In Sweden, many cars were given a new lease of life as cut-off tractor-trailers. The Volvo Duet was one of the favourites. The concept lives on today as A-tractors - and it's still about Volvo.
EPA and A tractors
EPA tractors and A tractors follow the same concept, but not the same rules. The Swedish Transport Agency stopped approving new EPA tractors in 1975. Today, tractor builders are instead approved as A tractors . Before we go into the rules for approval, it is worth mentioning that there is no "factory" that produces ready-made A tractors from old Volvos. All examples are based on own efforts.
Healthy motoring interest
From ancient times, EPA tractors were built to be useful on small farms. Today, they are vehicles for young people. In Sweden, you can drive an A-tractor from the age of 15. But tractors are not just something you drive – they are also objects of worship, whether you build your own equipment or take over a ready-made A-tractor. In many ways comparable to our own Russian buses that require personal effort, provide unity and, not least, a sense of accomplishment for school-weary youth.
Our Story
Even before the war, many people began to convert old cars so that they could be used in the fields. They became "cheap tractors". Only large farmers could afford proper tractors. At the same time, the EPA chain established itself by selling cheap goods to the general public, often of not very high quality. A shirt from EPA, for example, could be referred to as an EPA shirt in the sense of a cheap shirt . But EPA never sold tractors.
Duet as EPA tractor
Traditional EPA tractors (before 1975) were bound by different requirements than today's A tractors. The requirements for a tractor were, among other things, that the vehicle had to have a frame, a maximum wheelbase of 2,25 metres, be equipped with a hitch and be able to go at a maximum speed of 30 km/h. There were also requirements for the gear ratio between engine revolutions and wheel revolutions. It should be at least 10 to 1. One solution was to install an additional gearbox locked to first gear as a reduction gear. The requirement for wheelbase was solved by cutting the frame and it was not unusual to attach the rear axle without suspension. The requirement for a frame made it difficult to find donor cars. The Volvo Duett was a perfect fit, and many of them therefore got a new lease of life as EPA tractors.
Conversion of new Volvos
The requirements for A-tractors have changed as a result of the changes in the car fleet. The requirement for frame and maximum wheelbase no longer exists. The requirements for exchanges have also been relaxed. But the maximum speed is still 30 km/h. If you are going to rebuild a newer Volvo, this can be solved by changing the engine's control box. Today's A-tractors use donor cars such as the Volvo 940 and V70. Here you can get the control box "tuned" to a maximum speed of 30 km/h with a certificate from Swedish chip-tuning companies. You must also physically block the gear lever from those gears where the speed at idle exceeds 30 km/h. This means that cars with automatic transmission can also be converted into A-tractors.
Bodywork changes
The pictures show cars that have had parts of their bodies cut off and rebuilt with a loading platform behind the "cab" as a sort of pickup solution. This requires more knowledge than most people have. Welding on car bodies can be difficult if you are not "in the trade" yourself. Fortunately, the rules now allow you to keep the car's original bodywork if the vehicle's own weight with driver is over 2 tonnes and at least 60% of the weight rests on the driving axle. On the Volvo 940 and V70, it is required to weld/bolt fixed ballast in the form of, for example, iron to increase the weight. It is not permitted to have a back seat or luggage compartment as in a car. If the original bodywork is retained, access to the passenger compartment and luggage compartment behind the driver's seats must be physically blocked.
Security requirements
In Sweden, it is required that all slow-moving vehicles, such as tractors, have a warning triangle symbol attached to the rear. All tractors must be equipped with a roll bar, or a roof that can withstand a rollover. You can bring up to 2 passengers as long as they have their own seats and that everyone on board must wear a seat belt. The last requirement was introduced as recently as last year.
Something for Norway?
In Norway, it is almost impossible to get amateur-built cars approved, regardless of the vehicle group involved. Changes must be made to the requirement for type approval for tractors, which can probably only happen with political influence. Are there any politicians who will fight for Norwegian rural youth to be allowed to build themselves EPA tractors? Hardly. But when the Swedish authorities chose to stop approval of new EPA tractors at the end of the 70s, a massive protest movement was started which resulted in the scheme being reopened - albeit under new conditions as an A-tractor. If it weren't for the fact that the EPA tractors were already so well established, they probably would never have been reintroduced.
There are many arguments against converting cars to A-tractors. The same arguments can also be used about mopeds. An old Volvo can in any case offer better safety and comfort than the mopeds along Norwegian rural roads.
Plus, they're great to look at – when they're parked.
See
Fredrik Pysander (YouTube) – How to build an A tractor from a V70!
The Swedish Transport Agency – Vehicle regulations A-tractor
