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2/2000<br />
<strong>Mercedes</strong>-<strong>Benz</strong><br />
UNIMOG<br />
JOURNAL<br />
Baptism of fire<br />
At work in Eger<br />
U 500 – a new performance class<br />
Ideal logistics
Unimog-System-Partnerships agreed 4-5<br />
U 500 – A new performance class 6<br />
Star of the demonstration track 7<br />
The baptism of fire 8-9<br />
50 years of Unimog in 2001 17<br />
New U 300 for Gaggenau’s public works department 17<br />
Unimog Used Vehicle Center on the Internet 18<br />
Versatility is in demand 18<br />
New Unimog book/ Rally power with the Unimog 19<br />
50 years of Herold 19<br />
Publisher:<br />
DaimlerChrysler AG, Unimog Division<br />
Publisher’s responsibility:<br />
Dieter Sellnau, Unimog Division<br />
Coordination:<br />
Martin Adam, Unimog Division<br />
Editorial committee:<br />
Martin Adam, Erwin Kirschner, Dieter Mutard, Karin Weidenbacher<br />
Contributors to this issue:<br />
Texts: Michael Brettnacher, Stefan Loeffler,<br />
Dieter Mutard, Christine Karras<br />
Photos: DWM Pressebüro und Verlag, Michael Brettnacher,<br />
Unimog Division<br />
Editorial office address:<br />
DaimlerChrysler AG, Produktbereich Unimog<br />
Vertrieb Marketing, 76568 Gaggenau, Germany<br />
Production:<br />
Dieter Mutard DWM Pressebüro und Verlag,<br />
Ringstrasse 11, 89081 Ulm, Germany. Phone +49 731/9 62 89-0, Fax +49<br />
731/96289-30<br />
The next issue will be published in the spring of 2001.<br />
The publisher assumes no responsibility for voluntarily submitted texts and<br />
photographs. Printed on paper bleached without the use of chlorine.<br />
P U B L I S H E R ’ S D A T A<br />
Editorial<br />
A new quality of cooperation 3<br />
The new Unimog Generation<br />
U nimog International<br />
Premiere in Austria 11<br />
Convincing technical superiority 12-13<br />
Sales organisation<br />
Ideal vehicle logistics with special trailers 14-16<br />
UNISCOPE<br />
Printed in the Federal Republic of Germany<br />
WWW<br />
UNIMOG HOMEPAGE:<br />
www.mercedes-benz.com/d/ecars/<strong>unimog</strong>/default.htm<br />
Cover photographs<br />
The local authorities in the<br />
Eger district operates the<br />
Unimog, and the<br />
management appreciates<br />
its technical superiority<br />
most of all<br />
Company stamp<br />
The 58th IAA Commercial<br />
Vehicle Exhibition in Frankfurt<br />
am Main is the stage<br />
for the first appearance of<br />
the Unimog U 500, which<br />
can pull trailer loads of over<br />
24 tonnes with ease<br />
High volumes of transport and chronic<br />
lack of space at the bus factory in Mannheim<br />
are no problem for the Unimog.<br />
It is a convincing towing vehicle thanks<br />
to its manoeuvrability and power<br />
The State Highways<br />
Institute in Saxony has<br />
been testing a U 400.<br />
Conclusion: this newgeneration<br />
vehicle withstood<br />
its baptism of fire
The Unimog-System-Partnership:<br />
A new quality of cooperation<br />
Dear reader,<br />
In the last edition of the UNIMOG JOUR-<br />
NAL we described the main aspects of<br />
Unimog-System-Partnership in connection<br />
with the report on our official launch event<br />
for the new Unimog generation in Mainz.<br />
I would like to take the opportunity here to<br />
present in more detail the aims and general<br />
conditions of this new quality of cooperation<br />
with regional or international implement<br />
manufacturers.<br />
Some of you may quite rightly object:<br />
implement partnership at Unimog — this<br />
is nothing new! DaimlerChrysler AG s<br />
Unimog Division has maintained close<br />
cooperation with selected implement<br />
manufacturers throughout the world for<br />
many years. We have actively utilized or<br />
implemented the knowledge gained in<br />
almost half a century in developing the<br />
new U 300 - U 500 equipment carriers.<br />
The end product was and is a sign that<br />
the direction/design of the Unimog implement<br />
strategy has changed, and now<br />
pursues the following core objectives:<br />
•To fulfil customer requirements as<br />
effectively as possible<br />
•The vehicle plus implement<br />
must prove its efficiency<br />
in operation and<br />
permit quick implement<br />
changeovers<br />
and last but not least<br />
•A major improvement in<br />
the cost/performance<br />
ratio of the vehicle plus<br />
implement system.<br />
You may realise from these specifications<br />
that we set a very high standard for<br />
ourselves. How could these aims best be<br />
achieved?<br />
A major success factor here was the fact<br />
that we developed and tested the vehicle<br />
and its implement from the very outset in<br />
close cooperation with our implement System-Partners,<br />
in order to match the drive<br />
concepts and interfaces perfectly together.<br />
Some of the experts discussion groups<br />
lasted well into the night! But the effort<br />
was worth it. Numerous innovative systems<br />
have resulted or are in the offing, to the<br />
advantage of the customer and with major<br />
improvements in their cost-performance<br />
ratio compared with previous solutions.<br />
You can identify this innovation in our<br />
system partners communications documents<br />
by the logo illustrated here, which<br />
at the same time confirms acceptance of<br />
the implement system for the new U 300 -<br />
U 500.<br />
The new quality of cooperation with regional<br />
or international operating equipment<br />
manufacturers is being vouched for<br />
and promoted by further sales activities:<br />
¥ Mutual presence at specialist trade<br />
fairs, demonstrations and special events<br />
(see our article on pages 4/5)<br />
•Joint presentation of the vehicle plus<br />
implement system under the Unimog-<br />
System-Partner quality seal<br />
•Regular co-ordination when producing<br />
communication media<br />
Editorial<br />
