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The winter of 2009/2010 brought thick, drifting snow and blocked roads. The melting snow resulted in localised flooding, but Wiltshire Council's fleet of Mercedes-Benz Unimogs took it all in their stride.

The Unimogs operate all year round on tasks such as verge mowing, road sign washing, verge clearance, road sweeping, salt spreading and the renowned pothole repair machine. This year's blizzards led to heavy duty snowploughs being fitted and, when the thaw arrived, a new pump was introduced, capable of shifting 5,500 litres of water a minute.

Every implement is powered direct from the Unimog's Mercedes-Benz diesel engine via Power Take-Off points, with mounting and demounting of most attachments taking a matter of minutes.

The Vogelsang pump weighs 600 kg including frame and is fitted to the Unimog via a standard DIN-plate system. All additional tools and equipment, including hoses and pipework are carried safely and securely in the Unimog's inherent payload. The Unimog, with its ability to work in and drive through water up to 0.8 m deep, is the ideal host vehicle for flood work.

“The Unimogs had been using snowploughs and gritters to clear the roads of heavy snowfalls and, when the thaw arrived, we faced the potential problem of flooding. The versatility of the Unimogs allowed us to quickly and simply de-mount the snowplough and mount the new pump,” said Paul Smith, head of service – fleet.

Vogelsang's Sam Howell said that the new pump, a Vogelsang VX186-260Q, was easy to operate and maintain, small enough to be fitted quickly and yet powerful enough when required. When operating at idle revs of 250 rpm to 300 rpm it is still capable of removing over 2,800 litres a minute. At full power the maximum flow would be approximately 43% more flow than those installed on Green Goddesses – which had been given a new lease of life for flood relief, after de-commissioning as emergency fire appliances. Sam Howell was involved in the commissioning of the pump, working alongside Wiltshire Council's own operatives, as well as training.

Wiltshire Council recognised the need for a fast, mobile answer to localised flooding. The Mercedes-Benz Unimogs provided the mobility and the Vogelsang pump, the only one of its kind in the UK, has proved to be a powerful and effective solution, Sam Howell adds.