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Red Paint

Posted 9/16/2014 19:38 (#4077959)
Subject: The Tractors of North Korea

SW “Ohia”

Hey all!

Thought some of you may find this interesting. I chose to write a report on agricultural mechanization in North Korea for an engineering development class at my university, and I found their tractors to be pretty interesting. These paragraphs are taken from a few different areas of the report, so it doesn’t flow quite as well as I would hope. I have added some annotations as well. Enjoy!

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Following the Korean War, North Korea began supporting a policy of self-reliance, discouraging importation of outside technology if it could be produced domestically. This same government also championed the modernization of many industries including the agricultural sector, which at this time was still using draft-power from most tasks. To remedy this problem, the NK government began development of a domestically-produced agricultural tractor; one that could be mass produced and distributed across the peninsula. The chosen name, Chollima, refers to a mythical winged-horse that connotes speed and agility in all tasks.

The result was the ubiquitous Chollima 28; a 28hp, twin-cylinder, diesel-fueled wheel tractor. Based on an early Soviet prototype (with an obvious Raymond Loewy influence), this tractor would enter production in 1954 and continue with little change until the early 1980’s. The Chollima is rugged, simple, and can run on contaminated fuel, making it one of the few successful examples of early North Korean engineering.

Specifications for the Chollima are difficult to acquire, although it is known that the tractor utilizes a gear transmission and seems to have a live 540rpm PTO. External hydraulic circuits are found occasionally, although most usually only in single-circuit operation. The rear lift is similar to a conventional three-point but differs in the design of its’ top link system. [This is visible in the attached photo of a Chollima plowing.] The vast majority of operational Chollima 28’s have had makeshift cabs added over the years, often constructed of wood or roofing metal. Surprisingly, Chollima’s sport a feature found on no other production tractor of the time—a leaf sprung front suspension.

Countless sub-models of the Chollima 28 were produced over its lifetime, including tracked versions for dozer work and crane-equipped designs for overhead lifting. Chollima’s destined for rice paddy work were often outfitted with “side biter” skeleton wheel extensions to assist in operation through deep water. A large number of these tractors were reserved for military applications, although most have been rotated into the agricultural sector over the last few decades. It is quite common to see red (farm-specification) and green (former military) Chollima’s working side-by-side.

Unfortunately, the Chollima fleet has aged to a point of dire disrepair. With the majority of these tractors over 50 years old, they are becoming more difficult to keep in operation. At any given time, only 57% of North Korea’s tractors are in operable condition. The rest are down for lack of fuel or to complete repairs. This makes farming a crapshoot for operators, as the only fallback is draft power. For the typical North Korean cooperative farm, only 65% of their necessary tillage can be completed with a tractor; the rest must be done with oxen.

A prototype successor to the Chollima 28 was developed in the late 1980’s (known as the Chollima 2000), although it never saw production. This tractor was rather modern for the time, with mechanical front wheel assist and a sleek body design that resembled tractors found in other portions of Asia. [See attached pictures.] North Korea’s Kim Sung Tractor Plant could not handle a tractor as modern as the 2000, so it was decided to shutter new-tractor assembly and begin a yearly reconditioning of a few hundred Chollima’s to see distribution. These tractors can often be found on farms in tourist regions, sporting new paint jobs and fresh tires. The debut of these overhauled tractors in the spring is a large event, with media coverage and visits by high-level government officials. Regardless, these few tractors are not adequate to meet the nationwide demand for new equipment.

The North Korean government has received a handful of donated tractors over the last few years from sources in both North America and Europe, with a common example being the New Holland TD80. Unfortunately, the current fuel infrastructure in North Korea is in such a state of disrepair that these tractors are often unable to handle the high rust particulate and water content found in typical farm diesel. Fuel oil in North Korea is transferred between different bulk tanks an average of 8 times before being used, with each transfer further increasing the risk of exposure to contamination. This poor-quality fuel is not a problem for the rugged Chollimas, but late-model tractors cannot operate under such conditions. For this reason, these modern tractors often spend more time under fuel-system maintenance than in operation.

Access to repair parts remains another massive roadblock to agricultural machinery modernization. Those same tractors that remain out of operation due to fuel system repairs often stay in that condition until parts can be sourced through “alternative” means such as gray imports or underground markets. No modern equipment company distributes parts in North Korea, and the NK government has no means to handle the complex needs of a 21st century tractor. Parts for the Chollima tractors are not immune to this scarcity either, with starter motor components being a good example. Replacement starters have become so hard to acquire that many farms simply park the tractors on a slope at the end of work, and roll start them the next morning. (Chollimas have a crank-start provision as well, but the high diesel compression makes this rather difficult compared to a gasoline tractor.) Tires and engine oil are other scarce commodities, often leading to improper maintenance intervals on already-stretched schedules.

These factors contribute to the already poor land management practices found on most farms. Because conventional-tillage farming practices are relied on, soil must be plowed & harrowed every spring, even though this is a difficult and slow proposition for the underpowered Chollimas. No-Till farming practices were introduced in the first few years of 21st century, but have been slow to spread outside of erosion-prone areas due to lack of adequate horsepower and capable implements. Potash and Phosphorous fertilizers are hard to acquire as well.

North Korea is notorious for poor food management, which leads to common shortages and widespread malnutrition. Multiple international bodies (such as the U.N. Food/Agricultural Organization and the United States Department of Agriculture) attribute these shortages to inefficient agricultural practices, with unreliable and outdated mechanization being a major factor. An across the board modernization of tractors and equipment would be a major boost to production, but the North Korean government has few resources to accomplish this, and has other priorities. Meanwhile, NK families procure roughly 33% of their food from underground markets outside of the government food distribution system.

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My report was over 5 pages long, but delves into other problems such as inefficiency in the government regime and extraordinarily prevalent malnutrition. Figured you guys wouldn’t care to read that, so the above info is what I cut out to post. Hope you enjoyed the read, and please take a look at the pictures below; particularly their “engine pre-heat” system!!

A large gallery of Chollima tractors in various states of repair can be found here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/j-pics_info/sets/72157612436738924/det...
(Note: This is where I sourced some of the attached photos, so give that photographer credit.)