Belarus tractors

[paulharvey]

I personally feel fine buying CIS products, Russian, Belorussian, Ukrainian, whatever. I do feel mixed about Chinese. Russia and Belarus are not enemies of the USA, but I do feel the PRC is. China is actively attacking the USA economy with electronic warfare, monetary manipulation, and complete disregard of trade, patent, and copy right laws.

 

[daugen]

Good point. The problem is that if we stopped buying goods from countries that are, or used to be...enemies, boy would we have a tough time. Well, Australian cars are pretty cool...

China has built its economy on the profits of selling low cost goods to the world, and certainly to "us". Whether we like it or not. You would think they would treat us better, but they don't want our brand of freedom over there, for sure.
And fighting for that freedom has cost a lot of American lives.

So how many years does it take to forgive? Not forget...

I just have to wonder if any one in the Minsk tractor factory is unhappy with the US.
I wish them well. But then I'm a bit biased. My grandfather came from a farm about 50 miles away from Minsk.
Or was it Pinsk?

 

[paulharvey]

I wish them well. But then I'm a bit biased. My grandfather came from a farm about 50 miles away from Minsk.
Or was it Pinsk? [/QUOTE]

One of my ancestors came from Lwow/Lviv/Lemberg/Lvov when it was a Polish city in Hungarian half of Austria Hungry. Its traded hands about 8 times since they left in 1912.

 

[daugen]

I wish them well. But then I'm a bit biased. My grandfather came from a farm about 50 miles away from Minsk.
Or was it Pinsk?

One of my ancestors came from Lwow/Lviv/Lemberg/Lvov when it was a Polish city in Hungarian half of Austria Hungry. Its traded hands about 8 times since they left in 1912.[/QUOTE]

I am our family's historian and the only question marks are on my Dad's side, and his father, who came through Ellis Island in 1901. From a farm "over there". It took me years and years looking at big National Geographic maps, and then Google, and finally I found his home town. It was nowhere near where I thought it was, much, much further East.
And with a name like Augenblick, which is an operative word in the German language, which I know nothing of..., how could that come from what I know now as the Ukraine?

Some day, and I'd better hurry up..., I'm going over there and will find his home town. And maybe a graveyard with other Augenblicks in it. ****** killed most of them, but boy would it be cool to find someone with my last name in his home town.

And all this is to say that many of us may have roots in places whose current society does not view personal freedom or human rights the same way we do. I suppose the State Dept has an "unfriendly" list, but are China and what was formerly Eastern Russia on that list?

I reread this whole post and wonder who has experience with recent Belarus products. Are they still unreliable or did they improve their engineering?

 

[Alberta Haymaker]

As mentioned I currently have a 20 year old one and is been good just normal wear and tear. I bought mine used though as a "fixer upper" so to speak. The issue wasn't with the engineering its was the manufacturing standards back in the day so yes ... they had their share of lemons. I've talked to a few mechanics that used to work on them and they all said the same thing that once figured out what their quirks were they were simple to fix and maintain. Often many people who bought them were "cheap" and didn't spend a dime on them. I've heard it all with "no parts" and "hard to repair". The are very basic and simple if you're mechanically inclined they can be fixed on farm. Parts never been an issue for me in Canada at least and there has been the parts in the USA always as far as I know though dealers do come and go. Now with online shopping you can order them online if you wish for those who no longer have a close dealer. I think there is more sties in the USA and CAnada that sell parts plus MTZ canada through their dealers.

With this said ... they are not for everyone!! My friend drives a BMW and wouldn't think of driving a cheap chevy!! To each his own they fill a niche market for those who may want a new durable MFD 100hp no frills tractor with out all the electronics for way less then a loaded up JD.


My old 825 has its place and uses around the farm but if I'm going to be out seeding crop all day I'll be using my nice comfy Valtra But then its an odd ball in N/A too now ... These are from Finland and are very good machines but again people know little about them.

 

[daugen]

My reply to the guy who "would not buy Russian goods" :
I do not want to hurt any American patriotic feelings, but did you know that for the last few years most of US space program is riding on Russian rocket engines ?
Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Pentagon and NASA do not share your opinion, and they decided to use Russian engines. Moreover, aparantly US rocket engines of the needed size / power simply do not exist any longer Russian rocket engine export ban could halt US space program ? RT News
Just my 2 cents...

actually your two cents is worth at least a nickle, your point is a good one.:thumbsup:
and more importantly...
:welcome:

 

[sd455dan]

Although well aware we retired the shuttle-
read the space plane (dream chaser) is now at NASAs Dryden Flight Research center to begin testing to See if it has the right stuff to SOMEDAY carry US astronauts to space... Sounds like it could be years to decades until we have a new fully operational space plane that is capable of reaching to the space station and farther.

