We take a trip back in time to 1946, and the birth of an iconic tractor brand that rose up from the ashes of WW2. Zetor tractors are loved worldwide. And the Crystal is at the top.of the tree.
Great video Alan. Totally agreed with your opening comments that they got a lot of farmers and contractors going. They were way ahead of their time. Air sear, air compressor, factory fitted flat floor cab, factory 4wd, solid wheel rims, heater and front and back wiper to mention a few. They were usually worked hard and neglected because they were cheap but they stood up to it well and theres still a llot of crystals working nearly 50 years later.
Zetors never reached cult status here or anything like it. Too many people probably compared them to Belarus which is a machine that never should have been let out of Russia, in my opinion. The first Perkins Direct Injection motor to go into a Chamberlain 9G was in tractor #1964 which was built in 1959. It was the 4/270D which also had the DPA pump. It replaced the Perkins L4 and about the only difference between the two was the head. They both had wet sleeves which Perkins, as far as I know, never used in anything else. Jeff.
@@jefftheaussie2225Zetor introduced its first direct injection Zetor 30 at the Prague fair in 1949, though the newly established Communist government prohibited them to start serial production, because collectivisation required bigger tractors, so the Super became Zetors first serial produced direct injected diesel in 1954
Super Video Alan. There was not that many around our part of the country, mainly reds and blues here at that time. Local farmer had one that he stuck on the harvester when new and blew the engine before it was properly run in, they got an unfair reputation for being soft here but I think they were just the opposite.
The crystal was an impressive tractor for its time, i first saw it advertised on the farmers journal around 1975, a lot of local contractor and big farmers bought them, i can remember changing a clutch on a 12045 with another lad early in the morning in the middle of the silage campaign and we were all done and back under the harvester shoot in 3 1/2 hours.
That's great going Kevin. You did what you had to to keep the wheels turning. I remember ploughing with a JD 4040s back in the 90's. The head gasket went on it. We parked it on the headland, went for lunch to let it cool, and had it changed and back running in two hours. Thanks for watching 👍
When in school, we would ask each other what tractor your father had. I was always embarrassed to say we had a Zetor. But it was our first tractor. It always started...
My late father had a used 6718 in 1980 for one season. He ran it alongside Fords and Masseys. It was a pleasure to drive when compared to the Fords/Fergies but it couldn't handle the abuse like them. Wiring was a bit of a nightmare on the 6718, I was always replacing fuses but could never find what was shorting out. There would be four pools under the 6718 in the morning - coolant, engine oil, power steering oil and transmission oil.
Just outside navan myself we have a 1998 Zetor 7341 super turbo the ram and hydraulics are the strongest I have ever seen moving tons of sand for a horse gallop weapon of a tractor
Greetings from Wexford- loved your video, interesting info about the diesel aero engine. Nick Gore in Duncormac sold a fair amount of these tractors especially to the beet growers in South Wexford also the Grass men liked them, I liked the crystal range especially because they were easy to service, starter motor- injector pump- filters etc. I went to the Zetor factory in Brno a few years back, the management would not be over helpful with visitors. I also visited the Mtz factory in Minsk, now man, did I get some reception there- got taken down to the machine shop while all the machines were working, then got taken over to the assembly line then up the canteen for tea and pies. Very pleasant people indeed.
7245 is a tractor that we have had for over 30 years never serviced and neglected that was untill i took my time and did some service and repairs still going strong today.
Drove two 8011 a 6711 and a 5748 as a schoolboy in the early 70's. 8011 with a Q-cab, suspension, fully glazed 2nd seat, heater, wipers that worked and rear hinged doors for easy access and tractormen with a 5000 "Deluxe" cab turned their noses up at them. A 8011 with a 6 axle turbotiller on spring work. Heaven. The 8011 was replaced with a MF 1200. I was a lucky boy
Carted silage in 80s with a 8011 ...light years better than masseys and ford...didnt have the low.down grunt of a massey but extremely confortable machine ..the 10011 was a mightly machine to drive a forage harvester...