Hans-Jürgen Wischhof: “Close cooperation<br />
with our implement System-Partners is a<br />
major success factor for the new Unimog<br />
generation.”<br />
•Co-ordinated support and service<br />
•Joint training programs<br />
and above all<br />
•Availability of the Unimog plus implement<br />
system from a single source<br />
through our Unimog sales organization.<br />
As you can see, the new Unimog-System-Partnership<br />
represents a central element<br />
in our future marketing. A unique<br />
alliance to your advantage as our valued<br />
Unimog customers.<br />
Yours truly,<br />
Hans-Jürgen Wischhof<br />
UNIMOG<br />
JOURNAL<br />
3
The Unimog Division<br />
exhibition at the<br />
International Specialist Trade<br />
Fair for Recycling and<br />
Disposal (ENTSORGA), held<br />
in June in Cologne, Germany<br />
Unimog-System-Partnerships agreed<br />
In Hall 14.2 at the exhibition the new<br />
Unimog U 300/U 400 model lines with<br />
system solutions for mowing, cleaning<br />
and winter services were on display. The<br />
new product range is enduring proof from<br />
<strong>Mercedes</strong>-<strong>Benz</strong> that the Unimog represents<br />
an efficient operating system throughout<br />
the year for towns and cities, road and<br />
motorway maintenance departments and<br />
private companies. Three of the new-gen-<br />
➀ ➁ ➂<br />
eration Unimog equipment carriers were<br />
shown in exemplary fashion at the<br />
ENTSORGA: a Unimog U 300 with a Mulag-<br />
Schmidt HSK 1200 hedge clipping head on<br />
the SB 500 boom, with which Product<br />
Manager Erich Rid demonstrated live to<br />
numerous specialist visitors the technical<br />
innovations and subtleties; a Unimog U 400<br />
with Faun AK 451 attachable sweeper and<br />
a Unimog U 400 with VECTOR MS 33<br />
There was a large<br />
crowd of visitors<br />
to the <strong>Mercedes</strong>-<br />
<strong>Benz</strong> stand at the<br />
International<br />
Specialist Trade<br />
Fair ENTSORGA in<br />
Cologne<br />
snowplough and STRATOS B27-21 silo<br />
spreading device from Schmidt Winterdienst<br />
und Kommunaltechnik.<br />
All these combinations were developed<br />
and tested together with these Unimog-<br />
System-Partners. And the divisional managers<br />
used the trade fair platform to officially<br />
seal other partnerships. At a joint event,<br />
Hans-Jürgen Wischhof, Head of the Unimog<br />
Product Division, and Sales Director Winfried<br />
Blum handed over the certificates for<br />
the implement System-Partnership. At the<br />
meeting, which took place in an informal<br />
atmosphere, Joachim Oechsner, Managing<br />
Director of Schmidt Winterdienst- und<br />
Kommunaltechnik GmbH and Managing<br />
Director Michael Leistikow of Joachim<br />
Leistikow GmbH signed the relevant contracts.<br />
Michael Häusermann, Managing<br />
Director of the Automotive Division of<br />
Bucher-Industries AG, and the Managing<br />
Director of Faun Umwelttechnik GmbH
Advertisement<br />
➍<br />
& Co., Dr. Armin Vogel, strengthened future<br />
cooperation with their signatures. All of<br />
those present were in agreement with<br />
Hans-Jürgen Wischhof that the Unimog-<br />
System-Partnership , which we introduced<br />
you to briefly in the last edition of UNIMOG<br />
JOURNAL, represents a new quality in over<br />
fifty years of cooperation with leading implement<br />
manufacturers at home and abroad.<br />
This will be of valuable assistance to you,<br />
our customers, in the choice of practical<br />
1 Winfried Blum (left) and Hans-Jürgen<br />
Wischhof (2nd from right) with the General<br />
Managers of Faun Umwelttechnik<br />
GmbH & Co., Dr. Armin Vogel (2nd from<br />
left) and Dr. Johannes F. Kirchhoff<br />
2 Hans-Jürgen Wischhof with company<br />
founder Joachim Leistikow (right) and<br />
Managing Director Michael Leistikow<br />
3 Hans-Jürgen Wischhof with Michael<br />
Häusermann, Managing Director of the<br />
Automotive Division of Bucher-<br />
Industries AG<br />
4 Left to right: Winfried Blum, Joachim<br />
Oechsner, Managing Director of Schmidt<br />
Winterdienst und Kommunaltechnik<br />
GmbH, Hans-Jürgen Wischhof and<br />
Schmidt’s Sales Manager Klaus Drescher<br />
system solutions and also of financial significance,<br />
since a much-improved cost/<br />
performance ratio for the combination of<br />
Unimog plus implement can be achieved<br />
through this close cooperation.<br />
The four companies that received these<br />
certificates in Cologne all have many years<br />
of experience in the field of local-authority<br />
utility technology. For example, Schmidt<br />
Winterdienst und Kommunaltechnik with<br />
its head offices in St. Blasien, manufactures<br />
The new Unimog generation<br />
add-on implements for both winter and<br />
summer requirements. Leistikow GmbH,<br />
based in Niederdorfelden in the Federal<br />
German State of Hesse, has been working<br />
together with the Unimog Division for<br />
many years now and specializes in highpressure<br />
cleaning technology. Lower<br />
Saxony s Bucher-Schörling GmbH, manufacturer<br />
of interchangeable roadsweeping<br />
machines and Faun Umwelttechnik GmbH<br />
& Co., a manufacturer of refuse disposal<br />
vehicles and roadsweeping machines based<br />
in Lower Saxony s Osterholz-Scharmbeck,<br />
are both new partners.<br />
UNIMOG<br />
JOURNAL<br />
5
U500<br />
The 58th IAA Commercial Vehicle Exhibition in Frankfurt am Main was the platform for the<br />
first public appearance of the Unimog U 500. In contrast to the Unimog U 300 and U 400,<br />
which were introduced in the spring, this implement carrier with up to 280 horsepower on<br />
tap and a gross weight limit of 16 tonnes is, thanks to its operating profile, also a versatile<br />
specialist when the need arises.<br />
The European market for implement<br />
carriers is a hard-fought battleground.<br />
For success here one needs<br />