I'm still glad that the Russians will provide transport -even at a cost of $63 million for seating. I wonder if NASA would have had a working replacement IF funding was available at the time it would have had to start on a replacement. Even a US based rocket version- before parking the Shuttles....

 

[daugen]

If you want a new tractor, maybe have to have new for financing, whatever, and your budget
only allows you to buy either an Eastern Europe or Chinese tractor, which would you look at first?
:confused3:

I know, buy a used Deere, but for new, where does your comfort level lie?

 

[RUMBLON]

Mike you make a good point, but I think most of us who have lived through the Cold War believe that anything East of Germany is Russia. Not so of course...

I will admit to a certain bias here, but only from personal experience. There is a large Russian population in my area.
They often drive German cars, do not use turn signals, smoke constantly with butts thrown everywhere, have a serious
"me first" attitude, and from what I have seen as a social group aren't very honest. Maybe it's the old world attitude towards their corrupt government, where anything goes if you can get away with it. A "gypsy" mentality?

When the roofing crooks came through our neighborhood after a storm and told folk they could get new roofs for free, they were the insurance experts..., and three of our neighbors were suckered in. Or welcomed them....two were Russian.
Broad brush smear? Sorry, I mean no offense to anyone. Just what I have seen with my own eyes. And I try to be as non judgmental as possible and give folks a chance. Are all Russians crooks? Of course not. Rumblon is simply stating his gut feelings, feelings which, like mine, I'm sure are fashioned after many years of observation, and let's face it, some serious spin by our government. The Belarus tractor folks would like all of this nasty political stuff of the past to just disappear. But many of us have long memories.

I hope this isn't too political, but the question was asked "why" and I think it has more to do with context than the mechanical quality of those tractors. Time will cure this, the current gen of youth probably thinks the Berlin Wall was a
historical note of the far past.

A good product with good distribution, good parts, and established dealers backed up with a really good warranty will
allow Belarus to succeed. It's up to them if they can pull it off.

Well at 52 years of age you are correct for on some of this. Maybe I missspoke on part of it. I did think that a portion of the tractor was made in Russia but noticed that the poster was selling from Russia??? This in its self to me means that I wont do any business with them. I wont have anything to do with Russia making a dime off of me and that was most of my point. Now, as for what daugen had to say. I did grow up in the same era. But I recently retired from 30 years of police work. I have dealt with many people of many eastern block countries. I have to say this, most of them are GREAT and most if not alll of the people of OTHER eastern block countries dont care for the Russians either. They dont trust them, they dont like the way the treated them, (remember they were basicaly occupied by them). I wont go into my lifes work, lets just say that dealing with almost every Russian I dealt with was not a great experience. I understand this is a shallow way to look at it and bias to say the least. For this I am sorry, but I have been in my type of work way to long to turn my back to a perceived danger or even potential bad business deal!

RUMBLON

 

[daugen]

Well at 52 years of age you are correct for on some of this

Well thanks Rumblon, you took eleven years off my age, can you keep it off?

I think what you saw in your career would bring up some of the same concerns I have, whereas I spent most of mine in the insurance business and recognize a scamming attitude easily.
But let's all get our geography right, it makes a difference here. Me too.

 

[Hill Farmer]

I've got a 1994 825. It's old, ugly, and I wear ear plugs even with the cab. Something is always wrong with it, but no major issues.

It's heavy, cheap horsepower. It sips fuel, and has generally been cheap to work on. Just finished mowing thick fescue, briars, and persimmon sprouts in rough steep ground. It burned less than 2 gallons per hour. The down pressure on the 3PH is awesome for drilling post holes.

I'd scrap that sucker in a heartbeat and get a new Deere, Kubota, or New Holland if I could, but poor folks have poor ways and it gets the job done.

 

[Alberta Haymaker]

I've got a 1994 825. It's old, ugly, and I wear ear plugs even with the cab. Something is always wrong with it, but no major issues.

It's heavy, cheap horsepower. It sips fuel, and has generally been cheap to work on. Just finished mowing thick fescue, briars, and persimmon sprouts in rough steep ground. It burned less than 2 gallons per hour. The down pressure on the 3PH is awesome for drilling post holes.

I'd scrap that sucker in a heartbeat and get a new Deere, Kubota, or New Holland if I could, but poor folks have poor ways and it gets the job done.

Hey it looks pretty good still!! I've seen some on lots and I scratch my head as the hr. meter says 1500 but they look like they've got 15,000 on!! Doors ripped off seat wrecked dents and so forth. I guess its like auto's some people can have them with 100K miles and they look new and some can have them with 50K and they are trash.

