re: Unimog <wob>

[Nick Brearley <nick@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On 30 Jul 98 11:09:34 PDT SMILLER@domain.elided tells us of a car tester
let loose on a Unimog:

>So this Bodine guy jumps in, fires it up, figures out where 1st gear is,
>revs the engine and lets out the clutch.  And it isn't moving.  So he
>"eases" back in on the clutch and finds neutral.  Then he consults the
>owner's manual, first time in his road testing career (???) that he's had to
>do that, and finds that 1st gear will provide a top speed of 0.049 MPH. 
>THAT's how it pulls the freight train from rest!

Scott,

It's a good job there wasn't a handy freight train around for Mr Balloonfoot
to hitch up to, he'd probably have found that something in the transmission
would have sheared before long. The railshunting Unimogs are built with
torque convertors and higher gears. The supercrawler (that 0.049 MPH is
right) gears are only used for very low speed PTO work. MB specifically warn
against heavy draft work in the lowest ranges.

It'd make a great recovery vehicle for you - fitted with a winch and
hydraulic crane you could extract an M3 (statutory BMW content) from just
about anywhere it could get. It would certainly tow your trailer, as long as
you could put up with the noise, being basically comfortable and would hold
50mph all day. You could even build a demountable shopping cart on the rear
platform to replace the Durango. :^)

Nick Brearley
86 325i
2 MB Tracs (Ag cousins of the Unimog)

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