“I believe that the Unimog is the ideal vehicle for this job. It is a tough role, carrying quite heavy loads and spreading them efficiently on fields that may have steep inclines, almost always uneven ground, and often soft. The Unimog is comparatively light, but strong, and it is compact enough to enter the narrowest of farm gates.”
Peter Chandler, founder of Chandler Lime Spreading, Staffordshire
Lime spreading is a barometer of the economic state of the agricultural industry. When revenues are low, farmers cannot spend money for the future health of their land; when profits rise, good farmers are able to invest in longer term strategies, and that includes the health of the land.
Chandler Lime Spreading is ideally placed to take advantage of the agricultural upturn. Peter, and his son Dave, have invested in the latest automotive technology – and Unimog U400 – to handle more business, unrestricted by journey times or distances.
The customer:
Chandler Lime Spreading has been sold by Peter to his son Dave, while Peter carries on farming at the 80-acre farm based in a picturesque, 150-year-old farm house. The lime spreading contractor business has a strong base of customers in Staffordshire and Derbyshire.
The challenge:
Dave Chandler’s business falls firmly under the ‘hire or reward’ element of the VOSA licensing authority. Tractors cannot be registered for haulage and there is a clear requirement that the spreading vehicles must be able to travel on roads as well as over the fields. Cost is also a factor, and the Unimog’s fuel consumption – at around half that of a tractor – ensures that not only will it travel to the working site quickly, but also maximise profitability.
The solution:
The long wheelbase Unimog U400, with a GVW of some 12.5 tonnes, enables Dave Chandler to load the hopper with more lime and spend more profitable time spreading it on the fields. Refilling the hopper is done quickly and effectively using an elevator system that he developed for the business.
The U400 also has the Unimog’s Central Tyre Inflation system, which not only provides improved traction during traditional British wet summers, but by spreading the load wider, the land is not damaged by tyre tracks or rutting.
The result:
The U400’s bigger differential gears mean more control and manoeuvrability, and the additional power and payload handles all the mechanical stresses and strains, so it is even more reliable. Chandler Lime has operated on a field with an incline that had defeated all the other vehicles.
“The idea was to introduce the Unimog as a high prestige, purpose-designed operation for lime spreading, and we believe that has worked.”
Unimog benefits at a glance:
- Big fuel savings that maximise profitability in a competitive market
- The power to handle rough ground and steep inclines and still get the job done
- A high capacity hopper, which allows the operator to keep working, not spending too much time refilling.
