Kharkovchanka: The Soviet Tractor that Conquered Antarctica

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[@megaprojects9649]

Get an exclusive Surfshark VPN WINTER deal! Enter promo code MEGA to get up to 6 additional months for free at surfshark.deals/Mega

[@fishyerik]

Smooth tires and enormous wheel overhangs, both front and back, for driving in Antarctica. Who could have anticipated that wouldn't be ideal? I guess, just about anyone that have driven a car on snow.

[@harrymu148]

the overhands were meant to slide on, i.e. when crossing a massive gap, it was meant to set down on the other side with its "chin" , scoot over and, when the front wheels made it to the other side, let its tail down, and then scoot across again. It's biggest issues was that the electric motors in those wheels had shit wattage and torque compared to what was required. Reverse was only possible because the reverse gear allowed it better torque for an even slower speed.

[@Shaneq718]

Aggressive tread tires dig in too much and can be a liability as well. Besides, your're not running at highway speeds down there--the road between McMurdo and the air fields is officially capped at like 15-20 mph. Depending on how long its been since the when the groomers have gone through, that might even be excessive. Most of the big wheeled vehicles use big knobby balloon tires like giant golf carts

[@sk1ppman]

I'm always heartened when I hear about Soviet/American scientific meetings, be they in space, on the seas, or in this case the frozen wastes. They're always retold as pleasant, peaceful exchanges of culture and knowledge. It reminds me that in general, we're all one people. We're all humans. The wisest and best of us realize this. It's only the power mad who try to divide us.

[@MrTexasDan]

Except, it's an illusion. They're Russians, therefore incapable of taking part in civilization. A lesson the world has to keep learning over and over.

[@Mewtwo976]

Amen

[@ajofmars2579]

This reminds me of a book, called The Lost Squadron, where WWII planes were excavated from very deep in a glacial ice sheet in Greenland. That buried Antarctic crawler that didn’t work will be a treasure trove in a couple hundred years. As well as the abandoned bases like the Russian one with the Lenin head that expeditions alternate between turning towards Russia or the USA. Everything is buried and preserved, although the ice sheets do slowly grind things up. Would be interesting to do some meteorite hunting on an ice sheet like that some time in a lifetime. Good day, good luck and stay safe out there folks!

[@goofyleo3869]

That US Antarctic 'Penguin' is 99% at the bottom of the ocean; trapped in an ice-floe that broke off & melted. 😢 In other news; I stroked the P-38 'Glacier Girl' reconstituted from that 'lost squadron' in Greenland at EAA a few years ago. 😎

[@Robertlynschultz]

​@goofyleo3869 You are correct... Clive Custler said in an interview that he had looked into trying to recover the old girl, but the research indicated it was no longer in the ice sheet

[@goofyleo3869]

@@Robertlynschultz Clive Cussler...love his work.💓

[@jblob5764]

​@@Robertlynschultz so at this point you'd need a submersible for recovery lol. And who knows how far it drifted before being melted out and sinking

[@biggestroadhog6755]

This channel continues to intrigue me about things I never heard of, truly unique and awesome. A video idea that I think would be amazing would be the Iowa class battleships built in WWII!

[@B.tt.ne_A]

Love the video - an important one in our time for sure

[@Ubique2927]

Why would anyone think that smooth bald tyres would work on snow and ice?

[@nicolaj9510]

Well it's the same tyre company that though RGB tires was a good idea, despite the awful safety issues.

[@ugn669]

smooth tire would mean more surface area, a larger contact patch. huuuge balloon-like tires, partially deflated, should work... until one gets to an uphill section... then youre buggered.

[@goofyleo3869]

@MoistMan2 Where's YOUR country's Antarctic machine? 🧐

[@isaacfortner]

Actually, the tires originally did have treads, but they found that ice collected in the treads and refroze, making the tires smooth and slippery anyway, so they just make them smooth to start with a tire heating and hydraulic system that could retract the wheel up into the bodywork for servicing or cross large crevasses. They probably would have worked out the bugs had another expedition occurred shortly after the first test, but by Dec 1940, WWII was in full swing, and even though the US hadn’t joined yet, they weren’t sending out any more expeditions. The US didn’t get back there until 1948, and by then it was a lot cause with so much new technology being developed during the war.

[@miroslavhoudek7085]

This is really strange indeed. People often hate bland design-by-comittee of products or movies. But you know what you don't get when comittee is designing an antarctica cruiser? Smooth tires.