Great video thank you. Our 8011 ended up being sold to Ireland at a few years old it had injection pump keyway problem so traded in for a 188,I remember putting many hours on it planted a lot of spuds with a rotaplanter had a secondhand 4011 for around the yard she was sold on and went back Czechoslovakia that was a loverly little tractor.
Hi Alan another great video. Brings back memories my Dad a silage contractor had them for 30 years models including 11 series, crystals and Ursus we all learned to drive on them. They were away ahead of there time with features like I PTO single clutch Multi Power hydraulic brakes and as you said the renowned Cab Regards S
The massey men and ford men and john deere men my thinking is they were jeoulous of zetor how ahead they were from them and thats what happened too in the uk jeoulous of zetor of how good they were for the time and then all other tractor makers copy zetor ideas like air seat air compressor air brakes and cab on rubber mounds well cabs today are on spring shocks i have zetor tractors myself and i am very happy with them if i had lots of money i would buy new zetors tomorrow
Great video mate i am new to the channel.We have a 7745t with the crew cab😉 also have a modern 7441 lovely little tool. Id love if ya could do a vid on belarus tractors
Savage tractor for their time cabs were grand in the winter but you would melt in them during the summer , the only two things let them down was dry brakes which needed constant pricking with and also a weak clutch ,if you were going to get a lot of work out of them uou bad to be a bit of a mechanic 😂 other than that they got a lot of lads up and going , a bit of a wag that worked with me years ago labeled my pride and joy at the time a 12045 a "chicken coup" on account of the large cab😂😂
Our first Zetor was a 4011 bought in 1968, it was a very good starter and if you looked after them, very reliable, it had an enclosed cab, hydraulic brakes, indicators and electric window wipers, I’m not saying it was comparable with Fords and Masseys, but it was very cheap to buy and maintain, we had a 6718, 7011 and then a 10111 which was a 8011 turbocharged with a Duncan cab, it was a game changer on our farm, we went from a 12 inch conventional four furrow plough to a 14 inch four furrow reversible and 3 1/2 meter power harrow, we went on to buy a 7245 with a loader, we did run other makes alongside our Zetors and ended up running a Int. 956xl alongside the 10111 and the Zetor could out pull the 56, plus the Zetor had a torque amp as standard which in those days was brilliant, good memories of the Zetors and my brother still runs them.
The Crystal was a popular tractor around our way. Big cab, big horsepower. There’s an absolute beauty down in Tipperary restored by Mark Tynan. It’s been in classic tractor and a few more magazines. 12011
only thing didnt break was the brakes lol god they are such a horrible thing , i reserve the right to say this as had two at a time , alot of rose tinted spectacles being worn
I'm not so sure about that. You just have to look down through the comments of all the people who have had them and still have them working away. Perhaps you just got unlucky 🙃 Thanks for watching 👍
Have a 3011 that my grandad brought years ago and sat in the shed for many years that I fixed up when I was 14, Used to have a 3045 too but unfortunately that's gone. Have recently got hold of an original 7245 that has worked on the neighbours farm for years and I saw growing up, both tractors I hold dear and rate well!
That's super, Robert. Having machines with a history and sentimental value is special. I am currently restoring my deceased granduncles old MF 165. I'll have until I'm gone. 👍
I had a 7045 a 6911 on a loader then 8045 .8045 8111 (still have it (loader) and a 12145 Duncan cab .only one remaining .8111 ..121 Was replaced by a Fiat F 130 .all good machines .fond memories of the zets.
Thank you so much for such a good talk about zetor tractors and there history, I enjoyed every minute of the video. These tractors were plastered around Carmarthenshire west Wales and buith wells , thanks to having two main dealers. I also would like say that the 4 wheel drive zetors were the best on the steep slopes here in west Wales, they were a very well balanced and good gripping tractors.
