IN THE VAST RUSSIAN FIELDS

About halfway between Moscow and Yaroslavl lies an ancient Russian city Pereslavl-Zalessky. He is known not only as the cradle of the Russian fleet, but, as it turned out, their craftsmen. Pereslavskogo the population of the district are mostly employed in the agricultural sector and in rural areas without mechanical aides can not do. To buy a tractor, even a small one, under the current rural income is almost impossible, so come to the help of savvy but hard-working hands.

In Soviet times, the farms of the villagers a large spread of homemade tractors. At first glance, the primitive construction was the most economical, maneuverable and extremely robust machines.

 

That year, the author rests in the village of Highlands, but only this summer found that on the plot of over 20 years of experience homemade tractor, created by Pavel Ermolaev. Good for handmade, the basis of which became units of the GAZ-69 — the engine and front axle (albeit shortened) with wheels. Now this car on the roads of the country will not see a tractor, collected from its units, will work more than a decade.

 

Transfer case and gear box taken from the UAZ-469. Rear axle — electric cars, and wheels — of the tractor T-40.

However, there have handmade one caveat — because of the different diameter front and rear wheels differ in their linear velocity. But it does not matter, since both bridges are enabled only when driving on a muddy road.

 

Tractor P. Ermolaeva different from other homemade enclosed cockpit.

 

In the village as in a respectable club, all the homebrew communicate with each other. Pavel Ermolaev set me up with another Amateur technical creativity — homebrew Gennady Drozdov. On his tractor more modest engines ZID electric start (Zavod imeni Dzerzhinskogo, now called UMP-05) of an output not exceeding 5 HP shows in the work of the enviable zeal, being developed literally on the spot. The car used brake and hitch with hydraulic drive. Rear axle and grip borrowed from UAZ-469, and wheels — of the tractor T-40 (track — 1200 mm), front wheels taken from “Ruma” — spreader. Transmission & transfer case from the GAZ — 51 in the version of the truck. Tractor Drozdov a little younger and still in great shape.

 

Tractor Drozdova still in good shape.

 

Another meeting last summer hosted by Victor Efimov in the nearby village Fominskoe. Once his mini-tractor “Bug” was the winner of the competition of improvised agricultural machinery, held in Yaroslavl. He to this day on the go. The engine and the car Drozdov — UMZ-05. But there the similarity ends. Transmission is borrowed from a passenger car “Moskvich-412”. Rear axle — GAZ-69 (track 1005 mm), and front axle — sliding as brand tractors, which is necessary for processing the rows of potatoes. A suspension device is driven via a gearbox that allows you to change the height for different “trailers”. Despite the fact that the tractor is constantly at work, a “deserved rest” is not going to. The plans of Viktor Pavlovich — the build up to next season more perfect machine and create a vehicle to … travel for mushrooms.

Tractor Victor Efimov.

 

All the tractor otherwise as a universal call. They plowed, harrowed, hauling loaded trailers, Yes you name it, because the village can not do without it.

 

N. KRUGLOV photo by the author