The production of tractors of the "SHTZ 15/30" model was carried out at the Stalingrad and Kharkov tractor plants, which became the first specialized enterprises in the Soviet Union. Previously, only small or mass-produced models of vehicles were manufactured in the country.
The "STZ 15/30" tractor was the most widely used agricultural tractor in the USSR in the first half of the 20th century. The first unit was assembled on June 17, 1930.
By April 1932, the Stalingrad tractor plant had reached its design capacity, producing 144 tractors of this model, also known as STZ-1, daily. In addition to Stalingrad, tractors were produced in Kharkov and at several auto repair plants, and their production continued until 1950. A total of 390,500 tractors were manufactured.
The design of this tractor, which became traditional for the Soviet automotive industry, was based on the American counterpart—the McCormick International 15/30 tractor, which was produced by International Harvester from 1921 to 1934.
The Soviet tractor turned out to be almost an exact copy of its American predecessor, even retaining its index through the fraction.
