Unimog goes for parks
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by Bryan Jarvis • Unimog has used last week's SALTEX (Sports, Amenities, Landscaping) exhibition as a launch-pad for its all-new UX100 35 to 4.3-tormer. ahead of this month's Hanover show.
The two or four-wheel drive machine is powered by the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter diesel engines with hydrostatic transmission. It is available at 73hp (58kW) as standard but the fivecylinder 122hp (90kW) model is optional. Production has already begun and deliveries will begin in the New Year. A chassis cab is expected to retail at around £30,000.
Next year the UX100 will also be available with the Sprinter gearboxes.
The UX100 can operate in narrow precinct areas with its 1.6m width and its novel Variopilot steering enables it to switch from left to right-hand drive in a few seconds.
Hydrostatic transmission enables the driver to switch between 0-65 or 0-301=1h—the speed microcomputer is controlled via the drive pedal.
The manual throttle and the combined drive and hydraulics control lever allow proportional speed and the fine control adjustment needed for special work applications.
Four-wheel drive gives good traction in heavy going but 315/55R16s are available for that extra grip. Maintenance intervals on the 11X100 come round just once a year for oil changes and twice for its other operating fluids.
The vehicle is produced at M-B's Gaggenau plant in Germany along with the carbon fibre two-man cab.
Like most Unimogs. the UX100 can power a range of implements. There are three attachments:
• the front using a Unilift quick coupling plate with integral front lifting device; • the rear using existing mounting areas on the frame and behind the cab mounted on the tilting platform; or • directly on to the frame.
The new Unilift is for frontmounted hydraulically driven implements and a further 2.6 tonnes can be towed using the trailer coupling. Payloads of between 1.3 and 2.1 tonnes can be attained.
The chassis is built in three sections: a rear end, a centre section to accomodate the engine and transmission support, and a lowered front end to give good access into the 1.99m high cab.
According to Unimog's UK sales director Seppo Hakkinen, the new UX100s complete the line up. "The aim now is to place more marketing emphasis on the municipal and parks management sectors", he says.
There's more Euro-2 power for the 5.5 tonne GVW UlOOL 4x4. Geared for 59mph (95km/h) its five-cylinder engine is now the same chargecooled unit as offered in the UX100 churning out 24% more power at 122hp (90kW). Torque is up by 45% to 280Nm.