products that comply with the customers<br />
demand for a major improvement in the<br />
cost/performance ratio. For this reason<br />
the new, big U 500 also offers interesting<br />
technical solutions such as a Telligent<br />
gear shift or powerful Euro 3 standard sixcylinder<br />
engines from the 906 model line.<br />
On top of this it has a comprehensive<br />
standard package with no fewer than 83<br />
features extending from storage facilities<br />
and lockers to additional side turn-indicator<br />
repeaters.<br />
Advantages compared with trucks<br />
The question as to what operating purposes<br />
a Unimog of this size (230 to 280<br />
horsepower and 16 tonnes gross weight<br />
limit) can fulfil that a medium-size allwheel<br />
drive truck could not carry out<br />
satisfactorily was naturally asked within<br />
the DaimlerChrysler Group, the largest<br />
commercial vehicle manufacturer in the<br />
world, but is, however, quickly answered.<br />
The successor to the heavy Unimog<br />
U2100 to 2450 model line is a highly versatile<br />
implement carrier for municipal<br />
6 UNIMOG<br />
JOURNAL<br />
U 500 – a new performance class<br />
services, trade and industry and the construction<br />
and energy-supply industries. It<br />
has conceptual advantages compared with<br />
its truck competitors, which can largely be<br />
explained in the following points:<br />
— integrated implement carrier/tractor<br />
— optimal drive and attachment facilities<br />
— high torque and pulling power with the<br />
Unimog 4x4 driveline concept<br />
— high pulling power for winter clearing<br />
— mechanical power take-off shaft at the<br />
front with 150 kW power output<br />
— 20 to 30 percent more front-axle load<br />
available than a comparable truck<br />
— semi-forward control design permits a<br />
very good view of the appliances and<br />
attachments.<br />
Developed for multi-purpose operations<br />
The new Unimog U 300 - U 500 models<br />
have been developed for multi-purpose<br />
operations. The U 500 on the other hand,<br />
is a new vehicle dimension with regard to<br />
its power and strength in heavy duty<br />
operations. This can be seen from the snow<br />
clearing work carried out by road and<br />
motorway maintenance departments,<br />
which use heavy equipment with high grit<br />
and road salt carrying volumes on a daily<br />
basis. But even with an add-on road<br />
sweeper with a body of up to 6 cubic metres<br />
in volume, the U 500 is in a new performance<br />
category.<br />
Heavy loads are no problem<br />
Compact and manoeuvrable tractors<br />
for heavy duty transport work are a special<br />
type of commercial vehicle that is<br />
constantly in demand in the industry. The<br />
U 500 with its immense pulling power<br />
has no problems here and the standard<br />
all-wheel drive and differential locks are<br />
significant plus points. In addition, the<br />
short tractor is ideal for the movement of<br />
extra-long material.<br />
In the construction and energy industries,<br />
the requirements are above all for<br />
heavy implement operation, frequently in<br />
off-road environments or confined areas.<br />
The U 500 s compact dimensions and its<br />
high payload of up to 9 tonnes are for instance<br />
ideal when erecting mobile cranes<br />
with load capacities of up to 40 tm. Trailer<br />
loads of over 24 tonnes are also no<br />
problem for this new-generation vehicle.
The new Unimog model<br />
lines also prove their worth<br />
in agriculture.<br />
The Unimog Division<br />
demonstrated this at the<br />
DLG open-air event near<br />
Magdeburg<br />
Rottmersleben from 20th to 22nd June<br />
2000. This location near Magdeburg<br />
was the showground for the Deutsche<br />
Landwirtschafts-Gesellschaft (DLG)’s openair<br />
event on these dates and is an information<br />
platform for trends and the latest developments<br />
in crop cultivation and protection.<br />
The Unimog Division was among the exhibitors<br />
and, as well as the familiar Unimog<br />
all-wheel tractor program, presented with<br />
various implement companies, demonstrated<br />
the new Unimog U 300 for the first<br />
time to almost 18,000 specialist visitors<br />
with a Dammann sprayer attachment.<br />
The response was overwhelming. With<br />
its handling, excellent all-round vision<br />
from the spacious, well-designed driver cab<br />
and the low level of background noise,<br />
the Unimog U 300 with Dammann sprayer<br />
and exemplary linkage control was the star<br />
of the demonstrations.<br />
The Unimog Division displayed various<br />
practical combinations of operating implement<br />
with this supplement to the all-wheel<br />
drive tractor program. <strong>Mercedes</strong>-<strong>Benz</strong><br />
Unimogs are predestined for use in largescale<br />
agricultural operations by reason of<br />
their design as well as their powerful technology<br />
. This is equally true of machine<br />
cooperatives and private companies, who<br />
value the power and the excellent implement<br />
properties just as much as the rapid<br />
deployment from location to location. The<br />
implement carrier from Gaggenau is a<br />
purposeful and above all an economical<br />
alternative.<br />
The Unimog Division<br />
and the Herbert<br />
Dammann company<br />
from Buxtehude-<br />
Hedendorf present<br />
their product range<br />
Star of the<br />
demonstrations<br />
Incereasingly in demand recently are<br />
once again Unimog s universal implement<br />
operating facilities in large-scale agricultural<br />
areas and in operations by the Agro-<br />
Service Associations in the new German<br />
Federal states. There is also demand from<br />
farmers who, as a source of additional<br />
Advertisement<br />
Practical operation before<br />
a large crowd of visitors.<br />
The new Unimog U 300<br />
demonstrated its strengths<br />
