Soviet bison. History of MAZ. History of the MAZ brand

By the beginning of the Second World War, in the small village of Krasnoe Urochishche (until 1923 - Bishop's Grove), 7 km southeast of the center of Minsk (since 1938 - as part of the Stalin, now - Zavodskoy district of the city), a military town was built, where the tank regiments and repair services of the 26th Panzer Division, which was part of the 20th Mechanized Corps of the Red Army in the Western Special Military District. During the occupation, on the basis of the repair shops, the Daimler-Benz company, using the labor of prisoners of the Red Army prisoners in the local concentration camp "Panzerkazarma" (the camp was located in the barracks of the former military town), built a car assembly plant. Its construction was supervised by the official representative of Daimler-Benz for the supply of cars for the Reich Chancellery, Jacob Verlin. The plant did not exist for long. In the summer of 1944, the offensive of the Soviet units developed so rapidly that the Nazis did not have time to seriously destroy production and other buildings during the retreat.

Just six days after the liberation of Minsk from the Nazi troops, on August 9, 1944, the GKO decree No. 6360s was issued.

The capital of the allied Belarus was only liberated from the fascist invaders, and the city was practically wiped off the face of the earth - it was difficult to find the surviving buildings. The war was still going on, and the front needed new technique... Minsk car assembly plant, the director of which was I.F. Tolkunov, began collecting cars for the front, arriving in the USSR under Lend-Lease.

Mack NR14 car assembled at the Minsk car assembly plant in 1945.


According to the plans, after the reconstruction of 1940-1942, the Yaroslavl plant was supposed to master the production of the YAG-7 truck, the prototype of which was determined american cars GMC-803 with 110 hp diesel engine and GMC White 1936, the design of which was developed by the Russian-born designer A. Sakhnovsky.








By the way, this design was also used in the German army opel cars Blitz, as Opel was owned by GMC in pre-war and wartime.


Sweden also produced similar car using American technical solutions and licensed engines.
Volvo LV94 1936.


The first prototypes of the YAG-7 left the factory gates already in 1938 - they used a forced engine from the ZiS-16 bus with a capacity of 85 hp. The car had the same GMC power unit as on the Y-12 tractor. Wheels for YaAZ traditionally preferred to be made disc (like the heavy German Bussing 4500 and Mercedes-Benz L4500, with 10 studs).


It was planned that the production cars will be equipped with a two-stage demultiplier, a frame stamped from 7-mm steel sheet, a comfortable all-metal cab and a spring suspension on rubber mountings. The main axle gearbox had to change significantly - instead of a pair of cylindrical spur gears, it was supposed to use chevron gears, and instead of a bevel spur gear pair - gears with spiral teeth.

The plans also provided for the further replacement of the YAG-7 with a 7-ton YAG-8 vehicle with a 110 hp diesel engine from the Ufa Engine-Building Plant. However, the outbreak of war did not allow the continuation of work on mastering the production of a new truck, and the plant was able to return to work on it only in 1943. In December of the following year, the prototype YAG-8 was assembled, and in January of the following year, its tests began.
In the summer of 1945, the truck, named YaAZ-200, was demonstrated in the Kremlin to the party and government leadership of the country. The car was generally approved and recommended for serial production at the Yaroslavl Automobile Plant.

The first serial YAZ-200.


In October 1946, the plant stopped assembling foreign cars and started producing cars of the MAZ-200 family, having received documentation and part of the equipment from the YaAZ.
The new assembly plant was mainly occupied by former partisans who went through the harsh school of occupation and the fight against the hated enemy. They also formed the backbone of the Minsk plant for the production of heavy vehicles, created in August 1946.


YaAZ-200 and MAZ-200 differed in a radiator grill (at MAZ it was vertical) by a bear on the hood of YaAZ and bison stamping on the side covers of the engine compartment.

At the beginning of 1947, the first prototype of the Yaroslavl truck arrived at MAZ, on the basis of which the Minskers will subsequently create the MAZ-200 and MAZ-205 dump trucks. The country was still in ruins, and the restoration of the national economy required mainly construction machinery, including heavy dump trucks.


The first five MAZ-205 trucks left the factory gates in the fall of 1947 - this date is considered the beginning of the production of the first MAZ vehicles.


The MAZ-200 was the first in the USSR to use synchronizers in all gears forward motion, the highest accelerating gear, fuel pump high pressure... In the power system
engine, a supercharger appeared, and the front springs were suspended to the frame
through rubber cushions. And the tachometer installed on the
dashboard. Even cars did not have such an "option".


In order to simplify and reduce the cost of the structure, as well as due to the shortage of thin rolled steel sheet in the country, the car cabin was made on a wooden frame with a wooden plank sheathing ("clapboard"), and on top of it - sheets of black tin painted in a protective color (supplied for export, cars were painted blue).


