Reinhard Schwope is restoring a K-700A

When he was a young university graduate, Reinhard Schwope started out at BBG Leipzig’s Design Department in 1983, where he got involved in developing the B200/201 and B550 plough series.

A farmer friend brought Mr Schwope’s attention to a Kirowez K-700A that had been sitting in his barn, forgotten for 30 years. It didn’t take Mr Schwope long to decide to save the tractor from being finally scrapped. The ‘beast’ had to be removed from the barn so it could be transported to a suitable dismantling location. Mr Schwope couldn’t do this on his own. Control of the steering cylinders was modified so that the K-700A could be transported from the barn to the low loader with the help of a tractor and by being steered remotely by its hydraulic system.

From May 2017 onwards, the centre pivot steering was dismantled one step at a time. The eight-cylinder V-engine (14,860 cm³ displacement) was dismantled, reworked and placed in a test stand. In November 2018, the heart of the ‘Russian bear’ was brought back to life. In the meantime, the transmission has also been renovated and is now functional. The rest of the tractor was dismantled down to the frame and centre pivot steering.

At the moment, Mr Schwope is busy constructing a new building to make room for reworking the axles and chassis parts, because he is reaching the limits of his existing space. Once the building is complete, he will start assembly in the summer. We wish him all the best with his restoration.