Fordson-Putilovets

Красный путиловец
Fordson-Putilowez as a memorial in Bugulma , Russia (2012)
Fordson-Putilovets
Manufacturer:	Zavod Krasny Putilovets
Sales designation:	Фордзон-Путиловец
Production period:	1924-1932 / 33
Engines:	Four cylinder petroleum engine
Standard tires:	Steel wheels
Top speed:	about 11 km / h
Empty weight:	1320 kg
Previous model:	none
Successor:	Universal U-2

The Fordson-Putilowez ( Russian Фордзон-Путиловец , also Ф-П or FP abbreviated) is a Soviet tractor . The vehicle is a copy of the Fordson Model F built from 1917 and was produced by Zavod Krasny Putilowez in Saint Petersburg from 1924 . It is one of the first self-produced tractors in the Soviet Union.

Vehicle history

The prototype, a Fordson Model F in the Agricultural Museum in Prague (2012)

Already Lenin , the founder of the Soviet Union, the importance recognized its own tractor production for the planned mechanization of agriculture. He passed various resolutions pointing in this direction, and in 1923 the WSNCh (Russian ВСНХ, Высший совет народного хозяйства, German: Supreme Council of the National Economy , a kind of Ministry of Economics) formed a commission to implement the plans. This commission found that 220,000 tractors with 20 horsepower were needed. The only plant suitable for production was found to be the Zavod Krasny Putilowez, later the Kirov factory, in Saint Petersburg. The plant was primarily chosen because at the time it was the only one in the country with sufficient capacity for such a project.

Since the commission formed also came to the conclusion that there was a lack of time and money for an in-house design, existing contacts with Ford in the USA were used. Fordson Model F tractors have been manufactured there since 1917 , which also met Soviet requirements.

The first tractor left the factory on May 1, 1924, and series production began on October 1 of the same year. Gradually, various deficiencies in the vehicle emerged in use, in particular an unreliable ignition system and hardly serviceable engine bearings. In addition, the engine tended to overheat and lack lubrication under load. Although production increased steadily, tractors still had to be imported and other plants were built in the early 1930s.

When exactly the production ended is unclear. Various sources speak of April 1932 as well as 1933. The planned number of units was never reached, production ended after 36,100 copies, and the successor was the Universal U-2 . The machines were used in smaller villages until the 1970s, and some examples have been preserved in museums.

Technical specifications

For the Fordson-Putilovets, as far as known.

• Engine: four-cylinder petroleum engine (works on the principle of a gasoline engine , is started with light fuels such as petrol and switched to petroleum operation when warm.)
• Power: 20 HP (15 kW)
• Transmission: mechanical, 3 forward gears, 1 reverse gear
• Speed: 2.5–11.2 km / h, according to other sources also 2.3–10.8 km / h
• Operating weight: 1320 kg
• Construction period: 1924–1932 / 33
• Number of pieces: 36,100 copies

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g} History of Fordson-Putilowez and its production (Russian) ( Memento from April 16, 2013 in the web archive archive.today )
2. ↑ ^{a b} Website on various Soviet tractors with a section on Fordson-Putilowez ( Memento from March 5, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) (Russian)
3. ↑ ^{a b c} Technical data and brief history of the vehicle (Russian)

Web links

Commons : Fordson-Putilowez  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files

• Manufacturer website with the history of tractor production and some comments on Fordson-Putilowez (Russian)