for agricultural use most<br />
impressively at this DLG<br />
open-air event<br />
income, accept commissions from the<br />
Ministry of Agriculture, landscape protection<br />
commissions, water authorities or<br />
industrial companies, as well as by private<br />
persons who perform countryside maintenance<br />
or winter road clearing work.<br />
Technology that grabs you!<br />
The Type<br />
M 215<br />
Quick-action<br />
Excavator<br />
Attachment<br />
UNIMOG<br />
JOURNAL<br />
40<br />
7
The baptism of fire<br />
Tests on the edge of the Erzgebirge mountains. Under the<br />
supervision of the Saxon State Highway Construction<br />
Institute, a U 400 with mowing implement was tested by<br />
the Chemnitz Highways Department<br />
The Central Implement Service Section<br />
at the State Institute is responsible<br />
among other things for the<br />
purchasing of all vehicles and implement<br />
and the maintenance and operation of<br />
Federal motorways and Federal and State<br />
roads in the Free State of Saxony. Emphasis<br />
is placed on the testing of new products<br />
as a means of assessment. For this<br />
reason, a U 400 in combination with the<br />
Mulag-Schmidt MHU 800<br />
mowing attachment was<br />
comprehensively tested for<br />
an initial period of six<br />
weeks from May this year<br />
onwards by the highway<br />
maintenance depot in<br />
Gornau on the edge of the<br />
Middle Erz Mountains,<br />
not far from Chemnitz. The<br />
U 400 is very near in its<br />
specification to a tender in-<br />
vitation that a U 1600 would<br />
formerly have fulfilled, but<br />
with major design changes:<br />
• The mowing implements<br />
8 UNIMOG<br />
JOURNAL<br />
The Mulag-Schmidt<br />
mowing attachment is<br />
controlled by a joystick<br />
and keyboard<br />
is no longer driven via the rear power<br />
take-off shaft but via a power hydraulic<br />
system. The rear power take-off shaft is no<br />
longer utilized.<br />
• Thanks to the new transmission design<br />
with Telligent gear shift, a double clutch<br />
is no longer required for operating heavy,<br />
front-driven appliances; the power take-off<br />
shaft is switched on and off electrically,<br />
independent of the clutch.<br />
• The panorama door and the<br />
rotating seat for operating the<br />
mowing implements are not for<br />
retrofitting but can be ordered<br />
ex-works from Gaggenau.<br />
• With the VarioPilot interchangeable<br />
steering it is possible<br />
to control and drive the<br />
Unimog conventionally from<br />
the left or — after a quick<br />
swap — from the right for improved<br />
implement operation.<br />
After a successful invitation<br />
to tender, the Saxon Highways<br />
Administration will buy<br />
seventeen U 400s of almost<br />
the same design. Not all the vehicles will<br />
be equipped with VarioPilot¤, however. In<br />
view of the large number of roads needing<br />
maintenance, the Unimog with two mowing<br />
implements and a two-person crew is<br />
more efficient. The Mulag-Schmidt attachable<br />
mowing implements is matched to the<br />
new Unimog. It has an outreach of 7.3 metres,<br />
CAN bus control and M htronic ,<br />
with which the boom is automatically relieved<br />
of load when meeting obstacles.<br />
As a result, an average working speed of<br />
5 km/h can be reached.<br />
The U 400 also has a hydrostatic drive<br />
which enables very low working speeds,<br />
that can be precisely maintained both in<br />
mowing and in winter road clearing with<br />
a rotary snow blower or snow tiller.<br />
The Saxon State Highways Institute’s<br />
decision to buy the U 400 was not an easy<br />
one, although it has already had a good<br />
deal of experience with the Unimog midrange<br />
and large model lines. Testing the<br />
U 400 also served to define the specifications<br />
for other Unimog vehicles in close<br />
cooperation with Unimog-Agency Henne<br />
Unimog GmbH in Wiedemar and the KLMV<br />
customer service station in Rodewisch.<br />
Result: the new Unimog has passed the<br />
baptism of fire. And the driver is happy as<br />
well with the latest developments!
Advertisement<br />
Roadside grass can be maintained<br />
in a one-man operation; the<br />
U 400’s technology relieves the<br />
driver of a large number of tasks<br />
(above)<br />
Comprehensive tests in road<br />
operations were carried out with<br />
a U 400 all around the town of<br />
Gornau in Saxony (photo left)<br />
The new Unimog generation<br />
The mowing door and the<br />
rotating seat give the operator<br />
an excellent view of<br />
the Mulag mowing attachment<br />
(above)<br />
The mowing unit is supported<br />
directly above the rear<br />
axle to dampen suspension-related<br />
movement<br />
UNIMOG<br />
JOURNAL<br />
9
Advertisements<br />
10 UNIMOG<br />
JOURNAL<br />
E-Mail: <strong>unimog</strong>.ugc@mercedes-benz.de • www.<strong>unimog</strong>-ugc.de
Premiere in Austria<br />
The new Unimog U 300/U 400 model ranges were on<br />
display on 15th and 16th June at the Commercial Vehicle<br />
Center of Georg Pappas Automobil AG in Vienna-Neudorf<br />
There was enormous interest even before<br />
the official presentation: over 600<br />
visitors came to the Commercial Vehicle<br />
Center to gain a first impression of the<br />
Advertisement<br />
Always at maximum<br />
It’s so easy with the CLUTCHMATE<br />
Less strain on the driver, less wear on the machine<br />
• Because it reduces physical strain and protects<br />
knees and backs<br />
• It is ideal when stuck in traffic jams and city traffic<br />
• It works like a “semi-automatic” transmission<br />
• It allows drivers to concentrate more on the traffic<br />
and the job in hand<br />
new Unimog generation, and more than<br />
200 test drives were undertaken. Guests<br />
were welcomed by the owner of the Center,<br />
Magister Georges König, member of the<br />