Initially, the MAZ-200 was equipped with the Yaaz-204 engine, an unlicensed analogue of the engine with american tractor GMC-803, 110hp Later, after modernization, its power increased to 120 hp.

Some of the usual MAZ-200 (and 205) left the factory with "bare" frames, without bodies
and saddle devices. At other enterprises, cranes were installed on cars
and tanks for various purposes. Most often they were tankers, less often
milk tankers. There were also very few machines for the transportation of live fish such as MAZ-200D
(by the way, they were made at the MAZ itself). Several dozen cars on specialized
enterprises were converted into two types of "firefighters" - tank trucks with
carriage-barrels or without them and ladders 45- and 32-meters long. On frames
of trucks, refrigerated vans of the Cherkasy plant were often mounted
refrigeration equipment or military kungs produced by Mytishchi
mechanical plant. But still MAZ-205 dump trucks accounted for the lion's share
release.

"Two hundred" served as the basis for the creation in 1957 of the first domestic heavy
4x4 military all-terrain vehicles MAZ-502 and
timber trucks MAZ-501. They, like MAZ-205 and other trucks of the family, are officially
were produced until December 31, 1965, when the Minsk Automobile Plant theoretically completely
switched to the production of cars of the "cabin over the engine" type. Almost from
of previously manufactured parts, bonneted trucks were assembled in small quantities
a few more months. In total, about 230 thousand cars of the "two hundredth"
families, including 17 thousand all-wheel drive 501s and 9 thousand 502s.

The selling price for MAZ-200 according to the price list of the beginning of the 60s was 3460 rubles, which corresponds to the retail price of Moskvich-403 and is significantly less than the Volga GAZ-21 (5100 rubles in 1961). Since the car was a truck, it was naturally not sold to private hands.

MAZ-205 various modifications produced for a long time. Until the appearance of MAZs of carriage layout. MAZ-200 were successfully sold to many foreign countries. Many Minsk trucks were operated in the German Democratic Republic, Mongolia, and Cuba. In Finland, road-trains with MAZ-200V tractors, equipped with British diesel engines, competed on equal terms with the famous "Leylands" and "Magirus".




This dump truck was created simultaneously with the onboard MAZ-500. At that time, it was a fundamentally new and original product for the plant. This dump truck will arrive on the conveyor in a fairly revised and modified form. There will be especially many options for solving the design of the front of the cab. In the design of this car, as well as the first MAZ-500 (1958), MAZ-200 units were used. 1958 year.


1965-1970
MAZ-500 is a serial car with a wooden side platform. Externally, it was distinguished by the cab lining, which was a set of vertical ribs, a casing that served as the rear support point of the cab, the distance between the axles was 3850 mm, the headlights were on the cab.


Prototype modifications:
MAZ-500SH - chassis for installing various equipment;
MAZ-500V - an onboard vehicle for the needs of the military (folding seats were placed in the back);
MAZ-500G - flatbed vehicle with an increased base, had a metal platform, was manufactured in small quantities;
MAZ-510 - with a carrying capacity of 7 tons was created on the basis of the MAZ 503 dump truck. Basically, both cars did not differ from each other, but on the 510 they installed an experimental single cab, maximally unified with the serial two-seater from MAZ 500. Such a car was created at the request of the Economic Council in connection with the expected savings in metal, reduced glass area, improved visibility and access to the engine. Due to the specifics of the dump truck, it was theoretically considered inappropriate to install a wide, spacious cab with a berth on it. However, practice refuted the theory: no serious metal savings came out, the machine did not stand up to any criticism from the point of view of ergonomics. The one-way cockpit was small and inconvenient, and the open right part tipper body significantly increased aerodynamic drag and, as a result, fuel consumption. MAZ 510 passed only factory tests and was not recommended for further research and serial production.


MAZ-512 (or 500S) - northern version;


MAZ-513 (or 500Yu) - southern version;
MAZ-505 (1962) - four-wheel drive modification of the onboard vehicle. The car was intended for the needs of the military. Did not go into the series.
MAZ-516B is the last version of MAZ-516. Distinctive features are the MAZ-5335 cab with a tunnel for the YaMZ-238 engine. Distinctive feature This vehicle is equipped with an additional lifting axle located behind the drive axle. 1974 year.


1977-1990.
MAZ-5335 is the last modification of MAZ-500 of 1965.


In accordance with the new requirements, the headlights were moved to the bumper, and a new lining in the form of small rectangular cells appeared on the cab. A new, more convenient and informative instrument panel harmoniously fits into the cockpit. The turn signal, located behind the door, changed its location - it lowered close to the cockpit wing. A more durable metal platform was installed on the car.
Prototype modifications:
MAZ-5334 - chassis for a complete set;
MAZ-53352 - long-wheelbase side (base 5000 mm);
MAZ-533501 - northern version.




