magazine (1500 KB, PDF) - Mercedes-Benz

www.mercedes-benz.com|October 2002
Mercedes-Benz
2 | 2002
Unimog
The magazine for multi-functional applications.
High
mobility
The new Unimog
U 3000, U 4000 and U 5000
All systems go with Unimog | IFAT review | New: DaimlerChrysler Worldwide
Contents
Ground staff
16
The Swiss Air Force’s fighter jets cause
turbulence on the ground, too. The army
uses U 500s fitted with sweep attachments
to prevent dirt from entering the highly
sensitive jet engines
Road maintenance
Road maintenance
Fighting the darkness
10
Services
Perfect companions for any company
12
6
Expert advice
Driver training makes the Unimog
system even more cost-effective
13
8
Event
In Great Britain, rail-road use is
becoming more and more popular
14
Ground staff
How Unimogs are used by the Swiss
Army’s air force reserve
16
Editorial
3
Premiere
The new high-mobility
Unimog U 3000 to U 5000
4
Review of IFAT 2002, Munich
Mercedes-Benz has solutions for the
environment and waste disposal
ISOBUS in the Unimog
A new operating concept
DaimlerChrysler Worldwide
A return ticket to China
Conquering the New World
Help where it’s needed
2 Unimog 2| 2002
18
20
20
Expert advice
DaimlerChrysler Worldwide
18
UNISCOPE
The invaluable assistant
A flexible crane
Extra-long emergency repair vehicle
Presidential protection
Unimog 2003 calendar
Start of production in Wörth
The last Unimog built in Gaggenau
21
10
A U 500 equipped with a special washing
device makes the Stuttgart road tunnels
brighter, thereby increasing safety for road
users
13
The Unimog has become an indispensable
vehicle in modern fleets, and drivers often
have to perform some very demanding tasks.
Users undergo special training to learn how
to operate the implement carriers
Editorial
Dr. Eckhard Cordes, member of the DaimlerChrysler
AG Board of Management: DaimlerChrysler’s global
commitment will be communicated with “MercedesBenz Unimog” from now on
Dear readers,
Profile
Mr Cordes is 51 years old and hails from
Northern Germany. The “Frankfurter Allgemeine
Zeitung” (FAZ) newspaper noted that he
completed his studies of Economics at
Hamburg university “in record time”. He was 25
years old and had just received his Dr. rer pol.
doctorate when he became a management
trainee at Daimler-Benz AG in 1976. He was
Head of Product Controlling in the Commercial
Vehicle department from 1983 to 1986 and
then Director of Accounting and Controlling at
Mercedes-Benz do Brasil in São Paulo.
From 1989 to 1994, Mr Cordes was Head of
Controlling at AEG before returning to Stuttgart
in mid-1994 and becoming a member of the
Board of Management in 1996, responsible for
the Group Strategy and Mergers & Acquisitions
divisions and the business areas of what used to
be AEG. He has been Head of the Commercial
Vehicles division since November 2000.
According to the “FAZ”, “Cordes works with
tough discipline, thinks big and isn’t afraid to
make unconventional decisions.”
I would like to welcome you to “MercedesBenz Unimog”, the magazine for mutifunctional applications. As you will see, we
have now made the magazine even more attractive and easier to read for you.
Our motto is “Worldwide Individuality”.
Details of national developments and trends
will be complemented by reports and news
about Europe-wide use of this unique vehicle
concept. What’s more, our “DaimlerChrysler
Worldwide” column will inform you about
global utility-vehicle trends, which are
becoming more and more important for our
customers in this increasingly networked
world.
This additional section in “Mercedes-Benz
Unimog” is intended to keep you informed
about interesting topics from all around the
world. As a market leader with a global
presence, DaimlerChrysler has an ideal
opportunity to bring you the latest and most
comprehensive news.
Every year, DaimlerChrysler Commercial
Vehicles manufactures some 500,000 trucks,
vans, Unimogs and coaches for the MercedesBenz, Setra, Freightliner, Western Star,
Sterling, American LaFrance and Orion
brands in 15 countries. Almost 50 percent of
its turnover is earned outside of Western Europe.
You will find the first DaimlerChrysler
Worldwide section on pages 18 to 20. DaimlerChrysler Worldwide has been created
specifically for you, and this is why I would
like to invite you to participate: tell us what
you would like to read about – we will be
happy to hear about your ideas.
Worldwide – this has special significance
for Unimog these days, as our DaimlerChrysler subsidiary Freightliner LLC has
now started Unimog sales activities in North
America. With an Americanised version of
the U 500, the Unimog division offers a
vehicle that for the first time meets the
specific
regulations
and
customer
requirements of the US market. We are ready
to tackle this new task, we have received the
first orders from Freightliner and production
of the North American version of the U 500
will start at the new Wörth Unimog plant in
October.
Wishing you enjoyable reading!
With best regards,
Eckhard Cordes
Unimog 2| 2002 3
Premiere
There’s no such thing as difficult terrain! The all-steel
driver’s cabin of the new advanced off-road Unimog
generation and its engine, gearbox, platform and
superstructure have three-point mounts and can therefore absorb all the vehicle’s movements
4 Unimog 2| 2002
Conceived for terrain that is difficult
to access: the new Unimog U 3000,
U 4000 and U 5000 for severe offroad use are an ideal complement to
the U 300 to U 500 implement
carriers that were introduced two
years ago.
