Capital Equipment News January 2019

tractor, but the efficiency achieved in the long term will quickly make sense for the farmer,” says Alvelos. Efficiency is also made possible by the engine’s less appetite for maintenance. A comparable tractor will usually need 500-hour service intervals, while service intervals on a Unimog are kept at 1 200 hours. The reason for such long intervals is that the engine comes with a big oil pan (32 ℓ ), which is double the normal size of comparable vehicles. Across applications A key concept behind the Unimog U529 is its versatility – think of it as an automotive ‘Swiss Army Knife’ that can be used in all four seasons – summer, autumn, winter and spring. It’s built to be adapted to a myriad jobs, fulfilling agricultural roles including manure spreading, high-speed haulage, crop spraying, fertiliser spreading, mowing, raking, baling, firefighting and combined harvester chasing. “The Unimog U529 is designed as an implement carrier, adapted for agricultural use, with the added speed of a truck and incorporates Mercedes-Benz safety technology. It looks like a small sized truck but the power behind it is that of a tractor. What sets it apart is its high productivity due to year round usage potential and versatility,” says Prince. For implement connection, it comes with a Cat 2 front three-point linkage plus a Cat 3 rear three point linkage. Its 540/1 000 rpm rear PTO offers up to 200 kW of available power, with the option of a front 540/100 rpm PTO offering up to 160 kW. “A closed circuit variable displacement hydraulic pump offers up to 110 ℓ /min with a maximum pressure of 240 bar. An optional open circuit gear pump arrangement is available and is capable of offering 2 x 125 ℓ /min @ 280 bar for use with implements such as hydraulic mowers. A fixed 80 mm trailer ball hitch rated for 3 t imposed load is also available,” concludes Prince. b

“Labour is becoming expensive in South Africa and farmers are looking at enhancing their efficiency at every opportunity. We believe that the Unimog U529 is a game changer for the agricultural sector and will help farmers return to profitability in the face of forces such as economic contraction and drought conditions.”

Maretha Gerber, head of Mercedes- Benz Trucks South Africa

“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.” Marios Alvelos, business development manager – Special Trucks at Mercedes-Benz SA

“The Unimog U529 is designed as an implement carrier, adapted for agricultural use, with the added speed of a truck and Mercedes-Benz’s safety technology. It looks like a small sized truck but the power behind it is that of a tractor. What sets it apart is its high productivity due to year round usage potential and versatility.”

Duncan Prince, manager – Specialised Heavy Trucks Western Star & MB Actros SLT at Mercedes-Benz SA

TALKING POINTS

Official figures from the German DLG Test Centre show that, in a harvest transport application, the Unimog U529 consumed 24 ℓ /hour of fuel, compared with a 200 kW tractor’s 30,8 ℓ /hour. In South African terms, this means that in 500 hours of operation per year, for example, with price of diesel at R17,33 per litre, the Unimog U529 will cost

the owner R415,95 per hour in fuel, translating to R217 960 per year. On the other hand, a 200 kW tractor will consume fuel worth R533,76 per hour, and R266 882 per year. This translates into cost savings of R117,84 per hour and R58 922 per year when using a Unimog U529. “The initial upfront investment can be a lot more compared with that of a

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