Unimog U1300L -Walk Around, Ownership & Wiring

I thought I would share my experience with owning a Unimog, also a little wiring project. If you would like another video explaining things in more detail, or something else Unimog related, comment. Pls leave a Comment, Subscribe and 'Like'. Cheers!

[@GrandadBaz]

Nice looking truck Mike, I really fancy one but want the Ambulance to convert into a Camper. Thanks for sharing and keep em coming and keep em coming

[@mikeduncanson6903]

Thanks Barry, the ambulance is a great option due to it having the fast axles and presumably the Turbo as well. Good luck on your hunt.

[@RuCaGu]

Nice video and of course nice Unimog! I drove one of these in the German army and I can tell from first hand how much use and abuse they can handle. :-) Awesome to see that there are fans even in Canada. Have fun with it.

[@vancouverislandextraordina9811]

Great looking MOG. I find they take a bit to get use to shifting. I just have to slow down when shifting between gears. From lower 4th to 5th i throw it far left or right and wait a half sec. for the air to switch from Lower 4 to high. Pretty much never start on the lower 4 though when driving on pavement unless I'm coming out from reverse.

[@Ludacrisvideo]

Nice video

[@minecrafter023]

Great colour!

[@sezeryal]

You CANNOT take 12v like that. It will drain from one battery and will cause imbalanced batteries. Eventually your batteries will prematurely go bad. If you are not using a lot of amps with 12V, use 24v to 12V converters. Battery balancers/equalizer may also help for low current applications.

[@mikeduncanson6903]

Roger that, I've yet to add a new video showing the Converters as mentioned. I definitely noticed through a volt gage that the voltage was discharging. Works like a charm now, just need to install a balancer for battery longevity. Cheers

[@kevinlast-name6082]

Be careful with tapping 12 volts off a single battery. Yes, I know, it seems like a super simple, great idea. Don't do it. Unless you have a battery balancer installed. Here is what happens. You have two 12 volt batteries wired in series, making a 24 volt output. The alternator charges both together at the 24 volts from the alternator. Also note that no two batteries, even of the same model and lot and all the sameness you can think of, are ever the same efficiency and internal resistance. When you tap off one battery, it makes them even more uneven, regardless of them being wired together. As they are charged, typically the one that is higher voltage gets more charge (Yeah I know, counter intuitive...), while the lower charge one gets less power from the alternator. Over time, this problem just gets worse, stronger one gets stronger, weaker one gets weaker. After several days and weeks and months, you'll have one battery that's way over charged and one that is way under charged. Together, they might equal 24ish volts, but individually they are not the same. Now you have to buy two new batteries as the over charged one is fried and boiled off. The other is sulphated and won't maintain even a 12 volt charge. What can be done is wire in a battery balancer. They are simple and inexpensive and easy to wire between the two batteries. So even if there is a draw on one battery, it'll maintain balance. Unless there is a real big load which makes it difficult to keep balance. Simple, low draw devices like a radio or cig lighter output or USB charging port would be fine. Start using a high wattage stereo or automotive lighting off that 12 volt tap and you'll run into problems. If using this method, tap the high side battery. That's the one closest electrically to the alternator. Basically the output from the alternator goes to the positive post of one battery and then that battery's neg is connected to the pos of the next battery. The neg of the second battery when grounded completes the 24 volts. That first battery is the high side. That's the one that often will develop a higher charge over the other. This will still happen over time even if you don't tap 12 volts off one battery. Remember the 'no two batteries are ever the same' thing I mentioned above? That's why. When two batteries in series are even slightly different, one will charge more. That's why it's a good idea to periodically remove, charge, and swap the battery's position to promote balance. The second option is likely the best method if you have a lot of 12 volt accessories. That is to get a 24 volt to 12 volt converter. This should maintain the balance for longer, even with higher loads. However, I would still get a balancer because we all know now that even with a 24 volt load, the batteries will become unbalanced over time and you'll have to do preventative things like changing their position or getting new batteries if that maintenance gets neglected. Good luck and great looking Mog!

[@mikeduncanson6903]

Hey, thanks Kevin. You clearly know your stuff, and I appreciate your response. I will definitely look into this balancer you spoke of. Might actually swap batteries to have the other work out a little harder to re compensate first. Also, might incorporate the 24/12 inverter. Just wanted some amps at my disposal when needed. Great advice!

[@kevinlast-name6082]

@@mikeduncanson6903 You're welcome. I've got some more information for you to consider. If your batteries are currently ok, I wouldn't change them as they are rather pricy. Disconnect both and test them. Maybe take them to someone that can load test. I'd recommend a balancer for any 2 x 12, 24V series system. One thing to be aware of is that relays should be incorporated to disconnect it when the vehicle is not being used. The reason is that the balancer will keep trying to equalize the batteries with the vehicle turned off. This is ok for a couple days, but if you park it for a while, you may go to drive it and the batteries will be dead. No bueno, for sure. A couple normally open relays set to close with ignition on will solve that and isolate the balancer with the ignition off. . Looking at the amount of 12 V equipment you have, some sort of 24 to 12 V converter should be used. An equalizer likely won't be up to the task of maintaining balance with that large current load. Another alternative to the converter, and possibly the most robust solution to get you lots of 12 V power is to install a second alternator (12 volt) and battery. In this scenario, you would have a completely separate and unconnected system to run all your goodies. Lots of benefits come from that including complete redundancy in the event of some sort of catastrophic electrical failure in one of the systems, especially if you travel in really out of the way places. In all situations, I'd still run a balancer on your 24 volt side. They're cheap and easy to install. There are many brands; I just did a quick google search and this is the first one that came up: www.amazon.com/KRXNY-Battery-Equalizer-Batteries-Balancer/dp/B07FD1DYXW

