FORCETALLY
Loading the evidence…
Preparing your view.
Preparing your view.
Military transport & logisticsIn serviceProfile in progress
Daimler Truck line of multi-purpose, highly off-road-capable AWD vehicles
Unimog is a daimler Truck line of multi-purpose, highly off-road-capable AWD vehicles.
Technical data
No check recorded yet.
No check recorded yet.
No check recorded yet.
No check recorded yet.
No check recorded yet.
No check recorded yet.
No check recorded yet.
No check recorded yet.
No check recorded yet.
No check recorded yet.
No check recorded yet.
No check recorded yet.
No check recorded yet.
No check recorded yet.
No check recorded yet.
No check recorded yet.
No check recorded yet.
No check recorded yet.
No check recorded yet.
No check recorded yet.
No check recorded yet.
No check recorded yet.
No check recorded yet.
No check recorded yet.
No check recorded yet.
No check recorded yet.
No check recorded yet.
No check recorded yet.
No check recorded yet.
No check recorded yet.
The Unimog ( English: / ˈ j uː n ɪ m ɒ ɡ / ; German: [ˈʊnɪmɔk] [ listen ⓘ ]) is a Daimler Truck line of multi-purpose, highly off-road-capable AWD vehicles produced since 1948.
Conceived in 1944 in response to the Morgenthau Plan , former Daimler-Benz airplane engine engineers developed prototypes under occupation. The small universally-applicable motorised 25hp workhorse was designed to be able to fit over two rows of potatoes to work on fields like a slow agricultural tractor , but with four equal size wheels on portal axles , coil spring suspension, and many gears allowing it to run on roads like a truck. Unimog production started in 1948 at Boehringer in Göppingen . When larger production numbers were needed, Daimler-Benz took over manufacture of the Unimog in 1951, and first produced it in their Gaggenau plant , and the Unimog was sold under the Mercedes-Benz brand. However, the first Unimog to feature the three-pointed Mercedes-Benz star instead of the Boehringer bullhead was only introduced in 1953. From 1973, the more tractor-like sister product MB-trac was offered by Daimler-Benz before its production was discontinued in 1991.
The Unimog's characteristic design element is its chassis : a flexible ladder frame with short overhangs, and coil sprung beam portal axles with a central torque tube and transverse links. Having portal axles, the wheels' centres are below the axle centre, which gives the Unimog a high ground clearance without the need for big tyres. The coil sprung axles with torque tubes allow an axle angle offset of up to 30° , giving the wheels a wide range of vertical movement to allow the truck to drive over extremely uneven terrain , even boulders of one metre in height.
Originally, the traditional Unimog 70200 was a rather small agricultural tractor, measuring just 3520 mm in length. It was only offered as a Cabrio with a canvas roof. The engine power output of 25 PS (18 kW) proved to be insufficient for many applications. To accommodate customer needs, a longer wheelbase version, a proper cab and more powerful engines (up to 34 PS (25 kW)) were introduced soon after Daimler-Benz took over Unimog manufacture; the traditional Unimog evolved into its final stage, the 411-series. Yet, Daimler-Benz decided that an entirely new, more powerful version of the Unimog would be required to meet future customer expectations. This Unimog version would later be known as 406-series.
With the introduction of the 406-series in 1962, Daimler-Benz laid the foundation for a completely new Unimog model family, the 406-based medium series (in the 1960s known as heavy series). It was produced until 1994. Unimogs belonging to the medium series are the series 403, 413, 406, 416, 426, and 419. These models were offered with three different wheelbases ( 2380 mm , 2900 mm , 3400 mm ) and two engines, the straight-four and straight-six direct injected Diesel engines OM 314 and OM 352, ranging from 54 to 110 PS (40–81 kW). The light series 421 and 431 share their frame design with the 411-series, but borrow their drivetrain and cab design from the 406-series, which is why they also count as 406-related Unimogs.
The heavy series Unimogs were introduced in 1974, and first featured the edgy cab, which is still a design feature of the Unimog today. The first heavy series Unimog was the 425-series, which was available from 1976. Soon after, the 435-series and 424-series followed, which caused a decline in Unimog 406 sales. The 425 was available with a wheelbase of 2810 mm , the 424 with 2650 mm and 3250 mm , and the 435 with 3250 mm , 3700 mm and 3850 mm . The introduction of new engines starting in 1986 caused a shift in the series numbers, but leaving the vehicles mostly unchanged otherwise. The 424 became 427 and both 425 and 435 were joined together and became 437. A derivative of the 437-series, the 437.4-series is still in production today.
