The RT-M-160 was an agricultural tractor that was manufactured by Uralvagonzavod – a mysterious Russian entity.
It was designed for all manner of tasks, chiefly high-speed cultivation work and haulage duties.
It first appeared back in 2004; it was not only sold in Russia but was also exported to Bulgaria. A version kitted out for fighting forest fires – namely the RT-M-160F – was one of several variants that appeared during the tractor’s ill-fated production run.
This video (below), albeit low-resolution in some instances, shows the unusual-looking beast in action.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=3&v=_iT5VrzTiAI
In some quarters, the RT-M-160 has been described as “Russia’s answer to the JCB Fastrac”. It certainly does resemble the Fastrac’s build configuration (with a substantial load-bay behind the mid-mounted cab).
However, the company behind the RT-M-160 – Uralvagonzavod – is more readily associated with military equipment. The T-90MS (pictured below) is one of its current products.
Alas, demand for main battle tanks and armoured vehicles can be erratic; that’s what originally prompted the entity to attempt to diversify into other product lines (including tractors).
According to Czech outlet Agroportal24h, the first tractor designed by Uralvagonzavod was the LTZ-155. Following a number of design iterations, the RT-M-160 was “born”.
First prototype
The first prototype was tested in 2003; manufacture of further units kicked off in December of the following year.
However, the tractor enjoyed only limited market success. The tractor project was “curtailed” in 2009 – effectively killing off its long-term viability. Some further units were produced, however; they were even shown at trade fairs as recently as 2011.
For the record, the RT-M-160 was home to a six-cylinder, 11.5L YaMZ-236D-2 engine (which churned out 175hp). That engine was coupled to a basic 16F 8R mechanical gearbox.
