InfraStructures - August 2011 - The Ideal Hunting and Expedition Vehicle

The Ideal Hunting and Expedition Vehicle

The Mercedes-Benz Zetros is in its element wherever all-terrain capabilities and a high payload are required. This all-wheel drive truck is designed for difficult off-road conditions.

First conceived as a military vehicle (it fits inside an Hercules C–130 transport plane), it is also used in civil applications and recently, two units with special bodies and interior fittings have been delivered to Ulan-Bator, the capital of Mongolia.

Mongolians love their freedom, and greatly enjoy excursions into the varied natural surroundings of their high-altitude homeland. Whereas only the horse was once a suitable means of transport for this purpose, two businessmen friends in Ulan-Bator decided in favor of the Zetros as a more modern and luxurious way of negotiating the terrain. The two friends use their unique jumbo off-roaders for multi-day excursions into the Altai mountains, for example, where they hunt for wolves with an eagle.

The 3-axle Zetros have a payload of 16 t. They are powered by a 7.2 l OM 926 LA engine developing 326 hp. A choice of two transmissions is available: the standard unit is the hydraulically/pneumatically shifted G 131-9 nine-speed transmission (eight forward gears + crawler), or a direct-ratio top gear, with a six-speed Allison 3000 SP/PR fully-automatic transmission is available as an option.

The VG 1700 transfer case as a 1.690 off-road ratio. Torque distribution between the front and rear axles is 1:3.21 in the splitter box, and 1:1 if the differential lock is engaged. The Zetros is equipped with three mechanical differential locksas standard, and these can be easily selected by the driver using a rotary control.

The trucks have been converted into hunting and expedition vehicles according to customer specifications by the body specialist Hartmann Spezialkarosserien GmbH and the interior equipment specialist Klaus Huenerkopf Neukirshen.

The body and interior conversion work had to take into account the very special climatic conditions where the vehicles are to be used. Extreme temperature fluctuations require particularly good insulation, and all the interior features were planned and installed to ensure that they are able to withstand the punishing conditions of off-road operations. Marble floor in the bathrooms and underfloor heating insure that the living conditions are bearable. One of the two examples also has a rear vehicle bay able to accommodate an ATV.

Source: Daimler AG