Like other trucks, but unlike agricultural tractors, the Unimog is a body-on-frame vehicle with short overhangs. The original Unimog was made with a plane ladder frame and a wheelbase of 1720 mm. Later, the wheelbase was extended several times to accommodate customer needs. Starting in the mid-1950s, with the introduction of the Unimog 404, the frame received a drop. Originally, this was done to make space for a spare tyre, but soon engineers found out that the new frame would improve the torsion performance, which is why all following Unimog series also received a frame with a drop. Several mounting brackets, additional cross members and tool boards were offered as factory options for the frame.
The Unimog has live front and rear axles that have portal gears ( portal axles ). Such axles have a lifted axle centre, but the wheels' centre remains unchanged, meaning that a high ground clearance can be achieved with small wheels and tyres. Unlike "regular" trucks, the Unimog has coil springs with hydraulic shock absorbers rather than leaf springs , as coil springs provide more spring travel. The axles themselves have only one longitudinal pivot point each, the so-called torque tubes . The torque tubes contain the drive shafts and connect the axles' differential gearboxes to the Unimog gearbox, but being also parts of the suspension system, the torque tubes prevent longitudinal movement of the axles, whilst still allowing limited vertical movement. Lateral axle movement is prevented by panhard rods and transverse links . This design results in extreme axle angle offsets of up to 30° possible.
A wide variety of wheels and tyres were available for the Unimog. Originally, the first Unimog was equipped with 6.5–18 in tyres designed for both on- and offroad use. Later, bigger wheels and tyres with different tread patterns were available, reaching from agricultural tractor tread patterns to massive bar tyre treads to low pressure ballon tyre treads. Until 1973, drum brakes were standard for all Unimogs, until they were replaced by disc brakes, however, until 1989, drum brakes remained an option for Unimogs of the 406-family. The steering system used to be a screw-and-nut system until 1970. Then it was replaced by a power assisted ball-and-nut system for the 406-series.
Since the highest final gear ratio allows top speeds of up to 110 km/h, and the reverse gear only comes with a small reduction of 1:1.03, the top speed in reverse mode is more than 100 km/h.
This new model was supposed to be a small 1.5-tonne truck, capable of carrying 10 to 12 soldiers on its bed, at a speed of up to 90 km/h, rather than being an agricultural tractor.
Daimler-Benz decided to use an Otto cycle engine, the M 180, displacing 2.2 litres, and producing 85 PS (63 kW).
All were withdrawn by 1984, and two are preserved; one in the transport museum in Howth Co Dublin and one in the Muckleburgh Collection , England.
An updated version of the Unimog SH, the Unimog T was made for the German Bundeswehr in 1962. The German defence ministry decided not to purchase the Unimog T, which is why it was never put into series production. Further armoured vehicles developed in Germany using Unimog chassis are the UR-416 , the Sonderwagen 4 and Condor 1 in Police service, and the ATF Dingo used by the Bundeswehr in Afghanistan . The French Aravis mine-protected vehicle, like the Dingo, based on the Special Chassis FGA 12.5. The Buffel , Mamba , RG-31 , and RG-33 armoured personnel carriers from South Africa are based upon the Unimog driveline. The AV-VBL developed by Brazil's Tectran is also an AFV family based on the Unimog.
Originally, the Unimog was developed in post-war Germany to be used as agricultural equipment. It was designed with equal-sized wheels, a mounting bracket in front, a hitch in the rear, and loading space in the center. This was to make it a multi-purpose vehicle that farmers could use in the field and on the highway. Albert Friedrich was granted permission to develop the Unimog in November 1945, and entered a production agreement with Erhard und Söhne (Erhard and Sons) in Schwäbisch Gmünd on 1 December 1945. Development began on 1 January 1946. Soon after, Heinrich Rößler, the Unimog lead designer, joined the development team. The first prototype was ready by the end of 1946. The early prototypes were equipped with the M 136 Otto engine , because the development of the OM 636 Diesel engine had not been finished. The prototypes were similar to the later series production models. The original track width of 1.270 m (4 ft 2 in) was equivalent to two potato rows.