The end of the 1980s was marked by the creation of prototypes of new trucks. The most significant among them was MAZ-2000. The index shows that its design is oriented towards the year 2000. This car, called the "Rebuild", is a modular design example. In its front part there is a block of units: engine, gearbox, front drive axle with suspension, steering... If desired, each of the axles can be replaced with such a block and create a truck of any length and carrying capacity. MAZ-2000 in the fall of 1988 was exhibited at the Paris International automobile exhibitionwhere he was highly praised.

MAZ "Perestroika".


There is no other car in the history of the Belarusian automobile plant that would arouse such persistent interest as the MAZ-2000 Perestroika truck.


It has already become a real symbol of free creative thought of Belarusian designers, and a symbol, as many now think, of the missed opportunities of the plant and the country.
Which is not surprising. After all, this car was created only as a "concept car" for the Soviet truck industry, but it turned out that it was at least 50 years ahead of its time.

For the general public, the most noticeable in the "Perestroika" was the concept of a flat cab floor, which then many manufacturers trucks just "ripped off" from the "MAZ-2000". But a flat floor in Perestroika is less than one percent of the new ideas embedded in a car, where a flat floor was not even the goal.


It turned out by itself, automatically, when implementing other ideas. The basic idea of \u200b\u200bthe modular design embodied in Perestroika was not to increase the engine power depending on the weight of the load. It is in module trailers with their own engines. For example, a 20 ton car is lucky - it has one trailer with one engine, 120 tons - 6 trailers with six engines; and they all work in sync. The fate of "Perestroika" MAZ-2000 is sad. It did not go into the series, although it was planned to produce up to 2,000 cars a year and for which an assembly building was even built. But there were only two prototypes, one is installed at the factory on special stands. For eternal memory.

Today MAZ cars are produced not only in Minsk, assembly plants have been built in Azerbaijan and Iran.

And in Russia and other countries of the former USSR there are such monuments.

We search and publish photos of old MAZ models.
We will be very grateful to you if you can help fill this section of the site.
Send your photos to the mail

MAZ-200 is a truck manufactured by the Minsk Automobile Plant. Production was transferred from the Yaroslavl Automobile Plant (YaAZ-200), prototypes were created in 1944-1945. On February 10, 1951, after the commissioning of the second stage of the plant, serial production began. A total of 230,000 vehicles were produced at MAZ until December 31, 1965, when the plant completely switched over to the production of the MAZ-500 model and its modifications.




MAZ-205

  • Date of issue 1947-1966.
  • The car body is a metal platform with an opening tailgate.
  • Unloading - back.
  • Compared to MAZ-200, the dimensions have been changed: the wheelbase has decreased to 3800mm (4520mm for MAZ-200)
  • Overall length decreased to 6065mm (7620mm for MAZ-200).
  • It is noteworthy that MAZ-205 began production three years earlier than MAZ-200. The first three years, the production of cars was carried out in parallel with the construction of the plant. Most of the components and parts for MAZ-205 were supplied from YaAZ and other factories in the country.
  • Compared to another dump truck of that time, the YaAZ-210E, MAZ-205 was less effective, since it carried half the amount of cargo in one trip. In addition, he could not be loaded with excavators, the bucket capacity of which exceeded 1.5 tons, and already from the end of the 40s, many construction organizations received excavators with buckets with a capacity of 3 tons at their disposal. Loading MAZ-205, they often destroyed his body , springs, frames and subframes.



MAZ-500

  • Year of issue: 1965-1970
  • MAZ-500 is a serial vehicle with a wooden side platform. Externally, it was distinguished by the cab lining, which was a set of vertical ribs, a casing that served as the rear support point of the cab, the distance between the axles was 3850 mm, the headlights were on the cab.
  • Prototype modifications:
  • MAZ-500SH - chassis for installing various equipment;
  • MAZ-500V - an onboard vehicle for the needs of the military (folding seats were placed in the back);
  • MAZ-500G - an onboard vehicle with an increased base, had a metal platform, was manufactured in small quantities;
  • MAZ-512 (or 500S) - northern version;
  • MAZ-513 (or 500Yu) - southern version;
  • MAZ-505 (1962) - four-wheel drive modification of the onboard vehicle. The car was intended for the needs of the military. Did not go into the series.



