The IMT 539 is a small agricultural tractor built by Industrija mašina i traktora in Novi Beograd. It is the second and stronger of the two lightweight models derived from the Massey Ferguson licence: after the 35 hp IMT 533 the factory made a version with a 39 hp IMR M33/T engine and called it the IMT 539.
IMT 539 at a glance
| Maker | Industrija mašina i traktora (IMT), Novi Beograd, Serbia |
|---|---|
| Series | IMT 500 series, mass production from 1976 |
| Engine | IMR M33/T three-cylinder four-stroke diesel |
| Power | 39 hp |
| Base model | IMT 533 with a 35 hp engine |
| Licence | Massey Ferguson tractor, Perkins-licensed engine |
| Length | 2,972 mm |
| Width | 1,625 mm with normal wheel spacing |
| Height | 1,372 mm |
| Wheelbase | 1,830 mm |
| Weight | 1,440 kg with fuel, oil and water |
| Engine life | about 4,000 working hours before overhaul |
No Wikipedia article is devoted to the IMT 539; this page is based on the section on the 533 and 539 in the Croatian and Serbian articles on the company, with the German article for the model list.
History of the IMT 539
A stronger sister for the 533
The 539 belongs to the same family as the IMT 533. The first of the pair carried a 35 hp engine and the designation 533; the later variant was given an engine of 39 hp of the IMR M33/T type and the designation IMT 539. Both are licence-built Massey Ferguson tractors with Perkins-licensed engines, assembled in Belgrade while the engines were built at IMR. The Croatian and Serbian accounts call them easy to handle, extremely mobile and manoeuvrable, and credit them with legendary status because they were the machines that spread mechanisation through small and medium farms in the former Yugoslavia in the second half of the 20th century.
How it was built
The 539 was assembled at the IMT works in Novi Beograd, with engine components coming from a network of Yugoslav factories: cylinder assemblies from PDM Mladenovac or “27. mart” in Novi Sad, valves from PP Užice, engine blocks from FOB, crankshafts from IMR, connecting rods from IMR or Kovačica ZCZ, fuel supply equipment from IPM Beograd, electrical equipment from Iskra Kranj, and filters and couplings from KRON or FRAD. The gearbox is mechanical, with a pulley-type hydraulic pump, and the lubrication requirements were kept to a minimum, which made the tractor easy to keep running on a small holding.
The numbers
The tractor measures 2,972 mm in length, 1,625 mm in width with the normal wheel spacing, 1,372 mm in height, and it has a wheelbase of 1,830 mm. Clearance is 320 mm at the centre and 533 mm under the axle, and the machine weighs 1,440 kg with fuel, oil and water. The engine’s realistic life before a general overhaul is put at about 4,000 working hours, and tractors with 6,000 and more hours have been recorded.
The factory behind it
IMT grew out of the Central Foundry of 1947 and took its present name in 1965, after the state bought the Massey Ferguson licence in the mid-1950s. The new factory opened in March 1976 and began mass production of the 500 series, from 35 to 220 hp. The company built 780,000 tractors between 1955 and 2015 and exported 107,700 of them to 84 countries, but production collapsed after 2000: it had fallen to about a hundred tractors in 2015, when the plant stopped and the remaining 360 workers lost their jobs. The bankrupt factory was bought by the Indian group TAFE in April 2018. The name lived on in the S series shown at the 79th Novi Sad fair in 2012, whose IMT 539S delivered 42 hp through a ten-speed gearbox and hydraulic power steering.
Design and features
- 39 hp IMR M33/T diesel: a three-cylinder four-stroke engine built under Perkins licence.
- Same compact body as the 533: 2,972 mm long, 1,830 mm wheelbase, 1,440 kg fuelled and watered.
- Long service life: about 4,000 working hours before a rebuild, with 6,000-hour tractors still at work.
- Simple maintenance: mechanical gearbox with a pulley-type hydraulic pump and minimal lubrication needs.
- Yugoslav components: engines from IMR and parts from factories across the country, which kept spares cheap and local.
IMT 539 versions
- IMT 533: the 35 hp original of the pair.
- IMT 539: the 39 hp model described here, with the IMR M33/T engine.
- IMT 539S: the 42 hp version presented with the S series in 2012, with a ten-speed gearbox and hydraulic power steering.
The 539 was the stronger sister of the IMT 533 and the smallest of the family below the IMT 560; more models are in our IMT collection.
Sources
- IMT, Croatian Wikipedia: 533 and 539 section, engine, dimensions, suppliers
- ИМТ, Serbian Wikipedia: factory history, S series, end of production
- Industrija mašina i traktora, German Wikipedia: model list and company history
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