Zetor Brno

Zetor Brno

In 1942, the German company Flugmotorenwerke Ostmark GmbH [Ostmark Aircraft Engine Works, Ltd.] started to build in Brno-Líšeň an airplane engine factory. On 25 August 1944, this factory was bombed. After the war, it was repaired, but it ceased its war-related production. In 1946, the factory was taken over by the Brno-based Zbrojovka (founded in 1919). Initially, the company produced textile machines but already on 14 November 1945, two designers – Professor Jaroslav Miksch and engineer Přikryl – created the first Zetor 25. In the spring of 1946, the first three prototypes were made, and in the autumn, the tractor was already shown at a Prague design fair. On 17 August 1946, the company had registered a copyright for Zetor, an abbreviation consisting of the letter Z (‘zet’) standing for ‘Zbrojovka’ and ‘or’ as the ending of ‘tractor’.  

The production of Zetor 15 started in December 1948 but stopped already at the end of the following year. In the meantime, two basic modifications of Zetor 25 were developed: one for ploughing, labelled Zetor 25A, and one for cultivation, labelled Zetor 25K. These were then produced until 1961. As of 1 January 1950, the Líšeň factory was transformed into a separate company called Závody přesného strojírenství Brno-Líšeň [Precision Engineering Works Brno- Líšeň] and production of Zetor 25 was transferred there. The name of the company had several times changed, until in 1976 ‘Zetor’ was incorporated into the official name.  

After discontinuation of Zetor 15, the company developed Zetor 30 with a modernised conception of combustion engine. This became the foundation of the serially produced Zetor 35, which was made in 1955–1960. After a modernisation, this tractor was made as Zetor 50 until 1968. Aside from this, the company also developed in 1954–1956 a Zetor 26 and a light wheeled cultivation tractor with the added functionality of attaching the T18 tool carrier. Since 1957, the design and construction works took place in the tractor research and development centre in the Zetor Brno company. In 1956–1957, the company developed a crawler Zetor 18, which became the foundation of the first unified Zetor series. The series was produced since 1960 under the name Zetor 3011. In 1962, Zetor 4011 came into production and in the following year also Zetor 2011. The series was later enriched with modifications that had a front drive axle in both crawler and semi-crawler version.

In 1964–1968, the company developed the basic type of more powerful tractors Zetor Crystal 8011, which became the foundation of the second unified series. This was in the first half of the 1970s followed by modifications with front drive axle and with a six-cylinder engine, which were called Zetor Crystal 12011. In 1972, after a modernisation, there started the production of Zetor 4712 tractors with a three-cylinder engine, Zetor 5711 and 6711 with four-cylinder engines, and Zetor 2511 with a two-cylinder engine, and their modifications with front-wheel drive. In 1981, the production of these tractors was moved to Závody ťažkého strojírenstva [Heavy Engineering Company] in Martin, Slovakia.

The development of new modifications did not stop even after 1989, when Zetor was de-nationalised. In 1991, the company started a serial production of Zetor tractors of the third unified series, namely types Z 7520/40, Z 8520/40, Z 9520/40, and Z 20540. Since 1993, Zetor tractors are distributed by the American Deere & Co. In the same year, Zetor was transformed into a share company. Nowadays, 90% of Zetors go for export. Long-term problems connected with restructuring and revitalisation of the company undertaken in collaboration with the Consolidation Bank seem to be hopefully a thing of the past.  

Potato digger

Potato diggers are agricultural implements that significantly influence the productivity of potato growing. Demand for greater effectivity of potato growing had been crucially affected by the need to harvest potatoes for storage. A single-row digger consists of a frame that has a movable front axle with two small wheels and a back axle with two large ploughing wheels, which also power the conveyor belt. The working part of the digger consists of a broad, almost horizontal triangular mouldboard that digs under the row of potatoes. This is followed by an endless slat belt stretched over the front and rear drum, on which potatoes that were dug out travel upwards and are shaken to loosen the adhering soil. At the end of the digger, they fall back to the surface of the row that had been dug. Positioned over the conveyor belt is the seat for the manipulator, who can regulate the depth of digging by a manual lever with a latch.

Based on the most common type made in the 1950s, this digger is commonly known as TEK.