Timber truck MAZ-501

Serial timber truck MAZ-501 (1955-1966) with 4x4 wheel arrangement. Since 1962, a modification of the MAZ-501B has been produced with a two-stroke diesel engine YaMZ-236 instead of the two-stroke YaAZ-204V. It is noteworthy that MAZ-501 began to be produced earlier than its "military" version MAZ-502, which is associated with the sharply increased demand of the national economy for wood in the 50s of the XX century. The most difficult at that time were two moments - the skidding of the fallen forest from the taiga to the road and its subsequent delivery to the communication lines. The horse-drawn transport used at that time could no longer cope with these problems. And it was to solve these problems that the first Soviet serial timber carrier was created.




Army truck MAZ-502

  • Four-wheel drive army truck MAZ-502 based on the seven-ton truck MAZ-200 with a 4x2 wheel arrangement. Four-cylinder diesel engine YaAZ-M204V of increased power. The transmission scheme included five-speed gearbox gears and two-stage transfer case, which distributed the torque between the front and rear axles in a ratio of 1: 2. The drive to the front wheels is non-disconnectable, so the truck was equipped with a lockable center differential. Range gear ratios transmissions - 14.5. All wheels of the car are single-sided with tires measuring 15.00-20 ". The car was equipped with a pneumatic power steering. For transportation of personnel or cargo, the car had a universal cargo platform.
  • Year of issue:from 1957 to 1966
  • Three modifications:
    • a truck without a MAZ-502 winch;
    • a truck with a MAZ-502A winch;
    • truck tractor MAZ-502V.


Dump truck MAZ-503

The first samples were released in 1958. Serially produced since 1965 as MAZ-503, from 1970 to 1977 as MAZ 503A.

Modification of the MAZ-500 car

  • MAZ-503B is a dump truck with a universal platform.
  • MAZ-503V, MAZ-503G - experimental dump trucks with underbody heating.
  • MAZ-509B - four-wheel drive.
  • MAZ-510 is a single-cab dump truck.
  • MAZ-511 is a dump truck with side unloading.



Produced since 1965. Wheelbase - 3200mm. A feature of this model is the presence of a guide device located behind the saddle (on subsequent modifications - MAZ-504A, MAZ-5429 - it will be abandoned). The working conditions of the driver on this tractor were far from ideal, even by the standards of those years.
A number of modifications were created on the basis of MAZ-504:
MAZ-504B is a hydraulically driven truck tractor for a semitrailer.
MAZ-508V is an all-wheel drive truck tractor.
MAZ-520 is a 6x2 truck tractor.
In 1970, due to the modernization of the family, MAZ-504 gave way to the MAZ-504A tractor.




MAZ 2000 - Perestroika

In the late eighties, a prototype of the MAZ-2000 truck was created. The release was scheduled for 2000. In its front part there is a block of units: engine, gearbox, front drive axle with suspension, steering. In the fall of 1988, the truck was exhibited at the Paris International Motor Show, where it was highly appreciated. Diesel mAN engine designed to carry 21 tons of cargo at a speed of 120 km / h. Its curb weight is 12 tons, and its length is 14.9 meters.






Once I promised to write about Omsk auto-memorials that have not survived to this day, and today the story will go about one of them.
Not far from Prospekt Mira, near the rusted gates, behind which one of the largest motor transport enterprises of Omsk, OPOGAT-10, was once located, a forgotten pedestal stands alone among the trees and bushes.

Once upon a time, a MAZ-200 truck proudly stood on this pedestal, and the monument appeared approximately at the end of the 1970s, when the OPOGAT-10 management decided to build a monument to the labor merits of their organization for the next anniversary. When discussing the future monument, everyone agreed that the MAZ-200 should be placed on the pedestal - these were the vehicles that made up the bulk of the ATP vehicle fleet in the first years of its existence, at the same time about 200 such trucks were operating at the enterprise. But alas, by the end of the 70s, there were no more cars of this model in the ATP - in Soviet times, the fleet was updated in a timely manner and the old trucks went to ferrous metal. It seemed that I would have to put on the pedestal more modern car or to abandon this idea altogether, but then someone remembered that SibADI still has a truck of this model, which is used as a visual aid for the device of a car, and also sometimes serves to teach driving.
The conducted negotiations gave the desired result and MAZ-200 from Avtodor arrived at the car enterprise on its own. The old drivers of OPOGAT-10 greeted a familiar car with nostalgia, and someone even expressed a desire to take it as working machine (here, in addition to nostalgia, the fact that when working on the MAZ-200 the driver's tariff rate was higher than on modern cars). But the fate of MAZ was already decided and by the right time he stood in an honorary parking lot at the gates of the enterprise:

The crisis 90s did not spare OPOGAT-10, and by the 2000s the enterprise was gone. Fortunately, the new owners of the territory of the former ATP did not send MAZ for scrap, but they removed it from the pedestal, placing it near the entrance to the territory. In this form, I found a veteran car in 2006:

