Anyone here familiar with the Turtle Expedition? Here is a responce to a recent e-mail. Kind of long but worth reading. These people know a real truck from the "other" toys.

Have a Merry Christmas ya'all
Thomas


Hi Turtle Expedition Club Members;
Thought some of you might find this letter from down under and my answer of some interest.

Merry Christmas,

Gary Wescott
The Turtle Expedition, Unltd.

***************SEE BOTTOM OF PAGE FOR ANSWER.***************

Hi Collyn;
Your email caught up with us in Switzerland. To answer your questions:

There are pros and cons of every vehicle. I agree, the FCs offer more useable space. On the other hand, we have used American pick-ups for 20 years with great success. The Ford F-Series is a real work truck, and the engine is extremely strong and reliable. Ford is a sponsor. Mercedes is not. That also has its advantages, especially if you're preparing a vehicle in the U.S. and you are not a millionaire.

For the kind of roads----we do follow roads 99% of the time---(you probably do too)---I have no reservations about the ability of a pick-up. I know exactly where the front wheels are all the time. On the highway, at 70 mph, the comfort and quiet of having the big turbo diesel engine up in front is certainly an advantage. I've driven some Unimogs, Bucher Duros, and M.A.N.s, and the road noise is deafening. These are basically commercial or military vehicles with far less attention to creature comforts than a modern Ford F-550, which by the way has a 17,500 lb gross vehicle weight rating. (7,938 kg GVWR)

Creature comforts, like fully adjustable orthopedic seats, a premium sound system, CD changer, air conditioning, cruise control,electric windows, mirrors and door locks, courtesy and map lights where you need them, and a sound level that allows normal conversation at 80 mph (130 km/h) are all standard equipment on the F-Series, and while those creature comforts can be poo pooed by real men, who normally drive Land Rovers with the tire on the hood and never eat quiche--- I know---Idrove a Land Rover 109 for 9 years)---I can tell you that after 8 months on the road, following two tracks that most people would consider "off-road", those creature comforts lacking in most forward control commercial or military vehicles, can become quite important. Travel, after all, is supposed to be enjoyable, not some ordeal.

I am only slightly familiar with the area you live in. I drove a Land Rover 110 from Cairns to Darwin in the Camel Trophy several years ago. We mostly followed rough dirt tracks, and got stuck more than once, mostly for lack of good locking diffs.

I have seen the OKAs in photos only. They must not be available anywhere outside of Australia. Your 5.5 tonne (5,500 kg) (12,125 lbs), sounds like a capable vehicle, similar in GVWR to our F-350 (5,443 kg), but somewhat less than our F-550 (7,938 kg), and we have the same ARB in front and Detroit Locker in the rear, with Michelin 41-inch (104 cm) XZLs on the ground. Our fuel consumption, fully loaded is about 14 mpg, which with our 80 gallon (320 L) tanks, not counting reserves on the back, will take us about 1,120 miles, (1,802 km), and that's further than most other vehicles on the same road or dirt two-track, so there is nearly always fuel at the end. Otherwise, there wouldn't be a road in the first place. We can easily carry another 50 gallons (190 L) on the front and rear racks, designed for that purpose. Siberia, Sahara, Gobi, Taklamakan, Atacama or Aussi Outback are the only places this kind of fuel capacity is needed. For most travel in the real world, a 600 mile (965 km) range is more than enough.

*******Have you considered the Pinzgauer, Unimog, or OKA.

Pinzgauer: Expensive. Too small. WAY to noisy! No parts. No power.

Unimog: Expensive. Very complicated to service. No parts. Noisy. No power. This is a military tank chaser. Why do I need (relative numbers) 40 inches (101 cm) of ground clearance when all the rocks over 20 inches are gone on the dirt tracks, two-tracks, trails, etc., otherwise called roads. The Unimog is overkill.

OKA: No information, but the same problems as above. The Perkins 4 cyl 4 litre turbo diesel would be a real step back after sitting behind a 325 hp intercooled turbo 7.3 Liter V-8 diesel for 16 years. I drove an underpowered Land Rover for 9 years. I could never go back to a vehicle that has a real world top speed of 55 mph (88 km/h). Our F-550 holds a steady 72mph (115 km/h) on the interstate highways at a comfortable 2,200 rpm, and with 560 lbs of torque, we idle along on "off-road" tracks at 400 rpm in second gear. The 6-speed manual with high and low range (12 forward speeds) works just fine in all conditions.

Yes, we have considered the Pinzgauer, Unimog, and OKA, and also the Volvo, Hummer, Tatra, Kamaz, M.A.N., Bedford, Land Rover, Mercedes G, and Bucher Duro. In my personal opinion, (based on 31 years of backroad travel), if one is preparing a vehicle that is not too big to follow narrow dirt tracks in Baja Calif., drive and park in downtown Bogota, Columbia; negotiate rush hour on the Los Angeles freeway, weave through the traffic of Moscow, park in a normal parking lot using one space, slog through mud, sand and snow, and still provide the necessary comfort (sleeping, cooking, relaxing, toilet, etc.) for an extended (6 months or longer) adventure into uncivilized country, with due consideration for ultimate reliability and availability of parts all over the World,--------- overall, the best choice is an American
pick-up with a diesel engine and a GVWR of at least 12,000 lbs (5,443 kg). Our F-350 with the Power Stroke diesel (now available in Australia) is ideal. The F-550 may be even better. We are testing now.

BOTTOM LINE:

After traveling all over South America for 14 months and 50,000 miles (80,465 km), (4,000 km off pavement), in an overloaded F-350 with no failures, and then across Siberia in the winter, with temperatures down to -88° F (minus 7°C), over some of the worst "off-roads" I have ever seen, (worse than anything I saw in Australia), and then completely around the world---something like 36,000 miles (58,000 km)---in an overloaded F-350 (14,000 lbs) (6,350 kg), pulling a 5,000 lb (2,268 kg) trailer full of fuel, tires, propane, etc. , and no major failures, I have to ask myself, "Why in the world does anyone need an over-pricedPinzgauer, Unimog, OKA,Volvo, Hummer, Tatra, Kamaz, M.A.N., Bedford, or Bucher Duro?"

I'll send this on to The Turtle Expedition Club Members to see if anyone has an answer.

Regards,

Gary D. Wescott
The Turtle Expedition, Unltd.
Writer, Photographer, Producer

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 26-Dec-02 AT 01:51 PM (EST)]>I am only slightly familiar with the area you live in. I drove a >Land Rover 110 from Cairns to Darwin in the Camel Trophy several >years ago. We mostly followed rough dirt tracks, and got stuck more >than once, mostly for lack of good locking diffs.

Add to those good locking differentials, manually locking hubs. Automatic locking hubs, I am told, are not reliable. I understand that of the so called "Big Three" only Ford still offers manually locking front hubs.

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