Unimogs - Never thought I'd be asking this.

[Whoppa Choppa]

Questions to Unimog "experts". I know very little about them and tbh have never had any interest. However it was suggested to me that one might provide the answer to secondary forwarding conundrums. Where our timber contractor can't put wood roadside due to site constraints etc, a tractor and trailer has so far provided the missing link. Would however, a Unimog be more suitable for road work? Steep learning curve and I won't be operating it. I've gleaned a little information as follows so far but correct me if I'm wrong. White diesel. Commercial not agricultural restrictions. Next to no hitch weight*. Crane can be mounted on unit. GTW 41 tonnes. Possible upto 23/24 tonnes on trailer. Assume trailer needs triple axles centrally located*. 56mph. Ability to multitask i.e move plant too.

 

Like I say, all new to me. Appreciate your expertise and experience.

 

Cheers then.

[openspaceman]

It's a while since I had to deal with transport and it looks like you intend to go the commercial HGV route complete with having to comply with MOT, Operator's licence and tachograph regulations as well as running on DERV. I do not know the weights and capabilities of a unimog in this regard.

 

Now while it is considered a road haulage job to forward timber from roadside to base it is still considered a forestry operation to forward timber products from the wood to a base (with certain mileage restrictions).

 

The Unimog could then run on red diesel and agricultural tax as long as it is registered as an agricultural machine and the trailer would be limited to a gross weight of 18 tonnes.

 

It is worth bearing in mind that long ago when the chap who used JCB fastracs to haul woodchip into a power station in east anglia was prosecuted and fined a substantial amount , for using red, he found that it was more cost effective to use fully road legal HGVs than when using Fastracs because of the much lower lorry running costs, despite road tax and DERV, because the payload was higher and the wear and tear on tyres less as well as the higher maintenance costs of the fastracs.

[GarethM]

One machine can't do everything.

[aspenarb]

11 hours ago, Whoppa Choppa said:

Questions to Unimog "experts". I know very little about them and tbh have never had any interest. However it was suggested to me that one might provide the answer to secondary forwarding conundrums. Where our timber contractor can't put wood roadside due to site constraints etc, a tractor and trailer has so far provided the missing link. Would however, a Unimog be more suitable for road work? Steep learning curve and I won't be operating it. I've gleaned a little information as follows so far but correct me if I'm wrong. White diesel. Commercial not agricultural restrictions. Next to no hitch weight*. Crane can be mounted on unit. GTW 41 tonnes. Possible upto 23/24 tonnes on trailer. Assume trailer needs triple axles centrally located*. 56mph. Ability to multitask i.e move plant too.

 

Like I say, all new to me. Appreciate your expertise and experience.

 

Cheers then.

 

Big balanced trailers behind Mogs are horrendous and painfully slow, better off with a truck.

 

Bob