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Hard To Find Surplus Military Unimogs
Military surplus Unimogs, built by Mercedes Benz, are hard to find, and when they show up, they usually go fast. That's not surprising considering they cost $110,000 new in 1989 and 1990 and sell for a fraction of that when sold as surplus.
"I bought 13 of them in a group this spring, and I only have one left," says Clinton Chitwood, C&C Equipment, LLC. "None of them had more than three or four thousand miles on them, and many of them had been rebuilt from 2002 to 2004. Some only had a few miles on them and had been sitting for several years."
Unimogs are go anywhere, do anything truck-tractors that can be equipped with heavy-duty backhoes and front-end loaders. Chitwood says removal of attachments is fast and easy.
"Pull 2 bolts and 4 hoses, and you can remove the front-end loader in about 5 min.," he says. "The backhoe takes about 15 min. Without them, the Unimog makes a pretty cool truck."
Chitwood's remaining Unimog is priced at only $14,000, but the others averaged in the low $20,000 range. The remaining Unimog has some rust, which is why it's priced lower.
Rust or no rust, the military surplus Unimogs have a lot to offer. Besides their standard off-road features and 40 to 50 mph on-road speeds, these models come with quick-tach hydraulic couplers. A side toolbox holds a hydraulic-powered chainsaw, jackhammer, rotary hammer drill and impact wrench. In addition, all have been put through Chitwood's shop and repainted.
Chitwood says other models occasionally available include a material handler with forks on the front and a knuckle boom on the rear.
"They have a pretty neat chassis and can do about anything," says Chitwood. "I've sold some to farmers and others to folks who just like military surplus vehicles."
Chitwood emphasizes that while the military has several thousand Unimogs still in service or storage, there is no way of knowing when they will be offered for sale. Readers interested in purchasing a Unimog through him should ask to be put on a waiting list.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, C&C Equipment, LLC, 8747 E. State Road 45, Unionville, Ind. 47468 (ph 812 336-2894; dirtdigger_97@sbcglobal.net; www.ccsurplus.com).


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2010 - Volume #34, Issue #6