Unimogs On Tour
by Andy Harris
In the depths of winter, a local farmer brings out his ultimate go-anywhere vehicle - a Unimog. I have often admired it from afar, but have never had the opportunity to get behind the wheel… until now. Unimog is made by Mercedes-Benz, and as part of a new campaign to raise awareness in the UK, I was invited to participate in their ‘Unimog On The Farm’ tour, currently moving to select locations. In the UK, farmers are the main buyers of the Unimog, and at the event I was joined by a mostly knowledgeable agricultural audience. I had much to learn. One of the main attractions of a Unimog, apart from their abilities off road, is the option to attach a variety of different attachments to both the front and the rear of the vehicle. This allows a variety of tasks to be carried out at one time. What's more, it is relatively straightforward to swap attachments for different times of the year; in summer the Unimog might do service mowing, hedging and ditching, yet come winter, snow ploughing duties might be the order of the day. This may well mean that the user can make do with one versatile work vehicle, rather than two, therefore clear cost 76
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savings to be had. In the Unimog’s home market, local councils and motorway maintenance contractors are big buyers, drawn to the Mog’s versatility. I wonder why our local authorities do not do the same. It could well be the price, but consider that in this part of the world the gritting lorries probably stand idle for nine months of the year, whereas a gritting Unimog would take on a new role come spring. I was unable to establish exact pricing for the Unimog range, but if I said the prices start around £80,000 for a base vehicle, and then you add on attachments from there. The sky is the limit depending on what the user wants, and I gather it would be quite easy to double that price. Most will be bought on some sort of finance scheme. Residual values are high, and demand in the UK for older models good. A few Unimog owners had brought along a selection of older vehicles for us to look at (but sadly not drive), and one of these was for sale at around £30,000. Tempting, though I would want to have it properly inspected before parting with my cash. It may well have had a hard life.
