Story on Unimogs (and Tatras) used in fighting wildfires

[BlueFly]

Enjoy!


http://www.hcn.org/issues/40.16/the-mog-squad/TatraWheelsSkewed.jpg



http://www.hcn.org/issues/40.16/the-mog-squad

[dlbrunner]

That is out of the town I went to high school in.

One of my buddies and the Junior high shop teacher had great stories of what the Mogs gould do...

[Best4x4xfar]

Interesting story, thanks for posting the link. It was a little suprising toward the end though, after all the touting the article was doing of the Unimog's 'super capabilities' to hear a long term operator talk about the Mogs as tempotmental, less than reliable machines? But at least the article makes the point that everytime they respond they are pushed beyond the limit..

[haven]

It will be interesting to see if the TATRA models will
be more durable than the Unimogs in this role.

Anyone know what secret DARPA machine is referenced
on the last page of the article?

[Redline]

I love the picture you linked here to start the thread:

A six-wheel-drive Tatra -- aka, Wildland Ultra XT -- tweaks out in a dry wash near Winnemucca, Nevada.


Enjoy!


http://www.hcn.org/issues/40.16/the-mog-squad/TatraWheelsSkewed.jpg



http://www.hcn.org/issues/40.16/the-mog-squad

[Saline]

The BLM here has one of the Tatras based out of Grand Junction. I've ridden in their rig during a combined training and used them for mutual aid on fires. Holy crap, very impressive machine!! The operators say that they have some reliability issues but overall a great apparatus.

[ntsqd]

One of the things that I learned when I was employed working on vintage road race & touring cars is that each nation's vehicles have a unique "Zen" to them. Each country's Engineers have unique design ideas. Sometimes it is each particular brand, but usually there is at least a little commonality between brands from the same country.
To effectively work on vehicles from another country and have those repairs and modifications be long lasting and appropriate you have first figure out that vehicle's zen. Otherwise you might make it work again, only to have some other problem crop up a little later.
When I read about "reliability issues" I can't help but wonder how much if that is self-inflicted and part of the learning curve.

[jh504]

Where do I sign up?

[762X39]

It was a little suprising toward the end though, after all the touting the article was doing of the Unimog's 'super capabilities' to hear a long term operator talk about the Mogs as tempotmental, less than reliable machines? But at least the article makes the point that everytime they respond they are pushed beyond the limit..
I hear this all the time...they are super machines but...
Mogs are not temperamental, they are precision machines that have specific service requirements (in the factory service manuals)that must be adhered to to maintain the "superhuman" performance they are capable of.Even my old Swiss 404 has a long list of maintanence items that must be performed to keep it running up to par.You can't get uber performance from a precision tool without upkeep.
Just my 2 euros worth.

[4Rescue]

I used to be an Engine Boss for a crew out of Portland that used old Mog SWB chasis's for Wildland Engines and we never had an issue with them. Good read.

Cheers

Dave

[Spikepretorius]

I used Mogs extensively in the military and never ever had a problem beside having bleeding issues if we ran out of fuel but that's a common diesel thing (and top speed too slow). The ultimate vehicle in my eyes.
Our mine-proof troop carriers were also based on Mog chassis (Buffel) and there were thousands of them in use daily

[GlobalMonkey]

If anyone is interested in Tatra trucks, go to our website:

http://www.tatratrucksusa.com/ATT%20Tatra%20%20Home.html

We can provide completely restored TATRA 815 6x6. The price for a restored truck in Prague, Czech Republic is $105K which does not include shipping or customs fees. We would organize the shipping and the import; the customer would be responsible for the cost. Most of the trucks have dual rear wheels but sometimes we get lucky and find one with single rear wheels. Please PM me with any questions. I have tried to attach some photographs of restored TATRA trucks, but for some reason it is not possible, the server will not let me. If interested, I could e-mail the photos.
Thanks, Tomas

[Doin_It]

Hey Tomas, how come almost all the pics. you show of your "competion" are trucks working the wild wild west of the Canadian oil patch, where sometimes the roads you have to haul on they hold you back with Cats, cause you can't brake hard enough to hold your self back. We build equipment for almost every company you show there, www.wellquip.ca

[Czechsix]

It will be interesting to see if the TATRA models will
be more durable than the Unimogs in this role.

Anyone know what secret DARPA machine is referenced
on the last page of the article?


I thought at first they might be talking MTVR, but reading that paragraph the only thing that comes to mind is one of Honeggars Scorpions. I know he's working on some contracts for DARPA, on and off, and he's probably not the only one. Why in the world the BLM would want a rock crawler for fire fighting....that's another question entirely.

Back in '96 I lived in Prague, CR and attended some military and vehicle shows, and I had a chance to talk to Tatra reps. I asked them why they weren't pursuing USA sales, and they said there was no interest from their end, they were too small to deal with the federal laws. I talked with them for quite a while and walked away shaking my head, I was so sure they'd do very well in the US. Fast forward to now and they actually are making an impact here...nice trucks, well proven tech. Too damned heavy for my taste though, I like ROSS trucks more.

