Volvo BM

Arvika-Thermaenius's first self-propelled combine harvester was the ST 67. It was equipped with a 55 hp gasoline or diesel engine, a 205 cm cutting width, and either a bagging attachment or a 20 hectoliter grain tank.

In 1957, its successor, the ST 68, was introduced, featuring an increased cutting width of 236 cm. The engines were still 55 horsepower: available were a Kämpers brand 3.1-liter diesel and Ford’s 3.6-liter gasoline engine. The combine did not have a travel speed variator. Instead, the gearbox had 8+2 partially synchronized gears. An unusual technical feature in this combine was a 180 cm wide threshing drum. Equally wide was the single-piece concave. There were six speed options for the threshing drum and four for the unloading drum. The threshing drum was fed by a conveyor belt. The unloading pipe of the grain tank combine was very short and placed low. The cutting table was raised hydraulically.

The flagship in Arvika-Thermaenius’s combine history is the ST 612, manufactured from 1957 to 1962, which was equipped with a 12-foot cutting table. Its smaller sibling was the 10-foot ST 610. The technical differences between these models and the ST 68 are minor. When using 10 and 12-foot cutting tables, a feed drum and straw walker were used. The engine was a 62-horsepower Perkins auxiliary chamber diesel. In certain export markets, including Britain, the combines were sold under the brand Viking. Thermaenius’s color scheme was the same green-yellow as later BM Volvos.

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Combines

Thermaenius ST 67-612

The first self-propelled combine harvester from Munktell was the MST-92, introduced in 1951. The cutting width was 9 feet, as in most other BM combines. The engine was a Volvo Penta 6-cylinder gasoline side-valve engine with a power output of 65 hp. The driving speed was changed using Volvo's 5-speed gearbox, as there was no variator. The threshing drum width was 110 cm and it had three rasp bars. There were four speed options for the threshing drum, of which 430 and 520 rpm probably saw little use. The cutting platform did not have a separate clutch; it operated whenever the threshing mechanism was running. The discharge pipe was not rotatable, but had to be removed together with the bottom auger of the tank.

A couple of years later, the MST-93 was introduced with some minor updates (the most visible change was a 6-blade straw walker), and in 1954 the MST-94 followed. However, significant changes only came with the 1956 model MST-95, which had a Volvo 4.7-liter diesel engine, a driving speed variator, and larger sieves. At this stage, the color also changed to BM’s dark blue.

Bolinder-Munktell was Sweden's largest combine harvester manufacturer, and self-propelled combine harvesters had become common in Sweden faster than in other European countries. In addition, BM's combines were produced under license in France and England.

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Munktell / Bolinder-Munktell MST 92-95

The Swedish company Ab Westeråsmaskiner's Aktiv (known as Aros in some countries) was a popular pull-type combine harvester, and in 1959, utilizing the technology of the pull-type combine, they developed the self-propelled combine harvester M2S. The self-propelled combine was also known in, for example, France under the brand Aros. The construction featured an unusually large number of lightweight metal parts for its time. Feeding from the cutting table was done via a belt. The threshing drum was a short, one-piece throwing drum. The front wheels were extremely small. The engine mounted above the threshing drums was initially a Mercedes diesel, later replaced by a Perkins. There were two gears, and the driving speed was controlled by a hydraulic variator. The 1962 models featured a longer threshing drum.

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Aktiv M2S

The updated versions of the Volvo BM S800 and S830 were named Volvo BM Aktiv 1110 and 1130. The engine was now 4-cylinder. Otherwise, the changes were quite minor. In 1981, the Electrolux Group bought the combine harvester manufacturing, which was centralized at the Morgongåva factory. The new brand name became Överum Aktiv.

The range was expanded with the 10-foot 1150, which had a hydrostatic transmission equipped with a directional control. There was a hydraulic motor and pump in front of the front axle. The driving speed was adjusted by changing the angle of the axial piston motor. The durability of the 1150 proved to be weak. Problems included, among other things, bearing housings bolted to the side panels without reinforcements.

Soon after the introduction of the Överum Aktiv models, Rosenlew bought the combine harvester manufacturing from Electrolux, and in 1985 the Överum Aktiv models were replaced by Aktiv Sampoes at the Morgongåva factory.

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Volvo BM Aktiv 1110 – 1130 / Överum Aktiv 1110-1150

The larger combine harvester alongside the Aktiv 800 was the Aktiv 1000, introduced in 1967. It was a combine harvester with a cutting width of 9 1/4 feet and was structurally mainly a widened version of the 800: it had four threshing drums instead of three, but its length was roughly the same as its smaller brother. The engine was a 4-cylinder Perkins (60 hp SAE). In 1969, the brand changed to BM Volvo as the Swedish combine harvester industry ended up under a single ownership. The history is somewhat complicated by the fact that Volvo had already previously had a combine harvester model called S1000, which was inherited from Munktell.

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Aktiv 1000 / BM Volvo 1000

The history of Swedish combine harvesters consists of manufacturers that Volvo acquired one by one: Bolinder-Munktell, Arvika-Thermaenius, and in 1969, Aktiv. After this, Volvo decided to discontinue the production of large combines (S 900 – 1000) and introduced two small models: the S 800, which was manufactured at the Aros factory in Västerås, and the S 830, which was produced by the Thermanius factory in Hallsberg. The different backgrounds also explain some of the differing technical solutions between the S 800 and S 830.

