During September, Fleet News Group attended the 2024 AFAC Conference and Exhibition which is attended by fire and emergency services personnel from around the country.
The Mercedes-Benz Unimog UHE stood at the forefront of the Daimler Trucks exhibition along with several examples scattered amongst the event in various emergency service liveries.
The Unimog is undoubtedly a truck built for one purpose – to safely and reliably navigate rough off-road terrain. A testament to its dependability, Daimler Trucks were eager to point out that the Unimog is the vehicle of choice for a variety of fire services, including Victoria’s Forest Fire Management and the NSW SES. In this application, the Unimog is equipped to carry 3,000 litres of water for fighting fires, with an additional 1,000 litres reserved for burn-over (the event of firefighting equipment being surrounded by fire with no exit points).
Jimmy Dalgleish, Product Manager for Mercedes-Benz Special Trucks at Daimler Truck and Bus Australia Pacific, asserted that the Unimog is a highly specialised vehicle with a specialised clientele. Cost is not a fleet buyer’s largest consideration when purchasing a Unimog; it’s fit-for-purpose.
On average, Daimler Trucks Australia expects to sell 10 Unimogs per year, a figure which can “rise to 20 units per year depending on the fleet market”. Evidently, the unmatched off-road capability of the UHE Unimog comes at a price, with the base model of UHE starting at $225,000. Dalgleish explained that whilst deductions can be made on unit prices for fleet purchases, for his biggest clients “dollars are not in the equation. It is a matter of finding a vehicle best suited for a job”.
The Unimog often finds itself in regional applications thanks to its incredible versatility off- road. Crucially, the Unimog uses single rear wheels rather than a dual axle, to help with manoeuvrability and control. Additionally, all Unimogs use coil springs for better articulation, and the ladder frame is designed with a lowered section to house the engine and transmission to keep a lower centre of gravity.
The Unimog uses a five litre four cylinder diesel engine with 231 horsepower and 900 Nm torque. This is mated to an eight speed integrated transfer case transmission and powers all four wheels, which can be locked, even at walking pace, by the driver. The engine, transmission and cab are all mounted in three points to allow for torsional movement allowing for wheel articulation on difficult terrain. The maximum sideways tilt whilst maintaining control (assuming proper loading) is thirty eight degrees. The Unimog can submerge itself in over a metre of still water, thanks to a raised air intake, portal axle design, and driveshafts encased in a torque tube intended to improve axle articulation whilst preventing contortion.
In summary, the Unimog is a versatile, dependable four wheel drive truck with an ironclad reputation and premium price tag. Simply put by Dalgeish, “Daimler Trucks do not sell cheap vehicles. But we do sell vehicles with great value for money.” It’s evident that the Mercedes-Benz Unimog is a fit-for-purpose fleet vehicle that can carry a payload across any terrain.
