Maybe its a good idea to show the "great master plan"
I can post some additional photos if someone is interested, and explain a bit more - actually I can bore you to death if you get me started...
Like probably most of the members in this forum I'm interested of vehicles, technology, tools etc. Therefore I have a vision of my ideal setup where I can either use one vehicle for something itself, or use it in combination with something else. I don't like buying anything ready made, so usually I buy a restoration project and restore everything back to new. Even if I would have more money, I would do the same way - as I enjoy too much of fabricating, doing research etc. gives a whole new aspect into the whole thing. I usually never let anyone else touch my projects, unless its upholstery work.
Firstly, I have a unique Finnish made 1977 Sisu off-road truck combination with prototype 1976 Sisu hydraulic driven trailer, another similar combination exists and its owned by Finnish War Museum (btw, Sisu is a small Finnish truck manufacturer). The truck weights 12200Lbs and is 20' long, the trailer has identical measures and is equipped with HIAB. The trailer is based on Sisu's Hydraulic Drive which they patented in the 50's(!), the combination is extremely competent in off-road conditions and deep snow. The idea is to have the snowcat on the trailer during the winters, and during summers it will transport my army assault boat (small, but 40 knots capable). Therefore its important I can quickly remove the snowcats roof, in case I have to cross a forest section I don't want to create any damage. This is kind of a "go-anywhere" setup... For support or short journeys I have Land Rover Defender TDI, which can also tow the snowcat with a small 2-axle trailer.
When I was in the Finnish Army serving the mandatory period, we sat on the beds of these trucks freezing our asses off when its was -40 Fahrenheits... Always liked them and their rugged design. The truck is currently under restoration (started on 2004) and will be finished on this year, trailer is in such a good condition only few hydraulic hoses need replacement.
Here's a sample what the truck will look like once its finished (forget the cannon - the German Authorities would hate it...):
Old picture of my trailer, sorry looks horrible. The rear tires have hydraulic drive, so powerful that one can use them to push the whole combination. The steering (2-speed forward, 1 reverse) is from drivers cabin via electronic joystick:
Secondly, I need means to transport the Sisu truck+trailer combination during long highway journeys - just to save the tires... Therefore I have a Swiss made FBW 6x4 truck, which originally was a concrete truck but I'm now converting it to semi-truck setup. They are very rare trucks and all were handbuilt, this one is 1974 and was equipped with Berliet twin-tandem axles (with locks) with 2-ratios, manual ZF-10 speed, Jakebrake and FBW Turbo-Diesel. The truck has only 267k miles and drives like new, its currently undergoing cabin restoration because I realized some point the front wall sealing had failed and therefore the whole front wall was rusted from inside, so much about Swiss quality, LOL. I'm looking for 2-3 axle low-loader trailer for it. Height, weight and width-wise the Sisu truck+snowcat setup should fit on it, and therefore its legal to drive in Europe. It makes it easy to move 2000 mile trips to North where I can play free with the off-road gear
Here's the photo of the truck, you have to imagine rest... It will get a big crane one day behind the cab once I find something in my price range. The cabin will be black once the restoration is finished within couple of months. Funny, it looks smaller than it really is, the roof will be about 15 inches higher because I want more room for overnight stay:
Thirdly, all vehicles incl. the boat will get SEM-35 Military Radios, I've owned about 10 of these and they are very rugged and excellent for backbag- or vehicle-setup, they work either by batteries or 24V. They are quite cheap to buy, and unbelievable quality for the money. I have antennas from 2 feet to 20 feet so that should offer enough coverage. Shown is vehicle setup for the trucks, I'm still not sure weather I use the backbag setup for the snowcat, or use 12>24V converter. Of course there's a selection of different microfones, headgear, intercom etc.:
So, thats the starting point and idea for everything...