The S 800 had already been introduced to the market in 1966 under the name Aktiv 800. It had replaced the earlier Aktiv M 2 S model and was a major step forward in terms of appearance. Aktiv’s previously used carpet feed was replaced with a standard drum conveyor. The reel speed was adjustable via a variator, as was the fan speed. Alongside the Aktiv 800, there was a larger 10-foot Aktiv 1000, which was later sold under the name BM Volvo S 1000 until 1972. This model had nothing in common with the earlier model that bore the same number.

In 1974, the brand name changed from BM Volvo to Volvo BM. In 1975, the S 800 also received a hydrostatic variator for ground speed control and the steering was changed to hydrostatic.

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Aktiv 800 / Volvo BM S 800 – S 830

In 1966 the Bolinder-Munktell factory introduced the modern-styled S 950, which used the same 6-cylinder engine as the T 800 tractor. In keeping with the new design language, all of the technology was hidden behind hinged access panels. The engine was located beneath the grain tank, between the front wheels. The cutting header was usually 12 or 14 feet wide. The threshing mechanism was 110 cm across and the straw walkers were dimensioned the same as on the earlier S 1000 model. However, the bearings in the straw walkers had been changed from ball bearings to wooden bearings. The operator’s cab was positioned centrally, and the unloading auger could be swung into working position from inside the cab. The cutting header was detachable and was assisted by a gas spring for easy lifting.

A year later, the smaller S 900 was introduced alongside it; the width of its threshing mechanism was reduced to 100 cm. It was powered by a 4-cylinder Perkins engine, which was mounted above and behind the grain tank. After these models, Volvo concentrated on producing small combines and began importing Claas combines into Sweden to fill out its range in the medium and large classes.

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BM Volvo S 900 – S 950

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Tractors

Bolinder-Munktell introduced in 1957 two slightly smaller combine harvesters than before. The MST-751 was equipped with a 7½-foot cutting width and a threshing mechanism 69 cm wide. Initially, the engine was a petrol-powered Volvo Penta, but from 1958 onward it was also available with a Perkins 4.270 diesel engine. The larger MST-901, like the bigger BM models, had a 9-foot cutter bar, but the threshing mechanism width was 91.5 cm instead of 110 cm. The engine was the same 6-cylinder Volvo Diesel as in the MST-95. The rasp bars were slightly shorter.

BM’s special features included an “endless” unloading reel, a water-cooled exhaust pipe, and a bagging platform also on the grain tank combine. The unloading pipe was detachable for transport and placed behind the tank. There were still 4 speed options for the threshing drum, but now the operating speeds were usable in the range of 800–1100 rpm.

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Bolinder-Munktell MST 751-901

Thermaenius was acquired by BM Volvo in 1960, and soon after, the ST 256 was replaced by the updated ST 257, which was Sweden’s most popular combine harvester in the 1960s. The combine harvester had a cutting width of 7 1/4 feet and was equipped with either a Volvo 35-horsepower gasoline engine or a Perkins diesel engine of the same power. The cutting table could be engaged separately. Instead of a shaker conveyor, a belt conveyor was initially used, and there was no feed drum. The grain sieve was adjustable from the operator’s position. The number of greasing points was greatly reduced compared to the previous model and, compared to other combine harvesters of the same era, there were relatively few. The grain sieve was adjustable, and weed seeds were removed with a cylindrical separator.

In 1967, an 8 1/4-foot cutting table was introduced alongside the original one, and the structure was reinforced, among other things, in the reel chamber, power transmission, rear axle, and brakes. The middle picture shows the updated model, which was somewhat more angular than the earlier version.

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Thermaenius / BM Volvo ST 256-257

Bolinder-Munktell had mostly manufactured combines equipped with 9-foot cutting platforms during the 1950s. Entering the 1960s, a larger S 1000 was introduced, which, as the name suggests, had a 10-foot cutting platform. Additionally, 12-foot and later 14-foot cutting platforms were available. The design had not been influenced by a designer’s touch. The combine’s structure was tall, and the 6-cylinder engine was placed low between the front wheels. The exhaust pipe was water-cooled.

The S 1000 was available either with a 20-hectoliter grain tank or bagging equipment. The speeds of the unloading auger and threshing drum were mechanically adjusted with variators from the operator's seat. The fan speed and direction were adjusted with a lever on the side of the combine. The dashboard consisted of oil pressure and temperature gauges as well as a charging indicator light.

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Munktell / BM Volvo S 1000

The BM Volvo S 280 was a modernized model of the ST 257. The engine was either a Volvo petrol engine or a more powerful Perkins diesel. The transmission gearing was faster than before. The cutting width was 8 1/4 feet. The speed control variator of the loading reel was operable from the driver's seat. The seat and the tilt of the steering column were adjustable. The design had been modified to be slightly more angular.

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BM Volvo S 280

Bautz

Bizon

Braud

Case IH

Claas

Deutz / Deutz-Fahr

Dronningborg

Fendt

Fortschritt

Gleaner

John Deere

Köla

Laverda / Fiatagri

Massey Ferguson

New Holland

Rostselmash

Sampo Rosenlew

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