CLUTCHMATE protects man and machine<br />
• It is quick and easy to fit<br />
• It requires no modifications to existing mechanisms<br />
• It does not affect the licensing of the vehicle in any way<br />
• It has no effect on any mechanical auxiliaries or hydraulics<br />
• It is ideal for use with implements and attachments<br />
• It might even allow a disabled person to be employed<br />
U nimog International<br />
Executive Board of Georg Pappas Automobil<br />
AG, Unimog Sales Director at Daimler-<br />
Chrysler AG, Winfried Blum, and Anton<br />
Bucek, Unimog Sales director in Austria.<br />
In the course of the event there was a<br />
press conference on the new Unimog generation<br />
where specialist Austrian journalists<br />
— after the first presentation in March<br />
at the DaimlerChrysler headquarters in<br />
Stuttgart-Möhringen — were able to obtain<br />
a detailed overview.<br />
As well as numerous customers, such<br />
as the Ministry of Transport, state governments<br />
and lord mayors, a delegation from<br />
Hungary also attended the presentation.<br />
TÜV approved<br />
Have you ever thought about how much strain is put on a Unimog driver’s left knee,<br />
and how often it happens?<br />
Depending on the type of work he might have to press the clutch up to three thousand times a<br />
day.<br />
And because human knees vary in strength and load capacity, serious injuries are always occurring.<br />
Sometimes it means that a driver is off work for a while, but it could even lead to<br />
permanent incapacity.<br />
Why choose CLUTCHMATE?<br />
Supply and installation by Unimog distributors only:<br />
T.C. Systems bv, Schelmseweg 1, 6816 PA Arnhem NL<br />
Tel: +31/2 64 42 23 43 Fax: +31/2 64 45 8136 Automatic coupling<br />
UNIMOG<br />
JOURNAL<br />
11
Convincing technical superiority<br />
If proof were needed that the Unimog is<br />
appreciated at the highways administration<br />
department of the Czech local<br />
authority of Eger in beautiful Bohemia,<br />
the crew of Director Radomil Havrda has<br />
certainly delivered it in a convincing way.<br />
Within a month — October 1999 — the<br />
workshop employees restored and made<br />
operational a U 900, which was left standing<br />
in a corner of the yard in an almost<br />
scrap-like condition.<br />
Today the shiny as-new U 900 complements<br />
the vehicle park of Správa a Údrzba<br />
Silnic Cheb (SUS) — Eger s Highways Administration<br />
and Maintenance Department —<br />
and is being fitted with implements such<br />
as a rotary snow plough and add-on<br />
spreader or Schmidt s road-sign cleaning<br />
unit and roadside mowing system. A total<br />
of six Unimogs are in service, along with a<br />
<strong>Mercedes</strong>-<strong>Benz</strong> SK 1824 and an Atego<br />
1824 with drain cleaning system, which<br />
will be delivered soon.<br />
There are 72 highway administration<br />
departments in the Czech Republic, some<br />
are using Unimogs but none are so well<br />
equipped with them as Eger. This fact is<br />
astonishing and is making some speci-<br />
The <strong>Mercedes</strong>-<strong>Benz</strong> fleet at the Eger<br />
Highways Maintenance department<br />
12 UNIMOG<br />
JOURNAL<br />
alists amongst Radomil Havrda’s colleagues<br />
rather envious. In a country such<br />
as the Czech Republic, where there are<br />
four domestic manufacturers — Tatra, Liaz,<br />
Karosa and Praga, all of whom have made<br />
a name for themselves in the all-wheel<br />
truck sector, it is extremely difficult to<br />
find arguments for premium foreign products<br />
such as the <strong>Mercedes</strong>-<strong>Benz</strong> Unimog<br />
or other truck brands. But for Radomil<br />
Havrda it is simply the technical superiority<br />
of the products from the Black Forest and<br />
the truck factory in W rth in municipal<br />
work and road maintenance that counts .<br />
Even the Department of Transport in<br />
Prague, the highest authority of the highways<br />
administration departments in the<br />
Czech Republic, has accepted Havrda’s<br />
Four-lane motorways, main roads and even<br />
the historical market square in Eger,<br />
the Bohemian town rich in history, are part<br />
of the Unimog U 400’s operating area<br />
Eger<br />
Karlsbad<br />
Marienbad<br />
Prag<br />
Tschechien Tschechien<br />
Budweis<br />
Mährisch-Ostrau<br />
Brünn<br />
opinion in the meantime. We could undoubtedly<br />
save money at first if we bought<br />
a competitor s product , says the Head of<br />
the Highways Administration, but in<br />
terms of performance, payloads and axle<br />
loads, add-on implements, lifespan and<br />
universal applicability we would have to<br />
reinvest several times over the amount we<br />
saved on the purchase in the course of the<br />
vehicle s operating life. The Unimogs are<br />
therefore a convincing argument with<br />
their economical lifecycle costs and it s<br />
really no wonder then that under these<br />
conditions the first new-generation Unimog<br />
U 400 has now been put into service.<br />
At the official handover, Radomil Havrda<br />
remembers that at the beginning of the<br />
Unimog era in Eger one of the fitters remarked<br />
on the sheer versatility of the Unimog.<br />
I was fascinated because I d never<br />
seen anything like it before. Today nothing<br />
can surprise him anymore in this area.<br />
The new Unimog generation offers a<br />
great deal technically and ergonomically<br />
that relieves the driver, but also improves<br />
the vehicle s operational diversity. I was<br />
impressed immediately by this equipment<br />
carrier and its facilities, he explains.<br />
The U 400 in a<br />
historic setting in<br />
Eger, where Albrecht<br />
von Wallenstein was<br />
murdered in 1634<br />
(photo at top)<br />
The oldest U 900<br />
Unimog is 26 years<br />
old, and poses here<br />
with the new U 400<br />
pose as a symbol of<br />
