Renault 53-57, 456

At the end of 1967 Renault’s tractors received a more angular look. They continued to use engines from MWM and Renault. Models 53 (28 hp) and 56 (42 hp) were fitted with MWM’s 2- and 3-cylinder air-cooled engines, while the 55 (35 hp) and 57 (43 hp) carried Renault’s water-cooled motors. In addition, there was a petrol‐engined 58 destined for the Canadian market.

The gearbox was, as with earlier models, a partly synchronized 6 + 2 unit, with an optional crawler-gear version giving 10 + 2 speeds. As an extra you could also order a variant in which the ratio between the two highest gears was lengthened so that the road speed reached 28 km/h. Lift capacity was a respectable 2 000 kg.

From the 56 a four-wheel-drive sister model, the 456, was offered—initially with a Selen front­axle and later with a Zetor-centre-driven axle. By far the best-selling model was the 56 with the MWM engine. In the summer of 1970 the grille was changed to black and output was increased by raising the engine’s top rpm. Alongside these tractors, Renault also marketed a viniculture/vegetable‐farming range under model numbers 50, 60, 70, and 80.

A Perkins‐engined version of the model 56 was sold in the USA as the Allis-Chalmers 160. During the lifetime of this series, Renault’s tractor sales ran at roughly half the average level of the 1960s. In subsequent model ranges the company again achieved better sales figures.

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