On the African Continent, many truck drivers are taking off-road capabilities to final boss level. This video shows three runs, featuring MAN 4×4, 6×6 and 8×8 off-roaders, almost submerging while mud wrestling through some flooded passages. The loaded trucks are coupled to each other, mostly by using solid tow bars.
Back in the seventies, German truck maker MAN was duty-bound to come up with a series of first-rate military vehicles, given their long-standing, strong reputation for building heavy AWD chassis. The production of the MAN mil gl (militarisiert geländegängig) trucks started in 1976.
Four years ago, I caught this 1980 MAN mil gl 4×4, these chassis have coil springs all around. Da MAN is powered by a naturally aspirated, air cooled Deutz V8 diesel engine with a displacement of 12.7 liter, maximum power output 256 DIN-hp. The heavier 6×6 and 8×8 chassis were powered by the same engine, yet turbocharged and intercooled, thus making 320 DIN-hp.
These MANs found their way all over the world. Needless to mention they have also become popular among the very, very adventurous part of the motorhome crowd in more recent years.
Now hats off to the African truckers and their co-workers, the guys who secure the loads included…
Amazing! Most people here would flat out refuse.. Too dangerous.. Don’t pay me enough…etc. I know I’d be one of those people!!
To these guys this is just life.
It makes me appreciate a lot of the little things we take for granted in this part of the world.
Having just walked by a lifted and fully decked out Wrangler with giant wheels and tires that was so pristine that it will undoubtedly never be sullied by dirt, this is quite the counterpoint. I have not seen big trucks like this hooked together to create a train, which is of course brilliant, so that the other keep the train moving when one truck might well get stuck in the most difficult section.
My goodness, each one of these video segments is incredible. An amazing confluence of off-road ability from both man and MAN.
I’ve seen similar types of clips from Africa before, and I’d love to know the logistical details of these sorts of expeditions. For example, how do the trucking firms arrange for the ground crews to be at designated spots at the right time? There must be quite a few problem areas like these on any overland journey in these areas, so each spot would need to be manned by folks who know what they’re doing. But obviously, the crews couldn’t possibly leapfrog the trucks to keep ahead of them, so there would need to be a lot of crews. Or, do multiple trucking convoys use the same roads on the same days, to make this easier, and this is all coordinated by local towns that are receiving the goods contained on the trucks? I’d love to know just how this is all done because it’s really impressive, given the terrain and elements.
Well, thanks for sharing this – truly amazing stuff.
Wow!
Do they also use Tatras? The MAN is basically a German version of the Tatra 813, air cooled diesel, swing axle suspension with coil springs, etc. except Tatra offered an 8 seat crew cab
The MAN has rigid hub-reduction axles (same truck as pictured in the article).
I don’t think that many Tatras ended up in Africa. For now, I just take for granted that Mercedes-Benz wins the African heavy AWD truck marketshare competition.
“Roads? Where we’re going we don’t need roads.”
How that second truck in the last couple clips keeps going is miraculous. Even if the driver is using a five point harness you would have to Velcro your hands to the steering wheel and feet to the gas and break. For a simulator they could just use a commercial front load washing machine with a chair inside. I would last approximately 1.5 seconds before tossing my cookies.
Yes, at first sight, I was wondering how the cargo could stay on the bed. Directly followed by: but what about the driver???
Such a lugubrious elephantine progress, rolling and plodding and seemingly ignoring the human noises of encouragement, as if to say “Yes, yes, we’re thousands of years old and we have done this before, you know.”
Even if they’re not actually elephants, the drivers must surely be testicularly endowed like the family elephantidae, that’s for sure.
I can’t see a snorkel on these, though it can’t not exist, but I was rather astounded to see the exhaust coming out side and below, as it was drowned deep for a good stretch there. I can only presume 12 litres of finest air-cooled exhalation has enough force to keep things burbling along.
Great stuff, Mr D, and i have to admit, it’s rather a handsome-looking beast, though I’m can’t quite say why.
Old Truck Guy loves this! I agree with Justy about the necessary endowments of those drivers. M-A-N really built a good one. I have been in all-wheel drive trucks on demonstration. Not even coming close to this I found it scary if not a bit of fun.
Offering heavy, factory AWD chassis, that’s what German truck makers have been doing really well; for decades at a stretch, that is.
4×4 and 6×6 back in the old days, plus 8×8 chassis later on. Nowadays, Mercedes-Benz and MAN. Some names of yore: Krupp, Henschel (later Hanomag-Henschel) and Magirus-Deutz (part of Iveco since the mid-seventies).
These MAN trucks are seriously capable bits of kit. They really proved themselves in all versions with the British forces in Afghanistan when they replaced the mixed Foden, Bedford and Leyland fleet.
Impressive! MAN still offers a complete line of heavy, military off-roaders through Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles GmbH.
https://www.rheinmetall-defence.com/de/rheinmetall_defence/systems_and_products/vehicle_systems/military_trucks/index.php