Unimog Sets New Altitude Record for a Civilian Vehicle
Unimog powers are higher than any other truck in history.
The off-road truck like no other
When you need to reach places where normal off-road vehicles can’t go, MB has the best solution: the Unimog. This German truck is unrivaled in its reputation as the ultimate off-road working vehicle. Designed for pure utility, the Unimog is not a style or image statement. It is built to conquer terrain and keep climbing where other off-road vehicles have simply given up.
The truck that saves more than most others
Where other off-road vehicles exist to enable adventure, the Unimog is often a tool of survival. Mountain rescue teams prefer the Unimog above all other vehicle options. And that is not because it is fast. Geared for a cruising speed of only 56mph, the Unimog isn’t fast. It might go slowly, but it can go slowly, absolutely everywhere.
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Going higher than any other
To illustrate just how capable its Unimog is in radical terrain, Mercedes-Benz supplied a pair of these vehicles for a mission that many considered impossible. The location was Chile and the terrain, impossibly steep. A team of technicians and researchers wanted to crest the world’s tallest volcano. The goal was to plant new navigation assistance beacons, which could help with communications and rescue efforts in the surrounding high-altitude terrain.
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Navigating altitudes where combustion is nearly alien
The terrain was loose earth and sand, which cakes the surface of the Ojos de Salado volcano, in Chile. At steep angles, a lose surface can become very treacherous for even accomplished 4x4 vehicles to climb. Add the burden of having to carry a lot of technical equipment, and the Ojos de Salado mission appears undoable. Especially as the Unimogs would have to go higher than 21000 ft. An altitude where few very civilian vehicles would be able to drive, at all.
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Radical tire sizes helped them along
The pair of Unimog U5023 trucks proved unstoppable as they ascended the volcano. Mercedes-Benz had advised the Chilean team of which modifications would be required to ensure that the team of ‘Mogs would reach their impossible goal. A crucial issue was tire choice. At extreme altitude, the Unimog’s standard tire inflation system would not work, so the decision was made to fit the U5023s with huge tires, that could be run at very low pressure. This would guarantee traction, which was boosted some tire chains.
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Using a non-drive wheel for traction
At the extreme angles that the Unimog team would encounter scaling this volcano, the balance would be the biggest risk factor. To ensure that the Unimogs, which had the traction and gearing endurance to get up the sheer slopes, did not lift their front-wheels, there was an innovative solution: a deployable balance point. This consisted of the front spare wheel, which could be extended forward from its mounting position and created a virtual balance point way ahead of the Unimog’s front axle, to ensure traction.
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Going where others can only dream of
As any ardent Unimog follower can attest: there was no real doubt about the ability of these vehicles to complete their task. The radio relay beacons were successfully planted and secure, and as a result of getting all the gear up the volcano, Mercedes-Benz now owns a new adventure vehicle record. One of the Unimog expedition trucks on this mission managed to scale all the way up to 21961-feet, making it the highest operational civilian vehicle, in history.
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