This machine was originally developed at the Yaroslavl Automobile Plant in 1943-44 on the instructions of the People's Commissariat of Medium Machine Building and originally bore the YAZ-200 brand. Work on the design of a promising family of new trucks at YaAZ was carried out even before the war, but then for obvious reasons they were stopped. The prototype came out of the gates of YaAZ in December 1944, and in June 1945, after testing, was shown in the Kremlin to the country's leadership, among other new samples automotive engineeringintended for production in the post-war years. In 1946, an experimental batch was produced, and in 1947 mass production began. In 1951, the production of the two-hundredth model was transferred to the Minsk Automobile Plant, where MAZ-205 dump trucks were already being assembled by that time. YaAZ-200 turned into MAZ-200, and the Yaroslavl bear on the radiator was replaced by Belarusian bison on the sides of the hood:

The heart of the MAZ-200 was the YaAZ-204 diesel engine, which was a licensed copy of the American GMC 4-71 engine. The power of the first version of this engine was 110 hp, later the engine was modernized and began to produce 10 hp. more, this modification was named YaAZ-204A.

So the old truck would have stood by the fence, growing into the ground and losing parts, and would eventually go to scrap metal, but through the efforts of some people who were not indifferent to the history of technology, this machine became known far beyond Omsk. And in 2009, the third life of the old MAZ began - it was bought by the AltayMAZservice company from the city of Barnaul, whose specialists restored the MAZ-205 dump truck found in the Kemerovo Region a few years earlier. Now, in a small collection of this company, a flatbed truck of the 200th family has appeared, the car has undergone restoration and changed its color - from khaki to bright turquoise, in this color MAZs intended for export were painted.

Now the car, restored to running condition, regularly participates in exhibitions and runs of retro vehicles in Altai, and I would like to wish the honored MAZ many years of life!

The main specifications car MAZ-200:
Wheel formula - 4x2
Body type - onboard
Cab - double
Carrying capacity - 7000 kg
Unladen weight - 6400 kg
Full weight - 13400 kg
Total weight of the towed trailer - 9500 kg
Engine - YaAZ-204A, diesel, two-stroke, four-cylinder
Maximum power - 120 HP
Fuel consumption - 35 liters per 100 km
Maximum speed - 65 km / h

On August 9, 1944, according to the decree of the State Defense Committee of the USSR, an auto repair enterprise was created in Minsk, which by October of the same year had switched from restoring old soviet cars to the assembly of trucks from American vehicle kits.

This date is considered to be the birthday of the Minsk Automobile Plant ...
The car repair company was founded after the liberation of Minsk, but still managed to "make war". The cars produced were immediately sent to the front. These were mainly Studebaker trucks, which were assembled until the end of 1945. By the way, it was on Studebaker that the legendary Soviet Katyusha mortars were installed.
After the end of the Great Patriotic War, about thirty American trucks remained on the territory of the enterprise, which were used for peaceful purposes for a long time. In particular, for the construction of a capital car plant in a new location. And later - for the delivery of components from Yaroslavl to Minsk.

The first steps

In August 1945, J.V. Stalin signed a decree on the beginning of the construction of an automobile plant in Minsk. The work was carried out at an amazing speed. In January 1947, when the plant was still under construction, a flatbed truck of the Yaroslavl Automobile Plant YAZ-200 was delivered to Minsk, which became the progenitor of the “two hundredth” generation of MAZ trucks.
But time dictated its terms. The country needed construction dump trucks. Therefore, the first trucks of the Minsk Automobile Plant were a copy of the prototype dump truck YaAZ-205, which successfully passed all factory tests, but never saw the light under the emblem of the Yaroslavl bear, but became the firstborn of the Minsk Automobile Plant (MAZ-205).



In parallel with the construction of additional shops, intensive work of specialists was going on to launch the first five-ton MAZ into the series. And by November 7, 1947, five trucks with the factory index MAZ-205 were "put on wheels." They took part in the festive parade, marking the start of serial production of the country's first five-ton dump trucks.
This is how the history of MAZ began. From a repair company to a screwdriver assembly plant for imported cars. From American trucks to Yaroslavl dump trucks.

Five tons

Until the end of 1950, the Minsk plant was under construction, simultaneously producing MAZs of the 200th family. But then the enterprise was only engaged in the assembly of cars and the production of wooden cabins. Almost 75% of component parts were delivered to Minsk from Yaroslavl. And only in 1951, when the main production facilities of the plant were put into operation, the situation changed. Technical specialists from all the republics of the Soviet Union began to move to Minsk. It was necessary to create "from scratch" an entire infrastructure for the production of components for "two hundredth" MAZs.
Soon they mastered the onboard MAZ-200, it turned out to be simpler and cheaper than a dump truck - no hydraulic equipment was required to lift the body. The first "two hundredths" were very reliable and unpretentious. In just a few years, a large number of modifications were developed and put into series on the basis of these medium-tonnages.



