L'insolite utilitaire Unimog

L'Unimog est le seul véhicule qui peut être conduit sur la route à 80 km/h et utilisé comme un véhicule manoeuvrant sur les chemins de fer à 50 km/h (seulement max. 5 km/h à Genève Migros).

photo Mercedes

The Unimog is the only vehicle that can be driven quickly on the road at 80 km/h and used as a shunting vehicle on the railways at 50 km/h  (only max. 5 km/h at Migros Geneva). On the rails, the Unimog yields a high gross combination weight thanks to the high friction coefficient (up to 0.9) of rubber wheels on steel. "Our Unimog is equipped with a wagon brake system for a maximum of 400 tonnes, although we currently only use 250 tonnes; however, even a maximum of 800 tonnes would be possible," says workshop manager Roger Wipfli. For rail use, the Unimog's permanent all-wheel-drive system also includes a centre, rear axle and front axle differential lock. Special features of the Migros U400 include the front-mounted coupling bar, which gives the driver a better view of the coupling level. The coupling can be operated from the cab. The U400 can be uprated to a gross weight of up to 12,000 kg, although at Migros the operating weight is just 10,000 kg because a snowplough is mounted when performing snow-clearing duties.