Hope to see the truck when you set off from Dubai!

Surfy that's GREAT information, thank you - the Google translate was a little 'loose' in places but I definitely got the idea. I have a friend who is into overlanding and who works for Mercedes Middle East (I've been busy planning ALL the elements of this trip ;-) ) so I will have a chat with him about what is, and is not possible to 'fix' either here or in Germany / Austria before the truck is shipped from Europe. That's REALLY helpful, thank you.


Certainly James, but it's at least 6 months away, maybe more depending on work and family issues, but my 2015 resolution is to stop talking about it and head out!


Moggy: I definitely hear what you're saying, and no vehicle will ever be 'perfect' but Oberaigner is a factory approved supplier who already makes OEM axles for Mercedes. The designs are fully factory approved, meaning there's a Mercedes part number for every item and I can order them from anywhere. Yes it's more complex, but I'll carry a few critical spares, and have had several meetings with the Oberaigner team while they were in Dubai recently and believe they are the right people for the job. I've been mulling this over for too many years and need to choose something!


I considered IVECO, know it's not a bad choice, but the load capacity and Mercedes support swung me toward the Ob. And a part of me, which is probably completely mad, quite likes the idea of being one of the first to try a not so well known vehicle and proving it can be done! I plan on being 'gone' for years so need something big enough to live in, not just ride in. Until I saw the Ob. I was going to use a big Merc., but the Ob. just appeals to me. If I quit in tears 6 months on, at least I can say I tried :-)