RSS Feed

Related Articles

Related Categories

A special place for a specialist vehicle this winter

20th December 2012 Print
Mercedes-Benz Unimog

Imagine a vehicle that can face any situation thrown at it, a vehicle that can operate both on- and off-road, on rail and snow and even ford water up to 1.20-metres deep. Now imagine a Unimog from Mercedes-Benz.
 
Each winter there are a number of challenging tasks across the length and breadth of Britain which need the help of such a special vehicle.
 
Designed and built to be more versatile and reliable than any other all-wheel drive truck, the Unimog is capable of top speeds of up to 56 mph and has proved  to use up to 40 % less fuel than a tractor.
 
The delivery of Christmas trees is a tradition throughout cities, towns and villages across the UK and with a large tree measuring up to 17-metres and  weighing up to 3.5 tonnes, the diversity of the Unimog with its GVW of 11.99-tonnes and 286 hp engine,  shines through.
 
Now imagine the same vehicle having the ability to keep Britain moving in other areas. Thanks to the durability of the Unimog with its attachable and detachable components, the Unimog’s rail guidance system, based on two rail axles that are hydraulically lowered on to the tracks, change it from being an all-terrain truck to a powered rail vehicle.
 
A dual-mode Unimog can develop an enormous pulling power at a low weight, which can in turn tow loads of up to 1,000-tonnes. A very handy feature when trains can weigh up to 8,000-tonnes. Up to 100 dual-mode design Unimogs are delivered to railway companies around the world each year, making the legendary universal motorised working machine a fixture in this industry as well.
 
In addition to a torque converter clutch,specifically designed for pulling heavy loads, the Unimog U 400 can also include a crawler gear transmission for very slow operating speeds. This means the Unimog can also be equipped with either a snow blower or plough for clearing roads, tracks, airports and rails.
 
When off-road the Unimog really starts to shine,  accepting any challenge thrown at it. The Unimog’s flexible ladder frame chassis with tubular cross-members ensures the necessary rigidity on the road, and allows greater flexibility when off-road.
 
The Unimog 5000 6x6, weighing exactly 7.24-tonnes is the number one vehicle in the range for its extreme off-road abilities. It has now acquired a third axle, extending the possibilities of the vehicles’ off-road speciality further. Its permissible GVW of 17-tonnes and a payload of 10-tonnes is now capable of tackling additional off-road assignments turning it into a versatile, all-round heavy duty specialist vehicle.
 
Whether mowing, clearing or cutting snow, gritting, cleaning, sweeping or transporting – the Unimog U range, comprising of U 300/U 400/U 500, can do it all: it can be equipped with more options than any other mass-produced vehicle, the four attachment and mounting areas and both front and rear power take offs (PTO’s) afford endless possibilities.

More Photos - Click to Enlarge

Mercedes-Benz Unimog