It isn’t too much of a stretch to say that the Unimog can be considered the most versatile four wheel drive truck in the world. There are a couple available versions of the truck. One of them is the extreme off-road version and the other is the implement version. Frankly, I like the implement version better because that is the one more than 1,000 attachments exist for. There are firms that develop stuff for these trucks like you wouldn’t believe. My favorite setup is the front bucket loader, closely followed by the gang mowers, snowplows, and dozens of other machines that can be driven off the PTO or hydraulically. The idea when the truck was first conceived in the 1940s was to have a vehicle that could do everything on a farm, including bringing stuff to market. These were used just like tractors as well as trucks, which makes them doubly awesome.
Over time as more and more capability was built into them, they became military trucks and gained a reputation all over the world as being unstoppable, maneuverable, and dependable in all situations. In a situation that stands as pretty unique in the automotive realm, the stuff that Mercedes learned on the military side was used to beef the civilian models as well. We’re not sure there is any difference mechanically or otherwise between the military Unimog and a civilian truck. We’d give up a limb for either.
Today Unimogs are found all over the world and in any number of situations. Rich guys have them because they are awesome, freaks like us crave the old ones that are dependable as mules and about half as speedy, and four wheel drive freaks steal the axles out of them because they are of a portal design and give massive ground clearance when used in place of a traditional axle.
This video is pretty quick but it is chock full of fantastic and historic Unimog footage along with great info about the trucks.
PRESS PLAY BELOW TO SEE THIS COOL VIDEO THAT SHOWS THE HISTORY OF THE UNIMOG, THE WORLD’S MOST VERSATILE 4X4 –
