1945 - 1955

Extracts taken from the CD-Rom "Amicale du Tracteur Renault" (1999 - Jacques Gouet)
and extracts from the "Encyclopédie du Tracteur Renault"
Three volumes (1919-1970) - (1971-2000) - (2000-2005) Editions ETAI
(Reproduced on this site with permission of ETAI)

        Once the War had ended, there followed a great deal of confusion in people’s minds; and, on 29 August 1944, the Justice Minister received a letter denouncing Louis Renault as a bad Frenchman.  

The details of this affair do not concern us here, but this denunciation resulted in the publication on 16 January 1945 of a ruling that the Renault factories should be taken into state control and the Company be dissolved, with all assets and liabilities assigned to the Government. By late 1945 it was therefore the State-managed Renault Factories (RNUR) who took over; but the factories at Le Mans would have no ties to the RNUR until a public decree issued on 15 November 1945.

The buildings had to be reconstructed, and despite all the turmoil, production slowly picked up, as you can see from this chart.

 

It was in 1947/1948 that production began of tractors that were more than simply a means of traction; in fact, with the release of the 3042 series, Renault introduced a hydraulic lifting mechanism with a position display; and also with variable tracks. <0}

     In 1949 we were in the midst of a full-blown economic crisis and the RNUR sales network was ill-prepared for a more intensive sales drive for the agricultural tractors.<0}

     In every regional division, a Regional Motoculture Centre (CRM) was set up; there were 16 created in total. In this way, every Regional Director had a team of agricultural machinery specialists, who drove and managed the sale of tractors in their area.

     The DVTA, who were well-acquainted with the problems posed by the correct use of a tractor, worked closely with the RNUR’s Research Department; research was also needed into the development of agricultural tools that were becoming increasingly an integral part of the tractor  ; from this emerged a series of agreements with several manufacturers, who constituted the large family .

     Immediately, sales took off and tractor stocks reduced

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At the start of the 1950’s, Renault set up a subsidiary for the construction of ploughs; the Société Nouvelle de Pontlieue in  Saint Etienne. It was this subsidiary that introduced the renowned PontChal ploughs.

    No fewer than 72,000 tractors were produced between 1956 and 1960 under this name.

    The ET5 range responded to demand, and Renault continued to develop it until 1968. 

     Almost 200,000 tractors were produced in this range; and Renault’s reputation will be linked for a long time with that of the D22, a medium power tractor.

    Following the creation of the DMA in 1955, research and testing became more independent

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Translated by LCI Bretagne

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