Thanks so much Kevin. I'm glad you enjoyed it. The 4 wheel drives sure were a great machine to pull. Potato farmers over here in Co Meath loved them in the 80's. Thanks for watching 👍
before the forterra came out around 01-02 there was another zetor 40 series which started at 7540-7520-10540 the difference was that the forterras had an air splitter but the 40 series hadnt they also had a different style roof and nose cone
We had a 2011 in The early 70s. It was a two cylinder which was painted grey having been used on a golf course near Cork. I still remember the reg. NZT 702
My father bought the zetor 2511 in 72, south Mayo. I still use it today, 2 cylinder and when she warmed up, she would pull anything. Bought a 74 8011 crystal last year, drove one for years in the late 80's as a young kid. Just a super tractor and she also works on the farm with the intention of doing up both eventually... big fan of Zetor and some wonderful memories!!
Mighty stuff Alan, did most of my early driving on a 4911, My late Father ran a 6748 and a 6945 in the bog, and ran a 8045 and a 14145 for My Brother in law in the 90's loved them, brakes could be a weak point, but they would pull for Ireland, will watch part 2 now, Thank You👌👍🙏😎
I used to work on Zetor's in the mid 80's. They were beasts. They had so many standard equipment features that it took twice as long to strip down to remove the heavy hab it was a nightmare. The standard of engineering was at times questionable (Electrics) you would find all cables were black and you had no idea where they went 'til you traced the individual wires ti where you thought the problem was. Mechanically they were solidly built, the engines were good and the gearboxes were rugged and again a nightmare to dismantle, as they were solid casting from front to rear axles, so you had to break at clutch to get to rear pto drive.
Thanks Alan for the informative video on the Zetor,i remember the old crystals well,a huge machine of their time,i have a 10541 proxima plus 2007 a very reliable tractor,great engine and loves to pull,never found wanting,we also had a Universal 445 back in the mid 70s i think they may have been manufactured in the same part of the world as the Zetor but not sure
They were so far ahead of their time. We're actually imported with air brake set up for the trailer which was promptly removed as no trailers had any brakes. That then lead to a problem as the dry brakes on the tractor were hard to keep right (because they were not designed for large trailers without brakes). Also due to lake of braking power they had a habit of running to fast down hills and dropping valves in the hands of inexperienced drivers. My father had 2 ursus 1012's with straight pipes off the turbo. The turbo whistle was so loud you could hear them coming for miles.😅😅. I learnt to drive on a 12011 crystal. Fantastic tractor. It mowed an awful lot of silage with a jd1360 mower and a SAME Hercules 160 coming up behind with another 1360 and belt swarther.
Thanks for that, Michael. Yes, the dry brakes were a let on them, but as you said, they were designed to work in conjunction with the trailer brakes. Thanks for watching 👍
Nice comprehensive history of the brand. We had 2 at one stage. A some point we had to do some work on the hydraulics of an 8111.There was an Ursus stamping on the lift cover. Some thought at time that Zetor build the engines and Ursus the back end. what you think ?
Morrisseys in abbeyfeale and keanes garage in newmarket co cork sold zetors too we've 2 zetors still working a 10111 9k onthe clock and 6718 from 78 still going strong
I remember farmers getting 4wd conversion’s done to their zetors in the South Island of New Zealand. The Nz dairy board was dealing in tractors for dairy products so farmers could get a good deal.
We had a ZETOR six cylinder four wheel drive and a an URSUS six cylinder 4wd duplicate with the compressor as standard and an air suspended seat, the engine was always easy to start, we bought the URSUS through Smith's of Arklow,who were also selling Renault cars at the time, our neighbour bought three or four of the URSUS four cylinder 4WD versions for his lime spreading contracting business in Avoca, and was quite successful with them, eventually, after moving out of the 1980s changed over to John Deere, but these tractors got loads going in the 70s,
We had an URSUS TROJAN out of Smiths of navan .Grate tractor. Buddy Simpson was the man to go to for knowledge on them when there was a problem .You should do a video on the connection with URSUS and ZETOR @AgrimotiveFarmMachinery
@brendanmckenna1983 Thanks, Yes, I've been studying Ursus. They have a serious history going back to the 1800s. I'll have a video on them after the 2nd part to the Zetor series. 👍
Alan, another great victory. Unfortunately, somewhat like Leylands, Zetors were seen in some quarters as "a poor man's tractor" and attracted unjustified snide remarks. The reality is that Zetors got a lot of contractors and farmers off the ground and were both reliable and value for money.