High mobility
he advanced off-road Unimog U 3000,
U 4000 and U 5000 series have been
developed for difficult operations well away
from any roads or tracks. Production will
start in September 2002 at the new Unimog
plant in Wörth, and they will replace the
Unimog U 1550 L, U 2150 L and U 2450 L
chassis that were built at the Gaggenau plant
until mid-2002.
Excellent off-road performance makes the
new Unimog model series the perfect choice
for tough off-road terrain and for security
tasks all over the world. This highly mobile
Unimog will be used for fire-fighting – particularly for forest fires –, for disaster control,
as a basic chassis for expedition vehicles and
for service and maintenance in hard-toaccess areas. These models are thus the ideal
complement to the Unimog U 300 to U 500
series introduced in the spring of 2000; these
are implement carriers used mainly by public
authorities and their supply companies, in
the construction and energy sectors and for
internal company transport.
T
The advanced new Unimog U 3000 to
U 5000 off-road chassis combine traditional
Unimog characteristics such as solidity,
robustness, longevity, reliability – and the allwheel drive concept that has by now achieved
almost legendary status – with state-of-the-
art engine and transmission technology and
top ergonomics. With their high degree of
operational safety, these Unimogs more than
ever deliver supremely economical performance with even lower maintenance costs
and a high resale value.
The torsional flexibility of the new advanced off-road Unimog models is due to the
flexible ladder-type frame with two U-shaped
side rails and welded tubular cross members.
The standard driveline has front and rear
portal axles with differential locks, gear
hubs, transverse control arms, a twist tube,
coil springs, telescopic shock absorbers and
front and rear stabilisers (anti-roll bars). The
all-steel driver’s cabin with roof flap is also
available as a double cabin. It has three-point
mounts, as have the engine, gearbox,
platform and superstructure, so it can follow
and absorb every movement.
The new Unimog U 3000 to U 5000
series has been rated for a gross weight of
12.5 metric tons (14.1 t for firefighting
vehicles). The vehicles are equipped with
low-emission Euro-3 engines with power
outputs between 110 kW (150 bhp) and 160
kW (218 bhp). The Mercedes-Benz transmission with the EPS electronic-pneumatic gearshift, pneumatically activated four-wheel
drive and an integrated transfer box has eight
forward and six reverse gears; an additional
off-road group can be installed upon request.
The synchronised EQR (Electronic Quick Reverse) system makes rocking the vehicle free
inheavy going even easier.
A single-circuit hydraulic system to operate
attachments is also available upon request.
The new Unimogs feature standard airchydraulic dual-circuit disc brakes at all four
wheels and 4-channel ABS that can be
switched off in unusual operating situations.
■
Unimog 2| 2002 5
Review of IFAT 2002, Munich
The main emphasis of Mercedes-Benz’s presentation at this year’s IFAT exhibition
was on waste disposal, road cleaning and winter and road maintenance services
Mercedes-Benz’s Truck division at the
leading international trade fair for the environment
and waste disposal (IFAT 2002) in Munich
Customised solutions
6 Unimog 2| 2002
he bottom line for many exhibitors at
IFAT 2002, which was held from May
13–17 and attracted some 100,000
specialists to the Bavarian capital’s trade fair
centre, was that the environmental technology area and its many aspects are
becoming more and more important. At this
international trade fair for the environment,
waste disposal and qualified water, effluent
and waste removal services, 2,041
companies from 39 countries presented their
own specific solutions in this sector, among
them DaimlerChrysler’s Mercedes-Benz
Trucks and Mercedes-Benz Vans divisions
with an impressive and diverse range or products and services.
T
“Customised solutions” was the general
motto for this trade fair, which presented the
various van model lines, truck chassis and
the Unimog U 300/U 400/U 500 with a
variety of attachments and superstructures
for waste disposal, road cleaning, winter and
road maintenance. Winter service with a
snow plough and salt spreader is one of the
main municipal tasks. One of the decisive
advantages of the Unimog implement
carriers is their low overall widths of 2.15 to
2.30 metres. The various model lines are
equipped with engines rated at 110 kW to
205 kW and complying with the Euro-3 exhaust emission limits, so that they impose
only a minimum burden on the environment.
The content of the Mercedes-Benz
presentation was further enhanced by strong
product presence on the trade fair stands of
equipment manufacturers and the Unimog
System Partnership, which has been in
operation successfully ever since the new
model lines were introduced in 2000 and
2001. The purpose of this partnership is to
develop and test vehicles and equipment
jointly
with
leading
equipment
manufacturers from Germany and abroad. In
hall B5 alone, for instance, IFAT visitors were
able to see eleven Unimog implement
carriers intended for mowing, cleaning and
winter services. DaimlerChrysler AG’s
Unimog division is currently collaborating
with 15 ‘GSP’ System Partners.
DaimlerChrysler has been an international
leader in the municipal and waste disposal
vehicle segment and market leader in
Germany for years. Vehicles bearing the
three-pointed star currently account for some
60 percent of the overall market.
■
Teamwork. The advantages of the Unimog
System Partnership were
emphasized on several
trade fair stands, an
example being this
U 400 with a completely
newly triple-head
mowing combination
Complete range of services
received with great interest
The total area of the joint Mercedes-Benz
stand including the DCVD special vehicle
division was 800 square metres. ISOBUS, a
world-wide
standard
for
optimising
operation and control as well as driving
attached and superstructure systems, was introduced in the Unimog as a world premiere
for public-authority users (see report on next
page).
