Taganrozhets SSH-75 - "do not drink water from your face"!

Agricultural machinery, even in Soviet times, was not cheap. Therefore, from an economic point of view, idle harvesters and most tractors in the winter are simply unacceptable. In the early 60s, the government of the country took care of this problem and the result was the demand from the high rostrums of the next (1961) Plenum of the Central Committee of the CPSU to develop universal equipment for year-round use.


Soviet manufacturers "took the trump" and the result was not long in coming. Soon a whole series of SSH self-propelled chassis appeared with factory indexes from 40 to 150.


However, only the brainchild of the Taganrog plant SSH-75 managed to reach the conveyor. Large-scale production was organized in 1965 and continued until 1973.


What characterized this agricultural machine, so awkward in appearance?

"Party Idea"

The general idea was simple: the harvester is an inefficient technique, since it works 2-3 months a year. It is necessary to give the workers of state farms and collective farmers a universal machine capable of harvesting not only cereals, but also beets, potatoes and silage. And if necessary, such equipment should carry a plow, cultivator, harrow, dig ditches and serve as a crane. Plus, be used as a vehicle.



It seems a utopia: but no - the engineers still managed to create a machine capable of performing most of the above operations.

How "Taganrozhets" works

The design has two main parts. The first includes the frame and suspension, in which you can set the required track width. The second part includes the cabin and engine. The location of the latter is changed as needed. For example, do you need a tractor? Then the motor is mounted in the center of the self-propelled chassis directly above the front wheels. If you need a combine, the power unit is shifted to the left side. As a result, we get an L-shaped version, when the cabin is located above the left wheel. On the right, there is space for, for example, a grain bin or a conveyor.


In modern terms, the SSH-75 "Taganrozhets" can be confidently called a transformer machine. Some characteristics important in crop processing:

✅ wheelbase - 3,795 m with one drive axle and 3,9 m with two
✅ front track - 2,412 m with an L-shaped scheme and 1,9 m with a symmetrical
✅ rear - 1,64, 1,84 m and 2 m, respectively
✅ weight (depending on the number of drive axles and scheme) - 3,37-3,67 tons

For the basic version, one-wheel drive is provided. If it was supposed to use the chassis in difficult places, the Taganrozhets was supplied with a pair of drive axles. In exceptional cases, the equipment was equipped with caterpillars.

Tipper variant SSH-75

Such a chassis with the NS-4 index left the factory. The body could be unloaded sideways or backwards. The officially permitted weight of the transported cargo was 4 tons. However, in reality, as the machine operators who worked on the SSH-75 assure, the equipment could haul 8, and even 12 tons.


Having a high cross-country ability, an all-wheel drive chassis was often the only type of equipment capable of pulling out, for example, a full body of harvested beets from a muddy field. Where is the “fifty-first” Lawn or the “one hundred and thirtieth” ZiL!

What was Taganrozhets aggregated with?

To use the chassis with trailed implements, it must be converted to an L-shaped scheme. Then you can only choose what the SSH-75 is for, which can turn into:

✅ potato, beet, grain or forage harvester
✅ tractor with plow, cultivator or harrow
✅ pesticide sprayer
✅ fertilizer spreader
✅ earthmoving machine
✅ lift

To perform work in areas with high humidity (for example, where rice was planted), a caterpillar version of the Taganrozhets was used.

Technical features

A diesel engine SMD-14B with a volume of 6,3 liters was installed on the chassis, which had a power (as the name of the chassis - SSH-75) of seventy-five "horses". The specific fuel consumption averaged 195 g/l. With. at one o'clock. The transmission of torque to the trailed equipment is carried out by means of a PTO with a pulley designed for three V-belts. A hydraulic system is installed in the chassis, to which up to 3 consumers with one-sided cylinders can be connected.


The transmission involved a manual transmission, providing 12 speeds forward and 4 - back. To expand the range of "abilities" of the machine, a demultiplier with a couple of steps is provided. As a result, the SSH-75 could move at a speed of 1,23-35,6 km / h.

Cabin

It is single, and it began to be installed only four years after the start of mass production. Previously, there was no cabin at all. When it appeared, it took its regular place in the center on the front axle.


Inside, the "salon" was heated, the steering wheel was equipped with the simplest type of hydraulic booster - with a spool on the bridge.

Manufacturing plant

The enterprise in Taganrog was founded in 1916. Gradually developing its production base, the plant in 1935 began to produce motorcycles and spare parts for them. During the war, the enterprise stamped cartridges, and after its end, it switched to the production of agricultural machinery. Since 1947, the Taganrog plant has been producing combines, the most common of which was the Kolos SK-6. As for the SSH-75, this technique left the assembly line of the plant for only seven years.


The car was popular and was a real help in any household: reinstallation of the cab and engine could be done directly on the collective farm or state farm. In total, by 1973, 20714 pieces of equipment were produced. For the USSR, this is very little. Why its production stopped at that time is not very clear until now. Perhaps they considered it burdensome to mess around with the rearrangement of the cabin and engine. What for? And so they will “send” a new combine, a new tractor ...


In 1997, the plant was converted into an automobile plant. The enterprise produced licensed Chinese and South Korean cars, using, among other things, its own brands such as Doninvest and TagAZ. In 2014, the plant went bankrupt again. In 2022, there was information that they want to “revive” the enterprise by joining the rich Rostselmash. It was assumed that the renovated plant will produce agricultural and municipal equipment. Whether something will turn out or not from this project is a matter of time. It is too early to talk about any results.

"Taganrozhets" today

If you type SSH-75 in the search, first of all, ads relating to chassis models pop up. But not only! You can also find offers for the sale of real equipment. Moreover, judging by the asking price, "Taganrozhtsy" is still in demand.


For example, for a 1968-69 (!) car, they ask from 269 to 430 thousand rubles. But it's time to show in the museum. But there is nothing surprising here: most of the copies have been preserved due to their use in educational institutions as a visual aid.