[@mikeduncanson6903]

@@kevinlast-name6082 Thanks again Kevin. Truly good info. After asking around at numerous electrical outlet stores, no one had any idea about a balancer lol. So... I took your advice and installed "plan B". Two 24/12 vt converters are now installed. One for ACC toys, and one for constant power. I've had many discussions about the 12vt off one side of the battery... with many strong options in both directions. I can confidently say you were right. I had a volt meter on the dash off the switches, and week by week I noticed that the voltage was dropping, with no charging after running the truck. This has now gone away with the installation of the converters. I will do another video shortly with the upgrades, and a few toys ;) Thanks again Bud.

[@nscheibeler]

Could you make a video of what it is to live with day to day? Does it fit in the garage? Drive thru? Pictures next to other trucks? Loading things into the bed?

[@mikeduncanson6903]

Hi Nick, good idea. I will post another video shortly with some upgrades. I'll incorporate these as well. Cheers!

[@humbucker0076]

It's quite normal for Unimog to shift a bit rough. There are usually a few reasons for that: yours seems to be ex military, and their gearboxes usually don't have an easy life because of who drives it and how. However, in some part it's due to the design of the gearbox. Your main box is a 4 speed, and when shifting from 4 to 5 the truck puts you back in 1st gear and changes up a gear in the group gearbox. Same when going down. And a little fun fact about those transmissions: The German military once was on the lookout for a military truck in the size category of the Unimog. They had strict criteria, one of which was it has to be a six speed. So mercedes looked at their product range, saw that the Unimog fullfiled all criteria, except being a 6 speed. However, they still wanted the job so what did they do? Equip the 1300L with a different gearbox? Use the same gearbox and just lock two gears like the did on their mb trac tractors? Nope, they found something even simpler. You have those gear indicator lights on your center console? They're probably numbered 1-8? Mercedes just changed the stickers and called the first two gears G1und G2 (for "Gelände"/Offroad) and claimed it was a six speed. They got the job.

[@humbucker0076]

Looking at the general army spec and the sticker telling you to always turn on 4wd when fording through water I would guess that your Unimog Most likely has another cool feature: When you turn on lockers, it uses its air to put positive pressure in your axles etc to prevent water from getting in.

[@mikeduncanson6903]

Good information Humbucker, thanks!

[@robkoopmans4945]

For the best shifting quality use a mb 235.4 spec oil like castrol syntrans.

[@mathieupilon2113]

That’s a gorgeous U1300L you have. Nice job with the 12V. I’m looking into getting a U1300L similar to yours. If I ever do, we should head out together, I’m also from BC.

[@mikeduncanson6903]

Sounds good Mathieu, and thanks!

[@jcf6597]

I'm in Alberta and am considering buying a Unimog also but have a couple of questions if you wouldn't mind answering. Why did you import as opposed to buying one already in Canada or USA? Have you driven any other Unimogs to see if they are also as difficult to shift or have you figured out why yours is that way? I've heard that they are quite noisy to drive, is there any way to make the cab quieter or is it not that bad? Any other words of advice would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[@mikeduncanson6903]

Hi, I purchased this after looking for a Mog locally, but nothing seemed to fit. Pricewise I've found that it was cheaper (for me) to import (value wise). Some hassles of course come with this, but I used an importer to lessen most issues. I also liked the fact that I was getting an Ex-Military Unimog with 40,000km that was well maintained, rather than I guessing game privately. The shifting I think you just get used to, and the oil made a lot of difference. Noisy? ... yeah I guess you could say that, but so is a high end Porsche or Ferrari, but this is worth every decibel lol. I've seen a few videos of insulating the cabs that apparently make a world of difference. Hope this was useful. Cheers, and good luck finding one. I haven't regretted it one bit.

[@stangira7250]

Mike , how did you find your rig in Germany - do they have web that would have listing in English?Did you use professional company to import your rig to Canada ( Mross import )? I live in Alberta and am looking for one as well . I have found people selling Canadian registered Mogs on Kijiji priced around $ 40- 60 G. Thanks . Stan

[@mikeduncanson6903]

Hi Stan, yes I used an importer on this one. Private message me for more info. There are numerus sites that can be trusted though, like Atkinson Vos. They can be a hassle to register in my experience though. They should be registered as a tractor, which can save some taxes. Once you have a Canadian registration however, this brings up the value for resale. Cheers, and good luck!

[@humbucker0076]

There is a Dutch site called Unimog-Meister. It's a side that collects offers from different dealers, sites, private sellers etc, all across Europe and even some in America. Their offers are for the most part also available in English and the guy knows where to head to for importing and exporting. Also a good place for spare parts and accessories. E.g. if you would like a zeppelin shelter to turn your mog into a Camper

[@morganb4463]

@@mikeduncanson6903 Hi Mike, I'm in the same boat (well, Province) as Stan and would love the opportunity to pick your brain about your experience and get your insights and recommendations. I have been researching for quite some time, but nothing beats actual experience. Lot's of differing opinions and (good/bad) thoughts on importers..