The 25-PS (18 kW) OM 636 Mercedes-Benz Diesel engine became standard equipment in the first production Unimogs at the end of 1947. The original emblem for the Unimog was a pair of ox horns in the shape of the letter U. The first 600 units of the 70200 series Unimogs were built by Boehringer . This was done mainly for two reasons: Erhard und Söhne did not have the capacity to build the Unimogs and Boehringer (a former tool manufacturer) could evade dismantling.
In 1953, the Unimog was updated and the three-pointed Mercedes star began to appear on the bonnet, replacing the Unimog ox horn emblem. The new model became known as the series 401. A new series 402 with a long wheelbase chassis (2,120 mm (83 in) instead of 1,720 mm (68 in)) also became available.
The 406/416 middle series were produced beginning in 1963. They were equipped with the six-cylinder pre-combustion chamber Diesel engine OM 312 producing 65 PS (48 kW; 64 hp). The 406 and 416 are similar, The 416 having a longer 2,900 mm (114 in) wheelbase compared to 2,380 mm (94 in) for the 406. Starting in 1964, the 406-series was equipped with the direct injected OM 352 Diesel engine starting with 65 PS (48 kW; 64 hp) and going up to 84 PS (62 kW; 83 hp) (110 PS (81 kW) for the Unimog 416).
Between the original Unimog and the middle series, Daimler-Benz developed a light series. The light series consisted of two separate Unimog series, the 421 and the 403. The 403, which basically is a 406-series with a 54 PS (40 kW; 53 hp) 3.8-litre four-cylinder engine, has a 2,380 mm (94 in) wheelbase and was later supplemented by the 413-series, which is a four-cylinder-version of the 416-series (long wheelbase (2,900 mm (114 in)) model). The 421 is the successor of the 411-series and has a 2,250 mm (89 in) wheelbase. It is powered by a 40 PS (29 kW; 39 hp) 2.2-litre passenger car Diesel engine.
The 100,000th Unimog (a 421) was built in 1966 in Gaggenau.
The series 425 have a 2,810 mm (111 in) wheelbase, 9 t permissible maximum mass and an OM 352 Diesel engine producing 120 PS (88 kW; 120 hp) (shortly thereafter 125 PS (92 kW; 123 hp) as U 125).
Manufacture of the series 435 for the Bundeswehr began in 1975, as a successor of the Unimog S 404. The 435 was characterized by a long wheelbase of 3,250 mm (128 in), 3,700 mm (146 in) or 3,850 mm (152 in) and shares its cab with the series 425.
The new 424 "middle" series of Unimogs was produced starting from 1976. They share the cab with the series-425 and are designated U 1000, U 1300/L, U 1500, and U 1700/L with 124 kW (166 hp; 169 PS) engine performance.
In March 1994, Mercedes-Benz presented the design concept "Funmog", a luxury version of the Unimog, on the International Off-Road-Exhibition in Köln, Germany. Based on the 408-series, it was only built by special order. Luxury options such as leather seats, deluxe carpeting and other interior modifications were available; though the design featured chrome bull bars and air horns, it lacked hydraulics and was limited to a total mass of 5,000 kg. Starting price was DM 140,000. A total of twelve units were built through 1997 by Daimler-Benz, most exported to Japan.
At the IAA 2006 commercial vehicle show in Hanover a new Unimog U 20 was presented, which was to be available at the end of 2007. The most striking feature is the cab over design with no vestigial front bonnet characteristic of the traditional Unimog. It has a total mass of 7,500 kg up to 8,500 kg. The underlying technology comes from the U 300. The driving cab is from the new Brazilian Accelo light truck (Caminhões Leves) series. The wheelbase is shortened to 2,700 mm (106 in).
Unimog series numbers like 401, 406, or 425 in this article are the factory numerical designation (in German "Baumuster", literally Construction Pattern ). Unimogs also have a sales model number like U 80, U 120, or U 1350. Each series can have several model numbers, as they are equipped with different engines or chassis options.
A 424.121 with a 2,630 mm ( 103 + 1 ⁄ 2 in) wheelbase equipped with the 100 PS (74 kW ; 99 hp ) OM 352 engine is a U 1000
A 427.100 with a 2,650 mm ( 104 + 3 ⁄ 8 in) wheelbase and the 100-PS 366 engines is also a U 1000.