In 1951, the plant began production of the army MAZ-200G with folding benches for soldiers and a protective awning. Truck tractor MAZ-200V with maximum mass of a towed semi-trailer of 16.5 tons went into series already in 1952. A more powerful tractor was installed two-stroke engine YaAZ-M-204V, developing a power of 135 hp.
And a year later, on the basis of the "two hundred" were designed and produced prototypes of the first domestic all-wheel drive trucks. These all-terrain vehicles were assigned a new factory index, starting with the number "5" (saddle timber carrier - MAZ-501, flatbed trucks for the needs of the army - MAZ-502 and MAZ-502A with a winch on the front bumper).



Despite the external similarity of all-wheel drive vehicles with MAZs of the “two-hundredth” family, the SUVs had a much more complex design.

Twenty five tons

By the end of the 1940s, a nuclear industry began to emerge in the country. Thermal and hydroelectric power plants were urgently created. To build dams on Siberian rivers, a truck was needed to deliver huge granite blocks weighing several tens of tons from stone quarries.
The "two hundredth" family was clearly not suitable for these purposes. Therefore, in parallel with the development of new five-ton trucks, prototypes of MAZ-525 mining dump trucks with a unique for that time carrying capacity of 25 tons were being prepared for release. In 1950, the serial production of these "heavyweights" was launched.



The first twenty-five-ton tanks were equipped with 12-liter tank power units with a capacity of 300 hp
The rear axle was rigidly attached to the frame without any springs. The main shock absorber was huge wheels with a diameter of 172 cm.The fuel consumption of MAZ-525 was 100-130 liters per 100 km of track, maximum speed - 30 km / h.



MAZ-525 coupled with a specially designed dump trailer in Sverdlovsk could carry cargo up to 65 tons.
Soviet designers were rightfully proud of this technique. Belarusian dump trucks were supplied to Vietnam and even built dams on the Nile River. The first domestic dump truck of such a carrying capacity was used on almost all great construction sites in the USSR until the 1980s.

Forty tons

But even such a powerful truck was sometimes not enough. On May 17, 1955, the development of a promising dump truck with a carrying capacity of 40 tons began. And already in March 1957, a test run of the "super heavyweight" of those times, MAZ-530, was organized.



And in 1958 the 40-ton truck was awarded the "Grand Prix" at the World Industrial Exhibition in Brussels. Unfortunately, these legendary forty-tonnes never went into mass production.
In 1958, the production of mining special equipment was transferred to the plant of road and reclamation machines in Zhodino, laying the foundation for the construction of an enterprise for the production of super-heavy dump trucks - BelAZ.



The 40-ton dump trucks, which received recognition in Europe, had an unenviable fate. produced only 30-40 cars

The first cabover

For 18 years, the products of the Minsk Automobile Plant remained unchanged - MAZ-200 and MA3-205 dominated the production program of the automobile plant. The production of outdated "two hundredths" was discontinued only in 1966, when they were replaced by the no less legendary generation MAZ-500.
The development of cabover trucks of the "five hundredth" family was fraught with a huge number of difficulties. The transition to a fundamentally new layout - the engine under the cab - might not have taken place. This decision had many opponents. They say, they don't look for good from good.



But thanks to the efforts of young specialists in 1958, the production of two prototypes of a new truck began - MAZ-500 and MAZ-503. By the November holidays, the cars were sent for testing. By the summer of 1961, the experimental workshop of the plant had produced 122 machines of two types. These MAZs were sent for testing in the motor vehicle fleet of various republics of the Soviet Union. The timber industry enterprises of the Far North have accepted the first samples of the new all-wheel drive timber truck MAZ-509 and the truck tractor MAZ-504 for experimental operation.
It is difficult to determine where the experiments end and the series begins, but the fact is that the production of MAZ-200 in Minsk was decided to be abandoned only at the very end of 1965. It is generally accepted that the last MAZ-200, which rolled off the assembly line on December 31, 1965, was installed on a pedestal near the central entrance of the Minsk Automobile Plant. In fact, the “two hundredths” rolled off the assembly line in 1966, as a large number of unused components remained in the plant's warehouses.
Nine modifications of "five hundredths" were delivered to the conveyor at once: flatbed trucks, dump trucks with rear and side unloading, MAZ-504 and MAZ-504B truck tractors to work in tandem with a dump trailer, as well as dump trucks with a modified body rigidity for transportation of rock rocks.