26 years of Unimog<br />
presence in Eger<br />
(centre photo)
Features such as the VarioPilot® steering<br />
and the power hydraulics pay for themselves<br />
very quickly in regular operation.<br />
The U 400 that the Eger Highway Administration<br />
has now put into service is<br />
equipped with the new Schmidt Stratos<br />
spreader, but for year-round use other<br />
attachments will naturally be added too.<br />
The Eger region s road network that<br />
the SUS cares for is 615 kilometres long.<br />
Throughout the year, the most frequently<br />
used appliances are for mowing and winter<br />
road clearing.<br />
In this respect, the often hard winters affect<br />
roads in particular that in some cases<br />
reach altitudes of over 900 metres. The<br />
fact that four border crossings to Germany<br />
(Schirnding, Selb, Waldsassen (Bavaria)<br />
and Sch nberg (Saxony) are part of the<br />
operating area requires constant readiness<br />
in the interests of troublefree cross-border<br />
traffic.<br />
Another unusual aspect is in the fact<br />
that 70 percent of all the roads pass<br />
through water conservation areas (with<br />
Advertisement<br />
Maximilian Prinz von Croy (right), Head of<br />
the Czech Unimog general agency, hands<br />
over the keys to SUS Director Radomil<br />
Havrda (left). In the center is Ing. Ladislav<br />
Vybíral, co-proprietor of the general agency<br />
the famous spa towns of Karlsbad and<br />
Marienbad very near). The Highways<br />
Maintenance Department therefore has to<br />
be very careful with road salt: only the<br />
most modern spreading technology brings<br />
about the desired environmental effect.<br />
U nimog International<br />
HOCH- UND NIEDERDRUCKTECHNIK<br />
FÜR DIE NEUEN UNIMOG-BAUREIHEN<br />
U 300 / U 400<br />
Unser Unimog-Lieferprogramm:<br />
✻ Universal-Hochdruckreinigungsgeräte<br />
für den Front- und Heckanbau<br />
✻ Hochdruckflächenreinigungsgeräte<br />
auch in Kombination mit<br />
Frontanbaukehrmaschinen<br />
✻ Hochdruckkanalspülgeräte zum<br />
Aufbau auf den Pritschenhilfsrahmen<br />
✻ Kombinierte Saug- und Spülbehälter<br />
bis 7.000 l Gesamtvolumen<br />
✻ Kommunale Schlammsaugewagen bis<br />
8.000 l Gesamtvolumen<br />
✻ Wasserbehälter bis 7.000 l<br />
✻ Sonderaufbauten nach Wunsch<br />
(z.B. Niederdruckgeräte, Gießarme,<br />
Heißwassergeräte)<br />
Specialists in the workshop<br />
Every vehicle is only as good as its servicing,<br />
according to an old saying. This is<br />
equally true in the Czech Republic and in<br />
Eger. SUS is a demanding customer, as<br />
Maximilian Prinz von Croy, Head of the Unimog<br />
general agency for the Czech Republic<br />
in Rakovnik near Prague and his partner<br />
Ing. Ladislav Vybíral will confirm. It s<br />
also the reason why the experienced service<br />
team at the general agency take<br />
familiarisation with the new vehicle very<br />
seriously. In Eger they always meet with a<br />
team that is hungry for knowledge and<br />
that understands technical information.<br />
The 35 technicians amongst the total of 115<br />
SUS employees are specialists. This is an<br />
important factor, says Vladislav Holy, Deputy<br />
Head of the Highways Administration:<br />
The Unimog also succeeded with us because<br />
we have a workshop team that cares<br />
for these vehicles extremely well and thus<br />
enhances the Unimog s qualitative<br />
strengths.<br />
Joachim Leistikow GmbH<br />
Altkönigstraße 2<br />
D-61138 Niederdorfelden<br />
Tel. (0) 6101 / 5364-0<br />
Fax. (0) 6101 / 33461<br />
Internet: http://www.leistikow-gmbh.de<br />
E-Mail: Vertrieb@leistikow-gmbh.de<br />
UNIMOG<br />
JOURNAL<br />
13
Sales organisation<br />
14 UNIMOG<br />
JOURNAL<br />
Efficient and perfectly<br />
designed production<br />
processes call for trouble-<br />
free logistics. For this<br />
reason, Unimogs are also in<br />
transport service at the<br />
DaimlerChrysler plants in<br />
Bremen, Mannheim and<br />
Ludwigsfelde. Their unique-<br />
ness is in the special imple-<br />
ment features that are finely<br />
tuned for transport tasks<br />
Ideal logistic vehicles with special trailers<br />
It would be altogether too easy for<br />
DaimlerChrysler production plants to<br />
buy Unimogs simply so this Division<br />
could improve its sales figures! In fact, internal<br />
competition is too tough, since the<br />
<strong>Mercedes</strong>-<strong>Benz</strong> Truck Division can offer a<br />
variety of transport vehicles and hauling<br />
These pictures show two features specific<br />
to the factory’s vehicles. The platform body<br />
(left) has been optimised for a better field<br />
of view when uncoupling and manoeuvring.<br />
The radio data terminal (above) is a module<br />
in the TESS computer transport control<br />
system at the Bremen plant<br />
machines. Quite the opposite: the logistics<br />
managers check the potential applications<br />
scrupulously, for their sectors too are measured<br />
in terms of functionality and efficiency.<br />
The Unimog is very frequently the<br />
ideal logistics vehicle when used with<br />
special trailers. As a model for the many<br />
other Group automobile production facilities,<br />
we present here the internal Unimog<br />
operations at the Bremen, Mannheim and<br />
Ludwigsfelde plants.<br />
Bremen<br />
The transportation in the Logistics and<br />
Communications Department (LVW/TW)<br />
at the Bremen plant operates with a staff of<br />
150 persons in three shifts to ensure an<br />
all-encompassing transportation system.<br />
Bremen is one of the most up-to-date car<br />
plants in the world. 16,000 people work<br />
here on a site with an area of 1,300,000<br />
square metres. The production program<br />
includes the <strong>Mercedes</strong>-<strong>Benz</strong> C Class cars,<br />
the SLK, the CLK and the CLK convertible,<br />
the C Class T models and the fabulous<br />
SL Roadster.