Starting in 1976, model numbers added an extra 0 at the end. More recent model numbers may have three or four digits and sometimes do not relate to horsepower (the engine of the U 5000 is rated at 218 PS). The most recent models introduced since 2013 are:
The 437.4 series is intended for extreme offroad use, with the smaller U 4023 and larger U 5023 models, which are only available with 230 PS engines
The 405 series is intended for use with implements, with three digit model numbers. The first digit is related to the vehicle size (U 200, U 300, U400 and U 500 model ranges) and the second and third digits related to the engine power, starting from the 190 PS U 219 and going up to the 350 PS U 535.
Reference text from Wikipedia contributors, used under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Unimog equipment records. Variants, orders and quantities are shown as reported in each inventory source; coverage is incomplete.
Algeria
Angola
AzerbaijanLower-bound count for Unimog. Service scope: Azerbaijani Land Forces; does not replace a national total. 1 distinct count cell(s) from the same source list; shared rowspan cells counted once. Retired, wholly reserve and on-order rows are excluded; the reported count retains any explicitly mixed stock scope in the quoted row. Count column(s): number: 50+. Origin: unstated. The listed variants/roles are the scope, not an immediately deployable count. The components do not establish one inventory census date; the stored date is the retrieved source snapshot.
CameroonReported count for Unimog. Service scope: Cameroon Army; does not replace a national total. 1 distinct count cell(s) from the same source list; shared rowspan cells counted once. Retired, wholly reserve and on-order rows are excluded; the reported count retains any explicitly mixed stock scope in the quoted row. Count column(s): in service: 60. Origin: Germany. The listed variants/roles are the scope, not an immediately deployable count. The components do not establish one inventory census date; the stored date is the retrieved source snapshot.
Chile
Ecuador
Georgia
Indonesia
Italy
Kosovo
LatviaReported count for Mercedes-Benz Unimog. Service scope: Latvian Land Forces; does not replace a national total. 1 distinct count cell(s) from the same source list; shared rowspan cells counted once. Retired, wholly reserve and on-order rows are excluded; the reported count retains any explicitly mixed stock scope in the quoted row. Count column(s): quantity: 120. Origin: Germany. The listed variants/roles are the scope, not an immediately deployable count. Dates are the count-cell citations' stated source period (2020), not the article revision. Cited source 2020-01-13. Edition or publication years do not claim an exact inventory census day.
LithuaniaApproximate count for Mercedes-Benz Unimog · U1550 / Mercedes-Benz Unimog · U5000. Country-wide list; no individual service specified. 2 distinct count cell(s) from the same source list; shared rowspan cells counted once. Retired, wholly reserve and on-order rows are excluded; the reported count retains any explicitly mixed stock scope in the quoted row. Count column(s): quantity: ~ 160 / quantity: 500. Origin: Germany. The listed variants/roles are the scope, not an immediately deployable count. The components do not establish one inventory census date; the stored date is the retrieved source snapshot.
MalaysiaReported count for Unimog. Service scope: Malaysian Army; does not replace a national total. 1 distinct count cell(s) from the same source list; shared rowspan cells counted once. Retired, wholly reserve and on-order rows are excluded; the reported count retains any explicitly mixed stock scope in the quoted row. Count column(s): quantity: 13. Origin: Germany. The listed variants/roles are the scope, not an immediately deployable count. The components do not establish one inventory census date; the stored date is the retrieved source snapshot.
Mali
Montenegro
New ZealandReported count for Mercedes-Benz Unimog. Service scope: New Zealand Army; does not replace a national total. 1 distinct count cell(s) from the same source list; shared rowspan cells counted once. Retired, wholly reserve and on-order rows are excluded; the reported count retains any explicitly mixed stock scope in the quoted row. Count column(s): number: 82. Origin: West Germany / Germany. The listed variants/roles are the scope, not an immediately deployable count. The components do not establish one inventory census date; the stored date is the retrieved source snapshot.
Northern Cyprus
Pakistan
PolandReported count for Daimler Benz Unimog · Unimog 1300L. Service scope: Polish Land Forces; does not replace a national total. 1 distinct count cell(s) from the same source list; shared rowspan cells counted once. Retired, wholly reserve and on-order rows are excluded; the reported count retains any explicitly mixed stock scope in the quoted row. Count column(s): quantity: 69. Origin: Germany. The listed variants/roles are the scope, not an immediately deployable count. The components do not establish one inventory census date; the stored date is the retrieved source snapshot.
