If you grew up in the Midwest or any other snow-prone area, you probably remember pushing a shovel on the driveway or sidewalk. Wouldn’t it have been more fun (and less back-breaking) to have a remote-controlled snowplow? A Twitter user posted a video of an RC Unimog taking care of business quickly and efficiently, and there are likely quite a few of you who would like to have one for this weekend’s polar vortex.
While shoveling snow is a great workout, when you’re getting pummeled with the white stuff it’s a bit more strenuous than you may want on a day-to-day basis. Sure, you could pick up a robot snowplow with a boring personality for about $6,000, but apparently, companies like Hammacher Schlemmer are selling $100 RC snow plows with working lights and rubber tracks. If you want to go all the way, Germany-based ScaleArt is selling a 16-inch-long RC Unimog for about $2700. Add a plow attachment and it’s ready to go.
A full-size, drivable Unimog is a rare find in the United States. This off-road king is built to specs that would surely survive a worldwide apocalypse and it can even climb a Chilean volcano. You can find them in pockets here and there on sites that specialize in matching potential buyers to used Unimogs at a wide range of prices. Unimogs aren’t for everyone, and they’re definitely not for you if you have only street parking or a one-car standard garage.
RC Unimogs, on the other hand, are easier to procure and maintain. Tamiya USA is selling an RC Mercedes-Benz Unimog 406 for $634 if you have the skills to add a custom blade to the front. Sounds like a worthwhile investment to me, and my 12-year-old self would have appreciated one during cold Indiana winters.
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