frugal are far from being in the same box. They don’t fix things, they replace them. Probably ten times the maintenance costs of owning one and working on it yourself. Point is we all have different experiences and viewpoints here, thanks for your service too btw. Go out don’t be afraid there is so much info and support for these it is unreal. Plan B is another one who does these rigs. My favorite rig though is the Penzgauer there is a shop out fo Colorado that can help with these.

 

[ACAD_Cowboy]

To get a feel for big boy off-roading I recommend Bill Caid. He’s a great guy and has an amazing travelogue starting with his unimog 1300L and then transitioning to Thor, an MB1017 which is pretty much the progenitor of the FMTV. Bill and the San Diego crew have been damn near everywhere is the southwest and into Mexico both Baja and the Alter. It’s a very different ride and experience as you move up in class, new and interesting things become the “it” problem.

Http://www.billcaid.com

As for milspec purchasing, it’s been my experience that low hours and low miles and recent depot rebuild are all somewhat misleading, seen too many FLU419 that sound great until you realize they have sat for years barely getting started up and moved around despite having been depot rebuilt. Dry rot city. The flip side is real cheap trucks may have become the hanger queen and donated a lot of parts to keep other trucks moving, or been butchered and botched and subjected to less than FM/TM quality care. It’s all very buyer beware and the simple rule is cheap trucks need more work and money than expensive trucks, pay it now or pay it later.

 

[Renegade]

that would take up the whole driveway, or the front lawn.

My neighbor has one of these blocking up his driveway. I’m sure it started out as a good idea...

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