Czech Mate

by Willy Carson

Sammy Gault remembers how, as a child, he spent time with his grandfather, learning about stationary engines and climbing up to play on the old tractor.

“I went with my grandfather to the vintage rallies and that gave me an interest in old tractors and machinery. He had a Zetor 4011 that he used to cart peats home from the moss. When I turned sixteen he gave me the Zetor but I couldn’t afford to restore it and, like most young lads, I was thinking about having my own car. When I was seventeen and I had passed my driving test, I sold the tractor and put the money towards a Renault Clio. I spent a lot of my spare time working on stationary engines but eventually the time came to buy a vintage tractor and I knew it was going to be a Zetor 4011.”

The Zbrojovka Works can trace its origins back to the days of the Austro-Hungarian Empire when it was a major arms manufacturer. Between the wars it was engaged in the production of bicycles, cars, aircraft engines and typewriters but it wasn’t until after the Second World War that the production of tractors began in the newly liberated Czechoslovakian factory. Revealed to the agricultural world in March 1946, the Zetor ‘Model 25’, powered by a two cylinder, four stroke, 25hp diesel engine, with a drive train incorporating six forward gears, two reverse gears and a differential lock, was ahead of its Western competitors in technical innovation. Lacking the sales infrastructure of the mighty Ford Empire or the marketing flair of Harry Ferguson the newly formed brand began in more humble fashion, building just 28 tractors per day. By the mid-fifties the 42hp four cylinder ‘Super 35’ had arrived but Zetor were about to take the first steps into a much more modern concept in tractor production, the UR1 or ‘Unified Range’.

This bold revolution in manufacturing was based on a simple principal; to build a range of tractors from as many common parts as possible. Power outputs were increased by adding more cylinders of the same bore and stroke thus effectively using the same design for 2 cylinder 25hp, 3 cylinder 37hp and 4 cylinder 45hp tractors. Standardisation of parts extended to components from the front axle right through to the rear hitch, making life much easier for the production engineers, the store men, the servicing staff and ultimately the farmer. Released in 1962, the ‘4011’ was the largest in what was to be known as the ‘0’ series. Its technical specification included a four cylinder engine with a bore and stroke of 95 x 110mm giving a capacity of 3120cc. The transmission featured 10 forward speeds with a live PTO which incorporated ground drive. The ‘Zetormatic’ system controlled the hydraulic lift with automatic depth control and optional hydraulic hitch. The independent braking arrangement was also hydraulic, particularly advanced when compared to mainstream tractors. All things considered the UR1 range was a ground breaker so it might be helpful to explain the individual model numbers in the range. The first digit refers to the number of cylinders and the second digit, the series while the last two numbers refer to the wheel configuration: ‘11’ is for two wheel drive, ‘45’ for four wheel drive.

Even from its fledgling years, the Zetor marque has been popular in Ireland so it’s not surprising that Sammy was soon on the trail of a possible purchase, “I was at a show chatting to Ian Taylor, a local Zetor enthusiast and he pointed me in the right direction. After another call, I went to see a 4011, had a drive round a field to see what it needed and eventually persuaded the owner to sell it.

It needed a bit of work before I could take it on the road, there were no brakes and the steering was all over the place, the electrics needed a complete overhaul, the headlights looked like they were winking at you, the mudguards were rough and the tyres were on the way out. On the plus side, the engine was going like a clock and started very easily, especially for a four cylinder engine of that era. I fixed the brakes, patched the mudguards and tidied it up so that it would be safe on the road, phoned the NFU and sorted out some insurance and headed off to my first show. We made it there and home with any problems.” Over the next few years Sammy was a regular participant at local rallies and road runs, always driving the Zetor

under its own power and ignoring any discomfort that the weather might produce.

“In 2020 I decided that the time had come to restore the tractor. The mudguards were replaced with new old stock items and I repaired the hinges on the bonnet and then sent all the tinwork, the fuel tank and the wheel rims to be professionally sprayed.

“I went right through the steering system replacing the front axle pivot bearings, the kingpin bushes, the wheel bearings, the track rod ends and then refurbished the steering box. The main parts of the skid unit were working as they should so I just changed the oils and filters. The seat wasn’t in great shape so I bought a second hand unit and made one good one out of the pair. Then I cleaned the skid unit with wire brushes and sandpaper and painted it with a brush.

“The electrical problems weren’t so easy to fix. The loom was beyond repair so I decided the time was right to convert the charging system from dynamo to the more reliable alternator. I don’t mind coming home from events in the dark so it makes sense. My father is a motor mechanic so we downloaded a wiring diagram and he started pulling wires around the tractor until we had a new, more modern loom. I learned a lot from my father as we worked through the job. The only job left was to replace the tyres. I found some second hand rear tyres from a JCB digger which are wider than standard but they are more comfortable on the road.”

Sammy’s preparations for road runs were about to be tested… properly tested. “I had always wanted to complete a tour of Northern Ireland and raise some money for the Air Ambulance at the same time. My grandfather still had an old cut-down caravan that he used to take to weekend shows so I hooked that behind the Zetor made a simple sort of a plan, drove up to Portballintrae on the North Coast and at 10 o’clock on the 4th August I headed off on my trip.” Heading east from his start point, Sammy followed the Atlantic coast, turning south with the Antrim glens on his right and the Irish Sea lapping against the rocks to his left. There can’t be many more scenic roads to begin a marathon challenge. The Zetor 4011 is no slouch on the road, capable of 20mph, so the first stage of the 500 mile route was completed by mid-afternoon and Belfast was in sight. Sammy swapped rural roads for city streets just as the evening rush hour traffic reached its peak, “Going out of the city on the dual carriageway, my heart was in my mouth every time I looked behind. I seemed only a matter of time before somebody ran into the back of me. That evening I had arranged to park up in the Cooke family’s yard and by 9.30pm I arrived with 180 miles behind me. The next morning I set off through Co. Down and followed the coast road along the foot of the Mourne Mountains and then turned along the side of Carlingford Lough towards Newry. I headed west roughly following the border and made good progress through the afternoon. The secret is to keep moving, so by 5pm I was in Enniskillen and heading for the Sperrins where I had arranged to pull in for the night at Andy Catterson’s. I arrived there about 10pm, in time for a steak dinner! That crossed another 220 miles off the map. On the third day, I made my way up to the North Coast again and just three miles from the finish the tractor stuttered to a halt. Thankfully it was just some dirt in the fuel tap so I fixed that handy enough and drove on to Portballintrae.”

Sammy efforts raised over £3000 for the Air Ambulance and made his childhood dreams of driving a Zetor 4011 come true.