Farmers About Lukashenka’s Tractor: It’s Not A Car, But Rubbish

The leader praised MTS equipment. But customers are not satisfied.

Sunday evening TV channel Belarus 1 broadcasted a scripted programme with participation of Lukashenka, which was dedicated to the 70th anniversary of MTZ (Minsk Tractor Plant). It showed the ruler and his entourage mowing a lawn. At some moment Vice President of the Bearusian Tennis Association Siarheu Tsiatseryn addresses him: we won’t be able to this field in a week, let’s look for a tractor, he said.

After that Lukashenka was brought to Belarus 1523В tractor, and got behind the wheel together with his son. The leader worked at the tractor, and gave a verdict: it’s a good tractor.

In the TV item Lukashenka’s merits in MTZ continuing its work were highlighted. It was not said that it is a loss-making enterprise. In this connection it is interesting: how customers evaluate quality of domestic tractors?

Dwellers of Belarusian rural areas often say that MTZ equipment starts to break down already in the first year of service. But maybe equipment of better quality is exported?

The major export market for Belarusian tractors is Russia, so Salidarnasts studied customers’ reviews from the neighbouring country to the 1523 model, used by Lukashenka. Belarus 1523 is an universal tractor, used for a wide range of agriculture work types.

“It’s not a tractor, but rubbish”

Last autumn a dweller of Tula region wrote at a forum of fermer.ru website:

“In my opinion, the tractor is raw and not finished! The hydraulic system is weak. It starts boiling in 15 minutes. I have 3 items at my farm, I am so tired, 1221 is much better. Those who have 1523, bear in mind that it has a poor valve train, its clutch is bad too.”

In February this year Dmitry from the Altai Territory wrote: “We thought it is an ideal tractor, but now it’s driving me crazy, electricity is poor, wiring is heating. There is a strange noise in the transmission gear case, and we do not know what to do with that. We have replaced one bearing part, and the rest is perfect: transmission gear and bearing. We opened it two times, and we do not know what to do. Such a wonderful tractor it is.”

Alexander Pestov told about a tractor made in 2011: “I have rebuilt it twice over this period: the piston group, the new engine crankshaft group, cluster gear, clutch and so on. In general, it’s not a tractor, but rubbish. It was made in Minsk.”

In November last year a dweller of Kursk region shared his impressions: “I have many negative impressions about the tractor – 1523: it is loud, too much dust, power shaft is weak, and so on.”

“It is good that it broke while I was not on a road, otherwise I would be serving a term for an excusable homicide”

Vitaly from Rostov region was not satisfied by the purchase as well. He wrote: “Half-axles broke one after another, it is good that it was not on the road, otherwise I would be serving a term for an excusable homicide. There are very many defects, a new John Deere (120 hp) could have been bought for such a price.”

However most of agricultural vehicles’ owners disagree with him: “Only Chinese machinery could be bought for such a price, no equipment of European manufacturers could be bought at all,” – one of them wrote.