[@rayceeya8659]

Diesel doesn't "freeze". It gels. Think about melting lard in a pan and then allowing it to cool off. It just takes a lot more cold to make diesel do it.

[@slcpunk2740]

Pretty sure at -273.15 C everything freezes ⛽🧊

[@StevenLockey]

​@slcpunk2740 Technically no, everything is a solid long before then and you can't freeze a solid 😅 Remember, Technically correct is the best type of correct 😅

[@slcpunk2740]

@@StevenLockey It was a joke and besides, solids have quite a lot of movement at atomic scale where everything freezes at absolute zero. Everything is also relative.

[@StevenLockey]

@slcpunk2740 Yeah I was joking as well..... thought the futarama quote would of given that away... 🤔

[@fishyerik]

"Untreated" diesel fuel starts gelling at common winter temperatures where a lot of people live, and gelling is parts of it solidifying, due to cold temperatures, so even if it's a bit more involved, it's not not freezing either. At Antarctica, it can get cold enough for diesel fuel to freeze solid.

[@wolfvontyr2266]

I'd never heard of these before, I'd seen images but that's about it, but I had no idea how self contained and tightly packed they were. Thank you for doing this one! A suggestion along the lines of utility vehicles: The Unimog, Mercedes' go anywhere, do anything workhorse with seemingly no bounds.

[@phelps88ap]

Hey, I know that guy! Charles Poulter is my Great Granduncle!! I have a typewritten memoir of his. He really took losing the snow cruiser hard.

[@Shaneq718]

That's a really cool connection! I've spent lots of quality time down on the ice.--I think he would have appreciated Ivan and some of the newer transports we have down there now.

[@joesantos2455]

Even though it pains me to pay Mr. Whistler a compliment; His beard looks extremely well manicured.

[@murrayscott9546]

Kudos to the collegial spirit and dedication of such persons. Sure could use more of it, these days.

[@SeaBeast4Life]

I've been working on a Lego model of the Antarctic Cruiser, even though it was a huge failure I just think it's neat.

[@coreyryan7197]

please post it when it's done that sounds amazing

[@chriswhite3692]

Always loved the idea of a large tundra transport like this. You're nice in warm in your cozy quarters and a few inches away, it's a frozen landscape with a harsh blizzard. Man vs nature.

[@lucasallerman7742]

Simon I used to work for pistenbully, and still work on them every day nice to see you mentioned one on your channel.. you should do a mega projects episode on them there’s some good history behind them

[@jsleeio]

Simon since you mentioned American/Soviet friendly chats during the Cold War ... perhaps you could look at the Apollo-Soyuz project from 1975?

[@boydsinclair7606]

Grew up on a farm in rural New Zealand, can confirm: that's the most kick-a$$ tractor I've ever seen 😮

[@NiclasHorn]

There is a reason why we call things that is poorly made but are made with "oversize" / "over dimensions" for Russian BlackSmithing, and that is not a positive thing. But with that said. Russian "offroad" vehicles are often hard to beat. they are made for Siberia, no roads, no people, no help, no heat. its Nightmare level of survival, you need a offroad vehicle that works and you can trust it. So i am not surprised that it was the Russian who made this Tractor that Conquered Antarctica

[@ignitionfrn2223]

2:30 - Mid roll ads 3:40 - Back to the video

[@dinsdalemontypiranha4349]

That was awesome Simon! Thanks!

[@evandempster6460]

Amundsen Scott Station deserves its own video either on here, Geographics, or Places

[@travisinthetrunk]

1:54 what dune buggy has smooth tires? All the ones I’ve seen have paddle tires.

[@goofyleo3869]

I can guarantee Simon has never actually seen IRL or driven a dune-buggy.

[@julianfell666]

The first vehicle(s) to drive overland to the south pole were 3 Massey-Fergusen tractors. They went from McMurdo Sound (Ross Sea) to the pole. They were laying out supply depots for the British trans Antartica Expedition coming from the other side. Edmund Hillary was head of the NZ party, which reached the pole before the Brits..

[@cascadianrangers728]

These things are really neat. The most extreme mobile home ever!

[@jasonwomack4064]

I can't help but think: Killdozer, Antarctic edition

[@GreatSageSunWukong]

you forgot to mention the first vehicles where built for the job a basic truck body just dumped on a tanks under carriage, it was reports from those at the antarctic on those vehicles which shaped the design for the kharkovchanka, which is why the next vehicles looked like a mix of the previous two, because it was from all the reports of those who used them telling the designers what worked in those conditions and what didn't.