Apart from the technical innovations,
Mercedes-Benz’ range of services attracted a
lot of attention. Visitors inquired particularly
often about vehicles configured according to
customers’ specifications and available
under service leasing or CharterWay shortor long-term hire schemes.
Unimog 2| 2002 7
ISOBUS in the Unimog
A challenge for the future
The ISOBUS system integrated in the cabin’s centre console makes the
operation of attachments and superstructure-mounted equipment much
easier for the driver and promises several future innovations as well.
ithout a doubt, optimising the driver’s
workplace is one of the main challenges for any commercial vehicle manufacturer in the future, since operating and controlling various attachments and power
systems is a very demanding task for the
driver – and is quite likely to be called for
day and night, around the clock!
This will now be significantly easier, the
solution being the “ISOBUS in the Unimog”.
On Mercedes-Benz’s IFAT 2002 trade fair
stand, a demonstration model was used to
illustrate clearly and convincingly the
advantages and benefits of this globally
standardised system for optimised equipment operation and control.
A control terminal on the centre console of
the driver’s cabin is the only communication
interface between the Unimog, as the implement carrier, and its numerous add-on and
body-mounted systems. Even when equipment is exchanged, the individual control
display for the add-on equipment is loaded
into the terminal via ISOBUS. An ISO-CAN
plug socket permits permanent data exchange and coordination between the carrier
vehicle and the equipment. This has the
following advantages for customers:
■ simplifed operation of the vehicle and its
equipment
■ monitoring and controlling several addon systems
■ increased compatibility of vehicles and
equipment
■ less complexity in hardware, wiring and
operator training
■ operating data, e.g. for winter service,
are recorded electronically
■ data transmission between vehicle and
office
■ more economical performance, since
several attachments can be used
simultaneously on one vehicle.
W
8 Unimog 2| 2002
The equipment is operated via the terminal and/or a hydraulic joystick with a modified design and additional hydraulic buttons.
Other potential ISOBUS functions are equipment control via GPS, data exchange via mobile phones and remote diagnosis for on-site
support.
ISOBUS in the Unimog is currently being
developed jointly with the Unimog-System-
Partners Bucher-Schörling, Dücker, Gmeiner, Mulag and Schmidt Winterdienst und
Kommunaltechnik. The functionality and
economical performance of the “Unimog
plus equipment” system is bound to be enhanced further now that this equipment operating concept has been introduced.
■
Unimog and five System
Partners are cooperating
on the innovative ISOBUS operating concept,
which makes the driver’s
work easier and the
4vehicle more economical
Advertisement
HIGH AND LOW PRESSURE TECHNOLOGY
FOR THE NEW UNIMOG U 300 / U 400 / U 500
MODEL SERIES
Our range of products for the Unimog:
✻ Universal high pressure cleaning
equipment for front and rear installation
✻ High-pressure surface cleaning
equipment, also combined with front-end
sweepers
✻ High-pressure drain cleaning equipment
for mounting on the platform subframe
✻ Suction and rinsing containers with a
total capacity of up to 7,000 litres
✻ Municipal sludge suction vehicles with a
total capacity of up to 8,000 litres
✻ Water containers of up to 7,000 l
✻ Special superstructures upon request
(e.g. low pressure equipment, watering
arms, hot water devices)
Joachim Leistikow GmbH
Altkönigstraße 2
D-61138 Niederdorfelden
Tel. (0) 6101 / 5364-0
Fax. (0) 6101 / 33461
Internet: http://www.leistikow-gmbh.de
E-Mail: [email protected]
Snow chains for commercial vehicles
and machinery
RUD-profi
snowtiger
Excellent grip
n Reversible chain mesh increases
service life
n Reliable tracking
n For heavy duty use in winter,
woodland and rough terrain
n
The name for chain.
RUD-CHAINS LTD.
John Wilson Business Park Units 10-14,
Thanet Way Whitstable, Kent CT5 3QT
Tel. +49 73 61/504-0
Fax. +49 73 61/504-14 49
[email protected]
www.rud.co.uk
Unimog 2| 2002 9
Road maintenance
Fighting the darkness
Their workplace is definitely dangerous. Cars hurtle
past the employees of the Stuttgarter Abfallwirtschaft
(waste disposal authority - AWS) at much to high a
speed as they clean the state capital’s tunnel walls, thus
making a big contribution to road safety.
10 Unimog 2| 2002
he total length of the road tunnels to be
cleaned in Stuttgart is 7.8 kilometres, and
the job is undertaken regularly by the Abfallwirtschaft Stuttgart (AWS) company, which
has been commissioned by the public works
authority. Dust and exhaust particles from
cars and trucks form a black layer on the
light-coloured concrete walls, and this has an
adverse effect on visibility.
T
When the Abfallwirtschaft Stuttgart staff removes the
dirt from the tunnel walls, they are often glad that the
U 500 is such a safe place to work in
In the past, the walls and emergency
escape paths were only sprayed with water at
irregular intervals, with results that were
less than satisfactory in the view of those
responsible. To increase the cleaning
efficiency and use the fleet to capacity, the
management decided to purchase a “tunnel
washing system” that cleans the concrete and
provides noticeably better light reflection for
safety devices such as road markings and
guidance posts. This makes driving through
the tunnels much safer for the thousands of
car drivers who use them every day.
The basic vehicle is a U 500 equipped with
a 5,000-litre water tank and a rotating brush.
