Creating a domestic caterpillar tractor for modern agricultural production

The generated deficit in the last decades of universal tractors and tractors for the arable farming which belongs to the class 2…3, produced during the times of the USSR in the countries of the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance, as well as the problems of agricultural production created conditions for intensive expansion by foreign companies which are actively conquering the domestic market. However, the foreign samples have a high cost with a low adaptation to the conditions of the regions of the Russian Federation and the lack of proper service maintenance. The question of the necessity to create the domestic universal caterpillar tractor was raised in the article, and the prerequisites for its creation are propounded. The necessity to expand the scope of application the tractor was discussed. The tractor’s potential competitive advantages in comparison with foreign analogues are pointed out, including the aggregation with a wide range of machines and implements, adjustable track, the ability to move along the different types of roads, improved maneuverability, economy and environmental friendliness, the possibility of stepless speed regulation and etc. The assumed technical solutions for the main units and systems of the tractor are described, including a power unit with an adaptation system for operation on liquefied hydrocarbon gas; transmission, containing a full-flow hydrostatic transmission or a double-flow hydrovolume-mechanical transmission with the drive to each side, as well as the drive of power takeoff shafts (front, rear and side); frame; all-season ecologically safe caterpillar chassis with rubber-reinforced tracks and elements of the caterpillar track on the basis of polymer-composite materials; a modern and comfortable cabin with a steering column. The prospective indicators of economic efficiency from the application of the tractor, as well as the prospects of further equipping the tractor with remote and autonomous control systems are pointed out.