TDT-40 - the great-grandfather of modern felling machines

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Truly original engineers inhabited the now non-existent country - the USSR. The working equipment of this state was distinguished by the original embodiment of design developments, reliability and service life. And to this day, she regularly fulfills her duties. An example of such a machine is the TDT-40 tractor, produced in the distant 50s of the last century.

Why is he worth a mention?

Diesel skidder tractor 40 is a tool designed to work at logging sites. Its main purpose was to move fallen trees and whips to the place of intermediate storage. To do this, he had everything he needed - a shield for transporting logs located in front of the cab, a winch and an additional handling device.

The machine came to replace the KT-12A skidder, it was produced by a plant located in Minsk. Now the equipment was equipped with a diesel engine, which was optimally suited for the harsh climatic conditions of Siberia,had a capacity of 40 liters. With. and two ways of starting - by means of an electric starter and a starting motor. But the main feature of the TDT-40 was its excellent cross-country ability.

Crawler propellers, driven by a low-power engine, could easily overcome stumps, fallen trees, wetlands and even guide equipment along the bottom of a reservoir, which was actively used in timber rafting. This quality allowed the car to survive to this day. The Chinese tractor J-65a is based on this particular model.

Design

Minsk-made equipment has a rather original design. The engine, four-stroke four-cylinder, is located in the front. It is covered with a hood, and a platform for loading wood is arranged on top. The drive wheels are at the rear, above them is the cab, and the transmission is in an intermediate position. It is above it that a winch with a worm crane is located.

All elements of TDT-40 are attached to a frame formed by two spars - longitudinal bars. They are located across and connect the body and the bottom into one. The rear axle incorporates turning clutches, brakes and final drive. Driven by a cardan shaft, it transmits traction to the tracked propellers.

Important to know

The undercarriage of the machine deserves a special mention, because by the standards of those times it had a unique design that allowed vehicles to easily overcome any obstacles. The dynamic characteristics of the tractor were so high thanks toelements that make up the running system. This is a double spar frame, balancer-spring type suspension, drive wheels and tracks.

TDT-40 had a frame made of corrosion-resistant metal. Despite the high ability of the material to resist shear and normal stresses, the designers decided to strengthen it with transverse ties. Due to this, the body had a high margin of safety and could carry loads larger in mass than those indicated in the passport.

Suspension system

The suspension itself consisted of two balancers with fixed springs, two pairs of carriages and shock absorbers. It was the combination of these elements that ensured high cross-country ability. When moving, the caterpillar literally "enveloped" the bumps in the road, obstacles. First, the springs came into play. When their stroke was exhausted, shock absorbers were included.

At TDT-40 (photo below) the wheels were made in the form of fully cast discs. The rear, leading ones, also had teeth, allowing them to transmit tractive force to the mover. This "asterisk" was the only drawback of the system, as it was quickly forgotten by dirt. To solve this issue, cleaners were located on the brackets at the rear of the frame.

Younger brother and a new sample

But, despite the technical characteristics, the engineers of the plant in Minsk soon decided to improve the existing model. They created a tractor with a 40M attachment on its basis. the new representative of skidders was distinguished by increased power, improved dynamics, and maintainability. Although he retainedchassis from the TDT-40, but did not last long in the leading positions, acting as an intermediate link in front of the TDT-55 tractor.

Trilling model with index 55 was produced until 2013. It is based on some developments of the previous model, but basically it was designed with the introduction of new working elements. In particular, a new engine, a torque transmission system, a hydrodynamic design and a number of other equipment were delivered. To a greater extent, the running gear has been preserved.

Now, basically, since 2010, the Onezhets-300 machine has been produced, which, one might say, is a direct descendant of the TDT-40. The technical characteristics of the model are incomparably better, as is the cross-country ability. Equipment is produced at the Onega Tractor Plant. It is the wheel base for a number of other felling machines.