Capital Equipment News January 2019

“Labour is getting expensive in South Africa and farmers are looking at enhancing their efficiency at every opportunity. We believe the Unimog U529 will be a game changer for the agricultural industry and will help farmers return to profitability in the face of opposing forces such as economic contraction and drought conditions,” adds Gerber. A major talking point is the vehicle’s fuel efficiency compared with a conventional agricultural tractor when employed in applications calling for high speed or high power to weight ratio. However, Mario Alvelos, business development manager – Special Trucks at Mercedes-Benz South Africa, reiterates that the new Unimog U529 is not intended to replace frontline tractors working in primary tillage applications like ripping and discing, where large tyres (or tracks) and heavy iron is the only way to get work done. “The Unimog U529 is not here to replace the tractor – there are just a couple of things that it can do better than a conventional tractor. It is a niche product for farming applications where power to weight ratio, speed and versatility are crucial,” says Alvelos. “The idea behind the Unimog U529 is to give the farmer or contractor a cost-effective solution for those tasks that don’t require massive drawbar power, but faster operation than a conventional tractor, while using less fuel in the process. This positions the product perfectly for applications such as spraying, spreading, mowing, silage cutting, baling and transport style work such as combined chasing and manure spreading,” says Alvelos. U529 in detail The Unimog U529 is powered by a 7,7 ℓ Mercedes-Benz OM 936 Euro 5 engine producing 210 kW of power and maximum torque of 1 150 Nm. According to Duncan Prince, manager – Specialised Heavy Trucks Western Star & MB Actros SLT at Mercedes-Benz South Africa, it is driven by the Unimog UG 100 8-speed automated transmission, including a working range for a total of 16 forward and 12 reverse gears. It comes with an 85 kW 0-50 km/ hour infinitely variable hydrostatic drive for operations that require constant engine rpm or precise speed control. The drivetrain has a permanent all- wheel drive with driver selectable centre and cross-axle difflocks. The portal axles come on long travel coil springs attached

The idea behind the Unimog U529 is to give the farmer or contractor a cost-effective solution for those tasks that don’t require massive drawbar power, but faster operation than a conventional tractor.

QUICK TAKE

The UGE Unimog has been extensively tested by the German DLG Test Centre and has been proved to be more fuel efficient than standard agricultural tractors in about 70% of the roles where standard agricultural tractors are employed in Western Europe

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L E S S F U E L

The Unimog U529 consumes up to 20% less fuel than a comparable tractor in haulage applications

2 0-25% I N C R E A S I N G T Y R E L I F E

The Central Tyre Inflation System increases tyre life by 20-25%

A key concept behind the Unimog U529 is its versatility, allowing it to fulfil agricultural roles including manure spreading, high-speed haulage, crop spraying, fertiliser spreading, mowing, raking, baling, firefighting and combined harvester chasing

CAPITAL EQUIPMENT NEWS JANUARY 2019 13