I like to wear these in the old Belarus if I'm in it for a long time, and other noiser equipment around the farm. Then I can listen to the radio :thumbsup:



Yeah the down pressure on the 3pt is handy. When I 1st got my Valtra and was going to use the 3 pt. hitch I fooled around a while thinking something is wrong with this thing then remembered it doesn't have down pressure on the 3pt. :duh:.

 

[Hill Farmer]

I gave mine a little too much down pressure drilling a corner post hole in some dry, hard clay. I guess I punched through the hard stuff, because when the auger bit, it bottomed out before I could lift it back up. Screwed in, but of course I couldn't reverse the PTO so no unscrewing it. Made a great anchor...

 

[Alberta Haymaker]

I gave mine a little too much down pressure drilling a corner post hole in some dry, hard clay. I guess I punched through the hard stuff, because when the auger bit, it bottomed out before I could lift it back up. Screwed in, but of course I couldn't reverse the PTO so no unscrewing it. Made a great anchor...

I don't think the 825's have ground drive pto option do they. Hmm I'd have to check on that but if they do one could then shift in ground drive jack up a rear wheel and spin it so the pto goes in reverse. I've heard of guys unplugging big tractor driven grain augers like that.

Ran across this video .... good grief I count 39 round bales this guy is hauling with a little ole Belarus/mtz Hard to believe it but there is 100,000's of these old 800/900 seriers tractors still work'n around the world outside of N/A.

Tractor + 2 Wagons 39 round bales

 

[Hill Farmer]

I think it may actually have ground drive PTO option. Seems like you can remove a plate in floor of cab and change it. Not positive on that though, I'd have to look at the book. I just dug around it until the 3PH was able to pull it free.

 

[Texasmark1]

Belarus surfaced around N. TX. 15 give or take years ago. Quick spurt and gone. Have seen 2 in all my travels around the area other than: Had a dealer in Waxahachie, TX. years ago and now is a Kubota dealer. You figure. Not knowing, I bought my first JD from him. LP 4020, just under 100 hp, in 1990, was a 69 model as I recall. Paid $5k for it and when I got it home and figured out what the liquid was coming out of the little holes in the block in the middle of each cylinder, another $1000 for an in frame engine overhaul and I did the work. Then there was the LP problem. Really a bad experience.

Mark

 

[Alberta Haymaker]

Yes there was a few dealers in Texas back then and one that I don't recall his name but he was very knowledgeable on the Belarus line and would post on forums such as these around late 90's early 00's. Back in the 90's when they became popular around here more so guys who had vintage 1970's 60 to 100hp chore/haying tractors traded them off on Belarus MFD's with cabs. Some thought they were pretty good and some ... didn't care for them as they are just a basic tractor no powershift or power shuttle shift etc.

One has to be carefull on those old vintage tractors. JD 4020 is a good old work horse and parts are plentyfull still on those. Thats why they bring a good dollar still.

What can really get expensive in a hurry when buying old loader MFD type tractors is the fron MFD axle and gears. Those can be several times more expensive to rebuild then an engine.

 

[IndyIan]

I don't think the 825's have ground drive pto option do they. Hmm I'd have to check on that but if they do one could then shift in ground drive jack up a rear wheel and spin it so the pto goes in reverse. I've heard of guys unplugging big tractor driven grain augers like that.

Ran across this video .... good grief I count 39 round bales this guy is hauling with a little ole Belarus/mtz Hard to believe it but there is 100,000's of these old 800/900 seriers tractors still work'n around the world outside of N/A.

Tractor + 2 Wagons 39 round bales

Some of the videos of the Belarus, zetor, universal tractors getting just thrashed led me to have a look at them atleast. I don't know if they are actually tougher than a JD or MF, but you don't see videos of tractors in North America getting worked that hard.

 

[Texasmark1]

Got me curious now. I didn't know farm tractors had the ability to put down pressure on the 3 pt. One would think that you could jack the back tires up sufficiently to loose traction. Probably why most tractors don't have them.

Did some of the Belarus tractors have 2 cyl air cooled engines? Seems when I was at that dealer I saw cooling fins along the cylinders.

The 2 gph sounds good. However my Branson Cummins engine is rated .046 gal/HP/hr. If you are plowing that works out to 3 gal/hr at rated 2600 rpms. I have a 3 speed PTO and when mowing I put it in mid range, about 750, put the throttle just above the peak of the torque curve (1600....use 1800) and away I go. Never measured consumption.

Mark

Mark

 

[daugen]

I don't know if they are actually tougher than a JD or MF, but you don't see videos of tractors in North America getting worked that hard.

They must have a really strong frame and rear end to take that, lots of iron. If their gear trans were equally tough,
plain and simple wins the day. Or at least keeps running.