This equipment comes from the Dücker
company. In a single pass, the tunnel wall is
first wetted at the low pressure of 20 to 30 bar
before the dirt is removed mechanically by
the 1.80-metre rotating brush. The surface is
then washed down with a high-pressure
water sprayer (110 bar). Depending on how
intensively the wall has to be cleaned and
how high it is, the Unimog has to be driven
through the tunnel two to three times at a
speed of about two kilometres per hour. Says
Jürgen Woidek, who is responsible for the
purchase of the vehicles for city cleaning,
“The walls are cleaned with pure water
containing no chemical additives. We only
need a fraction of the amount we used before,
because we are now working with the U 500.”
For the fleet manager, his colleagues’
safety was the decisive factor when deciding
to purchase the Unimog: “The reversing
camera, twin work-area lights on the roof and
the VarioPilot changeover steering all
increase working safety. The large volume of
the water tank makes interruptions for
refilling less frequent, and our employees
spend less time in dangerous zones.”
Another implement used on the Unimog by
AWS is the weed broom for removing undergrowth from asphalt, traffic islands, lane
dividers or crash barriers. The work is
carried out in coordination with the civil
engineering authority and the provincial
capital’s garden and cemetery authority. In
this case the Unimog is primarily used on
main roads.
■
Unimog 2| 2002 11
Services
Matthias Bauer is very much in demand. 24 years ago, the forestry graduate
started to carry out minor forestry work near his hometown of Eppstein.
Today his company, MB Baumdienste GmbH, is a competent tree care and
consultation partner for local authorities.
Perfect companions
nyone would think that the U 400 were
hungry! With its shredder it sucks in
branches and small tree trunks, reduces
them to small fragments and then blows
these high into the air and on to a pile of
shredded material. The company makes this
material available for pro-environmental
energy generation. In 1986, Matthias Bauer
was the first to introduce a mobile wood
shredder, on a U 1000. After that he began to
operate a U 1200, two U 1400s and a U 1700
with a timber loading crane. He uses another
U 1700 with a large tree planting machine as
a partner in the Eurotree company.
If you use a Unimog once, you tend to stay
loyal to the Unimog,which is the reason why
Matthias Bauer decided to buy a 130 kW
U 400 with hydrostatic drive: “Thanks to the
longer wheelbase and the increased load volume that results, we can load more efficiently
than before during our shredding work.” An-
A
other major feature that he finds convincing
is the ergonomical cockpit design, which improves the overview for his staff: “Air conditioning and the cabin’s significantly improved soundproofing make work much more
pleasant for the team.” This is a very important factor for someone who heads a staff of
twenty. Says Matthias Bauer: “The drivers expect more and more comfort, and rightly so.
You have to provide the best conditions for
efficient, committed employees if you don’t
want to lose them.”
The VarioPilot changeover steering was the
decisive argument for his team’s mowing
work on municipal roads and motoways,
which is now carried out by a single person in
the vehicle. For the company owner, who often designs machinery himself, the implement carrier is quite simply an ideal basis for
a variety of equipment combinations. Says
Matthias Bauer: “The easy-to-tilt driver’s
Both father and son, Matthias and Constantin Bauer,
are very fond of the U 401. This was the forestry graduate’s first company vehicle.
The most recent acquisition for the fleet is a U 400
cabin is an important precondition for hasslefree repair and maintenance work on the
electronic and mechanical systems.”
The area covered by MB Baumdienste
GmbH extends over a 150-kilometre radius
around its headquarters in the German state
of Hesse, from Bebra, Kassel, Bad Kreuznach
and
Heidelberg
to
Aschaffenburg.
Matthias Bauer comments: “The U 400
guarantees that we can get to the different
locations where we work quickly via the
‘autobahn’.” The Unimog has been a loyal
companion for Mr. Bauer ever since he first
started his business. He tackled his first jobs
with the aid of a 1955 U 401 while he was still
studying . The father and his son Constantin
still enjoy a run in this “veteran” today.
■
Expert advice
Unimog driver training
communicates to participants the theoretical and
practical aspects of how
to operate this versatile
implement carrier safely
wherever and whenever it
is put to work
Training is essential
The Mercedes-Benz Unimog is today
an obligatory member of modern
vehicle fleets. Drivers have to do a
very demanding job and expect a
very high degree of operating safety
from the vehicle and its equipment.
ehicle and equipment technology is developing all the time, and this is why we
offer our customers training courses that
bring them up to date with the current state
of technology and ideal methods of operating
the vehicle and all its components. Active
driving and operation of the Unimog implement carrier has proved time and again to
yield the best learning effect and results.
The practical information and applications
supplied during the driver training also leads
to a more economical, efficient style of driving, reduced wear and the avoidance of operating errors, so that the number of breakdowns and thus unnecessary costs are
automatically reduced.
Driver training is carried out by DaimlerChrysler AG and Unimog general agents. The
trained demonstrator or workshop manager
explains in an easily understood fashion
what has to be taken into account when using
the Unimog and its systems. Participants
learn about vehicle technology and equipment , for instance how add-on equipment affects driving and braking behaviour on the
road and off. Legal and licensing aspects are
always discussed as well.
V
A fully functional driving simulator with a
combination of implements for simulating
real-life use is available to demonstrate the
remarkable scope of Unimog hydraulics.
Extensive information on Unimog driver
training and the “Unimog Driver Information“ brochure can be obtained from your
Unimog general representative.
Driver training can of course be carried out
where your company is based. Information on
Unimog maintenance and care is supplied to
participants in addition to driver training.
Your Unimog dealer will be pleased to advise
you.
