Hermann Lanz Holzgas-Schlepper
2 models in this series
Hermann Lanz wood-gas tractors: gas-generator tractors from Aulendorf running on wood, peat and lignite, HG 25 and L 25 a, around 18 kW, wartime and post-war era
The wood-gas tractors from Hermann Lanz of Aulendorf arose from the fuel shortages of the wartime and post-war years, when diesel fuel was scarcely available for agriculture. Instead of liquid fuel, the HG 25 and L 25 a ran on a wood-gas generator that produced combustible gas from wood, peat or lignite to power the engine. The conversion usually involved existing diesel-tractor chassis, onto which the bulky wood-gas generator was additionally mounted.
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The register lists 2 versions here with 18.2 kW from two-cylinder engines of 3,981 cm³, an unladen weight of 2,200 kg, lengths of 2,860 to 3,400 mm, widths of 1,500 to 1,520 mm and heights of 1,640 to 1,900 mm at a rated speed of 1,550 rpm.
As testimony to the fuel shortages of their time, these wood-gas tractors reflect the improvisation of German farm machinery in the 1940s, when makers converted their tractors to gas-generator drives en masse to keep field work going despite the lack of diesel. With the end of the fuel shortage in the 1950s, wood-gas drives quickly disappeared from the fields again, giving way to a return to the diesel engine.
When buying one of these rare historic tractors, attention should go above all to the preservation of the wood-gas generator and its gas lines, the condition of the two-cylinder engine, and rust on the frame and sheet-metal parts, as well as the functioning of the gas cleaner and ignition system, which are critical for the unusual operation on generator gas; spare parts today are practically only found through vintage-vehicle collectors and museum stocks.
Sources: SpecCodex register, model data: Hermann Lanz Holzgas-Schlepper
Models
Tractor in 3D section
Turn the model, look inside and click an assembly — each one is explained.
