The WF Trac is the current version of a

tractor A tractor is an engineering vehicle specifically designed to deliver a high tractive effort (or torque) at slow speeds, for the purposes of hauling a trailer or machinery such as that used in agriculture, mining or construction. Most comm ...

developed by

Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Benz (), commonly referred to as Mercedes and sometimes as Benz, is a German luxury and commercial vehicle automotive brand established in 1926. Mercedes-Benz AG (a Mercedes-Benz Group subsidiary established in 2019) is headquarter ...

and based on their

Unimog The Unimog (, ) is a range of multi-purpose tractors, trucks and lorries that has been produced by Boehringer from 1948 until 1951, and by Daimler Truck (formerly Daimler-Benz, DaimlerChrysler and Daimler AG) since 1951. In the United States and ...

platform. It was originally known as the MB Trac. The WF Trac was developed by Mercedes-Benz between 1973 and 1991. During that time, its design featured four identical wheels, high road speeds, and powerful engines— a concept that was considered revolutionary. Some offshoots have been manufactured since Mercedes-Benz abandoned the agricultural business, and several companies incorporated the technology into their own products. Production and development of the product continue at Werner Forst & Industrietechnik (Werner Foresting and Industrial Technology) in

Trier Trier ( , ; lb, Tréier ), formerly known in English as Trèves ( ;) and Triers (see also names in other languages), is a city on the banks of the Moselle in Germany. It lies in a valley between low vine-covered hills of red sandstone in the ...

, Germany.

History

The

was quite successful, although it was originally intended as an agricultural platform. As a result,

Daimler-Benz The Mercedes-Benz Group AG (previously named Daimler-Benz, DaimlerChrysler and Daimler) is a German multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is one of the world's leading car manufactu ...

produced a new vehicle in 1972, the MB Trac, designed to be more oriented for larger-scale mechanical farming. The new tractor combined the

all-wheel-drive technology and a power transmission onto four large wheels with the appearance of a tractor— a slim hood, behind it an angular, highly rising driver cab. In contrast to conventional tractors, the cab is situated between the axles, similar to large four-wheel-drive wheel loaders. However, the driver does not steer with an articulated front and rear but with a normal steerable front axle. From the initial MB Trac 65 and MB Trac 70 (later MB Trac 700), a broad platform evolved into the heavy-duty MB Trac 1500 within a few years. It culminated in the MB Trac 1800 Intercooler, which was the last edition. The MB Trac was successful on the market, though it did not meet the high expectations Mercedes-Benz had set.

later merged the MB Trac with the agricultural machinery activities of

Deutz AG Deutz AG is a German internal combustion engine manufacturer, based in Porz, Cologne, Germany. History The company was founded by Nicolaus Otto, the inventor of the four-stroke internal combustion engine, and his partner Eugen Langen on 3 ...

. The manufacturing of the MB Trac series ended in 1991 when the production line was taken over by the Werner company. Forty-one thousand vehicles were produced of the original MB Trac. 30,000 are still in service. In

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...

, the company UCA started converting MB Trac and WF Trac machines for rail shunting purposes in 1981.

Production series

MB-Trac 1500 turbo transporting hay bales

Mercedes-Benz

First series WF trac

* WF trac 900 () * WF trac 1100 () * WF trac 1300 () * WF trac 1500 () * WF trac 1700 ()

Second and current series WF trac

The WF trac is now produced both in a 4x4 and a 6x6 version. Its maximum road speed is in the 4x4 and in the 6x6 variant. * WF trac 2040 4x4 (, 80 mdaN torque, 4.8 litres 4-cyl Mercedes-Benz engine) * WF trac 2040 6x6 (, 80 mdaN torque, 4.8 litres 4-cyl Mercedes-Benz engine) * WF trac 2460 4x4 (, 85 mdaN torque, 7.2 litres 6-cyl Mercedes-Benz engine) * WF trac 2460 6x6 (, 85 mdaN torque, 7.2 litres 6-cyl Mercedes-Benz engine)

References

External links

* , official website {{Commons category-inline, MB-Trac Tractors Logging German brands