The prototype was off limits during our visit to the Minsk Tractor Works (MTW) early last year, but the factory has developed a four-tracked 364hp Belarus tractor.
The Belarussian tractor maker has offered steel twin-track systems for many years, but this is the first time it has come with a rubber four-tracked option. There is no English information, but some of the details are listed on the Russian-language page of the company’s website.
It was all hush-hush during our visit to the factory, but we came home with a wooden carving of the 3525 tracked tractor from the official Belarus shop. Pleased with the past year of tests, the company is now prepared to reveal some of the technical details of the real tractor.
The development work started in 2018, and the prototype was ready before the end of the year. Supplied by Italian firm Poluzzi, the four track units are fitted with 760mm-wide front and 900mm-wide rear belts.
The contact area below the front axle is 2.17m² and 3.42m² at the rear. These soil pressures are a claimed five times lower than a tractor on single wheels, and we understand that the track units can be swapped for the tractor’s standard wheels in a few hours.
Main benefits of the four-track system include being able to get on the land earlier in the spring and continue working later in the autumn, reduced compaction and fuel savings in the region of 15%.
The engine is a 364hp Stage IIIa Cat C9 for non-emission markets, and the full powershift provides 30fx12r speeds. The top speed of the tractor on wheels is 40km/hr and on tracks reduces to around 25km/hr.
There is no timeframe, but we understand that the plan is to install a Stage V engine in the 3525 in the future. Providing this plan is implemented then the tractor could ultimately make it to the European price lists. It remains to be seen whether it will be available with the rubber-tracked option.
MTW has also developed two other rubber-tracked tractor prototypes. The first is a four-tracked version of the 212hp Belarus 2022.3, again using Poluzzi tracks (610mm-wide front/762mm-wide rear). The second is a 3525 with rear only tracks. The company continues to evaluate all three versions.
