Watmough’s Forestry Of Melton Mowbray Acquires 2nd Mercedes-Benz Unimog
Watmough’s Forestry is the proud owner of a new Mercedes-Benz Unimog U535 implement carrier, but the vehicle wasn’t what owner Adam Watmough originally had in mind for his Melton Mowbray-based arboreal and hedge-cutting business. It was actually a spare tyre for another vehicle in the company’s fleet that he was looking to buy during a recent visit to Unimog dealer Arthur Ibbett of St Neots in Cambridgeshire.
“It was the most expensive tyre I’d ever bought,” jokes Watmough, who bought his first Unimog, a U2150, nine years ago. “I’ve always sourced my parts from Arthur Ibbett, as they’re not too far from me and provide a fantastic service. I’d been considering another secondhand example, and just put my head round the door of the sales office to say ‘Hello’ and see if anything was available. By the time I’d been through everything with sales executive Nick Suddes, though, I realised there wasn’t much of a financial incentive to buying used, and that I might as well order one straight from the factory.”
A Stark Contrast
The new addition, which coincides with the firm’s 21st anniversary this month, has a gross vehicle weight (GVW) of 12.7 tonnes (14 U.S. tons). It’s powered by a 7.7-litre in-line six-cylinder Euro 6 Step E engine rated for 354 horsepower (260 kilowatts) and 1,380 newton-metres (1,017-pounds-foot) of torque. The truck was spec’d with the optional Opti-drive automated manual transmission, which Mercedes-Benz says Daimler engineers designed to manage increased outputs from the power plant. The U535 also has a front power take-off (PTO), hydraulics package, and factory-built three-way tipping body with a chip box that has side-hinged rear doors. The vehicle’s Tourmaline Green paint is a near identical match to Watmough’s corporate colour.
“The contrast between our two Unimogs, in terms of comfort and the overall driving experience, could not be more stark and illustrates how far the technology has moved on over the last quarter of a century,” Watmough says. “The older vehicle is pretty basic, whereas the new one has air conditioning, heated seats, electric windows, and electrically-adjusted door mirrors. It’s an absolute joy by comparison.”
The Unimog
The Unimog has the flexibility to meet the needs of municipal, agriculture, forestry, energy, fire service, road-rail, airport, and construction operations alike. It has a reputation for being the “ultimate off-roader,” Mercedes-Benz says, but can also hit on-road speeds of up to 90 km/h (56 mph). The “neither a truck nor a tractor” Unimog is available in gross weights ranging from 7.5 to 16.5 t (8.3 to 18.2 U.S. t). All variants have a 4x4 fully sprung chassis equipped with single rear wheels. The driver’s cab has four-point suspension and air-suspension seats to enhance driver comfort. Drivers also have a multi-function steering wheel and multi-function joystick available for easy access and control of various vehicle systems and speed and implements.
Find Your Mercedes-Benz Truck
Truck Locator offers thousands of new and used Mercedes-Benz trucks for sale, including a number of Unimogs.
Source: Mercedes-Benz