Exciting manoeuvres, a tough race against the clock and last but not least lots of fun for drivers and spectators alike: this sums up the first German snowploughing championships. The vehicle which impressed everyone was a Unimog U 527 from Mercedes-Benz on the difficult snowploughing course in Stolpe, north-east of Berlin in Brandenburg.
The demands placed on the entrants encompassed tricky situations faced by snowplough drivers in their everyday work: slaloms both forwards and in reverse gear and accurately moving obstacles to target locations.
High precision and overview when clearing snow against the clock
The implement carrier selected by the organiser, the Unimog U 527 with a snowplough from Aebi Schmidt, thrilled the onlookers in Stolpe with its outstanding abilities when it comes to manoeuvrability and power. It impressed the professional snowplough drivers with its all-wheel drive, sprung portal axles and the high output of its Euro VI six-cylinder engine with 200 kW (272 hp). In particular the participants praised the good overview of the entire working area – an essential prerequisite for precise manoeuvring and driving in winter maintenance work. The Unimog U 527 ensures this outstanding vision through the large windscreen in the “open-view cab” and the short front section – thanks to the vehicle’s short bonnet.
Exciting outcome to the snowploughing duel
The winners were the Brandenburg team from the Rangsdorf motorways department, followed by the Luckau road maintenance department from Brandenburg and the Kamen motorways department from North-Rhine Westphalia.
