T-180 is a long-lived bulldozer that “sank into oblivion” along with the USSR

The Bryansk Automobile Plant is well known for its military equipment. However, several decades ago the enterprise successfully mastered the production of civilian products. One of its most successful models is the T-180 tractor. Its production started in 1965, when BAZ was still a division of ZiL.


The peculiarity of the machine is that it became the first tracked tractor of the 15th traction class. The equipment was successfully used in the construction of various objects, in industry (for example, as a bulldozer or pipe layer), agriculture, etc. The T-180 was initially designed to work with a large number of attachments, so it can rightfully be called a “station wagon” .

How production began

The basic basis of the bulldozer was its predecessor T-140, which was developed and produced at ChTZ since 1956. The tractor was intended for use in industry: its path to agriculture was prohibited.


The car turned out quite well and even took part in the Leipzig Technology Exhibition in 1959. The T-140 rolled off the production line until the mid-60s, when it was replaced by the T-180.

About construction

In the basic version, the machine was produced in the form of a bulldozer with a serial D-575S blade. Therefore, the main hydraulic elements were located in front.


A ripper was fixed at the rear, since the main function of the T-180 was to develop different types of soil and move it. In this form, the machine was especially widely in demand, which confirms its production for more than two decades.

Engine

The first models were equipped with a diesel engine produced by the Chelyabinsk plant. This is a six-cylinder naturally aspirated 6KDM-50, developed on the basis of the KDM-46. Later, the tractor began to be equipped with its own D-180 engine (according to GOST - 6CHN15/18). Its characteristics:

✅ power – 175 (later increased to 180) “horses”
✅ volume – 20,28 liters
✅ cylinder diameter, piston stroke – 140 and 205 mm
✅ fuel tank capacity – 325 l

An interesting feature of the power unit is that it ran on several types of fuel. Its role could be played by diesel fuel, gas condensate or kerosene. The tank was located directly in the cabin, the neck was led out. The rear wall (in the T-180G modification) was occupied by an oil container.


The engine was started using a P-23 launcher. To make it easier to start the engine in severe frosts, a two-stage decompression was provided (in three or six cylinders). Moreover, all the controls for the “launcher” were located inside the machine. In order to start the engine, it was necessary to run less between the cab and the engine compartment, compared with other tractors of that time. All levers, including decompression levers, were under the hands of the bulldozer operator.

Трансмиссия

It can be “purely” mechanical, which is typical for the first models, or with hydraulic elements. The clutch is closed, dry, equipped with a pneumatic mechanism. When performing maneuvers, the track in the direction in which you want to turn is disconnected from the transmission.


This operation occurs due to the presence of a planetary mechanism installed immediately behind the main gear. The latter is a conical type, with spiral teeth. Transmission – mechanical: five speeds forward and two – back.

Chassis

Its main elements are mounted on a frame made of square steel pipes and cross beams. A coupling mechanism and 4 brackets for attachments are rigidly attached to it. The propulsion system is caterpillar tracks with double-row drive gears. The suspension is torsion bar, with carriages that guarantee smooth movement of the machine.


The width of the caterpillar, consisting of 41 links, is 580 mm. The upper rollers are located on supports welded to the beams. The tension of the propulsion is carried out by means of a screw crank mechanism.

Brake system

It is a tape type, its main elements are in an oil bath. Control is carried out through servomechanisms powered by pneumatics. If you press the brake (it's on the left!), both control levers move back all the way. The “handbrake” is a pedal lock that holds it in the pressed position.

Cabin

Made of steel, equipped with doors on both sides and designed for three people, including the tractor driver. The “salon” cannot be called comfortable, but everything you need is in place. For winter operation, a powerful heater is provided, and there is sound and heat insulation.


The air enters the cabin through a filter to prevent dust particles from appearing in the bulldozer operator’s workplace. There is interior lighting, and even the angle of the seat backs is adjustable.

Modifications

The basic model turned out to be so successful that the Bryansk plant already in the next year after the start of production (1966) mastered the production of a modified version of the tractor - T-180G. It differed from its predecessor in the presence of hydraulics, which helped control the blade, and a variety of attachments. In the 70s, an improved version appeared - T-180G2. In addition to it, BAZ produced many other variants of its tractor:

✅ T-180S was intended for use in the northern regions - it featured improved thermal insulation, double glass, an engine cover, and a more powerful heater connected to the cooling system.
✅ T-180KS - a quarry tractor, also designed for work in the North, characterized by a thicker frame, increased ground clearance (500 mm) and improved thermal insulation
✅ T-180GK1 - a model with a reinforced transmission and pre-heater used on rocky soils
✅ D-804PG – front loader
✅ D-804M – pipe layer

Other highly specialized versions of the T-180 were also produced. For example, VVPS-32/19 was a vibrating pile driver, ETR-122 was an excavator for digging trenches, and D-804PG was a single-bucket loader.

About the pros and cons of the T-180 and its modifications

This tractor is the pride of BAZ. The machine that worked on the construction of the Kama Automobile Plant was installed together with the scraper, as a monument, on a mound in Naberezhnye Chelny. This fact alone speaks volumes. Bryansk also has its own monument, erected opposite the directorate of the enterprise in 1988. As for technical advantages, these include unpretentiousness, simple design, high maintainability and multi-fuel capability.


There were also disadvantages: drivers note two main ones. The first is a crankshaft breakdown after “overhauling” (grinding the journals). The second is the possible freezing of condensate in the bulldozer pneumatics. Yes, the cabin was not so great in terms of comfort, but the driver could handle the controls quite well - everything was at hand, he did not freeze, and was not deafened by the noise from the running engine and mechanisms. In general, we can say that the T-180 “fulfilled its mission,” as they like to say today.

Production chronology

The T-180G2 model was produced in large quantities until 1987, when the USSR Ministry of Automotive Industry made an official decision to stop the production of tractors. Since then, the Bryansk plant has focused on military products.


However, the model turned out to be so popular and necessary that it was still produced and sent to customers via the so-called. “direct contracts” until 1992. And BAZ produced spare parts, components, and other parts until the mid-90s.