A Móra Ferenc Múzeum Évkönyve 2015., Új folyam 2. (Szeged, 2015)
NÉPRAJZ - Fodor Ferenc: „Mestörös embörök”. Technikai újítások a paraszti gazdaságokban
Ferenc Fodor Technical Innovations in Peasant Farming Technical Innovations in Peasant Farming Ferenc Fodor As a result of the socialist reorganization of agriculture, farmers were deprived of their fundamental equipment needed for farming activity. However, within the context of household farming, also to a smaller extent in that of the co-operatives, traditional agriculture could live on. This has a remarkable significance, especially in grape and fruit producing regions. Peasants had no resource to buy new machines, consequently, they started do create engine driven utility vehicles similar to horse-carts. These home-made vehicles were in most of the cases built on an UAZ chassis, although the chassis of ZUK and Barkas were also used. UAZ chassis was easy to purchase from Soviet barracks. Among its advantages we may highlight that it is all-wheel drive and it also has a mountain gear. The UAZ chassis was equipped with an engine of low consumption. These vehicles were suitable and safe to drive on sandy soil. They were certified as slow vehicles; consequently, officially they could not go faster than 25 km/ hour. In spite of this regulation, when the utility vehicle received the official certification and went under gear conversion, it could reach a speed of 40-50 km/hour. When unified regulations were born, several locksmiths started the quantity production of utility vehicles. A standard feature of these vehicles was the side dump platform, which was useful when transporting dung. The side dump could be moved into three directions: to the right, to the left, and to the back. Electrification in the Sandy Soil Region, situated between the Rivers Danube and Tisza, took place as late as in the 1970s. Lack of electricity made locksmiths replace electrical engines with those running on explosive engine. Cement mixers, grinders, and inductors were driven by motorcycle engines. Parallel to the changes in the traditional function of the smith profession, smiths began to produce new equipment reflecting on the requirements of the period. They started to produce plant bedding machines, soil block machines, and frameworks of sprinkle systems. These artisans set an example to the new generation of craftsmen, who, adapting to the new demands, atthe same time considering old traditions, continue producing utility vehicles. Their vehicles are regularly put on display at utility vehicle shows. 235