[Gurkha]

Interesting....Tatras have been extensively used by the Indian military establishment and now is also manufactured here in India and is also offered for sale to civilians. It starts at $11000 for the 6x6. Sturdy workhorses and built to last.

[GlobalMonkey]

Hey Tomas, how come almost all the pics. you show of your "competion" are trucks working the wild wild west of the Canadian oil patch, where sometimes the roads you have to haul on they hold you back with Cats, cause you can't brake hard enough to hold your self back. We build equipment for almost every company you show there, www.wellquip.ca

We mean no disrespect. The industry standard C500 Kenworth is an impressive piece of equipment in and of its own right. With that said, before choosing Tatra as our marque brand, we researched every heavy truck manufacturer world-wide and in the harshest of off-road environments the Tatra is superior. Pound for pound, muddy road for muddy road, the Tatra will simply outperform everything else. This is why militaries and fire departments around the world use them when nothing else will get the job done.

Your website states: "WellQuip prides itself in reaching beyond the conventional in providing cutting edge solutions for oilfield servicing, and drilling equipment." We, at Tatra Trucks USA, would like to work with you to develope an oilfield servicing solution that reaches beyond the conventional. How about a collective effort to put a Tatra 815 8x8 rig-up truck to work in the field in western Canada?
Thanks, Tomas

[GlobalMonkey]

Interesting....Tatras have been extensively used by the Indian military establishment and now is also manufactured here in India and is also offered for sale to civilians. It starts at $11000 for the 6x6. Sturdy workhorses and built to last.

I think you are missing one "0" in the price of Tatra in India. Brand new 2008 Tatra 815 6x6 sells in Europe today for $170,000. Or am I wrong?
Tomas

[Doin_It]

Tomas - Thanks for the offer, our fearless leader and CEO, is on a personal level with the majority owner of Tatra, and when in Czech. stays with him in his castle (an actual old stone castle) Any of our trucks going into the European market unless stated, we push and build on Tatra.

[kellymoe]

Great story. The fire season is upon us in California and the West. Unless we get cooler temps and precip. soon we are in for a nasty season.

My department bought two Hummers several years ago to use for brush patrols. They have 300 gallon tanks and pumps on board. As soon as we received them one of our captains decides to see if he could climb a near by hill with it to see what it was capable of. Near the top he lost traction and started rolling back. He turned the wheel and sent the Hummer into a roll. He rolled it several times before it came to a stop:o He got out and declared that it was a POS. We kept them for several seasons but eventually sold them. We now have Super Duty Fords as our Wild-land trucks.

[Best4x4xfar]

As soon as we received them one of our captains decides to see if he could climb a near by hill with it to see what it was capable of. Near the top he lost traction and started rolling back. He turned the wheel and sent the Hummer into a roll. He rolled it several times before it came to a stop:o He got out and declared that it was a POS.

He must have been like this guy, and 'knew' you can't roll a hummer...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2cZXAie4lU

[Ron B]

Great story. The fire season is upon us in California and the West. Unless we get cooler temps and precip. soon we are in for a nasty season.

My department bought two Hummers several years ago to use for brush patrols. They have 300 gallon tanks and pumps on board. As soon as we received them one of our captains decides to see if he could climb a near by hill with it to see what it was capable of. Near the top he lost traction and started rolling back. He turned the wheel and sent the Hummer into a roll. He rolled it several times before it came to a stop:o He got out and declared that it was a POS. We kept them for several seasons but eventually sold them. We now have Super Duty Fords as our Wild-land trucks.


Sounds like driver error to me -- I'm always amazed seeing inexperienced drivers in h1's stuck on easy obstacles, if you know how to drive one they will go anywhere they'll fit. It's rare to see one upside down -- they almost always stop in their flat sides. Where were the 300 gal tanks located? Man that's alot of fuel (2300 lbs).

[762X39]

They have 300 gallon tanks and pumps on board. As soon as we received them one of our captains decides to see if he could climb a near by hill with it to see what it was capable of. Near the top he lost traction and started rolling back. He turned the wheel and sent the Hummer into a roll. He rolled it several times before it came to a stop:o He got out and declared that it was a POS.
Sounds like this guy did everything wrong. I kinda like hummers although I bought a Mog instead. With or without a 300 gallon tank in the back it should be pretty easy to roll one on a hill when you turn the wheel and let it roll instead of carefully backing down the way you came, I think that is cross country (off pavement) driving 101.

[kellymoe]

Sounds like driver error to me -- I'm always amazed seeing inexperienced drivers in h1's stuck on easy obstacles, if you know how to drive one they will go anywhere they'll fit. It's rare to see one upside down -- they almost always stop in their flat sides. Where were the 300 gal tanks located? Man that's alot of fuel (2300 lbs).

It was absolutely driver error. Firemen aren't known for being humble and owning up to mistakes:)

[Saline]

Say it ain't so! Hey, who hung my turnout coat on the pump panel??