Bührer K
1 model in this series
Bührer KJ4: early post-war tractor of the K range, four-cylinder petrol engine with 30 hp, about 290 units built, built 1949 to 1950
Bührer, a Swiss tractor maker based in Hinwil in the canton of Zurich, was among the early makers of field tractors developed in Switzerland. The KJ4 in the K range was built only in 1949 and 1950, during the years of rapid rebuilding of European agriculture after the Second World War, with around 290 units produced.
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The KJ4 carries a water-cooled four-cylinder petrol engine of 2,200 cm³ displacement with rear-wheel drive, producing 30 hp; a 4V-1R gearbox provides four forward and one reverse gear. For its time, the KJ4 was a light-to-mid-class tractor, typical of the mechanisation of smaller Swiss farms.
The post-war years brought rapidly growing demand in Switzerland for tractors of this size, as many farms only switched from horse power to engine power during this period. A four-cylinder petrol engine such as the KJ4's was cheaper to build and maintain than a comparable diesel engine during this early phase of mechanisation, which mattered on farms with tight budgets.
When buying such an old model second-hand, the condition of the engine, ignition system and carburettor, the tightness of the cooling system, and rust on the sheet-metal parts and chassis matter. Because only around 290 examples were built, spare parts are practically only obtainable through specialist collectors of historic Swiss tractors, and finding a matching one takes patience.
Sources: SpecCodex-Register: Kennwerte des Modells Bührer KJ4
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