The novelty of the Soviet automobile industry is the MAZ-509 all-wheel drive timber carrier. In the case of empty movement, it was possible to place the dismantling trailer on the car chassis.
In 1970, the "five hundredth" was slightly modified. The type of the radiator grille was changed, the carrying capacity of the onboard MAZ-500 was increased by one ton. The maximum speed of the new family has also increased to 85 km / h.
For flights to Europe, especially to distant capital countries, the MAZ-504V truck tractor was urgently developed, which, unlike the base MAZ-504A, could tow a semi-trailer with a carrying capacity of 20 tons. For the first time, a V-shaped eight-cylinder YaMZ-238 engine with a capacity of 240 hp was installed on tractors.



Longer springs for improved ride comfort. The cabin was made more comfortable - a dining table, sun visors, curtains, increased thermal and noise insulation. No one soviet truck those times could not provide such comfort. All colleagues envied the drivers of "Sovtransavto".

Four-wheel drive military trucks were subjected to the most severe tests

In 1977, Europe adopted new rules for the placement of lighting devices on trucks. It is logical that the MAZ-500 family was modernized for the second time. Selected structural elements were finalized and improved, but the main changes affected appearance car.
The headlights were moved to the front bumper, and the look of the radiator grille was changed again. The modernized cars were given a new "sonorous" name, which laid the foundation for confusing long indexes. For example, the MAZ-500 flatbed truck was renamed MAZ-5335, the MAZ-504 truck tractor - MAZ-5429.



During the last modernization of the "five hundredth", the designers of MAZ were already developing a new family of MAZ-6422 vehicles with a rectangular cabin of increased comfort. The emergence and development of modern MAZs originates from that moment.
May 19, 1981 is another significant date in the history of the Minsk Automobile Plant. It was on this day that the first two-axle tractor MAZ-5432 of the new promising MAZ-6422 family rolled off the assembly line. Exactly one year later, the three-axle MAZ-6422 went into production. The trucks were different from previous generations not only a new comfortable cabin with panoramic glass and two berths. There is a new crash-proof steering wheel, adjustable in height and tilt, sprung seats, electrically heated spherical mirrors.
For the first time in the domestic automotive industry, onboard system diagnostics, which allows the driver, without leaving the cab, to check the serviceability of the main components and assemblies. By reducing fuel consumption and increasing volume fuel tank trucks of the new family could travel up to 1,000 km without refueling.
Further more. The next modernization of semitrailer tractors made it possible to increase the total weight of two-axle road trains from 36 to 38 tons, and of three-axle ones - from 38 to 42 tons. The power of the Yaroslavl engines was increased to 300 hp. and 330 hp. respectively.



In 1990, the MAZ-64221 family cars were put into production. The biggest breakthrough of these trucks was the increase in service life by two times compared to MAZ-5335, and four times compared to MAZ-500. The mileage resource was 600,000 kilometers. Along with the MAZ-6430 vehicles mastered in production, these trucks are still being produced.

New stage

The new history of the Minsk Automobile Plant begins with the development of the legendary MAZ-2000 Perestroika. The road train created in Belarus was far ahead of its time. The modular design had no analogues in the global automotive industry. The victory of the Belarusian engineering and design ideas was recognized at the 1988 Paris International Grand Salon of the Automotive Industry.
There is evidence that several of the largest enterprises in Europe and North America acquired patents for MAZ-2000 Perestroika. Unfortunately, this legendary car has remained a bright fleeting flash of the Belarusian automotive industry. The MAZ-2000 Perestroika project did not develop, partly due to the fact that it was too ahead of the realities of the late 1980s.



In 1989, the plant celebrated the release of the millionth car. It was the MAZ-64221 three-axle tractor.
At the same time, the most serious tests of the new strategic military equipment - an onboard three-axle truck with a carrying capacity of 11 tons MAZ-6317 and a truck tractor MAZ-6425. Both cars had wheel formula 6x6. Such trucks have never been produced in Belarus. Therefore, immediately after assembly and two-hundred-kilometer running-in, the cars were sent on a test run along the route Minsk-Surgut-Minsk.
Cars overcame ice crossings across the Irtysh and Ob rivers. Later, these SUVs were sent for testing in the sands of the Karakum Desert. After finalizing the design all wheel drive trucks once again sent for testing in Nizhnevartovsk.
And all these ordeals were passed by trucks during only factory tests. Imagine what had to be overcome by MAZ-6317 and MAZ-6425 during the state exam for the right to launch into mass production and acceptance for supply of the Soviet army. The result of all tests was the signing of an order from the Ministry of Defense "on the adoption of the MAZ-6317 and MAZ-6425 multipurpose vehicles into service with the Soviet Army and the USSR Navy."



