Fortschritt

The RS 04/30, produced between 1953 and 1956, was the successor to the RS 03 Aktivist and RS 02 Brockenhexe in GDR tractor production. The tractor had been developed by the Schönebeck factory, but the manufacturer was VEB Schlepperwerk Nordhausen, the manufacturer of the RS 02. It was the first tractor developed in the GDR that was not based on pre-war German models.

The engine was a new 3.0-liter 2-cylinder pre-chamber diesel EM2-15. The power was 30 hp. Unlike its predecessors, the engine had an electric starter. There were 5+1 gears and the same in the crawl range, making a total of 10+2. The portal axle and 9.00-40 rear wheels provided ample ground clearance. In addition to the belt pulley and 540 rpm rear power take-off, the RS 04 had a front power take-off shaft that rotated at the engine speed. A hydraulic lift and towbar were standard. Most of the tractors produced had a cabin. Colour of the tractor was dark green. More than 7,500 RS 04 models were produced. The model had a problem with the engine's durability.

Photo: Bundesarchiv Bild 183-38423-0003 (Wikimedia Commons). Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Tractors

RS 04

In the Nordhausen tractor factory's range, the 40-horsepower RS ​​01 was joined by the smaller RS ​​02/22 Brockenhexe in 1949. It was based heavily on the Normag NG 10, which had been manufactured at the factory before the war, but the design was rounded off. There was no suitable engine in the GDR range, so the 22-horsepower diesel used by Normag was licensed from the West by Deutz. The engine was 2.2 liters and water-cooled. It was started by cranking.

The gearbox was also a Western licensed product, a 4+1-speed ZF. A power take-off and pulley were standard equipment, as was a 6-volt electrical system. A cabin was optional. The Brockenhexes were either brown or green in colour. 1,935 of the model were produced in three years.

RS 02 Brockenhexe

The first East German tractor to go into series production was the RS 01/40. It was based on the XL diesel tractor manufactured by the Famo tractor factory before the war. It was upgraded to the RS 01 by former Famo engineers in Schönebeck and production began at the Horsch factory in Zwickau in 1949. A year later, production moved to the former Normag tractor factory in Nordhausen, and it was named the RS 01/40 Pionier.

The tractor was frameless, meaning the 4F 145 BE engine was part of the supporting structure. This four-cylinder diesel had a displacement of 5.0 liters and produced 40 hp. The engine was started with gasoline and a crank. There were 5+1 gears. A power take-off dependent on the drive clutch was standard equipment and a belt pulley was an option. The front axle was sprung and drum brakes on the differential shaft could be used as a steering brake.

From 1953 onwards, the engine was started using compressed air. In 1957, the improved RS 01/40 Harz was introduced. The power was increased to 42 horsepower and a 24 V starter motor was added to the equipment. The gearbox was an improved model and a hydraulic lifting device was a novelty.

Of the early GDR tractors, the Pionier was the most functional, but heavy for its power. A total of almost 25,000 of them were produced.

RS 01

The Brandenburg Tractor Factory was founded in 1948 on the ruins of the former Brennabor factory. For decades, the factory had manufactured, among other things, bicycles and motorcycles, and during the war, weapons.

In 1949, serial production of the RS 03 Aktivist tractor began. The engine was a V2 diesel copied from O&K, with an output of 30 hp and crank start using glow plugs. There was no separate frame. The gearbox was a 4+1-speed Prometheus. Top speed was 17.8 km/h. A 540 rpm power take-off and a belt pulley were standard equipment. Due to the very short wheelbase and front axle design, bouncing was cited as a problem with the tractor.

The Aktivist was only in production for three years and 3,761 of them were manufactured. After that, the Brandenburg factory switched to the production of crawler tractors and, in the early 1960s, gearboxes. In the GDR tractor range, the RS 03 was succeeded by the RS 04 from the Nordhausen factory.

Photo: Kimmo Kotta

RS 03 Aktivist

After the Famulus, tractor production in the GDR was revamped. The goal was to offer tractors in five different size categories. The smallest class was filled by the work machine carrier GT 124. A 3-cylinder TT 220 was developed for the 45-horsepower power class, the ZT 300 for the 90-horsepower class, and the ZT 400 for the 160-horsepower class. The largest size category was left for a later time. The TT 220 and ZT 300 were developed to the point of serial production readiness, but ultimately only the ZT 300 was put into production, which began in the autumn of 1967. The manufacturer was Traktorenwerk Schönebeck and the engine was made by Motorenwerk Nordhausen. The 6.6-liter 4-cylinder engine was developed based on the IFA W50 truck engine. The direct injection technology was licensed from MAN.

