Belarus ML-131
1 model in this series
ML-131: the heavy special version with a length of 9,200 mm, four-cylinder with 88 kW (120 hp), 13,970 kg unladen weight, top speed 26 km/h
The ML-131 carries the Belarus brand name of the Minsk Tractor Works, whose wheeled tractors trade worldwide under that name. By build and dimensions, however, the ML-131 does not belong among the ordinary field tractors of the programme but to a heavy special version with a markedly extended chassis.
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The four-cylinder diesel engine of 4,750 cm³ displacement produces 88 kW (120 hp) at 2,200 rpm – a motorisation that would suffice for an ordinary wheeled tractor, but here moves a vehicle 9,200 mm long, 3,035 mm wide and 3,550 mm high, with a wheelbase of 4,650 mm and an unladen weight of 13,970 kg. The ratio of engine power to weight and length is thus well below that of a field tractor and points to a design built for load-carrying and driving stability rather than draft power at the plough.
At a top speed of 26 km/h, the ML-131 falls within driving licence category L up to 40 km/h. The unusual length of over 9 metres combined with a width of a good 3 metres requires a special permit or corresponding marking as an over-width or over-length vehicle on public roads, as applies to special vehicles outside the usual road-traffic dimensions.
When buying such a long and heavy chassis second-hand, the condition of the frame for distortion and cracking, the bearings of the additional axles and joints, and the tightness of the engine and hydraulics matter most. Because so few such special versions were built, spare parts for frame and attachment components are usually only obtainable through custom remanufacture or salvage.
Sources: SpecCodex-Register: Kennwerte des Modells ML-131
Models
Tractor in 3D section
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