[@Aaron48219]

*"Showed camaraderie"* How far we have all fallen.

[@murrayscott9546]

I could live comfortably in one of these. Air B+B a coupla bunks, too !

[@julianjones5551]

always brilliant

[@bradbrandon2506]

Congratulations, Simon. I didn't think I would be interested in this video. It ended up being the first video I replayed and watched again, from the beginning, right after finishing.

[@keithwalmsley1830]

Man that is a cool looking machine, what I wouldn't give for a ride in it!!!

[@liddz434]

Imagine if they built new versions of these today with modern technology and improvements in design philosophies/materials/know how…they’d be seriously awesome beasts!

[@Sir_Glass]

After years of hoping and a few months of asking he finally got around to it. A lot slower than the liberty ships spam I made but finally

[@kennethnielsen3864]

Thanks for sharing.

[@cascadianrangers728]

Pretty sure this thing was powered by an engine based off the v2, v12 diesel engine as the t34 tank which has a compressed air cold weather starting statem. Legendary engine and then they put two superchargers on it!

[@goosenotmaverick1156]

Ah, gotta love a good air starter. What a glorious sound

[@kweezynonya955]

They made some cool stuff tbh

[@mohammedsaysrashid3587]

Nice video

[@patrickhasachannel]

Having looked just now, I'm disappointed i couldn't find that memoir by the soviet researchers in an English translation because thats a read i could get stuck on

[@rayb558]

Can you guys do an episode on the freedom ship project if was huge ship that was supposed to be a floating city

[@Blueboy0316]

Why would you ever think tires were a good idea in Antarctica? Tracks seem like the better part of wisdom.

[@M0ng0l0id]

And did they not test it on snow/ice closer to home to verify the design before deploying?

[@paulmarynissen]

Just one little correction, I someone goes from the coast to the South Pole, they are going south, not west

[@DevinClark-hd2qu]

When people can come together= peace

[@o0-0o693]

Simon just told me I need to get surf shark but KZbin just told me I need to get NordVPN I think Simon should fight KZbin.

[@CartoonHero1986]

I'm not sure which base it was (I doubt it was the failed mobile base) but there are pieces of one that had been buried and moved far enough by the glacier it was on that it was now at the sea edge of an ice cliff. I forget how long ago this was but just remember it being in a NOVA or Horizon episode on the newest base at the time and them also showing that one of the earliest bases (before that made them easier to just move) had gone that far in just a few decades.

[@Stand_By_For_Mind_Control]

I think in this case, the Soviets won the round because they had people willing to put up with far less creature comforts than any American scientist lol. I've seen the inside of a T-72, the soviets did not give one miniscule fuck about how comfy you were in your vehicles.

[@makrofocus]

Calum did the best documentary on this topic. Go watch his video it's a lot better.

[@goofyleo3869]

YES IT IS!! 5.5M views don't lie.

[@groeacht8525]

All the views are just because his accent is like a bee dripped in honey

[@M-a-z-z-a]

Came here to say this, Calums video is far more in depth and factually correct.

[@groeacht8525]

@CalumRaasay hope you are getting a writing credit for this?

[@goofyleo3869]

Calum's video is tons better, longer and with better research & production. And 5.5m views to prove it. edit* 'Simon" has deleted 3 of my comments referencing Calum's video. Not very sporting; ehh, chaps?🧐

[@groeacht8525]

Simon didn't delete anything, he's just a script reader, there's probably a full team just going through the comments

[@goofyleo3869]

@groeacht8525 Yeah, I know. But he's the only name I can blame. 🤷‍♂️

[@tireballastserviceofflorid7771]

"Entry at the rear through a smell vestibule." That's what she said...

[@nikkibeerninck4905]

I love this

[@wormyboot]

Simon, do you personally think in metric or imperial?

[@wolfvontyr2266]

Considering he's British and only 3 countries use the imperial system (US, Liberia, Myanmar), changes are he thinks in the metric system. But then again, I shouldn't speak for him!

[@wolfvontyr2266]

Just for gits and shiggles, figured I'd do the maths. - Those 3 countries have a combined population of (rounding up) 442 million. - Global population is approx. 7.888 billion There are approx. 7.446 billion users of the metric system in the world.

[@wormyboot]

I agree with everything you've written but Simon is a bit unique.

[@Erevos85]

I half expected it to be using a compact nuclear reactor.

[@murrayscott9546]

Whadda Monster !

[@goofyleo3869]

'Calum' did a MUCH better vid on these. In fact; this vid seems like the 'Cliff Notes' version of 'Calums'.

