T-25 - a successful story of the Soviet flagship mini-tractor

The popularity of this long-lived tractor is evidenced by the period of its production, which started in 1966 and ended as recently as 2019. The car has earned the love of everyone: collective farms, state farms, Soviet villagers and foreign farmers. For what advantages did the T-25 enjoy such popularity?


For the first time, the tractor was put on the conveyor at the Kharkov plant, where it became a logical continuation of the DT-20 model. Later, the company focused on the production of larger machines, and this one was transferred to Vladimir in 1972.


The local plant already produced similar tractors of the DT-24 type, so the T-25 did not become something new: the first copy rolled off the assembly line the following year.

What was needed

Initially, this tractor of traction class 0,6 was produced without a cab. This made it possible to carry out the processing of crops in greenhouses, the "ceilings" of which were not always high enough. The hitch allows you to put an automatic hitch, a pendulum mechanism or a hydraulic hook. Plus, the equipment was equipped with a PTO.


The machine was intended for the production of crops, inter-row processing, transportation of goods. In addition, the T-25 was often used as a stationary power source. Most often, the tractor was aggregated with equipment such as:

✅ plow and harrow
✅ cutter and cultivator
✅ potato digger and mower
✅ drill and sprayer
✅ dump

One of the important advantages of the car is the ability to adjust the wheelbase, clearance and track. The latter varies in the range from 1,1 to 1,5 m in increments of 5 cm. Ground clearance can be adjusted within 308-515 mm. This changes the length of the wheelbase accordingly. If it is shorter, the vehicle becomes more maneuverable; if it is longer, the stability of the T-25 increases, which makes it possible to attach heavy guns.


To expand the track, the rear wheels are reversed, and the steering knuckles are moved apart in the front. And another plus is the readjustment of the tractor to perform work on the reverse. At the same time (in the latest modifications), the seat and steering wheel are rearranged in order to more conveniently control the operation of the rear attachments. T-25 was actively used in public utilities.


This was facilitated by the small dimensions of the equipment and its maneuverability, which made it possible to move in narrow yards. A blade or a rotor for snow removal, a sweeping brush were aggregated with the machine. And just a tractor could pull a two-wheeled trailer for garbage disposal.

Modifications

Of the most unusual - T-25K. This is a model designed for inter-row work with tall crops. The tractor version has wheels mounted on special racks, inside of which the chain runs. The ground clearance in this case grows up to 1,5 m, and the track width - 2,8 m. The most interesting thing is that after finishing work with high-stemmed crops, a special machine can be "retrained" into a regular one with low ground clearance.


The T-25 tractor, produced in the 70s, was called "Vladimir". At first unofficially, but then this name proudly flaunted on the side of the hood. The car received the T-25A index. The previous version was also named after the place of issue - "Kharkov" (it's correct to say - "Kharkov", but for the people, apparently, this is too long). True, such a name was not stamped on the tractor. Modifications of the basic T-25 model differed in the design of the workplace: the T-25A2 did not have a cockpit, while the T-25A3 had a reinforced frame and a safety arc was present.


There were two more varieties of the car, differing in the size of the rear wheels. The T-25S1 was fitted with 9/32 inch tires. The T-25S2 was fitted with 10/28" tires. Such a "dispersion" was needed to make the tractor lower or higher, depending on the need. Well, the latest "peak of fashion" is the all-wheel drive model T-30A80.


It was equipped with a hydraulic volumetric control system, a more comfortable workplace for the tractor driver and a D-120 engine.

Power unit

This is a two-cylinder diesel engine D-21 (later D-21A1) air-cooled with a volume of 2,08 liters, characterized by low fuel consumption - 190 g / l. s per hour. The motor develops 20 "horses" and starts from an electric starter. For starting in the cold season, there is a heating plug and a decompression mechanism. To get rid of vibrations, a roller with counterweights is integrated into the power plant.


A pair of fuel filters is provided: coarse and fine cleaning. The incoming air flow is also subjected to cleaning, and three-stage.

Трансмиссия

The manual transmission provides eight forward gears. Two of them are lowered, which makes the processing of crops more convenient. In reverse mode - also 8 steps. The maximum tractor speed is 21,5 km/h. Users note the low cross-country ability of the car. Partially solve the problem by reducing the pressure in the tires.

Cabin

The designers tried to make it as comfortable as possible, in part they succeeded. Great visibility, control knobs at hand, a minimum of necessary devices is present, the driver's seat is adjustable.


Initially, for cars with a cab, a drawback was discovered - an unsuccessful heating system. To make it work, the tractor hydraulics were activated, the tank of which was located outside. As a result, the street was heated more than the cabin. Later, the heating was supplemented with a tube with a dual-mode tap. Since 1996, heaters have already been installed on the T-25, powered by the lubrication system of the power unit.

Export

A successful model of a small tractor was noticed abroad, which was facilitated by the participation of equipment in international exhibitions. One of them took place in Mexico, Chapingo (1974). Then in this country there were hundreds of thousands of small farms in need of small tractors. The government decided to support the farmers and organized an international competition. It was attended by models from the GDR, China, Romania and other countries. The USSR was represented by the T-25. The result of a difficult competition was the signing of an agreement with the Mexican company Sidena and the Soviet VO Tractor-Export. The agreement implied the delivery of the assembled T-25, as well as kits for assembly.


The production of tractors from the USSR was organized not far (80 km) from the Mexican capital in the city of Sahagun. Immediately after the signing of the contract, 200 pieces of equipment were sent there, already ready: the Mexicans only repainted them - probably, the local farmers did not like the red color. At the same time, 7 specialists were sent to the plant to help with the settings of the T-25, its pre-sale preparation. Soviet representatives taught Mexican workers the "secrets" of production.


The machine was tested in the orange orchards of Uruapan, where it was aggregated with a plow (2 disks), and then with a harrow. The tractor passed the test with honor. Another contract was immediately drawn up with the Tabamex company, which was engaged in the cultivation of tobacco, for the supply of 200 Soviet machines. The tractor was also exported to other countries of the world, including even the USA.

Movie star and today

T-25 managed to light up in the film by G. Danelia "Kin-dza-dza". Here the tractor "accompanied" the scene in which its characters recalled the past. T-25 is still often found in household plots. According to the reviews of its owners, if the engines are overhauled in time, the equipment can last for an arbitrarily long time. The main thing - there would be spare parts.