SAME DA 12
Built: 1952–1957 · Series: DA
More machines from model year 1952
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
SAME DA 12 to DA 67 (1950s and 1960s) – the air-cooled founding tractors from Treviglio: DA for Diesel Aria, the number as hp class, DT for four-wheel drive, B as upgrade, one- to four-cylinders of 1.1 to 4.6 litres
The DA range is SAME's foundation: Francesco Cassani, who in 1942 had founded the Società Accomandita Motori Endotermici in Treviglio with his brother Eugenio, built tractors from 1952 with air-cooled diesel engines of his own design – DA stands for Diesel Aria, air-cooled diesel – and the DA 25 of 1952 is regarded as one of the world's first series tractors with four-wheel drive, the layout SAME made its hallmark. The type logic: the number gives the hp class – DA 12 about 12 hp with single-cylinder, DA 25 25 hp with two-cylinder, DA 38 and DA 47 with three-, DA 55 and DA 67 with four-cylinders – DT four-wheel drive (doppia trazione), B an upgrade. All engines are air-cooled with blower, with displacements of 1.1 to 4.6 litres at low rated speeds of 1,700 to 2,000 rpm – a modular system with identical cylinders from which SAME assembled one-, two-, three- and four-cylinders.
Read on 3 more paragraphs
The register lists 17 versions with 9.2 to 49.3 kW from one- to four-cylinders of 1,140 to 4,560 cm³, unladen weights from 1,000 to 2,870 kg, lengths from 2,100 to 3,320 mm, widths from 1,090 to 1,820 mm and heights from 1,270 to 1,730 mm.
With the DA tractors SAME became Italy's largest maker after Fiat and the pioneer of the four-wheel-drive tractor in Europe; air cooling remained the brand's hallmark into the 2000s.
Used DAs are collectors' pieces: originality, compression and injection, cooling blower and cylinder fins, clutch, gearbox and four-wheel-drive clutch on DT models, sheet metal and tyres count; parts run through SDF vintage specialists in Italy.
Sources: SpecCodex register, model data: SAME DA, SAME (SDF, Hersteller)
Technical data
Engine
| Fuel | dieselcorrect |
|---|---|
| Power | 12.5 hp (9.2 kW)correct |
| Rated speed | 1,700 rpmcorrect |
| Cylinders | 1correct |
| Displacement | 1,140 cm³correct |
| Bore | 110 mmcorrect |
| Stroke | 120 mmcorrect |
| Compression ratio | 16correct |
| Cooling | air-cooledcorrect |
Dimensions and weights
| Length | 2,100 mmcorrect |
|---|---|
| Width | 1,090 mmcorrect |
| Height | 1,270 mmcorrect |
| Wheelbase | 1,260 mmcorrect |
| Ground clearance | 310 mmcorrect |
| Unladen weight | 1,000 kgcorrect |
Drivetrain and chassis
| Drive | rear-wheel drivecorrect |
|---|---|
| Gearbox | 4 V/3 Rcorrect |
| Front tyres | 7.00-15 ASFcorrect |
| Rear tyres | 7-24 AScorrect |
| Top speed | 15 km/hcorrect |
Origin and approval
| Construction | unit construction (no separate frame)correct |
|---|
Where this model stands
Power-to-weight ratio: 9.2 kW/t (9 kW / 1 t)
Power class: Compact (< 40 hp)
Stronger than 2% 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 SAME DA 12 have?
The SAME DA 12 delivers 12.5 hp.
How much does the SAME DA 12 weigh?
The unladen weight is 1,000 kg.
What engine does the SAME DA 12 have?
1 cylinders, 1,140 cm³ displacement, Diesel.
How fast does the SAME DA 12 go?
Top speed is 15 km/h.
What are the dimensions of the SAME DA 12?
2,100 mm × 1,090 mm × 1,270 mm.
When was the SAME DA 12 built?
Production years: 1952–1957.
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.
We do not sell machines. We ask the dealers who carry this model and come back with price and lead time.
Request a quote →
We ask the suppliers and come back with price and lead time.
Request spare parts →
This page carries 23 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.
Missing a figure you were looking for? Report it →
Know this machine better? Have a photo, a manual, or know that a figure is wrong? Add it to the register →
Other models in this series
Tractor in 3D section
Turn the model, look inside and click an assembly — each one is explained.