MAN AS 542 A
Built: 1953–1955 · Series: AS
More machines from model year 1953
Not the right version? The data comes from vehicle registers holding many near-identical versions side by side. Photograph the data plate — we read make and type from it. Open the scanner e-mail address required
MAN AS farm tractors (1949–1962) – the four-wheel-drive pioneer from Nuremberg: AS 250 to AS 718, A for four-wheel drive, H for high-clearance, MAN's own diesels with 2 to 4 cylinders, one wood-gas model, 13 to 37 kW
MAN built tractors in Nuremberg from 1921 to 1962, and the AS range – Ackerschlepper, farm tractor – of the post-war years is the one with which the truck maker wrote farm-machinery history: MAN was the first German maker to offer four-wheel drive in series, and in the 1950s the AS with the suffix A were the tractors that ran on wet soils and slopes where rear-wheel-drive tractors got stuck. The type logic: AS stands for Ackerschlepper, the first digit usually gives the cylinder count and the following ones the output in hp – AS 325 a three-cylinder with 25 hp, AS 430 a four-cylinder with 30 hp, AS 440 and AS 542 the stronger four-cylinders, AS 718 the largest – A marks four-wheel drive, H the high-clearance version, zA an equipment variant. The engines came from MAN's own production, water-cooled diesels with the centre-sphere combustion system; one register model is additionally recorded for wood gas and anthracite – a legacy of the war and post-war years.
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The register lists 10 versions with 13.2 to 36.6 kW (18 to 50 hp), 1,304 to 4,504 cm³ with two to four cylinders, rated speeds up to 2,000 rpm, unladen weights from 1,520 to 3,400 kg, lengths from 2,750 to 3,680 mm, widths from 1,580 to 1,850 mm and heights from 1,680 to 2,415 mm.
In 1962 MAN gave up tractor production to concentrate on trucks and handed the farm-tractor division to Porsche-Diesel – with about 40,000 tractors built, the AS remained an episode that established the four-wheel-drive tractor in Germany.
Used MAN AS are sought-after collector tractors, the four-wheel-drive models especially; when buying, engine condition, the four-wheel drive with its propeller shafts, gearbox, originality and parts supply through the MAN tractor club scene are what count.
Sources: SpecCodex register, model data: MAN AS, MAN Ackerdiesel (Wikipedia)
Technical data
Engine
| Fuel | dieselcorrect |
|---|---|
| Power | 42 hp (30.8 kW)correct |
| Rated speed | 2,000 rpmcorrect |
| Cylinders | 4correct |
| Displacement | 2,925 cm³correct |
| Cooling | water-cooledcorrect |
Dimensions and weights
| Length | 3,500 mmcorrect |
|---|---|
| Width | 1,790 mmcorrect |
| Height | 1,800 mmcorrect |
| Wheelbase | 2,132 mmcorrect |
| Ground clearance | 400 mmcorrect |
| Unladen weight | 2,560 kgcorrect |
Drivetrain and chassis
| Drive | four-wheel drivecorrect |
|---|---|
| Gearbox | 5V/1Rcorrect |
| Front tyres | 6.50-20correct |
| Rear tyres | 13-30, 11-38correct |
| Top speed | 29 km/hcorrect |
Working data
| Fuel tank capacity | 60 lcorrect |
|---|
Origin and approval
| Construction | frameless unit constructioncorrect |
|---|---|
| Units built | 690correct |
Where this model stands
Power-to-weight ratio: 12 kW/t (31 kW / 2.6 t)
Power class: Universal (40–100 hp)
Stronger than 27% of the tractors in the register — out of 15,663 models with a stated power figure.
Calculated from the documented figures above — not a rating.
Frequently asked questions
How much power does the MAN AS 542 A have?
The MAN AS 542 A delivers 42 hp.
How much does the MAN AS 542 A weigh?
The unladen weight is 2,560 kg.
What engine does the MAN AS 542 A have?
4 cylinders, 2,925 cm³ displacement, Diesel.
How fast does the MAN AS 542 A go?
Top speed is 29 km/h.
What are the dimensions of the MAN AS 542 A?
3,500 mm × 1,790 mm × 1,800 mm.
When was the MAN AS 542 A built?
Production years: 1953–1955.
What to check before buying
- Check the hour meter against the service records — a replaced instrument is the most common gap.
- Compare the data plate and chassis number with the papers.
- Check the weights in the papers against the figures here — attachments change them.
- Check front and rear tyre sizes: mismatched pairs strain the drivetrain.
- Shift the gearbox cold and warm — jumps only show up at temperature.
- Load the hydraulics and watch for sag.
- Ask about parts availability for this build year — the running costs hang on it.
A general list for this type of machine — no substitute for an inspection or an appraiser.
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This page carries 22 individual figures for this model. They come from 2 recorded sources; every figure can be traced there. What we cannot document is not here — we leave gaps open rather than estimate them.
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