Absolutely.. They had their place, and most definitely didn't deserve the reputation some quarters tried to place on them. Well done on your guess last week. Be sure to send me your details. 👍
Had a a 6718 changed it to a 6011 then to 7211 and then to 7745turbo which we had for 20+years it was awesome but the rust took hold and we changed it in for a nh I do miss the old girl
If only Zetor had dealerships like big 4, i reckon could have seen more of these tractors. For my first dairy farm i work on as apprentice, my boss had two but can't remember numbers. One was about 50hp hook up to pump n other was 3 cylinder? with ROPS cab, perspex front screen so in winter you would get wet n cold. This 70hp was awesome as could pick up two bales with FEL n pull hay feeder cart with 2 hay aboard. Definitely have soft spot for Zetor, easy servicing n operating. Boss use to live in East Germany n he work Zetor spare parts factory before moving to Australia. Side note i was at New Holland dealership after visiting family n happen seen JD tractor in yard n ask salesman, that's a rebadge Zetor! to his surprise n said you know your tractors which then got discount on my purchase. Those rebadge Zetors in JD colours are well sort after n respected.
We had 2 zetor s 12011 they had a brilliant 6cyl engine still in use today the only issue with them was brake design and power steering they are a better tractor today than paying out 25 k plus for a modern tractor today
Great video Alan had a 8045 back in the 80s cut our own silage also had Fort round baler Great tractor loved in bought second hand of Clarke machinery cavan. Move on to 2023 i bought a 8011 for vintage love it thanks again for your history on zetor
I took the brake master cylinder and pipes off mine put rods from under the peddles.to the brakes at the backit made it manual.it works.this is the ursus385 and crystal 8011.
@AgrimotiveFarmMachinery Still used in co louth, I was surprised nobody else said it already tbh. The passenger seat was class and I remember them doing wheelies with big loads of silage or anything heavy.
Back in the 80's we had both a Zetor 3511 and an URSUS C-355 which was a rebranded Zetor 5711. The URSUS had a cab, not sure the make but have seen them on other similar URSUS. It was somewhere between Red and Purple in colour. Both lasted many years. My brother is now farming with a 8011 and an MF4260 with Rossemore power loader. Both are 1 tip of the key/button . The 8011 is 1979 and the 4260 is 1999. Zetor 8011 is an excellent realiable tractor and for a big tractor does not mark the ground.
Thanks for another great video Alan. I guess my English built "World Series" IH guess was wrong, I do hope you do a video on these . In North Lincolnshire in the 1970's as a Kid my Dad's farm he was on had a fleet of new ones of these , mainly I guess as Platts was a great Dealership and the brand was built 30 miles away in Doncaster. around here it was IH,MF the odd Ford and David Browns, Dear Johns 🤣where very rare. I always loved the look of the Zetors and SAME tractors, as you said the Owners of MF/IH and Ford thought they were a peasant machine, it's mad how time changes minds, as the Crystal was way ahead of it's time and one I would love to own. Cheers Dave 🙂
Thanks Dave. IH is high up on my list you will be glad to hear. The David Brown video was my most popular by far, so IH and Case will be follow ups to it. Thanks as ever for watching 👍
That's superb news, I had many an hour in the duncan cab of a German built IH 523, sat on a hessian sack on the battery, then 444/674 and the Perkins powered 475, that was worlds ahead in cab design .I do own a Massy Ferguson myself .I've seen all your videos and DB were great. @@AgrimotiveFarmMachinery
@AgrimotiveFarmMachinery from what I know from my uncle and dad when they used to cut silage back in late 70s and 80s. the 1978 zetor crystal was pulling a drum mower and also a new holland square baler
As a child I worked a Farm in Devon that had a 5511 a terrible tractor gutless the Fiat 750 was being serviced , so we had to hook up the Bailer to the Zetor it couldn't handle it so we hooked up the Massey 35 it never missed a beat .
