OREANDA-NEWS. On 14 February 2008 was announced, that the Minister of Construction and Infrastructure of Chelyabinsk Region Valery Shopov visited the Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant last Friday. The leaders of the road-building departments and enterprises from all over the South Ural as well as the representatives of forty organizations engaged in road maintenance, repair and construction also came at ChTZ.

Specially for the guests the tractor specialists exhibited their machinery: as the purpose of the road builders' visit is to make an acquaintance with the new models of ChTZ and to decide on which machines should be bought. Furthermore, the leaders of the road building enterprises came with the operators working directly with the machinery that they assess it when in operation.

It is supposed that the region will partially finance the purchase of the new machines for the road-building departments from the budget.

The General Director of ChTZ Valery Platonov in person made a tour of the exhibition for the Minister and the road builders. The majority of the guests saw the newly designed bulldozer B-11 developed in 2006 for the first time; today it is the unique serial industrial tractor in the world which facing is made of… plastic. The standard serial bulldozer B-10M is well known to the road builders - this reliable machinery is the main product of ChTZ being in firm demand. The next old friend is a powerful DET-250 the most high-speed bulldozer. Interestingly, that the new tractor DET-320 was not exhibited owing to… the increased demand: there was not even a single complete machine at the plant - all of them were sold.
 
The General Director of ChTZ Valery Platonov in person made a tour of the exhibition for the Minister and the road builders

The road builders saw the pipe layers capable to lay the mains of diameter up to 800 millimeters as well as a self-propelled repair module developed on the base of the tractor "Uralets". This "baby" is a real "do-all", and it would be of use to any road-building department.

A domestic mini-excavator developed for in-town operation is prepared for its serial production at ChTZ. The first prototype shown to the road builders is now under the plant testing.

But three loaders of "Proffi" series initiated the wheeled machinery production at ChTZ were undoubtedly the clou of the exhibit.

The road builders saw the first prototype of the quarry loader PK-65 of capacity 6.5 tonne. This year ChTZ projects to manufacture the first-off production batch of such machines. And the production of the smallest "Profi" the three-tonne PK-30 has begun in December.

PK-46 became the serial firstling; some tens have already been produced. ChTZ even exports such loaders in the countries of CIS, in the Eastern Europe, and in the United Arab Emirates. The very first model was operated in the city of Troitsk for 5.5 thousand service hours without any failures and now it is still running.

The exhibition schedule included the traditional show of the loaders: the synchronous maneuvering and virtuosic champagne pouring out with the help of… a bucket…

- This is not a coincidence that we show this machinery to the road builders, - Valery Platonov emphasized, - it is designed exactly for them.

The Minister Valery Shopov in person tested the ease of loader PK-46 control: he lifted and lowered the bucket.

- It is very cosy inside as in automobile, - Valery Shopov shared his impressions, - the hydraulics is softly running, the cab is comfortable, and it is warm. But the most important thing is the ease of joystick operation: one can train for an hour or so and then it is quite possible to control this machine with confidence.   
The Minister Valery Shopov in person tested the ease of loader PK-46 control: he lifted and lowered the bucket

Against the old domestic loaders this machine is worlds apart. In the past we were not good at producing at such high level but at present… Enough for us to purchase the machinery abroad because today our domestic one is not a penny the worse, and ChTZ has demonstrated it.

Valery Shopov noticed that ChTZ has the acceptable pricing policy: the prices for the best world analogs are sky-high, and the Chelyabinsk machines' prices are much more moderate.

At the end the guests were shown what the machines are worth. Bulldozer B-12 was briskly gathering ground, and two loaders were filling a dumper bulk body with it. All-comers could try to work the new machines.

- I like the approach of the ChTZ specialists - you are welcome to see, to touch, to try and to tell what is good and what should be changed, - the Minister noted. - The aim of the plant is not just selling…

And it is not surprising as the enterprise works for perspective and develops dynamically:

- Being the tractor plant, - Valery Platonov emphasized, - ChTZ now is developing as the plant engaged in production of a wide range of the road-building machinery. And we expect our machines will serve to construct the good roads.