Date: Mon, 03 Oct 94 23:14:31 CDT
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From: "J. Walker" <JWALKER@ua1vm.ua.edu>
Subject: for allistair: unimog field test (long)
The Star, September/October 1987
Unimog U1250 Field Test
Have you ever noticed how some vehicles conceived, designed and produced
with the utmost seriousness of purpose are ... apart from successfully
fulfilling their intended roles ... just Great Big Fun Toys to play
with? In the world of Mercedes-Benz, we've found no better example of
this phenomenon that the Unimog.
What's a Unimog? Well, it can be a farm tractor, a snow plow, a
backhoe, a dump truck, an army vehicle, a recreational vehicle, a
railroad locomotive, a bus, a tanker, a street sweeper, even a tank or
a racer. It's used by municipal governments, airports, armies, ski
areas, tour operators, and the occasional wealthy madman. And apart
from its serious and honorable roles, it is Big Time Fun!
Allied fliers in World War II painted names on their aircraft, tourists
throng to ride steam trains, and we enjoy driving our cars. Apart from
their utility, some vehicles simply generate enthusiasm, usually in
direct proportion to their size and speed potential. As a
representative of MBCA and of The Society For The Preservation &
Appreciation Of Large, Dangerous Machines That Go Fast, we recently
made an inpection trip to the unassuming suburban Milwaukee headquarters
of Schmidt Engineering & Equipment, the U.S. distributor of Unimogs.
Universal Uses
Literally translated, the name Unimog comes from the German for
universal motor tractor. Conceived by DBAG in the 1950's as an
agricultural tractor, the 'Mog soon found other roles as a heavy-duty,
multi-purpose vehicle that could serve as a transporter, a power source,
a construction vehicle.
With a view to expanding into the recreational vehicle field, Schmidt
employed noted automotive designer Brooks Stevens to do some conceptual
designs of a Unimog RV. Potential users include sportsmen, resorts,
rescue/recovery teams, skiers, tour guides, etc. As a prototype,
Schmidt has adapted a Unimog U1250, using a four-door cab and adding
a camper to the rear load platform, not to forget the AM/FM radio/
cassette player.
Most owners use their Unimogs in less glamorous roles, such as being
a public servant. According to Joe Swann, Unimog sales manager, the
vehicles are popular with small towns because they are so versatile.
In some small towns you may see one working as a backhoe, a snowplow
or a snowblower. Instead of owning three or four pieces of single-
purpose equipment, such as a mower, a street sweeper and a snowblower,
each of which may lie around rusting most of the time, a small town can
have one Unimog and two or three attachments. Interchanged quickly as
needed, these attachments make better use of less money and keep the
most expensive piece, the basic Unimog, in operation year-round.
U.S. 'Mogs
Plain vanilla (actually, orange) Unimogs are shipped from DBAG's
Gaggenau plant via Baltimore to Schmidt, where they are prepared to
meet U.S. specifications. Since the 'Mog is classified as a tractor,
meeting safety and emissions regs is simple, mostly entailing addition
of U.S.-spec lights and mirrors. But Schmidt's real talents lie in
adapting Unimogs for the roles specified by customers. You want one
to run on rails and shunt boxcars around? They add railroad running
gear. You want an airport snowplow? They add a giant snowblade or
hungry snowblower. You want an RV? They add a camper. The U.S. Army
recently wanted a hydraulic front-end loader, so Schmidt is building
1,800 of them for Unimogs being shipped to our fighting forces via
Frieghtliner, which handles U.S. military sales.
Four civilian Unimog models are available in the U.S. Oldest, simplest
and least expensive is the U900, a descendant of the original 1950's
version; prices start at $67,806. The most popular model is the U1200,
an updated design that appeared in late 1982. Sporting a 5,667-cc
turbo-diesel making 122 bhp at 2,600 rpm and 268 lb-ft of torque at
1,700 rpm, the U1200 starts at $77,950; a stretched version, the U1250,
has a 24-in longer wheelbase. King of the hill is the mighty U1700,
with more power (168 bhp) and torque (383 lb-ft) and price ($99,282).
Nobody buys a stripped Unimog, though, as Schmidt usually adds another
$10-40,000 in optional bodywork and attachments. A decent snowblower
will set you back $22,000, or you can add a vacuum street sweeper for
$65,000 or a mower for $15,000. Although they sound high, these prices
are lower than those of special-purpose units.