■
Unimog 2| 2002 13
Event
A train station filled with Unimog. Loughborough was
the venue for an impressive demonstration of road-rail
applications which are becoming more and more popular on the British isle
Two ways – one goal
In Great Britain, using the Unimog for combined road and rail applications
has become more and more popular in recent years, which is why the
largest number of Unimog with two-way equipment ever shown in the
British Isles attracted a huge number of people interested in this equipment
combination.
he exhibition was mainly intended for
Great Britain’s growing rail industry. Two
applications developed by Unimog’s UK
system partner “Two Way Technology” were
premiered in Loughborough: An aluminium
work platform made of a material normally
associated with aviation and space travel. It
allows the platform to carry heavy loads but
also keeps it light enough for overhead work
above the rails. The work platform’s
T
14 Unimog 2| 2002
maximum height is nine metres, its
maximum outreach six metres. Two Way’s
revolving platform was also built specially for
the Unimog. Rail routes often have to be
closed temporarily for track construction
work in remote, hard-to-access areas. The
Unimog’s advantage here is its off-road
capability; it can approach the tracks at a 90°
angle and cross them; its revolving platform
is then lowered hydraulically and transforms
the Unimog into a fully functional rail vehicle
in a very short time.
“Track occupation” is the keyword here,
says Mark Hopkins, Director of MercedesBenz Unimog UK: “The aim is to carry out
track repairs as quickly as possible.”
“The Unimog’s rubber tyres generate a
very high friction coefficient on the steel
rails, so that much heavier objects can be
towed on the track,” Mr. Hopkins adds.
Some of the models shown were the
Unimog
U
1650
from
Avondale
Environmental Services, used for weedkilling, and a powerful QTS rail-road system
with a high-performance suction and ejector
function driven by the U 1650’s six-cylinder
engine.
TNT, one if the world’s largest logistics
corporations, presented a U 400 that can pull
up to 600 tonnes as a shunter and is complete
with a compressed-air wagon brake system.
Total Power Solutions operates two more
U 1650s in tandem for work on overhead
wires from track level. One of them, with a
hydraulic work platform, is connected to the
other, which is equipped with a radio remotecontrolled Palfinger crane and a drum transport car for the overhead wires.
■
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Unimog 2| 2002 15
Ground staff
Sweeping the airfield in
Dübendorf, Switzerland,
so that aircraft can take
off safely. The Unimog
also cleans effluent
gullies. The good old
“Auntie Ju” (a pre-war
Junkers) takes off for
sightseeing flights from
here as well (bottom picture)
Ready for
take-off
For a few seconds, it’s unbearably
loud. The driver of the
U 400 closes his window as, just a
few hundred metres from his
vehicle, two F/A 18 jet aircraft shoot
up into the air, thunder north as
straight as an arrow and disappear
into the clouds after a few moments.
Both the Unimog and the aircraft
are based at the Dübendorf military
airfield near Zürich.
he jets that have just taken off are in
simulated air combat over the Gotthard
area. It takes the pilots only two minutes to
reach the Alpine region. And just as the
pilots make sure that the airspace is safe,
two U 400 have been contributing toward
smooth operation on the airfield since last
December. Both have a long 3,600-mm
wheelbase and a power output of 130 kW/
177 bhp. They are equipped with a powerful
hydraulic system, a front power take-off and
VarioPilot changeover steering, which is particularly beneficial for cleaning work with
the Unifant 50 add-on sweeper machine from
Unimog System Partner Bucher-Schörling.
Since the jet engines of these interceptors
T
16 Unimog 2| 2002
The Unimog is used to
increase ground safety
next to training aircraft
of for filling reconnaissance planes
could draw in enormous quantities of dirt
and pebbles from the asphalt, it is important
to keep the runways, tarmac and access
roads to the hangars and filling stations
clean. The Unimog carry out so-called “black
cleaning” to prevent dirt from reaching the
sensitive jet engines. In addition, a tipping
body with Hiab loading crane transports
logistic materials such as pallets or drums.
In winter, the Unimog is invaluable for
clearing snow from the parking areas and
aprons. Snow removal with a plough and a
Zaugg blower is so thorough that fewer
thawing agents now have to be spread. It was
precisely this economical combination of
winter and summer service that persuaded
the Swiss Federal Air Force purchasing
authority to choose the Unimog U 400s,
which are also equipped with multi-purpose
tyres for on and off-road use. As Hans Keel,
responsible for vehicle and transport
logistcs, puts it: “Multi-purpose vehicles are
usually a compromise compared with singlepurpose ones. But after extensive tests, we
are positive that the Unimog implement
carrier system is the complete solution for all
tasks. We can use the vehicle to an ideal
extent thanks to the attachments and bodymounted equipment. We have reduced the
cleaning vehicle fleet by 60 percent in the
past months, and have still been able to cut
the work effort at all our bases in Switzerland by 50 percent. The Unimog has contributed in a big way to this and is thus an
important economical factor.” Single-purpse
vehicles are being or have been replaced by
multi-purpose ones, and 29 of those will be
Unimogs delivered by Robert Aebi AG in Regensdorf, which is also responsible for aftersales service.
After about 30 minutes, the jet airplanes
land on the runway again, dragging their
open braking parachutes behind them. They
clear the runway quickly and move towards
the hangar. While in the air, they relied on
the air traffic controllers, and on the ground
they can be confident that the drivers have
swept the asphalt clear of hazardous dirt and
other small objects efficiently, using the
Unimog.
