Comments by "Helmuth Schultes" (@helmuthschultes9243) on "American Reacts to the Pinzgauer" video.

  1. Not wrong, the Unimog is more universal working vehicle and probably the better all round choice. The Pinzgauer is very capable but far more Spartan, and lighter than Unimog. Durability was excellent and it's body flex due to the unique herring bone structure gave it some advantages as did the excellent clearance. One area from memory that did give some concern were the wheel hub gearing that produced some faults. But as a working tool it did stand out in load carrying in adverse conditions. Definitely noisy and not so nice on highway.
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  2. In late 1960s as I was developing interest in 4WD vehicles and reaching 18yrs age and thus getting my driver's license, we had a small company in my suburb Springvale in Melbourne Australia that was selling both the Pinzgauer and a popular at the time smaller sibling the Haflinger vehicles, assembling these from complete kits from the Austrian manufacturer. I even test drove both, and thevPinzgauer was quite an experience, but cost wise way out of my range. In 1974 I ended up buying my first 4WD a Suzuki LJ50 'Jiminy' 3 cyl 540cc two stroke motor compact 4WD. The smaller Haflinger was cheaper than a VW Beetle and very, extremely capable, though only a two cylinder motor. Its worst characteristic due to narrow width was a tendency to overturn and worse due to having diff locks, that many used to try conquering especially steep climbs, they back flipped and tumbled down the hill. Efforts to add roll cages made them even more prone to such rollover and back flipping due to raised centre of gravity. The larger Pinzgauer 4WD/6WD cost considerably more, though it too was only a 4 cyl engine from recollection. It fared better as far as stability but also was frequently laid on its side. Its special feature was a herring bone central chassis, which gave significant lengthwise twist. On rough ground in the rear vision mirror you could see the rear end twisted at significant angle to the front end. The central core was almost an oval tubular form with side producing 'ribs' or fish bones holding body and suspension and Axel mounts. Drive was to wheels by down angled shafts to wheel hub reduction gearing. Giving the entire vehicle a huge ground clearance along the entire length of the vehicle, far more than other 4WD vehicles with typical H frame chassis and Axel's. Note both names Pinzgauer and Haflinger are names of working horses in Austria, the Pinzgauer a large sturdy working horse not quite to Clydesdale mass. The Haflinger a smaller horse bit bigger than a large pony. Both used on farms and mine sites as well commonly seen in winter pulling sleds through snow cover land, and pulling various size carts and carriages in warmer times. Another note worthy point, both vehicles are designed and manufactured by an Austrian company, Styre-Puch that Mercedes Benz contracted to design their Mercedes G Wagon 4WD that become quite a success around the world.
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