Olive Drab Options
Options are limited only by the thickness of your wallet and the scope
of your imagination, but the most common ones include air-conditioning,
a heated windshield, additional power take-offs, extra lights, dump
bodies and other attachments. More esoteric options involve para-
military stuff that Joe doesn't seem eager to discuss. Instead, he
shows me a Daimler-Benz sales and service video, but even that depicts
beret-clad troopers convoying a fleet of 'Mogs across the dusty veldt,
with a burning tank in the background for atmosphere.
The olive drab military versions have canvas rear body covers, a
24-volt electrical system, a stream fording package, matte paint over
all trim, black-out covers for the instrument lights, a black-out
lighting system, military trailer hitches, etc. They also feature a
circular roof hatch, and the passenger seat below it conveniently folds
down to form a platform for observers and, uh, others. Kevlar body
armor is also available, we understand.
Not surprisingly, the Unimog is also the weapon of choice as a support
vehicle in the rugged Paris-Dakar Rally every January, and a couple of
years back, it won its class in that mad dash through Europe and the
African desert. It wasn't easy to understand the logic of racing such
a seemingly ungainly vehicle, but then, we hadn't driven one yet ...
Behind the Wheel
Even DBAG seems to realize how much fun a driver can have ... the
the driver-training tape emphasizes responsibility and caution. But
enough of caution. Now it's time to drive the U1250L RV prototype,
a yellow behemoth with a frame that looks like it might be missing from
the Brooklyn Bridge.
You climb aboard, literally. Your eyes are about eight feet above
ground level, surrounded by windows, so you can see for miles. Controls
and instruments are a cross between those of a Freightliner, a farm
tractor and the familiar passenger car we know and love. The headlight
switch and combination switch (turn signal, wiper, high-low beams, etc.)
come right out of your car. The main difference is the two-wheel/four-
wheel/differential lock switch, which unlike many all-wheel drive
vehicles, can be operated on the fly.
To start the engine, depress the clutch pedeal (a safety switch cuts
off the starter otherwise) and turn the key. An appropriately rorty-
sounding diesel crackles to life below you.
You've got 48 gears to choose from; 24 forward, 24 more reverse. The
shift pattern is a triple-H, but gear indicator lights make it easy to
see where you are. A handy lever lets you switch directly from the
forward gears to the equivalent ratios in reverse. Say you're in third
gear forward and want to back up. There's no need to search for third
reverse. Just move the lever from F to R, and you're going backward,
assuming appropriate use of brakes and clutch, of course. On pavement,
you start in third or fourth, and off-road, in first or second.
Release the stubby parking brake, the air system sighs, ease out the
clutch, and you're off. Acceleration is not blazing, but it's not
labored. Ratios are close, so you either shift a lot or skip gears.
There's a ratio in there for anything from a mere crawl (7.5 ft/min)
to Interstate speeds. Wear your double-clutching boots, though ...
the synchros may not save a ham-fisted driver from the occassional
embarrassing graunch.
On our first suburban street drive, the lightly laden Unimog seems a
little harsh riding but not out of place in traffic. Finding a place
to get down and dirty proves difficult. Milwaukee is not exactly the
Baja, you know. We're looking for a local quarry, but rumor has it
that the Mafia bought it (to dispose of uncooperative types?) so it is
off limits. Our first off-road foray, onto some highway right-of-way
and then into an unused field, brings out an irate farmer in his
pick-up, so we find another place to dirty our tires in privacy.
Off-Road capability
Ruts and mud that would hang up just about any other four-wheel drive
vehicle are absolutely no sweat for the Unimog. If you feel the rear
wheels start to slip, just switch into four-wheel drive. If that
doesn't keep you rolling, lock the diffs. Even a reasonably sized body
of water is no problem. Thanks to exhaust and air intake stacks and
some waterproofing, the 'Mog can ford (excuse the expression) water up
to four feet deep. Getting a Unimog well and truly bogged down could
present a real problem, simply because no rescue vehicle could get
close enough and/or generate enough traction to pull it out. Maybe
that's why a winch is a suggested option. Unimog, help thyself!