■
Unimog 2| 2002 17
DaimlerChrysler Worldwide China
A return ticket to China
The “Silk Road” – most of those who like to travel to far-away destinations have had this epitome
of adventure in their minds since their early youth. “A place one should visit sometime!” We
took the decision in 1999 ...
nimog enthusiasts from our region know
each other, which made it easy to put
together a team for this trip and to determine
who would be responsible for what job. The
crew of the green-and-white Unimog
U 1550 L is responsible for all technical
matters (sample question: “Will the engine
work at an altitude of more than 5,000
metres?”) and the occupants of the white
Unimog U 1550 L will take care of medical
matters (“Acute mountain sickness? What
vaccinations are required?”). The team in the
beige Unimog U 1550 L keeps in touch with
the Chinese partners, while those travelling
in the blue-and-white U 416 are responsible
for logistics. Trips into “deserted regions” always make the authorities nervous, as one
simply disappears without a trace as evening
approaches into the landscape, the sand, the
mountains or Tibet’s infinitely wide, high
plains.
We finally receive our visas in early April
2000, and start out like Marco Polo in Venice
but in this case with a short boat trip to
U
Greece; from there, we traverse all countries
across their maximum widths until we reach
the Chinese border. We cannot stay long in
any one place during our trip, and so it takes
us three weeks to cover the 9,000 kilometres
through Turkey, Iran and Pakistan. It was a
pleasant surprise to find out that a litre of
diesel fuel costs merely one cent in Iran. We
have to hurry though, because missing the
Chinese guide waiting for us at the border
would cost us more than 50,000 German
Marks!
We drive along the Afghan border, passing
tribal areas with towns of which the names
were to surface in the media much later, namely in the aftermath to the events of
September 11, 2001. The trip to the Chinese
border ends with the well-known Karakorum
highway, and in the Pakistan border town in
Kashmir we have a chance to get used to the
altitude. The western pillars of the Himalayas
are located to the south, the Hindu Kush is in
the west, and we are surrounded by the Karakorum Range: very impressive indeed. Our
China DaimlerChrysler Worldwide
“holiday” starts in time on May 1 when we
drive over the snowy 4,700-metre Khunjerab
pass. The first glimpse of China that we get is
different from what one would normally
imagine: it is ‘pure Orient’. Bazaars, bearded
men, women in colourful silk robes with and
without veils, mosques, donkey carts and the
trees that are so typical for Sinkiang and the
edge of the desert: poplars. The letters look
Arabian but the language sounds Turkish.
The people we meet from now on, no matter if
they are Kirghizians, Uigurians, Tibetans or
Mongolians, are all very friendly. Five or
more visitors often stand near the vehicle in
amazement. At one point, eleven schoolchildren crowded into the driver’s cabin of the
author’s Unimog to inspect the instruments.
The Takla Makan desert is notorious for its
sandstorms. Sometimes we are obliged to
wait in the hot dust until they are over, and
then the sky is grey and full of sand for many
days.
The Southern Silk Road is a challenging
oasis road in a region that is otherwise as dry
as dust. The oases can only exist because of
the water that, for thousands of years, has
come roaring down the 7,000-metre Kun-Lun
mountains in huge floods that wash the road
away.
We leave the Silk Road in the south-eastern
part of the Takla Makan, cross the Altun Shan
mountains and drive over the Qaidam salt
desert, which extends over 1,000 kilometres
to the east at an altitude of 3,000 metres. We
thought the Silk Road was deserted, but this
area is almost completely uninhabited and
very unreal – though the scenery is still very
attractive. Our Chinese guide tells us that
this road has never been opened to Western
travellers before. After three days, we reach
the start of the only southbound road: the
road to Tibet.
The gods have decided that one has to work
hard to get to one’s destination, and we are
therefore obligedto replace the cylinder head
gasket on the beige Unimog. We carry everything we need as there is naturally no
chance of having spare parts sent here.
The journey through Tibet is a voyage
through time. Although there are ugly
Chinese housing estates, we still find many
places such as nomad settlements or remote
monasteries where apparently nothing has
changed for hundreds of years.
Our average altitude for the next four
weeks will be about 4,500 metres, and
consequently we have to learn not to move too
rapidly! The temperature at night drops to
minus 12 degrees Celsius, it snows slightly
and we are progressing fast toward the superlatives that are waiting for us:
One of them is the world’s highest lake at
4,700 metres, the other is – Mount Everest.
We struggle hard to cover the 100 kilometres 4
Taking a break in Iran. The travellers from left to right:
Ralf Kaminski, Henning Herrmann, Ute und Gerd
Vetter, Ursula und Klaus Weigelt sowie Erika und
Bruno Baumann (top picture)
A famous place in Lhasa: according to an old Tibetan
tradition, the Unimogs are decorated with silk welcome
scarves
On the Yamdrok Tso,
Tibet: can you imagine a
more magnificent place
to spend the night at an
altitude of 4,500 metres?
Unimog 2| 2002 19
DaimlerChrysler Worldwide in brief
to the base camp at 5,300 metres, and we are
lucky: it is clear enough to see the summit!
Three more 8,000 metre high mountains
can also be seen: Makalu, Lhotse and Cho
Oyu. The Unimogs cross the world’s highest
pass at 5,460 metres. We sleep in the shadow
of the Great Wall of China, still impressive
despite needing restoration. The 700-year-old
clay wall and the 2,000-year-old one from the
Han period are clearly recognisable.
Our next destination is in the Gobi desert:
Kara Khoto, where Marco Polo stayed in 1271.
