Hey Snow drifter
Despite the common "dozer" appearance, The DT-75 tractors were constructed and built as an agricultural tractor. Their main purpose were the heavy agricultural operation, peat cultivation and forestry. All of them are equipped with power take-off, many have standard three-point hitch.
also
In the 70's, when the heavy, mfwd and 4wd tractors over 100hp had become more popular, the use of dt-75 as the heavy-tilling machine get pointless. In the Polish farming conditions, where the fields are small and scattered, the heavy, wheeled Ursus-Zetor tractors were more proper with its universality and without the transport restrictions.
On the other hand, there was a great niche for the bulldozers. Because of the general lacks of Socialist economy - most of the imported Dt-75's were in the dozer conversion.
In fact, the DT-75's performance as the dozer is very poor. The tractor has typical farm-tractor undercarriage, with so called "soft-type track", that means independed suspension of every pair of pulley. It's ok on farming operation because of lower ground pressure and better accomodation to the terrain, but it isn't rigid enough for the dozer requirements (the specific conditions of dozer works causes more stress to the track chain in this type of track) , and the chain-type track wears very fast, indeed. The whole track is too long for the dozer operations, first of all it lacks the manoeuvrability and causes more wear tor the track. The whole tractor is simply too light (about 3/4 or less of what the dozer of its power should weight). The gearbox isn't optimal for typical dozer operating style, which is rather forward/backward. But first of all - the non-adjusting dozer blade is a piece of crap.
DT-75's have also some advantages: when used in forestry. Due to its flexible undercarriage and low centre of gravity they outperform every type of the wheel and rigid-track type skidders. They are used in the hardest conditions and they are most popular machines in the mountain forestry operations.
This tractor was produced in two USSR tractor works - Volgograd (Stalingrad)in Russia and Pavlodar in Kazakhstan. In all was produced 2,520,000 tractors (DT-75 and DT-75M). So this machine is not Belarus from Minsk tractor works!
Some technical data
Tractor.................................................DT-75..................DT-75М
horse-power(kWt).................................80(58,5)...............90(66)
weight,Kg.............................................6050....................6300
Number of gears-forward/backward........7/1......................7/1
range of speed forward,km/h.................3.3-9.2.................3.5-9.5
This crawler was produced at the Volgograd close to Moscow and the Pavlodar Tractor Works starting in 1962. A version of the DT 75M was also made at the Belarus works and in Poland named Ciągnik and possibly linked to Ursus.
Using this machine as a bulldozer is unusual, as it was ment to be an agricultural tractor.
Nikos