Unlike automobiles, which demand the most rigid chassis possible, the
Unimog thrives on frame flex. Its frame can twist up to 15 degrees
in each direction, keeping the wheels in contact with uneven ground
and maintaining stability in tough situations. Engine, cab and load
platform are each mounted at only three points so that they can go with
the flow.
Just looking at a narrow, high Unimog, you might think it would be
top-heavy, but the heavy drivetrain is mounted low, and the basic unit
can cross a 35-degree slope. Drive axles are kept clear of tree trunks
by portal axles, with a set of vertically offset gears at each wheel
... like an old VW bus. Ground clearance is 17 inches at the
differentials, 21 at the axles. Front and rear body overhang are
minimal, and coil springs mean long suspension travel.
High Speed Mode
After some low-speed highway and off-road familiarization, it's
lunchtime. Joe wants to demonstrate the High Speed Cruising Mode.
"I know this great seafood place in downtown Milwaukee," he says.
Say no more. We can park on top of a Yugo or two. I steer the Unimog
onto the Interstate with some trepidation. For a second I picture us
getting into some kind of viscious terminal speed wobble, pitching
$140,000-worth of cold German steel upside down into a ditch alongside
two or three crushed civilian Buicks and/or Kenworths, maybe taking out
a bridge or two in the process. Would my insurance agent comprehend,
let alone pay? No matter, if we weren't killed in the process, the
state troopers would call in the National Guard to annihilate the alien
invaders' strange yellow ship before we could explain, anyway. Press
on up the ramp, press down on the throttle.
Fourth, throttle, shift; fifth, throttle, shift; sixth, throttle,
shift; seventh, throttle, more throttle, and shift into eighth.
Gloriosky, we're going 55, and there's more pedal left!! Speed is
governed not by power but by a novice driver's inexperience at Unimog
braking. With discs at each wheel and a load sensor that automatically
biases braking to compensate for front or rear axle load, stopping seems
to be no problem under a variety of load and traffic conditions.
In traffic most other drivers, looking up at you as if you're from outer
space, steer well clear. What a great commuter vehicle the Unimog would
make! If the road's closed by an accident, just take off up the nearest
embankment and create your own detour. If it's icy, simply lock it in
four-wheel and ease around the metal jam. Heck, you could even paint
it olive drab, stencil a few military-style numbers on the bumpers and
forget about buying license plates and being bothered by the local
gendarmes. Even when you're driving it under good conditions, you find
yourself subject to the siren call of every available off-road
opportunity. "Let's leave this boring old asphalt and Play!" For the
first time in your life, you wonder what the penalty is for not just
driving on the shoulder, but motoring on the greensward.
When you get where you're going, shutting down the Unimog requires more
than just turning off the key. This has no effect on the compression-
ignition motor, so you step on a fuel cut-off with your right heel.
Engine access is simple. Lift off the lightweight front hood and
grille, and everything is riht there at elbow level. For more access,
the cab tilts forward. Lots of ground clearance means no need for
jacks. Just roll under and start wrenching. This is one of the
easiest vehicles in the world to work on, except that you need some
Big Tools, and they're gonna be Heavy.
U.S. Sales
If the difference between men and boys is the price of their toys,
Unimogs are for real men. A well-equipped 'Mog can set you back more
than twice the price of a 560SEC. Schmidt's 31 dealers in the U.S.,
most of them in the snow belt, sold 59 machines in 1985, 36 in 1986,
and about 15 in the first 4 months of 1987. Fighting the dollar's
slide has been tough. Still, on a fun per dollar basis the 'Mog has
to be at least three times as much fun to drive as a 560SEC, so you
really do get a lot of value, and because the doors are so high, you
don't have to worry much about parking lot dings!
America's legendary capitalist hero J.R. Ewing, aka Larry Hagman,
looked into a Unimog as an off-road luxo-cruiser but was put off the
track by the lack of an automatic transmission. To suit his shiftless
image, do you suppose? According to Joe, the most frequent customers
are small municipalities, which is how Schmidt first got involved. A
division of the German Ing. Alfred Schmidt AG, they make the Mercedes-
Benz of snowplows, so they had a natural afinity for the marketplace.
The Unimog was previously distributed in the U.S. by MBNA, and prior
to that by Case, the old agricultural and construction equipment firm.