High transport volumes and chronic<br />
lack of space at the bus plant in<br />
Mannheim are no problem for the<br />
Unimog. It is thoroughly at home here<br />
as a tractor due to its manoeuvrability<br />
and power<br />
In view of this extensive program and a<br />
production volume of 1,000 cars a day,<br />
much of the daily transport work that has to<br />
be carried out involves movements from<br />
outside storage facilities to the assembly<br />
supply of engines, removal of empty material,<br />
delivering material to and removing it<br />
from the press shop and the assembly lines<br />
and moving tools and fixtures to where they<br />
are required. Holger Ahrendt, Transport<br />
Manager at the Bremen plant, emphasises<br />
the importance of the 14 Unimogs that are<br />
utilized as tractors: We have excellent results<br />
from all our Unimogs so far. They re<br />
ideal for these short-distance movements<br />
too, and help us to cope when the supply<br />
situation changes. Everything has to<br />
reach the assembly point just in time , so<br />
absolute flexibility is what counts.<br />
Short journeys or not, the Unimogs at<br />
the Bremen plant average 2,600 kilometres<br />
a week. Thanks to the Transport Operating<br />
and Control System (TESS), they perform<br />
45,000 individual transport tasks every<br />
month, a third of these involving towing<br />
work. Holger Ahrendt sums up the importance<br />
of the Unimog for transport tasks at<br />
the Bremen plant in the following unequivocal<br />
terms: The plant logistics continue to<br />
change, and so we have tried to achieve a<br />
practicable mix between the various transport<br />
systems. We shall certainly need the<br />
Unimogs in the future as well, because for<br />
certain types of load handling there s<br />
simply no alternative to these vehicles!<br />
The bodies in white from<br />
the cathodic dip painting<br />
process wait in front of<br />
the omnibus paintshop in<br />
Mannheim for further<br />
processing<br />
Manoeuvrability and<br />
the ability to shunt are<br />
essentials when “parking”<br />
the body in white of a<br />
15 m long, six-wheel<br />
<strong>Mercedes</strong>-<strong>Benz</strong> Citaro<br />
urban bus. The load can be<br />
rolled off without any<br />
problems by the driver<br />
using the hydraulic lift on<br />
the fifth wheel<br />
The “Bremen Unicat”: a<br />
U 2450 mit Zikun heavy<br />
duty semi-trailer is used<br />
to transport press tools<br />
weighing up to 26 tonnes<br />
Mannheim<br />
Sales organisation<br />
At the Mannheim plant, where DaimlerChrysler<br />
buses are traditionally manufactured,<br />
the experts from the General<br />
Engineering department who are responsible<br />
for plant logistics are convinced of<br />
the Unimog‘s advantages. Let‘s hear what<br />
Michael Krügel, Transport Team Manager,<br />
has to say about the U 1400, U 1100 and<br />
U90 models which he operates: They’ re<br />
manoeuvrable and strong. We also need<br />
their four-wheel drive, their power hydraulics<br />
and their high braking power,<br />
UNIMOG<br />
JOURNAL<br />
15
Combined rail-road Unimogs for shunting<br />
rail freight cars, and the combined lift railvehicle<br />
system developed by <strong>Mercedes</strong>-<strong>Benz</strong>,<br />
make sure that all the different components<br />
arrive on the essambly line when needed<br />
because we have loads of up to 17 tons to<br />
shift. The bus bodies-in-white are moved<br />
on special semi-trailers made for us by the<br />
Zikun company. These are designed for rapid<br />
unloading with the aid of the hydraulic<br />
fifth-wheel coupling, which can also be<br />
tilted to one side.<br />
Two-shift production every day means<br />
that up to 100 bus movements are needed.<br />
The buses have to be manoeuvred skilfully<br />
through the narrower parts of the plant s<br />
road system: from the body fabrication<br />
area to the cathodic-dip coating unit, from<br />
the interior fitting zone to the final assembly<br />
line, but also after cathodic dip coating<br />
directly to the rail sidings, because bodyshells<br />
are also delivered to other bus<br />
assembly plants in Ulm/Neu-Ulm, Ligny<br />
(Lorraine) and Samano in Spain.<br />
16 UNIMOG<br />
JOURNAL<br />
The delivery van plant in Ludwigsfelde (top<br />
right) also uses the Unimog as a supply and<br />
removal vehicle. The painted bodies of Vario<br />
delivery vans are brought to the assembly<br />
line in special trailers (above)<br />
This specially designed drawbar (below)<br />
enables the driver to attach and remove<br />
the loaded or empty delivery-van trailers<br />
quickly<br />
Ludwigsfelde<br />
The commercial vehicle plant in Brandenburg<br />
builds the Vario delivery van<br />
range and, starting next year, will also be<br />
manufacturing the new “Vaneo”, a small<br />
city delivery van. Much has changed at<br />
this plant since it was taken over in 1990,<br />
and the tasks now facing it call for numerous<br />
changes in internal logistics.<br />
Dietmar Felgentreu from the Logistics<br />
and Transport department strongly approves<br />
of the Type U 1200, U 1000 and<br />
U 90 Unimogs he has in operation, particularly<br />
because they are normally available<br />
without restriction all the year round. He<br />
explains: There are quite a few gradients<br />
inside our plant, and when the first snow<br />
falls we would have problems and possibly<br />
production delays if it weren t for the<br />
Unimogs. Loading pressings for cathodic<br />
dip paint coating, moving painted bodies to<br />
the assembly area, keeping the production<br />
lines supplied with parts and removing<br />
waste material — it s fair to say that the<br />
Vario, the plant s end-product, depends a<br />
lot on the reliability of the Unimog.
