PURCHASE OF A WHEEL LOADER Ł-34

Purchase of a wheel loader Ł-34 produced at the Stalowa Wola Steelworks for the collection of the Museum of the Central Industrial District

PROGRAM: Expansion of museum collections
TASK: Purchase of a wheel loader Ł-34 produced at the Stalowa Wola Steelworks for the collections of the Museum of the Central Industrial District.

The purchase was subsidized with funds from the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage from the state budget within the framework of the National Institute of Museums’ own program Expansion of Museum Collections.

CO-FINANCED FROM THE STATE BUDGET: 110,400.00
SUBSIDIZED FROM THE MUSEUM BUDGET: 27,600.00
TOTAL VALUE: 138,000.00
CONTRACT SIGNING DATE: NOVEMBER 2023

The main objective of the project was to purchase a wheel loader type Ł-34 for the Museum’s collection. The loader, manufactured in 1984 by the Stalowa Wola Steel Mill Industrial Combine, was constructed by engineers of the Stalowa Wola Research and Development Center for Earth and Transport Machinery (OBRMZiT). It is equipped with a SW 680 compression-ignition engine, manufactured by Wytwórnia Sprzętu Komunikacyjnego in Mielec.

The Ł-34 loader was used to scoop, carry and load bulk or lump materials. Among other things, it was used to winnow sand, soil, clay, gravel, aggregate and rubble from demolition work. It could also be used to transport semi-finished construction materials, level the terrain, clear snow from yards and streets, and perform many other activities. The loader could use additional attachments, which included reinforced buckets, enlarged buckets, forks, grabs, snow plows and others. The attachments also included a winch, very useful in the military version of the loader, which, under the symbol S£-34 as a loader-pusher, was introduced into the equipment of the Engineering Forces of the Polish Armed Forces and is still in use.

The production of the Ł-34 loader at the best period reached more than 900 units per year. Just taking into account the area of the former Soviet Union, more than 17,000 units were sold. Thanks to its popularity, it remained in production for 24 years.

The object has undergone a comprehensive restoration and is in working order. After the purchase, it was included in the outdoor exhibition of the Central Industrial District Museum.