[@UaLys]

Support Ukraine to prevent world war 3!!! Kharkiv my home town is Ukraine, thus this tractor isn't ruzzian

[@PatTurcotte-xe2jw]

My grandmother couldn't operate Surf Shark. She died 88 years ago.

[@Tommy-he7dx]

I'm not a fan of the sound effects on the wipes, it comes across like a badly dubbed 1970s martial arts film.

[@rapidthrash1964]

Sorry that Calum beat you to this topic

[@jhin8054]

It really bothers me that you've started using so many stock photos of regular people and things, like speedometers. There used to be archival photos and footage and now there's just random images to go along with questionable facts. Very unfortunate

[@stephendavies6949]

Didn't one of these make an appearance in the movie Ice Station Zebra?

[@KarldorisLambley]

3.29- i wouldn't use surf-shark simply because they have been using that image for years. it features a bloody xbox one! if they cant update a picture, which would cost them a tenner, how can we be sure they update software which costs them millions?

[@josephpiskac2781]

Would like to see more on contemporary vehicles?

[@waynebalson]

Simon I am a loyal follower of your channels .....all 1 million lol but the ads gotta get shorter man between your own ads and you tubes it 5 minutes of ads 15 of content I get it make your money but it's getting disproportionate

[@lukemacdonald1161]

I’d have to disagree with this I think Simon‘s videos are At the very least significantly better than most other videos, I’ve seen from other KZbinrs

[@ssd2k2]

And then there were the Australians rolling around Antarctica in a stock 1960s VW Beetle

[@josepablolopez604]

Was anyone else disturbed by the distorting images? thought I was trippin for a sec

[@daniellewis3330]

It looks like a sandcrawler. A Snowcrawler.

[@Gate0r]

Callum already did it

[@ImreBertalan86]

For the love of.... sstop using imperial and stick to the metric system Simon! Please !

[@goofyleo3869]

"NO!" says the only country to put a man on the moon and his target audience.

[@1chumley1]

I would guess that northern Siberia would be a good environment to develop such vehicles.

[@dufferdude1205]

NO the USA’s LC 130 is what enabled or made a lot easier than any mode of Antarctica exploration. What do you think mainly bring supplies, personnel ect. Not these. By the wat the USA fly from personal experience flies more planes than I could count out of Mc Murdo airfield. Oh we tagged their plane too. Wasn’t easy.

[@dearthditch]

the Goodyear tires were plain stupid. Russia would know from its treks to northern prison camps. Honestly the US should’ve known too

[@hypercomms2001]

This rips off the videos on this subject by: [Found and Explained]: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gIqzpaOmjdSHrMk&pp=ygUNS2hhcmtvdmNoYW5rYQ%3D%3D [Calum, who produced an excellent documentary on this about three years ago...]: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nGe1Xptma66mgNk&pp=ygUNS2hhcmtvdmNoYW5rYQ%3D%3D

[@boydsinclair7606]

"Poor oil cooling" 🤔 in the Antarctic 😐

[@Fummy007]

TIL in Russian "Antarctica" is "Antarctida" for some reason.

[@mrtjbiga1784]

To the narrator, bro slow down 😂

[@StefanMedici]

Cocaine and coffee will do that to you... Allegedly.

[@dlblair]

I thought Antarctica was an ice wall around the flat earth? 😂😂

[@lsear2905]

great video, but tbh I'm not loving the new editing style (spinning flash cuts?!) and faux 3d photos. Leave that for tiktok

[@mynameiszakk]

Last time I was this early @mbathroom1 didn’t exist

[@csk4j]

Glad to hear of the contribitions wo political stuff

[@thewelfairshop4164]

Diesel gels at -9c

[@chriswhite3692]

I hear Russia is breaking some of these out for the war in Ukraine. Best feature- no turret to fly off

[@zaco-km3su]

It's Soviet, not Russian.

[@manup1931]

It's not the Russian hulk, because it was developed in Ukraine. The city of origin is even in the name.

[@tenfriskydingos]

Absolutely, Slava Ukraini

[@Love-you-too]

You’re absolutely right, however they were, in this situation, representing what Russia was doing in the Antarctica. It depends on how you look at it when you’re talking, like if you were talking about engineering feats in different countries, you would say the Ukrainian hulk

[@orwellboy1958]

Did the Russians build it? Did the Russians pay for it? If the answer is yes, then it's Russian.