U·N·I·S·C·O·P·E<br />
50 years Unimog<br />
in 2001<br />
It will soon be time to look back — so let s look<br />
ahead first to 2001, when production of the Unimog<br />
in Gaggenau celebrates its 50th anniversary. A<br />
long weekend from June 8 to 10 will be devoted to a<br />
three-day celebration event at the factory in Southwest<br />
Germany s Murg Valley, with a retrospect of<br />
the major successes in half a century s successful<br />
history. This informal survey will be accompanied<br />
by a presentation of the very latest generation of<br />
Unimog models.<br />
For many of those who have formed a lasting<br />
friendship with this eternally young utility vehicle,<br />
DaimlerChrysler AG is organising a long list of<br />
other activities, including a display of historic vehicles<br />
and the popular rally. The production facilities<br />
in Gaggenau will also be opening their doors to<br />
visitors, who will be able to see where not only the<br />
Unimogs themselves but also transmissions, axles<br />
and other vehicle components are produced. The<br />
whole event promises to be a journey back in time<br />
to 1951, and a chance for visitors to see how everything<br />
was done then and how things have changed<br />
since.<br />
See our next issue for further information on<br />
this event — and make a note of the date!<br />
Advertisement<br />
New U 300 for the city<br />
of Gaggenau<br />
Gaggenau is a name that springs to mind immediately in connection<br />
with the Unimog. The town owes much of its reputation as a motor-vehicle<br />
manufacturing centre to this world-famous utility vehicle. With the<br />
local press in attendance, one of the latest models was recently supplied<br />
to the local authorities. Erich Mahler, Unimog Western Sales Region<br />
Manager, recently handed over the U 300 to Mayor Gerrit Grosse and<br />
members of the staff.
Versatility is in demand<br />
The town of Schwarzenberg in the Erzgebirge mountains of Eastern Germany<br />
celebrated its 850th anniversary last August. Activities included a procession in<br />
which a new U 400 took part. The local authorities of the town, which looks after<br />
more than 250 kilometres of roads and tracks around Schwarzenberg, operates a<br />
fleet of Unimogs including a U 1400 with crane bought in 1991, a U 1650 with a<br />
Schmidt SK 340 road sweeper and a U 2150 L that was purchased in 1994 and is<br />
mainly used for transport work. Since the department is also incharge of forestry<br />
activities, another U 1000 is used for work on the forest and woodland path network.<br />
All of these Unimogs are needed in the winter for snow clearing, with a plough<br />
and a salt gritter. Günter Wezel, who has worked for the town authorities in<br />
Schwarzenberg for 31 years, manages this variety of tasks with a staff of 26; he<br />
has identified the advantages of the Unimog system and relies on its strengths<br />
for the work that has to be carried out all the year round.<br />
Unimog Used-vehicle Centre<br />
on the Internet<br />
The new UnimogGebrauchtCenter<br />
(Unimog Used-vehicle Centre) is located in<br />
Martinsrieth in the Harz Mountains region<br />
of Germany. On its Internet page it presents<br />
the various services and Unimog<br />
vehicles for sale, secondhand or<br />
from the rental pool. By calling<br />
the address www.<strong>unimog</strong>-ugc.de<br />
the specifications of a variety of Unimog<br />
bargains can be checked out directly, and<br />
the user can find all of this information he<br />
needs.<br />
U·N·<br />
www.<strong>unimog</strong>-ugc.de
I·S·C·O·P·E<br />
New Unimog book<br />
It s a must for every Unimog fan:<br />
Das Buch vom Unimog , published<br />
in German by the Franckh-Kosmos-<br />
Verlag in Stuttgart and selling at<br />
39.80 Marks. Author Ralf Maile has<br />
compiled a complete Unimog history<br />
from 1946 until the present day. His<br />
book is richly illustrated: 250 photographs<br />
show just about every Unimog<br />
type there has ever been, and also<br />
many different versions of this utility<br />
vehicle, some of them highly exotic<br />
in character.<br />
With full technical details and tables,<br />
the book is also an excellent source of<br />
reference. Commercial-vehicle fans<br />
wont regret making space available<br />
on their bookshelves for Das Buch<br />
vom Unimog .<br />
Rally power with the Unimog<br />
Held again at the end of last June, the<br />
legendary Berlin-Breslau Rally crossed<br />
Germany and Poland in seven daily stages<br />
including some 1,500 difficult kilometres<br />
over land used for exercises by Poland‘ s<br />
military forces. This year again the Hanover<br />
driver Peter Cordey and his navigator<br />
Dirk Petrich were entered for this adventure<br />
trip, with support from Unimog General<br />
Agent C. Wiesner. Among their competitors<br />
were 14 rough-terrain trucks, 80<br />
passenger cars and 70 motorcycles. After<br />
the first few days the Unimog team led the<br />
truck category. Immediately following the<br />
introductory run through an area devoted<br />
to open-cast coal mining, the standard-<br />
50th anniversary of Herold<br />
Established in 1950, the Unimog general agency<br />
Ing. Kurt Herold currently has 28 employees and is<br />
managed by Dieter Herold and his sister Annett Herold-<br />
Behl. Since the firm began to trade, it can proudly claim<br />
to have taken on 74 trainees. Such basic and follow-up<br />
training is regarded by the Herold team as a matter of<br />
course and part of the expert and competent service<br />
that it offers its customers. Herold supplies every<br />
aspect of the service expected of a Unimog general<br />
agency: regular official vehicle inspection dates, for instance,<br />
but also safety checks, work on hydraulic pumps<br />
and systems and a variety of conversion and installation<br />
work. In an emergency, Herold s teams are on call<br />
24 hours a day to assist the customer.<br />
specification U 1300 L confirmed its lead<br />
by climbing an unbelievably steep gradient<br />
that very few of the other entrants could<br />
master. From the third day on, mudholes,<br />
swampland and soft sandy tracks took over.<br />
Wiesner s Unimog team helped a number<br />
of other participants out of the deep pools<br />
of mud and because of this was obliged to<br />
surrender the lead again, but finished nevertheless<br />
sixth in the truck category and<br />
37th overall. Cordey and Petrich collected<br />
a large number of bonus points for fairness<br />
and for their willingness to help others, and<br />
the Unimog itself withstood all this tough<br />
treatment without causing any problems.<br />
For more details, see: www.berlin-breslau.de