Infinitely long sections of the Silk Road’s
northern route are being repaired, but we
manage to visit the age-old Buddhist caves
with their 5th-century paintings and taste the
delicious raisins at the Turfan oasis. The
noisy Sunday market in Kashgar is our last
stop in China before we cross the border and
take the long trip back to Europe on the
Karakorum highway – without a single
breakdown! Contentedly, we arrive back in
Venice just like Marco Polo, whose journey
took 24 years to complete, whereas we covered some 32,000 kilometres in six months.
Help where it
is needed
DaimlerChrysler Services supports
projects for children and young
people in South Africa
■
henever a company decides to locate
somewhere, it cannot afford to ignore
the social conditions there. This is also the
premise for DaimlerChrysler Services’
activities in South Africa. The Daim-
W
Conquering the new world
The Unimog U 500 will be sold in the US
and Canada from the autumn of 2002 on, by
Freightliner, Sterling and Western Star
dealers.
At a meeting of the Commercial Vehicles
Board of Management chaired by Dr. Eckhard
Cordes on April 24, 2002, it was decided that
the americanised U 500 will be marketed in
the USA and Canada by DaimlerChrysler’s
subsidiary Freightliner LLC. Sales forecasts
by Freightliner experts suggest that North
The American version of the U 500 will be available in
the USA and Canada this autumn; series production
will start in October
20 Unimog 2| 2002
America market is potentially Unimog’s
largest and most important export market.
With the americanised U 500, the Unimog
(PBU) division for the first time has a vehicle
that meets the specific regulations and
customer requirements of the US market.
Freightliner LLC is the right partner for
Unimog because the Freightliner brand name
has been the largest and best-known
commercial vehicle brand in North America
for fivty years, and nuch the same is true for
Sterling and Western Star, who are also part of
the Freightliner family. Together they have a
dealer and service network covering every region and excellent customer contacts in
Unimog-relevant markets. Freightliner LLC
will take over the entire Northern American
Unimog business (sales, service, spare parts,
services for Unimog customers) and set up its
own Unimog division at the end of July.
Due to the importance of future North American Unimog business and the complexity of
the tasks in hand, the PBU has set up the
“Unimog North America” product team to
support Freightliner’s activities.
The first 30 orders from Freightliner were
received on 31 July. Series production of the
U 500 North America will start in October
2002 at DaimlerChrysler’s Wörth plant. ■
DaimlerChrysler Services supports a network of
47 day nurseries in Pretoria
lerChrysler Group’s global fincancial
services provider, with 104 subsidiaries in 38
countries, is involved in supporting children
and young people in Pretoria. Six million
Rand – some 650,000 Euro – are available for
numerous projects, including many day
nurseries, sports projects for young people
and a specially established programme for
young business-people. “The municipalities
have to be strengthened so that companies
can be successful,” says Bethrum Dzonzi, a
Corporate Social Investment Manager at
DaimlerChrysler Services in South Africa,
who considers this an investment that all
those involved will benefit from eventually:
“Our aim is to become the preferred employer. We want people to be proud of
working for us.”
■
www.daimlerchryslerservices.com
UNISCOPE
The invaluable assistant
Extra-long emergency repair vehicle
A Unimog U 406 helps with rescue work in Austria
he Unimog, as we know, is used for all
kinds of work, and this is certainly borne
out by an example from Austria. At LienzNikolsdorf airfield, a U 406 provided by the
Tyrolean Road Authority pulls the
“Christophorus 7” ambulance helicopter from
its hangar to the tarmac and back every day,
T
making an important contribution to preparations for the helicopter’s often life-saving
flights in Eastern Tyrol, Eastern Carinthia
and to the highest mountain in the Alpine region, the Grossglockner.
■
This picture is likely to interest many people as
it is not only one of the first emergency repair
vehicles to be based on the U 400, but also the
first with a wheelbase lengthened to 4,600 mm.
The customer is the Slovenian state railway.
Another special feature is the separate cabin in
the rear body to accommodate some of the
team of seven, instead of the double cabin
previously available.
Presidential protection
A versatile crane
Saftey is the top priority. For the past few
weeks, a U 300 with a Giletta forest fire
superstructure has been used to protect Italian
President Ciampi’s country residence, the
‘Tenuta di Castelporziano’. The vehicle is
painted in matt olive green, has a power output
of 130 kW and a wheelbase of 3,080 mm and is
equipped with a stainless steel water tank
holding 1,500 litres of water. The high-pressure
pump can deliver a maximum of 260 litres per
minute at a water pressure of 60 bar.
It tilts to give unrestricted access to the trailer coupling
Many users are convinced that cranes installed on vehicles get in the way when it
comes to trailer coupling access. This can be
avoided , as the Austrian G. Pappas Automobil AG company has proved at demonstrations throughout Austria with a U 400 as
the carrier vehicle. The solution is simple: a
Werner/Palfinger Flector crane is mounted at
the rear of a long-platform Unimog. The crane
can be tilted forward with little effort in order
to make the trailer coupling easily accessible.
It can also be removed quickly and stored in
the construction yard when not needed. The
advantage: the crane’s tare weight then
becomes available in full for load-carrying. ■
Unimog 2003 calendar
The new calender for next year is Dieter
Rebmann’s “Best of Unimog 2003”. A striking,
optimised layout with a variety of pictures, this
joint project by the Unimog Division and the
Heel publishing house makes an attractive
present. It is in 480 x 400 mm landscape
format, spiral-bound with a motif overview
outside, and can be ordered from Heel-Verlag in
Königswinter, Germany, at a price of14.95 Euro.
