Tractor Zetor Z-25 - transport with the Czechoslovak quality mark

Czechoslovak engineering in the 30s of the last century experienced an unprecedented rise. A number of factors contributed to this: the country had one of the most democratic parliaments in Europe, the continent itself had fully recovered from the consequences of the First World War, and there were enough qualified design engineers in the country.


About how rapidly the local auto and motorcycle industry developed at that time, we have repeatedly written on the pages of our publication. But in Czechoslovakia, there were not only urban residents who needed quality two- or four-wheeled vehicles. Agriculture also developed well in the country. And he also needed various special vehicles.


Today we will tell you about one local enterprise, focused specifically on villagers and farms. Even now, after many decades, it is successfully operating, producing excellent quality products that are in demand among vegetable and fruit producers or livestock breeders.

Modest start

Like many of his colleagues in different countries, the Czech plant of agricultural equipment started in a completely different profile. About 100 years ago, in the Zabrdowice industrial area (after obtaining a license from the British Parsons), the production of steam turbines began. It was held with varying success, so in 1936 the site passed into its own gunsmiths (company Zbrojovka Brno). In addition to working on the profile, they mastered the production of light vehicles with two-stroke engines of the Z brand.

After the fascist occupation and the transfer of all Czechoslovak engineering enterprises to the military rails of the Reich, it received a new name Reichswerke Hermann Goring AG, Brno and began to work for the needs of the fascist army.


I think it is not worth reminding once again that all military installations are a primary goal. Therefore, after the bombing of the allies and the strikes of the Soviet army, by May 1945 the workshops of the enterprise presented a sad sight: more than half of them were seriously damaged. Despite this, after a couple of months the plant was back in operation, focusing more on the civilian assortment:

✅ automatic weighing equipment
✅ motorcycle (or car) engines
✅ typewriters
✅ transmissions for agricultural machinery

Although the production of weapons in Brno also continued, the main direction was determined by the last item on the list above. Yes, in addition to the production of components for tractors of various models, here they dreamed of their own developments. And it wasn't just a dream. A couple of months after the onset of peace in Europe, the Brno designers, inspired by engineer Frantisek Musil, entered the phase of active preparation of future Czechoslovak tractors.



The first production model received the index Z-25. It was mastered by the end of the summer of next year. The need for such equipment is well evidenced by the fact that by the beginning of 1947 they managed to assemble almost 3400 units of tractors for the village. This model not only proved successful, but also paved the way for its followers, who have been assembled at the facilities of the Czech Brno plant for more than seven and a half decades.

Zetor Z-25 - the first-born of the plant with good performance

The technique turned out to be miniature and quite nice. Not only the aforementioned Musil had a hand in this, but also the design engineer Yaroslav Miksh. In September 1946, the new tractor was presented at the Prague Fair. Later, the first six units were handed over in a festive atmosphere to the new owners of the Zetor Z-25.


The company reached its peak production capacity in 1951. During that year, 8500 pieces of equipment for the village were assembled. But the demand was much higher. Therefore, we decided to expand production, with the opening of a branch in Liszno. Over time, the successful design has acquired a number of modifications:

✅ 25A (tractor)
✅ 25K (cultivator)
✅ 25N (seeder)
✅ caterpillar 25A Z-76

Modification "A" was actually a continuation of the basic version. The old version was simply distinguished by the absence of lower rods and a starter. The tractor was intended for towing agricultural vehicles or transporting various equipment. The company switched to an updated version in 1951.

The version of transport for cultivation work had an additional hydraulic drive for attachments. also modification "K" was distinguished by a few more points:

✅ increased ground clearance
✅ different design of the front axle
✅ rear tires of a different configuration

Given the specifics of use, the equipment was endowed with special settings for maximum engine speed and a different distribution of gear ratios. It was on the basis of the first two modifications that two more versions of the tractor "25th" model were created. And in one case, we are not talking about the factory, but, let's say, a handicraft version of the car.


The Z-76 half-track vehicle differs from the original only in the presence of traction tracks instead of the rear pair of wheels. It was made for use on unsteady or too wet ground. But in the case of a tractor-seeder, we are talking about the tricks of the "Kulibins". The Hodonín Tractor Engineering Station (STS) saw the need for vehicles suitable for gardening. The guys had a number of decommissioned Zetor Z-25K tractors at hand. After working with them a little, talented young engineers received a new modification 25N - a tractor-seeder.

Another difference of the garden assistant was the dismantling of the cab, which is installed on all modifications by default (except for the half-track). This made it possible to reduce the parameters of the equipment, which is important for modest garden areas. And, given the local nature of the work being carried out, it was quite possible to do without protection from the weather.

The technical side of the model

The tractor cab had a continuation in the angular wings. To ventilate a small room, the structure was equipped with opening windows with separate transoms. There was another passenger seat next to the driver. Later, manufacturers improved comfort, replacing it with a softer and higher quality version. The technical parameters of the tractor were as follows:

✅ 2-cylinder indirect injection engine
✅ working volume - 2078 cubic meters. cm
✅ power - 26 liters. With
✅ maximum speed - 32 km / h
✅ fuel reserve - 45 l
✅ 6-speed gearbox

Of these, half was intended for field work, and the other - for movement on solid ground. The composition was complemented by a single-plate clutch and water-cooled engine. During plowing, fuel consumption was 4 l / 100 km or 14,7 l per 1 plowed hectare.

In total, by 1961, the Brno plant produced 158570 tractors of this series. More than half of them (97000 pieces) were exported, which clearly speaks of the quality of Czech technology. After that, the Z-30 was supposed to get on the conveyor, but it never went into production. Only the type 35 models with a four-cylinder engine were able to do this.


But then the enterprise was working on the world's first series of unified tractor equipment UR 1. At that time, the plant had other interesting models, which we will try to talk about in the following materials. The release of the "25th" series in all modifications was completely discontinued in 1968.