Herzlich willkommen

[Raimo]

Hello from Finland.

What kind of tractor type approval system do you have in Germany?.
I have tried to find information about your system from the internet, but without success.
Also my German language is not so good, ie. many years since the studies..

We have been planning to importing an Unimog as a tractor into Finland, but we must get information about the original tractor type approval in order to register the vehicle in Finland. This is because there has never been Unimogs registered as a tractor in Finland, so there is no national type approval.

Do you know any place in the internet from where to find information about what Unimogs as a tractor have EU / EEC-type approval, and also the approval numbers?. Or any contact adresses from where to get the information.

Or if anybody has an U1200 or U130 / U140 registered as a tractor, what kind of documents you normally have according the type approvals?.

Finnish DaimlerBenz Unimog-contact person is not willing to give any help. I've tried that.

With best regards
Raimo

[holgi63]

Hi, Raimo,

first thing, You should do is to get the necessary informations from Your admission office. What papers and documents do they need to register the Unimog as a tractor?

In Germany, the papers of a vehicle have a so called vehicle-type, in German language : "Fahrzeugtyp".
It is a 4 type numeric code. This code specifies, what type Your special Unimog is. So perhaps the number 8700 specifies a Unimog as a tractor, the number 8710 means a tractor for agricultural purpose.

Unimog is a versatile vehicle for various purposes so there are many type codes a Unimog can have.
But it is possible to change the type of any Unimog at any time.

For changing the code, You need a permission from the manufacturer.
So, please try to get in touch with Daimler-Chrysler in Germany, if the finnish do not want to help You.

If You want to import an Unimog as an agricultural tractor, it may be the best, to have it coded 8710 already in Germany. For this, the Unimog needs the rear 3-point lifter and a rear PTO.

When the Unimog is coded 8710 it has the same code as a Valmet, a Case or a Massey-Ferguson, so I think it will be no problem to import it and get Your needed national documents.

If Your finnish UNIMOG contact person is not willing to help You, please tell him, that You will get in touch with DC in Germany, perhaps it helps to activate him

Hope, I could help You a little bit.

Greetings from Germany

Holger

[Raimo]

Thanks Holger,
the main issue with registration officials was that "Unimog has been originally built as a lorry, therefore it cannot be a tractor".

Now when i look at Finnish 'Zulassungsbescheinigung' document the type code contains 8 numbers. Seems that each country have different system for this code, even when we all are in EU.
If i could convince the registration people with original documents that type codes are different it could be possible to get the approval.

Also, i think that Valmet ('Val' meaning State, 'met' meaning metal) as previously being State owned tractor factory has something to do with protecting domestic tractor markets.

Also, what could be done is to visit several 'inspection' offices, maybe someone is more helpful than that one i visited.
Of course they can say it is possible, and then make it as difficult as possible, requesting all kinds of tests.

I got a email from the main registration office, and they say that if the tractor (did not mention the U-word..) has some kind of EU-approval then it is very easy, no problems.

So any kind of documents showing that "this model is tested and approved according 74/150/EU" for example is the easiest way.

Raimo

[holgi63]

Hi, Raimo,

You wrote "Unimog has been originally built as a lorry, therefore it cannot be a tractor".

This may be the thoughts of some people today, but it's wrong! The first UNIMOG was invented only for agricultural use.

The invention of UNIMOG took place after the second world war. You may have heard about the "Morgenthau-Plan" The allied forces who won this war wanted to change Germany into an agricultural country. The only allowed industry was for this purpose.

Under this conditions the UNIMOG was built.

Soon the industry, military and communes found out, that the UNIMOG could also do their special jobs, but the invention was only for agricultural use.

Today, agricultural use of a Unimog is only the exception, but nevertheless: Germany registered in 2006 about 300 UNIMOGS for that purpose.

So I think it will be the best thing to make Your special UNIMOG a 8710 agricultural tractor here in Germany before You import it.

I have the original permission from Daimler-Chrysler for my 406 to change it from tractor into agricultural tractor. I could scan it and send it as PDF-File, if You want.

I do not know, whether Finland has a difference between lorry and the special thing we call "Zugmaschine" in Germany.
Let me try to explain: We have lorry (LKW) and tractor (Zugmaschine).
This tractor is NOT an agricultural tractor.
In Germany a tractor may have a cargo area. This cargo area is restricted and must not be longer than 1,4 times of the width.
If the width of the cargo area is 2 meters, the length must not be longer than 2.8 meters. In this case, the lorry can be a tractor - funny, but true.

So most of the UNIMOG with the short wheelbase are registered as tractors (8700) and not as lorries.
The longer wheelbase sometimes are registered as lorries, sometimes as tractors too (as far as the length of the cargo area is shorter than 1,4 times of the width).

Another thing: Images sometimes do more than a lot of words...

Please give me Your email-adress and I will send You a few images of Unimog in agricultural use. Show Your admission office these pic's!

IT's a pity that the lot of illustrated books about UNIMOG's are in German language. Do You know www.amazon.com ?

Type UNIMOG into the search-string. The results are great - but mostly in German language.


Greetings from Germany

Holger

[Raimo]

Holger, i send you PM..

Yes, if you could scan the permission, it would be interesting to look,
and also the pictures.

I have bought an exellent book, Peter Schneider: Unimog-alle modelle seit 1948, and Buchundbild has a lot more nice books.

We have also a system that has two kind of tractors, the first is the normal agricultural tractor, the second a 'transport' tractor.

I want to register the Unimog as agricultural tractor in order to transport wide 'farming tools' (do not know the names in English) into the fields using public roads. This is not possible with other vehicle types, we could have the rear 3-point lift in a lorry too, but not wide tools behind it. And we need to travel quite long distances, so Unimog has the speed too, but of course we must restrict it during registration..

So farming is the main job for the machine, then some forest work and offroad driving for the weekends.

Raimo