Since January 1985, Schmidt has been the distributor and vehicle prep
center for civilian units, while Freightliner, owned by DBAG, handles
military sales.
So if you want to one-up your neighbors, start your own army, maintain
your 20-mile private driveway or just have a blast with your buddies
in the boonies, Mercedes-Benz makes a Unimog to fit your needs ... and
your fantasies, thank goodness.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Specifications:
Vehicle: 1987 Unimog U1200 (civilian model)
Wheelbvase: 104.3 in
Track, F/R: 71.2 (12.5x20 tires)
62.4 (10.5x20 tires)
Length: 176.0 in. (14.7 ft)
Width: 83.1 in. (6.9 ft)
Height: 102.8 in. (8.6 ft)
Dead Weight: 9,920 lb
Max Weight: 16,530 lb (w/attachments)
Seating: 2-6
Fuel: 34.3 gallons (optional)
Trunk: depends on body specified
Base Price: $77,950
Standard
Equipment: Air compressor (7 cfm, 117-psi max. operating pressure)
and storage tank, hydraulic system (11.9 gpm, 2,900-psi
max. operating pressure), 12V electrical system, front
108-hp power take off, central transmission-mounted
power take off, Schmidt quick-hitch, winch
Optional
Equipment: L-Axle for higher capacities (22,040 lb), rear power
take-off, heated windshield, double clutch, 34.3-gal
fuel tank, lower-ratio power take-off, right-hand
steering, electric or hydraulic winches, AM/FM radio;
wide variety of snow plows, snow blowers, street
sweepers, backhoes, tunnel washers, hopper bodies,
cranes, mowers, spreaders, etc. Various other options
limited by personal taste, wallet thickness and national
security. U1250 long-wheelbase version (128 in/10.7 ft)
also available.
Camper Option: Camper on rear frame w/1.6 or 2.0-in fibreglas-foam wall
thickness, one door, solid or sliding windows, single
or double pane, 143-gal dual stainless steel fresh
water tanks, additional 72-gal fuel tanks, 19-gal waste-
holding tank, internal camper height 76 or 80 in.
Engine: OM 352A, inline 6-cyl. water-cooled turbo-diesel
Induction system: mechanical fuel injection,
two valves per cyl.
Bore/stroke: 97 x 128 mm
Displacement: 346 cu in (5,667 cc)
Compression Ratio: 16:1
Peak horsepower: 122 at 2,600 rpm
Peak torque: 268 lb-ft at 1,700 rpm
Fuel: No. 2 diesel
Transmission: 24-speed (24 forward, 24 reverse, includes high-low
range splitter), fully synchronized, 2 or 4-wheel drive,
differential locks, portal (gear-drive) axles
Body &
Suspension: Steel frame/body, crew-cab (optional), dump body
(optional)
Cab: OECD-tested safety cab, integral roll over
protection system, hot water heat, three-point mounting
on vibration dampers, tiltable for engine access
Suspension: coil springs, telescopic shocks, anti-roll
bar, Watts link
Steering: power
Wheels & Tires: 12.5x20/18 PR on 3-pc. rims
Brakes: Hydraulic disk, air booster, automatic load sensor
Parking brake: hand, air operated, spring-loaded
Performance
Fuel Mileage: about 3 gal/hr at 50 percent load
<** this can't be right: at 60mph, this would be about
20mpg!!!>
Normal range: depends on terrain, load, equipment
Top Speed: about 62.53 mph
0-60 mph: yes
Turning Circle: 39.3 ft.
Interior: Instruments: speedometer, tachometer, odometer,
fuel level, oil pressure, coolant temp.,
brake air pressure
Warning lights: brake air pressure loss, parking brake
on, battery condition, emergency flashers;
plus 2WD/4WD/differential lock indicator,
gear indicators
Calculated Data: Pounds/hp: 81.3 (basic chassis w/o attachments, etc.)
HP/Displacement: 21.5 hp/liter, 0.35 hp/ci
------------------------------------------------------------------------
now, for those of you who don't know what all the abbreviations are,
DBAG - Daimler-Benz AG (the parent company of Mercedes-Benz)
MBNA - Mercedes-Benz North America, the authorized importer of MB cars
MBCA - Mercedes -Benz Club of America (the folks who publish the
magazine this test was in)
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