Multi-Tool Implement Carrier
Published in: Pacific Builder and Engineer
Date: 11/20/2006
Adding a Street Sweeper, Two-Head Mower and Hooklift Makes the Unimog U500 More Versatile
Portland-based Unimog North America demonstrated the versatility of its Unimog U500 during a recent presentation of the multi-tool implement carrier in St. Charles, Ill.
The Unimog, sold and serviced through certified dealers across the United States and Canada, has a variety of uses: municipalities adapt the vehicle as a snowplow, salt spreader, street sweeper, or shoulder mower, and utilities equip it with an aerial lift, tree trimmer, brush hog, auger, or crane. Mounted with fire fighting equipment, the U500’s four-wheel drive and ability to climb steep inclines made it a smart choice for tackling wildfires in rugged terrain.
Built in Germany by Mercedes-Benz, the Unimog U500 is a relative newcomer to North America. However, Unimog U500’s predecessor has been popular in Europe for more than 50 years.
Unimog North America, a business unit of Freightliner LLC, headquartered in Portland, says the Unimog is available in two GVWs — 26,000 pounds and 33,000 pounds — and is powered by the Mercedes-Benz MBE900 electronic six-cylinder diesel engine, available in 230-horsepower and 280-horsepower ratings. The Mercedes-Benz eight-speed transmission comes standard with the electro-pneumatic Telligent gearshift system. For heavier applications, an optional 16-speed deep reduction transmission is available.
Standard features include a 132-inch wheelbase and roomy cab. A 154-inch wheelbase is optional. The corrosion-free cab is made of lightweight carbon fiber composite and features an expansive windshield that provides excellent visibility. The VarioPilot option allows a left-handed steering column to become a right-hand drive in less than two minutes. This feature is ideal for those jobs that require attention to both sides of a highway.
Standard all-wheel drive and available axle and interaxle differential locks give the Unimog the ability to get to the most extreme job sites. Dual circuit anti-lock disc brakes are standard at all four wheels.
Three New Implements
Unimog North America announced three new implements for municipal use on the Unimog U500. The multi-functional U500 can now be mounted with a street sweeper from Schwarze Industries, a combination mower by Mulag or a hook lift manufactured by Stellar Industries. The new implements can be easily mounted and removed from the Unimog chassis.
The A7000 regenerative air sweeper, manufactured by Schwarze Industries, is a full-featured street sweeper with a 138-inch sweeping path, 8.4-cubic-yard hopper and a water holding capacity of 250 gallons.
“Most street sweepers are single-purpose vehicles that sit idle half the year,” said Bob McTernan, director of Unimog North America. “The Unimog can serve as a street sweeper in the summer, a tree trimmer in the fall and a snow plow in the winter for maximum productivity.”
The MKF 600 combination mower, manufactured by Mulag, is a front-mounted mower with one large and one small mower head, allowing the operator to mow large swaths with the boom head while mowing difficult-to-reach areas, such as under guardrails, with the smaller head. Both mowers are powered by a front engine PTO. Mulag’s Mahtronic sensing mechanism ensures the boom mower head and ground pressure are always at the right level. A sensor bar is mounted on the front of the smaller mower head, sensing obstructions and retracting the mower until the obstacles has passed. When not in use, the mowers fold to the front of the vehicle for easy transporting.
The hooklift loader from Stellar Industries allows fast and easy loading and unloading of beds without leaving the cab. According to Unimog North America, it can convert from a dump truck bed to a flat bed to a container hauler in minutes. The hooklift also can be used for loading and unloading heavy equipment or cargo. With a 14,000-pound capacity, the hooklift loader is powered by Unimog’s onboard hydraulic system and operated with an in-cab joystick.
New Options
Unimog North America also announced two new options that will give owners of the multi-functional Unimog U500 even more choices. The company noted that the Unimog U500 is now available with an Electro Automatic Shift (EAS) transmission that can be operated in both automatic or manual modes, and a VarioPower Hydraulic System for operating implements without an external power source.
With the new EAS transmission option, Unimog customers no longer have to choose between manual and automatic transmissions. The EAS system allows them to use both options for maximum flexibility and productivity. The EAS transmission allows vehicle operators to switch between automatic and manual transmission by simply pressing a button on the dashboard and folding the clutch out of the way.
“The new EAS transmission offers the best of both worlds,” McTernan said, “The Unimog operator can drive to the job site in the automatic mode for ease-of-use and better fuel economy, and then switch to the manual feature at the job site where more precise shifting is required.”
Once the transmission is in manual mode, operators can choose from three gear sets: highway gears (standard) that operate up to 70 mph, working gears (optional) for operating between 1 mph and 9 mph, and crawler gears (optional) for operating under 1 mph. Each gear set has eight forward and six reverse speeds.
The Unimog’s VarioPower Hydraulic System powers tools and implements via the engine/transmission power take-off (PTO) without the need for an external power source. Available as an option, the Unimog’s VarioPower Hydraulic Systems offers robust power-system capabilities with a hydraulic oil flow capacity of 33 gallons per minute, operating at 4,351 psi. The Unimog’s standard offering is a single-circuit output of 6.5 gallons per minute at 2,900 psi.
“The VarioPower System can power implements and tools that previously required an external engine,” McTernan added.