Details of Cars

Fortschritt ZT 300: East Germany’s 20 kN tractor

FORTSCHRITT

Fortschritt ZT 300 at a tractor meeting in 2018
Fortschritt ZT 300 at the Pfingsttreffen in Ribnitz-Damgarten, 2018. Photo by Matti Blume, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

The Fortschritt ZT 300 was the standard 20 kN tractor of the GDR, built by VEB Traktorenwerk Schönebeck from September 1967 to 1984. It replaced the Famulus series and was the first tractor sold under the Fortschritt brand name. The series ran to 72,382 tractors, most of them all-wheel-drive ZT 303s.

Fortschritt ZT 300 at a glance

Fortschritt ZT 300 key facts
Maker VEB Traktorenwerk Schönebeck, Kombinat Fortschritt Landmaschinen
Production 1 September 1967 to 1984
Class 20 kN drawbar class
Predecessor RS14 Famulus
Successor Fortschritt ZT 320 series, from 1983/1984
Units built 72,382 in the whole ZT 300 series
Engine 4 VD 14,5/12-1 SRW, 6,560 cc four-cylinder diesel
Power 66 kW at 1,500 rpm, 68 kW from 1973, 74 kW at 1,800 rpm from 1978
Maximum torque 422 Nm at 1,350 rpm
Gearbox three-speed semi-powershift with three ranges, 9 forward and 6 reverse gears
Speed range 3.1 to about 30 km/h
Trailer load up to 24,000 kg with a compressed-air braked trailer

Built from the English and German Wikipedia articles on the ZT 300, with the German article on the ZT 320 for the successor series.

History of the Fortschritt ZT 300

A new tractor for the 20 kN class

The ZT 300 went into production on 1 September 1967 at VEB Traktorenwerk Schönebeck, part of the Kombinat Fortschritt Landmaschinen. It took over from the RS14 Famulus, and unlike the Famulus it carried the Fortschritt brand name. The name ZT 300 covers both the basic rear-wheel-drive tractor and the whole family built on it.

Fortschritt ZT 300 GB with rubber tracks
The rare ZT 300 GB with rubber tracks instead of wheels. Photo by Manataworf, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

The family grows

The range was widened step by step. The ZT 303 of 1972 added an automatic all-wheel-drive system and became the most numerous model of the series; in the early 1980s it cost 81,000 Mark. The ZT 304 was a road tractor without hydraulics, power take-off, work lights or powershift gearbox, built around 1970 in an estimated 300 to 400 units. The ZT 305 combined the ZT 303 driveline with twin rear tyres and a dual-circuit brake system and was meant for slopes of up to 45 percent. The ZT 300 GB ran on rubber tracks instead of wheels and was built only in small numbers.

The end of the line

In 1973 the engine output was raised from 66 to 68 kW, and in 1978 to 74 kW at 1,800 rpm. From 1983 the ZT 300 series was replaced by the ZT 320 series, whose production ended in 1990. Some tractors were converted into road-rail vehicles and used for shunting in smaller East German plants, and others were rebuilt as ZT 403 with a six-cylinder engine.

Design and features

  • Half-frame construction: the rear part is a frameless block with an unsprung rigid beam axle, while the front axle sits in a half frame and pivots, allowing wheel travel.
  • Automatic all-wheel drive: on the ZT 303 a roller-type overrunning clutch engages the front axle when rear wheel slip exceeds 7 to 8 percent; both axles have a lockable differential.
  • Nine forward gears: a manual three-speed semi-powershift gearbox with three ranges gives nine forward and six reverse gears and a speed range from 3.1 to about 30 km/h.
  • DK 80 double clutch: the pneumatically assisted clutch has one stage for the gearbox and a second for the power take-off, hydraulics and the load stage.
  • Increasing drawbar pull: from 1974 an optional control hydraulic system lifted the implement slightly to press more weight onto the rear axle.

Fortschritt ZT 300 versions

  • ZT 300: the basic rear-wheel-drive agricultural tractor.
  • ZT 303 (from 1972): all-wheel drive with a front axle shared with the IFA W50 LA; the most produced model.
  • ZT 304: road tractor without hydraulics, PTO, work lights or powershift gearbox.
  • ZT 305: ZT 303 with twin tyres, braked front axle and dual-circuit brakes, developed for gradients up to 45 percent.
  • ZT 300 GB: rubber-tracked version of the ZT 300, built in small numbers.
  • ZT 403 and ZT 307: conversions with the 110 kW six-cylinder 6 VD 14,5/12-1 SRW; the ZT 307 remained a prototype.

More East German machinery and agricultural vehicles are gathered in the Fortschritt collection.

Sources