Also adapted from the IFA truck was the driven front axle, which was installed in the four-wheel-drive model ZT 303 introduced in 1971. The transmission in the ZT tractors consisted of three basic gears, three ranges forward and two backward, as well as a crawler gear. In total, there were 18+12 gears. The steering was power-assisted and the brakes were hydraulic drum brakes. The cab was modern even by Western standards. However, the pedals came through the floor and the gear levers were in the center. The strengths of the ZT included ease of maintenance and good gear ratios. Weaknesses were low ground clearance and a large turning circle. The weight was also quite high.

In 1973, the factory merged into the Fortschritt combine, and later the Fortschritt brand also appeared on the sides of the tractors. Initially, the ZT was either red or blue in color; in the later years, there were also Fortschritt green versions. The cab was always white. Around the mid-1970s, the steering was changed to hydrostatic. In the spring of 1978, the engine power was increased to 100 horsepower. ZT tractors were sold in Western Europe, at least in France, Belgium, and Spain. Approximately 70,000 units of the model series were produced.

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ZT 300/303

At the end of 1983, the ZT 320 and the four-wheel-drive model ZT 323 were introduced. Compared to the preceding models, the engines' fuel efficiency had been improved, the brakes updated, the steering hydraulics equipped with their own pump, and the gearbox renewed. The most noticeable changes were, of course, the new design and the new cab. Standard equipment included an air-suspended seat, an adjustable steering wheel, and gear levers positioned on the right. The four-wheel-drive model also featured brakes on the front axle. Engine torque increase improved from 8% to 16%. The dual clutch was hydraulically assisted. In size, the tractor was still large, and the turning radius enormous. The tractor's color was now always Fortschritt green.

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Fortschritt ZT 320/323

In tractor production in the GDR, implement carriers played a central role. Production of the RS series reached 120,000 tractors, while the Famulus models remained at a few thousand in various versions. The first implement carrier to enter series production was the RS 08, which began production in 1953. It had a 0.69-liter two-stroke gasoline engine producing 15 horsepower. Through a directional reverser, there were 8 gears in both directions.

In 1957, the RS 09 was introduced, featuring a 1.02-liter V2 diesel engine manufactured under license from Austrian Warchalowski. Initially, it produced 18 horsepower, and later a 15-horsepower version was also offered. A new feature was the hydraulic lift. The predecessor’s green color was replaced by the same reddish-orange used also on Famulus tractors. In 1961, the engine was bored out to 1.15 liters, producing 16.5 horsepower. In 1962, an improved model, the RS 09/122, was introduced, which included, among other things, a reinforced gearbox and a restricted front axle tilt angle to prevent rollover. There were also many special versions of the RS 09, such as a model with a flatbed, a maize cultivation version, a vegetable cultivation version, and a mountain version. The country’s agricultural machinery production also produced dozens of different implements that utilized the RS’s capabilities.

In 1964, the country’s own expertise yielded a 25-horsepower V4 diesel that entered production. Instead of prototype designation RS 09/124, the model was marked GT 124. The basic structure remained the same, but the powertrain was reinforced to correspond to the increased power. Implement carriers were exported not only to Eastern Europe but also to African countries, among others.

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RS 09

More from this manufacturer

The first DDR tractors were the 40-horsepower RS 01 Pionier and the 30-horsepower RS 03 Aktivist. However, the model that reached the highest production numbers was the RS 04/30 from the Schlepperwerk Nordhausen, introduced in 1953, which had a 3.0-liter 30-horsepower engine. Its successor, introduced in 1956, was the RS 14/30 Favorit, which after receiving a new 3.28-liter engine became known as the RS 14/30 Famulus.

In 1960, an updated model of the RS 14 was introduced, called the Famulus 36. The tractor had the previously introduced 3.28-liter 2-cylinder engine, which, like the earlier models, was an air-cooled diesel. The engine speed was increased from 1500 to 1600 rpm. According to a book about DDR machines, the engine's lifespan was approximately 1000 hours. There were a total of 10+2 gears across two ranges. The Famulus was colored either orange-red or gray-green.

There was a recognized need for a more powerful tractor, and alongside it the 46-horsepower Famulus 46 was introduced. Its engine was water-cooled and the speed was 2000 rpm. Despite having water cooling, the engine’s durability was very poor. Water-cooled engines were also used in the 36 models.

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Famulus 36/46

The problem with the Famulus, especially in the more powerful model, was the motor’s short service life. Therefore, the improved model settled for a power output of 40 horsepower and a speed of 1800 rpm. According to local custom, the most important message in the brochure was that nearly 100% of the parts were the same as in the previous model. The primary color was gray-green.

A 3-cylinder Famulus 60 was also under development, but tractor production in Nordhausen ended in 1965, and regarding ordinary agricultural tractors, the GDR was temporarily dependent on its neighbors.

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Famulus 40

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