Zetor engines operate reliably not only in tractors, but also in fork-lift trucks, loaders, construction and road machines, compressors, mobile welding sets, power supply units, as well as in pumping sets. Their production tradition dates back to the 1920s. Tractor Diesel engines gradually began to predominate, however, and under the Zetor brand they have been exported ever more widely to many parts of the world since 1946.
The extraordinary popularity of Zetor engines is based on low fuel consumption, high reliability and simple construction. This brings customers not only low acquisition costs, but also low operating costs. Tractors equipped with these engines are therefore among the most economical on the market. The new concept for the 16-valve engines which drive Zetor Forterra HSX tractors, for example, provides farmers with fuel savings of up to 2.9 litres per hour. At the same time, the tractor achieves maximum power of 100 kW, which is an 8-percent increase compared to 8V engines. So the annual amount of money saved could be up to CZK 58,756, if we assume 700 engine-hours a year, a saving of 2.3 litres per engine-hour and a fuel price CZK 36.50 a litre. The engine also features a 35% improvement of torque, which lasts up to 8,000 engine-hours from general overhaul.
For every engine made by ZETOR TRACTORS a.s. great emphasis is placed on quality. Engines are tested on a test stand and before shipment they must meet all prescribed production parameters. Each engine is furnished with a quality certificate. The Zetor Forterra 135 tractor with a 16V engine obtained one of the best assessments in a strict test administered by the German Agricultural Association (DLG). It achieved excellent test results in relation to fuel economy, when it was shown to be 5.7% more economical than the average of all previously tested tractors. Also achieving good test results were the tractor’s lifting force, hydraulic power and overall manoeuvrability. Thanks to this concept, the Zetor Forterra 135 provides not only reduced fuel consumption, but also an increase in power by 8 kW and in torque by more than 36%. Proxima tractors also performed well in a test of fourteen 100 hp tractors. Proxima Plus 100 came second in fuel consumption.
Even when temperatures really drop, users need not worry about whether their tractors will start. Zetor engines are equipped with balancing units and combustion chamber heating for starts at low temperatures (in standard equipment up to -18°C). The concept of every Zetor engine is always governed by the maximum unification of parts within any particular series, which reduces the range of necessary spare parts.
Zetor engines are Diesel engines – supercharged, four-stroke, in-line and vertical. They comply with the strictest environmental requirements and are water-cooled with direct fuel injection. Today, the engines being produced for tractors are supercharged with air-air type charge air intercooling. All engines meeting Stage IIIB emission limits are provided with sixteen-valve heads; these are the unified engines ZETOR Z1006, Z1306, Z1406, Z1506 and Z1606 in the power range from 71 to 100 kW. The Zetor Z7205, Z1105, Z1205, Z1005, Z1305 and Z1405 engines made in the power range from 48 to 86 kW meet smoke emission limits ECE 24R 03 and emission limits EU 77/537/EC, 2000/25/ EC Stage IIIA according to EU directives and the EPA non-road Tier 3 directive valid in the USA.
