Kramer Allrad was the name of the industrial and construction machinery department that Kramer-Werke set up in 1957. From about 1959 to at least 1962 it built road tractors and universal vehicles modelled on the Unimog, offered with a canvas top or a closed cab and powered by Deutz diesel engines.
Kramer Allrad at a glance
| Maker | Kramer-Werke, Überlingen on Lake Constance |
|---|---|
| Origins | Kramer brothers, Gutmadingen, 1925: motor mowers and small tractors |
| Headquarters | moved to Überlingen in 1952 |
| Allrad division | created in 1957 for industrial and construction machinery |
| First Allrad model | KA 540 four-wheel-drive tractor, from 1956 |
| Four-cylinder family | 54 PS Deutz engine: KA 540, U 540, KL 600 |
| Six-cylinder family | 80 PS Deutz engine: U 800 short, U 800 long, KL 800 |
| Body styles | canvas top (cabrio) or closed cab |
| Loader milestone | KS 510 of 1958, first German loader with four-wheel drive and equal-size wheels |
| Updated tractor | KS 511 of 1964 |
| Export engines | Standard Motor diesel, 1963–1968 |
| End of tractors | tractor division closed in 1973 |
Based on one source: the German Wikipedia article on Kramer-Werke, which describes the Kramer Allrad models in a section of the company history.
History of the Kramer Allrad
From mowers to tractors
In 1925 the Kramer brothers, working in Gutmadingen in the Tuttlingen district, built the first small motor mowers and tractors made in Germany. The machines look simple today, but at the time they changed farming, and the company grew from that beginning. In 1952 the headquarters moved to Überlingen on Lake Constance, where Kramer became known for small, manoeuvrable tractors.
The Allrad department, 1957
In 1957 Kramer created a department for industrial and construction machinery under the name Kramer Allrad. In the same year it presented the KA 540, a four-wheel-drive tractor in the mould of the Unimog: a road tractor and universal vehicle that could work in the field and on the road with the same machine. A year later the company caused a stir with the KS 510, the first German loader with four-wheel drive and wheels of equal size.
Two engine families
Between about 1959 and at least 1962 Kramer Allrad built its road tractors and universal vehicles in two families. The four-cylinder family used a 54 PS Deutz engine and covered the KA 540, the U 540 and the KL 600; the six-cylinder family used an 80 PS Deutz engine and covered the short and long U 800 as well as the KL 800. All of them could be ordered with a canvas top or with a closed cab, a choice that made the same chassis useful as a farm tractor, a municipal vehicle or a light lorry.
Later years
The tractor side continued with the KS 511 of 1964, an improved version of the KS 510. Between 1963 and 1968 some Kramer tractors were fitted with a diesel engine from the British Standard Motor Company and sold with the suffix Export for overseas markets. The end came in 1973, when Kramer closed its tractor division in order to concentrate on construction machinery.
Design and features
- Unimog-style layout: a road tractor and universal vehicle rather than a pure field tractor.
- Two Deutz engines: a 54 PS four and an 80 PS six, with several models built on each.
- Two bodies: canvas top or closed cab on the same chassis.
- Four-wheel drive: the theme that gave the division its name and later shaped the company’s loaders.
Kramer Allrad versions
- KA 540: the first four-wheel-drive tractor of the range, from 1956.
- U 540: 54 PS four-cylinder universal vehicle.
- KL 600: 54 PS four-cylinder model of the same family.
- U 800 kurz and U 800 lang: short and long versions of the 80 PS six-cylinder vehicle.
- KL 800: the 80 PS six-cylinder model.
- KS 511: the improved 1964 tractor that followed the KS 510.
The KL versions are described in the article on the Kramer KL range, and the whole history of the firm is in the Kramer collection.
Sources
- Kramer-Werke, German Wikipedia: history of the firm, Allrad models, engine and cab details
