Abega Motorpflug
1 model in this series
Abega motor plough 40/45 – a heavy, self-propelled ploughing machine from the post-war years 1919 to 1921: single-cylinder engine of 40 hp at 320 rpm and 8,500 kg unladen weight
The motor plough was its own vehicle class in the years after the First World War: a heavy, self-propelled traction machine meant to replace the steam-plough sets and horse teams that had previously been common for ploughing large areas. The Abega 40/45 recorded here, from 1919 to 1921, belongs to this early phase of motorised ploughing.
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The motor plough is driven by a single-cylinder engine that delivers 40 hp and runs at a rated speed of 320 rpm, cooled by a water evaporator without pump circulation. At 8,500 kg unladen weight, with a two-speed gearbox and a design top speed of 7 km/h, the machine is built for pure tractive effort rather than travel speed.
The low rated speed of 320 rpm and the great weight are typical of early large single-cylinder engines, which developed their power through flywheel mass rather than high revs; evaporative cooling without a pump needed no sensitive mechanical parts but did require an adequate supply of cooling water and regular topping up. At a top speed of 7 km/h the motor plough moved across the field only at working pace, with no road transport in today's sense intended.
For a machine this old and rare, the preserved condition of the cylinder, cooling system and drivetrain matters most, since spare parts can practically no longer be sourced from any manufacturer or dealer. The frame, wheels and two-speed gearbox should be checked for cracking and play before considering a restoration or purely collector use.
Sources: SpecCodex-Register: Kennwerte des Modells Abega Motorpflug 40/45
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