The perfect Overlander is out there, but it won’t come cheap.
It’s the fine balance between comfort and offroad ability that makes Overlanding vehicles of all sizes. It’s almost impossible to find the perfect balance. However, Andreas Bruckner from Box Manufaktur owns a massive 6×6 Overlanding rig.
Box Manufaktur, a German-based company, specializes in the design and building of custom Overlanding rigs. Box Manufaktur does not use a wooden or metal framing system, as other Overlanding companies do. Instead, they use a composite panel system that is stronger and lighter.
Andreas brought his 6×6 MAN 26-ton truck from Germany to America to display his Overlanding rig, which was built for a family with five children. This truck is tuned to produce over 500 horsepower (373 KiloWatts) as well as around 1,500 pound feet (2,034 Newton-meters). This makes it very useful when transporting this heavy rig across rough terrain.
Andrea’s truck features three locking differentials, 32 forward gears, and four reverse gears to help you navigate difficult terrain. This large range of ratios is crucial when climbing steep grades or crawling out of sticky situations.
The MAN has a full-time 6-wheel drive and tires sourced directly for military purposes to put all that power down. The 600-pound tire and wheel combination weighs in at 600 lbs. It has a quick valve system which allows for all six tires to be aired down in less than 20 minutes for off-roading. The tire can be inflated to 110 PSI by using the built-in compressor.
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The real magic lies in the customized living space. Andrea says that Box Manufaktur takes approximately a year to build one of these boxes, with the first four months being spent mainly on planning.
Box Manufaktur uses an interwoven sandwich of fiberglass and polyurethane that is laminated to create a rigid and strong box that can withstand the stresses of off-roading. The interior can be customized to meet customer requirements by using a solid shell.
While compromise is inevitable when you’re looking to go Overlanding there are some things that can be done. Andrea’s 6×6 rig balance is hard to beat. Box Manufaktur can build the Overlander of your dreams for anywhere from $250,000 up to $400,000 depending on your needs.