Centennial Anniversary of the Fordson-Putilovets Tractor

One hundred years ago, serial production of the Fordson-Putilovets wheeled tractor began at the Krasny Putilovets factory in Leningrad, marking a significant event in the history of Soviet machinery manufacturing. The start of production was preceded by the work of the tractor commission of the State Planning Committee (Gosplan), which aimed to determine the tractor model and the enterprise for its reproduction. The objective of this study is to identify the circumstances surrounding the selection of the tractor model and the location for its serial production, examine the contributions of scientists to the work of the tractor commission, and highlight the importance of serial production in domestic machinery manufacturing. The research utilized sources reflecting the development of tractor production, as well as archival materials from the V.P. Goryachkin Museum. The study was conducted following the principles of historicism, scientific objectivity, and accuracy. The initial process of tractorization in the country, in addition to imports from abroad and semihandcrafted production of unique designs, was also characterized by the serial production of tractors based on foreign models. The tractor commission of Gosplan recommended the Fordson tractor for serial production. V.P. Goryachkin and P.M. Belyanchikov organized tests of the American tractor and determined its technical and operational characteristics. The Krasny Putilovets factory was selected as the location for serial production. The production of the Fordson-Putilovets tractor contributed to the saturation of agriculture with traction machines, and the targeted work on mastering the serial production of tractor machinery at the Krasny Putilovets factory marked the establishment of the tractor-manufacturing industry in Soviet machinery production.