RS08

The title of this article is ambiguous. Further meanings are listed under RS-08 .

IFA
RS08
Manufacturer:	Tractor factory Schönebeck
Sales designation:	Mole RS08 / 15
Production period:	1953-1956
Engines:	F 8 / II two-stroke carburetor engine, 690 cm³, 11 kW
Traction:	10 kN
Length:	3690 mm
Width:	1740 mm
Height:	1760 mm
Wheelbase:	1390-2090 mm
Gauge:	1250 - 1600 mm
Turning radius:	2500 mm
Standard tires:	front: 6.00-16 AS rear: 7.00-36 AS
Top speed:	15.3 km / h
Maximum permissible total mass:	2300 kg
Empty weight:	1330 kg
Previous model:	mole
Successor:	RS09

RS08 in March 1954 at the sample and sales fair in Apolda

The RS08 tractor is an implement carrier that was built in the VEB Tractor Factory Schönebeck in the GDR . It was developed based on the Mole from 1951 to 1953 and built from 1953 to 1956. Due to the similarity of both tractors, the name Mole was popularly transferred to the RS08. The complete type designation RS08 / 15 identifies it as a wheeled tractor with 11 kW (15 HP).

mole

The Mole implement carrier, an in-house development by Egon Scheuch from Erfurt, was built in small series before 1949 and was the very first implement carrier. Probably for this reason it did not have any of the RS type designations that were later used in the GDR. The mole was powered by an air-cooled single-cylinder two-stroke carburettor engine made by DKW, located above the front axle .

Although the concept was in principle extremely innovative, this machine never gained greater importance because of its design defects. The motor on the front of the box girder and the power transmission by cardan shaft through the girder itself to the rear gearbox made the technology prone to failure on the one hand and hindered the effective use of the perforated beam on the other. The production of the "Mole" was therefore stopped in 1949.

RS08

Demonstration of the preparation of the square nest planting process of potatoes with a RS08 with attached multi-unit.

The track width was increased by turning the right-hand wheels (to a negative instead of a positive offset ).

Not only the track width, but also the wheelbase is variable.

Front view of the RS08 while mowing

The RS08, on the other hand, already had a water-cooled two - stroke carburetor engine with two cylinders , which was also from DKW, which was oriented further back, albeit still in front of the driver .

What is unusual about this two-stroke engine is the fact that its ignition system was controlled by an ignition distributor (as in the four-stroke engine). This was necessary because the motor housing was part of the frame construction and the ignition system attached to the front would otherwise not have been accessible without dismantling the carrier.

The greatest innovation in the RS08 was its four-speed transmission. These can be shifted into two groups, each with a reverse group, using a shift lever, i.e. the RS08 has 8 forward and 8 reverse gears. The transmission also has a PTO shaft at both the front and rear . These can be operated independently of one another.

These PTO shafts can be driven either with the engine (rotates as soon as the engine is running) or with the path (only rotates when the vehicle is moving), whereby the drive selection of the PTOs is also independent of one another.

The driven rear axle can be locked with a locking differential. The brakes are two internal shoe brakes that can be operated independently of one another and that can also function as a steering brake, while the handbrake is a band brake that acts on the transmission.

Another innovation was that the wheelbase and track width of the implement carrier could easily be changed. To shorten the RS08, you simply pulled the two fastening bolts of the front carrier group and pushed the whole thing backwards, this was quite unproblematic as the steering column was telescopic. To change the track width, the steering knuckles on the front axle were simply moved on both sides after loosening the fixing screws. The track width of the rear axle could be changed by adding spacers; all that was necessary was to loosen the axle nut. Since the offset of the rims delivered as standard is not equal to 0, some of the wheels were also turned in order to quickly achieve a larger track width for field work.

Since the gasoline engine constantly caused thermal problems and therefore had insufficient stability, the concept was modified in Schönebeck and the successor was the RS09 with a diesel engine.

Technical specifications

Manufacturer	VEB tractor factory Schönebeck
Type	RS08 / 15
Top speed	15 km / h
Trailer load	3000 kg
engine
Manufacturer	VEB engine plant Karl-Marx-Stadt (Chemnitz)
Engine type	F 8 / II
Working principle	Two-stroke carburetor engine with crankcase flushing
Compression ratio	5.7: 1
rated capacity	11 kW (15 PS) at 3000 rpm
Torque at nominal power	35 Nm at 3000 rpm
Bore × stroke	76 × 76 mm
Displacement	690 cc
cylinder	2
battery pack	Lead acid battery, 6 V, 84 Ah
alternator	6 V, 140 W
Weights and loads
own weight	1330 kg
payload	970 kg
maximum weight allowed	2300 kg
Permissible front axle load	1200 kg
Permissible rear axle load	1100 kg
transmission
Speed ​​in km / h	at 3000 rpm in Gear: 1.6 Gear: 3.2 Gear: 4.4 Gear: 5.8 Gear: 3.9 Gear: 7.8 Gear: 11.2 Gear: 15.3
differential	Lockable rear axle differential
traction	10 kN in 3rd gear (on the road) 8 kN in 3rd gear (in the field)
Dimensions over everything
length	3690 mm
width	1740 mm
height	1760 mm
smallest ground clearance	475 mm
Wheels and tires
Number of axles	2
drive	Rear wheel
Front tire size	600-16
Rear tire size	700-36

literature

• Achim Bischof: Tractors in the GDR. Podszun, Brilon 2004, ISBN 3-86133-348-1 .

Web links

Commons : RS08  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Wikibooks: Tractor Lexicon: Progress RS 08  - Learning and teaching materials

• www.ddr-landmaschinen.de
• radschlepper.de Further information on the RS 08 implement carrier