The MAN Ackerdiesel was the name of MAN’s tractor line, built from 1921 to 1962. It began with a mounted plough, grew into the 50 hp AS250 before the war and ended with about 50,000 tractors of 14 to 60 hp.
MAN Ackerdiesel at a glance
| Production | 1921–1962 |
|---|---|
| First model | 1921 mounted plough (Tragpflug) |
| Early tractor | 20 hp small tractor from 1923 |
| AS250 | 50 hp tractor from 1938 |
| Wartime output | about 1,300 AS250, mostly built by Latil in France |
| Post-war | all-wheel-drive models such as the AS 325 A |
| Total output | about 50,000 tractors, 14–60 hp |
| End | 1962 combined with Porsche-Diesel; Porsche sold its tractor business to Renault in 1963 |
Written from the German Wikipedia article, the only one on the subject.
History of the MAN Ackerdiesel
The first MAN model of 1921 was a so-called mounted plough. From 1923 a small 20 hp tractor was offered, but tractor building was stopped soon afterwards in favour of the more profitable lorry business. High demand from the eastern parts of Germany led MAN to resume tractor production in 1938 with a 50 hp agricultural tractor, the MAN AS250. It was notable for its low diesel consumption compared with rivals, and by the end of 1944 about 1,300 had been built, mostly by Latil in France.
After the war
MAN continued to build tractors after the Second World War, now mainly all-wheel-drive models such as the AS 325 A. By about 1962 the company had made roughly 50,000 tractors in power classes from 14 to 60 hp. The German and international tractor markets were consolidating at that time, so in 1962 MAN merged tractor production with Porsche-Diesel. In 1963 Porsche sold its tractor division to Renault, which also ended Ackerdiesel production. Renault later sold its tractor business to Claas between 2003 and 2008.
Design and names
The radiator grilles of the MAN Ackerdiesel were styled like those of contemporary MAN lorries, which carried the lettering ‘MAN-Diesel’. The type names from 1938 used A for all-wheel drive and H for rear-wheel drive; in three-digit names the first digit gives the number of driven wheels, the middle letter the power class and the last digit a running version number. From 1955 MAN used letter-and-number names such as A25A and C40A, and from 1957 a series such as 2F1, 4K1 and 4T1. Today MAN tractors are popular with collectors.
Design and features
- Long history: from a 1921 mounted plough to 1962, with a break in the late 1920s and 1930s.
- AS250: the 50 hp pre-war tractor known for low fuel consumption, built largely in France.
- All-wheel drive: post-war models such as the AS 325 A were mainly four-wheel drive.
- Type system: letters and numbers encoded driven wheels, power class and version.
MAN Ackerdiesel versions
- 1921 mounted plough: the first MAN tractor.
- 20 hp small tractor: offered from 1923.
- AS250: 50 hp tractor from 1938.
- AS series: AS 250, AS 325 A/H, AS 330 A/H, AS 430 A/H, AS 440 A, AS 542 A and AS 718 A.
- 1955 names: A25A, A32A/H, A45A, A50A, B18A, B45A, C40A/H and D40A.
- 1957 names: the 2F1, 2K1, 4K1, 2L1, 2N1, 2P1, 2R1, 2S1 and 4T1 families.
MAN’s lorry side is covered in the MAN F series article, and the light trucks that followed are in the MAN-VW article. More MAN vehicles are in the MAN collection.
Sources
- MAN Ackerdiesel, German Wikipedia: history, type names, production totals
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