I loved the distinctive "tut tut tut tut" sound of the smaller zetor tractors (not Crystals) as they'd come up the road. Back in the 80s as a young lad. Hear them a mile away. The local contractor had an 8011 on a push off buckrake. You could fit a, small family in them cabs!!!! I'm talking about double chop silage pits made out in the corner of a field (poor west of Ireland farmers here!!)
My father sold a lot of them second hand out of England, said they were the only tractor he could make money on back in the late 80s early 90s when the round baler left a lot of 135s and similar surplus to requirements with men just looking for something to lift a bale. Although we don’t sell any tractors any more we have a very late Usus C -385, an 8011 and a 10111 in the shed. They don’t see a lot of work bar drawing in a few loads of silage during summer or stuck on a power washer or log splitter ect. A Perkins 6354 engine was a common modification done in Ireland for the simple reason of more revs if memory serves me right the Zetor engine revs to 2500 whereas the Perkins revd to 3500. I remember my father lending a 10145 turbo to a neighbour on a tullow double chop as the clutch had gone in their 895 ih and it wasn’t able to fill the back of a 12ft trailer where the 895 could blow it over the back door, but the Zetor seemed more stable on hills, horses for courses as they say..
My family bought Zetor 2511 back in 70s, it was 3 years old back then. My grandfather is still using it for raising cattle, he probably put 14 thousand hours on it, still running good after 50 years. Fuel consumption is next to none compared to modern tractors. We also have models 3545 and 5545. Zetor back then could easily compare to western tractors. Unfortunately in 1948, Czechoslovakia fell under grip of Soviet regime and after late 70s, Zetor only made minimal changes to their models and development was basically at hault. A lot of engineers went over border to Steyr. Other manufacturers were developing wet brakes, high hydraulic output, powershift, hydraulic inverter, hydraulic pto, etc., but Zetor came out with these accessories the late in 90s. Unfortunately today, their tractors are still years behind big names like Fendt, JD, Same, Valtra etc. at some features. But overall older models are very robust and can last you lifetime, if you work carefully.
What citroen was to the auto industry, zetor was to the tractor industry, full of lasting inovation, and yet both marques back in the day were viewed as being unreliable, or complicated, but both offered great comfort in their own respective areaa for the price and as is said of both also, ahead of their time. Im nearly finished doing a 3611, it was one that got in to some kind of rear end accident in its working life. It had one of the bottom brackets that the end of the lift arms hang on ripped off, bringing a big chunk of cast with it. Then it was parked for over 30 years in a shed before i got it, its got very loe hours but still needed a lot of attention mostly cosmetic after sitting around. Ive a new backend put in it along with the brakes, and several other items. Also someone swapped out one of the heads for a dud head with the exhaust valve sunk in it, so it had to have a seat futted to solve that issue. Its not a massivly expensive job to have done either for anyone in the same situation, actually cheaper than a new head. I also owned a little two cylinder but sold it about 20 years ago, have fond memories of that little machine, they were lovely.
They were a damn sight better than a David Brown!!3011,5011?,8011!The column change was an acquired taste,put many off!!The 8011 was a superb machine,as you said the cab far surpassed anything UK offered!Top vid,thanks.👍🚜
My father told me about the biggest contractors around us, Wallace Contracts in Armagh, started with an 8011 and slurry tanker my grandad would often get a lend of it back then for the slurry or for rolling the pit in the summer, as the Nuffields weren't heavy enough to properly roll it. Its very true that they got alot of the big names off the ground in the contracting business. They really where the best of their time, my dream machine is an old zetor and thats coming from a man with 2 Leylands.