[@Infodumptruck]

Fun fact: Russia shouldn't even be called Russia. Russia rebranded itself intentionally as Russia from Moscovia, but Rus refers to Ukraine. If anyone has the right to call themselves Russian it's Ukraine. Moscovites has been stealing Ukrainian history for a LONG time. So it kinda is still a Russian hulk lol

[@manup1931]

I would call it the Soviet Hulk.

[@paulaustin29]

Someone who went to college.

[@eyelidstudio]

It's a shame in 2024 to call Kharkovchanka which was made entirely in Ukrainian SSR a ' Russian Hulk' . This incredible machine has nothing russian, except the fact those were ceased in 1990s and now are propetry of the russians.

[@EmmaEgede]

@eyelidstudio Keep crying 😢 ukronazi

[@KombatVombat]

It's called that because Kharkov is a Russian city, currently occupied by Ukraine. I think soon it will be fixed.

[@uberalles9797]

The russian part of the kharkovchanka is ukraine itself, stop crying btw.

[@ВладимирБабичев-ц3ш]

Actually Russia is an official successor of USSR. And those vehicles were of no use to Ukraine, since they had no base on South Pole and no money in budget for that.

[@NicholasMcClintock1]

let's be honest here, if Russia had the same money as USA, they would be the single most powerful nation on earth. They don't lack courage or new ideas.

[@dragonsdynamite6403]

What was the typical Russian breakfast?!

[@companymen42]

It’s designed by Ukrainians, of course its so well designed 😂

[@clarkbutler]

i dont know if you hired a new editor, or if an old one just purchased different software with new tricks, but the transition between scenes is pretty jarring, the sound levels are 2 high, and the sounds they are using, well, they suck , also , the old timey overlay for making film look old, i mean its fine everyone in a while, but sometimes the clean shot is better, im sure i sound like a dick but,im not trying to be. Maybe its a matter of taste. there is a happy medium, and your videos have always found that sweet spot before

[@rahulg2961]

Simon I came back to this channel after a long time. I was really annoyed by the reel sound effects. Please stop it. I'm a fan of your business blaze and CC kind of style. I don't mind well edited videos too but I'm clicking off this because of the unnecessary sound effects.

[@hansscholl1122]

Why do you call it russian Hulk? Kharkovchanka "Woman of Kharkiv" was designed and built in Ukraine, not in russia.

[@thorbalt1]

Why in gods name did someone use a sewing machine sound in place of old timey film? Its the most annoying thing I have ever heard on this entire channel

[@valentyn.kostiuk]

Kharkiv is Ukraine. I agree with "soviet" but not much with "russian".

[@ugn669]

Exactly, I was about to post along the same lines... Soviet - yes. Russian - no.

[@gureidens61]

U're right, its soviet.

[@Anedoje]

Your statement is honestly stupid the city belonged to Russia longer than it did Ukraine the supreme Soviet is what gave it to Ukraine

[@fastfiddler1625]

Anyone here play stormworks? I'm building one.

[@Shells-1967]

So it is not even russian

[@zaco-km3su]

Soviet.

[@jedaaa]

Repost ?

[@simasbestautas3452]

TOP10!! 😂😂

[@ivang5874]

i don’t know who does the writing for these but if you’d briefly go into comments you will realize that you’re doing a whole lot of dog whistling towards russians. intentionally or not you keep saying kiev instead of kyiv. kharkov instead kharkiv. the difference being correct transliteration from ukrainian. calling this machine russian is incorrect at best or intentionally insulting at worst. it’s either soviet or Ukrainian. make up your mind. kharkiv, which is my town, and the town where this machine was made was bombed again last night. by russians. for someone covering events in our part of the world for two years you either should know this by now or stop being a coward war supporter and let your true colors show.

[@goofyleo3869]

Don't worry, Homie; we still stand with you even if Simon is still tip-toeing on top of the PC fence.. ✊🏻

[@ugn669]

Simon, considering the current situation in that part of the world you really should put more effort into distinguishing soviet/russian/ukrainian/etc in a more clear manner ... for example when showing overlays of the antarctic trip youre displaying the current russian flag, which didnt even exist when the trip youre talking about took place. Technically thats an error in the video... but well let that slide... this time.

[@lukemacdonald1161]

Seriously??

[@ugn669]

@@lukemacdonald1161 No, I really enjoy being given incorrect data.. its why I watch this channel. *facepalm

[@ijandrzejuk121]

Socialism rules!

[@exaplays4236]

FIRST! love your work simon!

[@brucemitchell5637]

Nope, I'm first!