PortugalApproximate count for Mercedes-Benz Unimog 1100. Service scope: Portuguese Army; does not replace a national total. 1 distinct count cell(s) from the same source list; shared rowspan cells counted once. Retired, wholly reserve and on-order rows are excluded; the reported count retains any explicitly mixed stock scope in the quoted row. Count column(s): quantity: ~ 10. Origin: West Germany. The listed variants/roles are the scope, not an immediately deployable count. The components do not establish one inventory census date; the stored date is the retrieved source snapshot.
São Tomé and Príncipe
SerbiaReported count for Unimog U1300L. Country-wide list; no individual service specified. 1 distinct count cell(s) from the same source list; shared rowspan cells counted once. Retired, wholly reserve and on-order rows are excluded; the reported count retains any explicitly mixed stock scope in the quoted row. Count column(s): quantity: 3. Origin: Germany. The listed variants/roles are the scope, not an immediately deployable count. The components do not establish one inventory census date; the stored date is the retrieved source snapshot.
SloveniaReported count for Unimog. Service scope: Slovenian Ground Force; does not replace a national total. 1 distinct count cell(s) from the same source list; shared rowspan cells counted once. Retired, wholly reserve and on-order rows are excluded; the reported count retains any explicitly mixed stock scope in the quoted row. Count column(s): number: 30. Origin: West Germany Germany. The listed variants/roles are the scope, not an immediately deployable count. The components do not establish one inventory census date; the stored date is the retrieved source snapshot.
South KoreaReported count for Unimog. Service scope: Republic of Korea Army; does not replace a national total. 1 distinct count cell(s) from the same source list; shared rowspan cells counted once. Retired, wholly reserve and on-order rows are excluded; the reported count retains any explicitly mixed stock scope in the quoted row. Count column(s): quantity: 34. Origin: Germany. The listed variants/roles are the scope, not an immediately deployable count. The components do not establish one inventory census date; the stored date is the retrieved source snapshot.
Thailand
TongaReported count for Unimog U1700. Country-wide list; no individual service specified. 1 distinct count cell(s) from the same source list; shared rowspan cells counted once. Retired, wholly reserve and on-order rows are excluded; the reported count retains any explicitly mixed stock scope in the quoted row. Count column(s): number: 5. Origin: Australia. The listed variants/roles are the scope, not an immediately deployable count. The components do not establish one inventory census date; the stored date is the retrieved source snapshot.
Tunisia
TürkiyeReported count for Mercedes Unimog. Service scope: Turkish Land Forces; does not replace a national total. 1 distinct count cell(s) from the same source list; shared rowspan cells counted once. Retired, wholly reserve and on-order rows are excluded; the reported count retains any explicitly mixed stock scope in the quoted row. Count column(s): quantity: 5,500. Origin: Germany Turkey. The listed variants/roles are the scope, not an immediately deployable count. The components do not establish one inventory census date; the stored date is the retrieved source snapshot.
UkraineLower-bound count for Unimog Ambulance · Unimog ambulance / Unimog. Country-wide list; no individual service specified. 2 distinct count cell(s) from the same source list; shared rowspan cells counted once. Retired, wholly reserve and on-order rows are excluded; the reported count retains any explicitly mixed stock scope in the quoted row. Count column(s): number: 47+ / number: 4+. Origin: Germany United Kingdom. The listed variants/roles are the scope, not an immediately deployable count. The components do not establish one inventory census date; the stored date is the retrieved source snapshot.
Angola, Azerbaijan, Cameroon, Ecuador, Georgia, Indonesia, Italy, Malaysia, Slovenia, South Korea, São Tomé and Príncipe, Thailand, Türkiye, Ukraine
Equipment reference ↗Reported count for Unimog. Service scope: Cameroon Army; does not replace a national total. 1 distinct quantity component(s) from the same source list; shared rowspan cells counted once. Explicit source inventory scope: active; no other stock status or total inferred. Count column(s): in service: 60. Origin: Germany. The listed variants/roles are the scope, not an immediately deployable count. The components do not establish one inventory census date; the stored date is the retrieved source snapshot.