The order number is 665-062.
Unimog 2| 2002 21
On August 26, 2002 a 15-month period of preparation
came to an end: the first Unimog left the assembly line
in Wörth. It was the fiftieth to be purchased by the Free
State of Saxony, a U 400 with all-seasons equipment for
the Roads Office.
Start of production in Wörth
The first Unimog built in Wörth is delivered to the German State of Saxony: (from left
to right) Dipl.-Ing. Dietmar Jahny, head of the Public Works Control Office Dipl.-Ing.
Siglinde Liebich, Hans-Jürgen Wischhof and Dr. Klaus Maier
r. Klaus Maier, Head of DaimlerChrysler
AG’s Mercedes-Benz Truck Division, has
referred to the relocation of the entire Unimog
plant from Gaggenau to the former MercedesBenz truck assembly plant in Wörth as a
“quantum leap for increasing the Unimog’s
competitive edge.” Leaner truck production
methods offered an opportunity to introduce
a new production concept of shorter paths
and optimised processes to Unimog production in Wörth. The logistics, painting, finishing assembly, shipping procedure and
vehicle delivery will from now on be carried
out jointly with the truck assembly plant.
Joint usage of the training facilities and the
industry information centre is expected to
yield an entirely new customer experience.
The Unimog division in Wörth will nevertheless remain a completely independent pro-
D
duct area. Its internationally recognised
quality is secured by the fact that almost 95
percent of the former Unimog Gaggenau
plant employeees have moved to Wörth or
plan to do so. Since the beginning of August,
480 trucks have moved 6,000 tons of material
to complete the meticulously planned move
in time.
The start of production in Wörth is the beginning of an entirely new Unimog product
strategy. For the first time ever, two parallel
model lines for different target groups are
available: the off-roadU 300 / U 400 / U 500
implement carriers and the highly mobile
U 3000 / U 4000 / U 5000 transport vehicles.
Individual customer requirements can be
met better in this way. What’s more, the
Unimog equipment carrier is now enteingr
the North American market. A version
“The last Unimog built in Gaggenau”
O
n 2 August 2002, a long chapter in the
history of the Unimog came to an end.
The last Unimog to be built at the Gaggenau
plant was completed at 12 noon in building
44. A total of 320,748 Unimogs has been built
in the past 51 years at the production plant
located on the edge of the Black Forest, which
has been in existence for 107 years, making it
one of the world’s oldest automobile factories.
In a brief ceremony, the vehicle was
presented to the Gaggenau Unimog Club,
which plans to set up a Unimog museum.
Hans-Jürgen Wischhof, Head of the Unimog
Division, said: “This vehicle has made
Gaggenau a name known all over the world,
and the ties between the town on the River
Murg and Unimog will remain inseparable
for all time.” The chairman of the Unimog
Club, Michael Wessel, also spoke in favour of
22 Unimog 2| 2002
this project: “Our new Unimog could be the
starting point for the museum.”
■
specifically designed for North America, but
proudly bearing the Unimog brand name, will
enter these new markets via Freightliner
sales outlets.
■
Publisher’s data
Published by:
DaimlerChrysler AG, Unimog Division
Responsible at publisher:
Dieter Sellnau, Unimog Division
Coordination:
Martin Adam, Unimog Division
Editorial committee:
Martin Adam, Dieter Mutard,
Karin Weidenbacher
Contributors to this issue:
Texts and photos: Dieter Mutard, Stefan
Loeffler, Gerd Vetter, Unimog Division
English translations: Colin Brazier, Munich
Editorial office address:
DaimlerChrysler AG, Unimog Division,
Vertrieb Marketing, 76568 Gaggenau
Production:
Dieter Mutard DWM Pressebüro und Verlag
Ringstrasse 11, 89081 Ulm, Germany
English translations:
Colin Brazier, Munich
The next issue will be published in spring
2003. The publishers accept no responsibility
for unsolicited copy or photographs.
Printed on paper bleached without chlorine
Hans-Jürgen Wischhof hands over the last Unimog built
in Gaggenau to Unimog Club chairman Michael Wessel
(right)
Printed in the Federal Republic of Germany
Advertisement
Always at maximum
It’s so easy with the CLUTCHMATE
Less strain on the driver, less wear on the machine
TÜV approved
CLUTCHMATE protects man and machine
Have you ever thought about how much strain is put on a Unimog driver’s left knee,
and how often it happens?
Depending on the type of work he might have to press the clutch up to three thousand
times a day.
And because human knees vary in strength and load capacity, serious injuries are
always occurring.
Sometimes it means that a driver is off work for a while, but it could even lead to
permanent incapacity.
Why choose CLUTCHMATE?
• Because it reduces physical strain and protects
knees and backs
• It is quick and easy to fit
• It requires no modifications to existing mechanisms
• It is ideal when stuck in traffic jams and city traffic • It does not affect the licensing of the vehicle in any way
• It works like a “semi-automatic” transmission
• It has no effect on any mechanical auxiliaries or hydraulics
• It allows drivers to concentrate more on the traffic • It is ideal for use with implements and attachments
and the job in hand
Supply and installation by Unimog distributors only:
T.C. Systems bv, Schelmseweg 1, 6816 PA Arnhem NL
Tel: +31/2 64 42 23 43 Fax: +31/2 64 45 81 36
• It might even allow a disabled person to be employed
Automatic coupling