MTW Freezed Their Tractor to Debunk a Winter Myth
At the Minsk Tractor Works (MTW), a tractor was frozen to test whether the machinery could start in such extreme conditions. Although the entire process was demonstrated vividly to viewers, Belarusians still have questions for the popular manufacturer.
The flagship model of MTW, the BELARUS 1222.3 tractor (which, incidentally, was awarded the State Mark of Quality in 2024), was chosen for the extreme experiment.
To test whether the claim that a «Belarus» can be started even after being completely frozen is a myth or reality, plant workers, in minus twenty-degree frost, hosed it down with cold water and left it to freeze.
After the machine had turned into one enormous icicle, the most interesting part began. To get into the tractor cab, a plant worker literally had to hack his way in. The ice was broken with a small axe, and this was perhaps the most challenging task. If the video footage is to be believed, the tractor started, as drivers say, «first crank».
The clip went viral instantly – in less than a day, it was viewed by nearly 150,000 people. Some even detected the hand of ubiquitous artificial intelligence (AI) in the footage, although the enterprise itself insists AI had absolutely nothing to do with it.
However, the main criticism from sceptics in the comments this time was not about AI, but rather the conditions of the experiment itself – viewers considered them too «soft» for modern machinery. Without diminishing the spectacle of the show staged by MTW employees for their subscribers, many demanded a repeat, but with a few amendments.
«Pouring water on top is not a freeze!!!! Let it stand for 3-4 days at -32°C,» suggested one viewer, proposing his own version of an extreme reliability test.
«If it stands for 24 hours at -30°C, it’s unlikely to start. A dousing is not a freeze,» threw down a similar challenge another.
The BELARUS 1222.3 went into serial production at MTW in 2020 and is now considered the plant’s flagship model. The tractor works with various mounted and semi-mounted equipment, trailers, and other additional means, both in agriculture and for transport work in various climatic zones.