The Ursus C-45 and C-451 was a popular
Polish
Polish may refer to:
* Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe
* Polish language
* Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent
* Polish chicken
*Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...
model of
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 ...
. It was manufactured from 1947 to 1959 by the
Ursus Factory
Ursus SA (often stylized URSUS SA) is a Polish agricultural machinery manufacturer, headquartered in Lublin, Poland. The company was founded in Warsaw in 1893, and has strong historic roots regarding Polish tractor production history. It has al ...
in
Warsaw
Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is official ...
, and from 1960 to 1965 by Zakłady Mechaniczne in
Gorzów Wielkopolski
Gorzów Wielkopolski (; german: Landsberg an der Warthe) often abbreviated to Gorzów Wlkp. or simply Gorzów, is a city in western Poland, on the Warta river. It is the second largest city in the Lubusz Voivodeship with 120,087 inhabitants (Dece ...
.
History
Production of the Ursus C-45 model began in 1946. Due to the need to begin production quickly, the Ursus company decided to copy the
Lanz Bulldog D 9506. Examples of this German model were prevalent in the formerly German parts of post-war Poland, left behind following the expulsion of Germans at the end of World War II. Apart from its proximity and prevalence, the model also was advantageously high-powered relative to its simple construction and operation. Technical documentation for the C-45 was completed in July 1946 and was carried out under the guidance of
Edward Habich. Under the designation LB-45, Habich built the first prototype in 1947, which was presented at the Labour Day parade in Warsaw on 1 May. Full production of the tractors was launched in September, with 130 units built by the end of 1947.
The C-45 had a one-cylinder,
two-stroke engine
A two-stroke (or two-stroke cycle) engine is a type of internal combustion engine that completes a power cycle with two strokes (up and down movements) of the piston during one power cycle, this power cycle being completed in one revolution of t ...
, with a maximum power of 33 kW (45 hp) and a cylinder capacity of 10,300 cc. The gearbox was 3-speed and the cylinder was placed horizontally. To start the engine, it was first heated by a
blow lamp
A blowtorch, also referred to as a blowlamp, is an ambient air fuel-burning gas lamp used for applying flame and heat to various applications, usually metalworking.
Early blowtorches used liquid fuel, carried in a refillable reservoir attach ...
. Then, the
steering wheel
A steering wheel (also called a driving wheel (UK), a hand wheel, or simply wheel) is a type of steering control in vehicles.
Steering wheels are used in most modern land vehicles, including all mass-production automobiles, buses, light and ...
was removed, along with the column, and slid into one of the
flywheel
A flywheel is a mechanical device which uses the conservation of angular momentum to store rotational energy; a form of kinetic energy proportional to the product of its moment of inertia and the square of its rotational speed. In particular, assu ...
s. By then turning the steering wheel, the engine was started. This process required physical strength and skill.
At the beginning of its production life, the C-45 was manufactured with steel wheels. Modernising modifications were made to the tractor in later years, resulting in the improved C-451.
The very first C-45, serial number 0001, worked 12,000 hours without intervening overhaul. Approximately 6,000 C-45 and C-451 tractors were exported to
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
,
China, and
Korea
Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republi ...
.
C-451
The C-451 was the result of modifications made to the ageing C-45 in 1954. These changes included simplified operation, a more efficient fan, surface-hardened
crankshaft, headlight,
hydraulic lift, and starting gasoline
fuel injection
Fuel injection is the introduction of fuel in an internal combustion engine, most commonly automotive engines, by the means of an injector. This article focuses on fuel injection in reciprocating piston and Wankel rotary engines.
All com ...
. A metal frame was fixed to the windscreen, rear fenders were fitted, and a canvas cab was added. The production of the C-451 in Warsaw was completed in 1959, with a total construction of 50,000 units.
From 1960 to 1965, the C-451 was manufactured by Zakłady Mechaniczne in Gorzów Wielkopolski, after the technical documentation was passed to them.
See also
*
Pampa Bulldog
Notes
Bibliography
* Ursus Tractor C-45. Ed. K
nstantyChorzewski in cooperation with J. Zagrajka and E. Zgódki. Ed. 3 am and Warsaw 1954 uzup States. Ed. Rol. and Forest
* {{Cite book , last = Zielinski , first = Andrew , title = Polish Automotive Structures 1947-1960 , publisher = Publishing and Communications , location = Warsaw , year = 2006 , isbn = 978-83-206-1541-8 , pages
179–183, url = https://archive.org/details/polskiekonstrukc0000ziel/page/179
External links
Ursus Tractors official website in Polish
Tractors
Vehicles of Poland