But the beginning of the nineties was a turning point in the history of the plant. Due to the collapse of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the existing economic ties were disrupted. Decreased production volumes. Yaroslavl power units could not keep up with constantly growing environmental standards.
The products of the Minsk Automobile Plant were unable to compete with the cars of the world's leading manufacturers.
Such difficult conditions the plant's management made the only correct decision. Already in 1992, the production of an experimental three-axle truck tractor MAZ-64226 with an engine of the German company "MAN" began on the new main conveyor.
The further introduction of new models is already a period in the modern history of the Minsk Automobile Plant. It is still quite difficult to write and assess this period of development of the domestic auto giant. Let's leave this mission to posterity.

History of Minsky car factory begins 6 days after the liberation of the city from the Germans on August 9, 1944, and it begins with the fact that at the beginning, Studebaker trucks began to be assembled in old repair shops under the Lend-Lease of the United States. Only in 1945, the government decided to create heavy trucks at the enterprise, the first machines, which were manufactured by November 7, 1947, were 6-ton MAZ-205 dump trucks with straight-sided bodies, created by specialists from the Yaroslavl Automobile Plant (YaAZ).


Its basis was the YAZ-200 car, from which the MAZ-205 inherited the 4-cylinder 2-stroke diesel engine YaAZ-204A (4650 cm 3, 110 hp) with direct injection and direct-flow blowing, the basis of which were american motors GM 4-71 (GM). A car with a wheelbase of 3800 mm. equipped 5 stepped box gears of the Yaroslavl plant, pneumatic brakes, wood-metal cab, disc wheels... With a gross weight of 12.8 tons, the dump truck reached a maximum speed of 50 km / h.


In 1950, the production of 7-ton YAZ-200 trucks with an onboard platform, which received the MAZ-200 brand from February 1951, was transferred to Minsk. Outwardly, they were distinguished by a vertical radiator grille and a new volumetric emblem in the form of a chrome bison. The car was equipped with the same engine, increased to 4520 mm. wheelbase and developed a speed of 65 km / h. In 1951, the first own version of MAZ-200G with a high-sided body appeared. The next year, the production of a MAZ-200V truck tractor with a modernized 2-stroke diesel engine YaAZ-204B (130 hp), intended for a road train with a gross weight of 23.2 tons, began.


After some time, MAZ began to manufacture its own trailers for its vehicles. In 1955, a timber truck MAZ-501 (4 × 4) with a 10-speed gearbox appeared, permanent drive on both axles and an asymmetrical center differential lock, which transmitted to rear axle 2/3 torque. When coupled with a 2-axle loosening trailer, it could take out from the forest 30-meter tree-lengths weighing up to 15 tons.


Starting next year, a 4-ton MAZ-502 flatbed truck and a variant with a MAZ-502A winch on single wheels appeared on its basis. In 1962-64. the plant offered transitional models: the MAZ-200P truck and the MAZ-200M and MAZ-200R truck tractors. On trucks of the "200" series in 1959 and 1964. the production of 100 and 200 thousandth cars of the MAZ brand fell. In 1950, a superheavy design bureau was created at MAZ trucks, which was headed by the famous designer B.L. Shaposhnik (1902-1985).


Under his leadership, on September 17, 1950, the first 25-ton dumper MAZ-525 with an overhead valve 4-stroke diesel engine D-12A, V12 (38.8 l., 300 hp), 2-disc clutch with hydraulic clutch, mechanical 5-speed gearbox, power steering, all-metal body with a capacity of 14.3 m 3. With a total weight of 50 tons, the dump truck developed a speed of 30 km / h. In 1957, the production of a 3-axle machine MAZ-530 (6 × 4) with a carrying capacity of 40 tons and a gross weight of 77.5 tons began. The engine power was increased to 450 hp.


For the first time on this car, a hydromechanical transmission was used, which included a torque converter, 3-speed planetary box gear, center differential and planetary wheel reducers. MAZ-530 developed a speed of 42 km / h and consumed 200 liters. fuel per 100 km. Since 1956 MAZ has also produced special for those times unusual wheeled vehicles: construction MAZ-528 (4 × 4) and a 300-strong airfield tractor MAZ-541 (4 × 2) for towing 85-ton aircraft, as well as the MAZ-532 (4 × 4) timber carrier with a 165 hp engine ...


The program included MAZ-529V and MAZ-531 single-axle tractors with 165 and 300 hp engines. for towing scrapers. In June 1954, a special design bureau was created at MAZ under the leadership of B.L. Shaposhnik for the development of four-wheel drive vehicles. In 1956, the first MAZ-535 (8 × 8) car with a 375 hp engine appeared, which was soon followed by its reinforced twin - MAZ-537 (525 hp). They used the former D-12A diesel engine, hydromechanical transmission, wheel planetary gearboxes, power steering, lockable differentials and tire inflation system, independent link-torsion bar suspension.


In the army, they served as tractors and carriers of powerful weapons, and in national economy worked in remote areas to deliver pipes or particularly heavy loads. In terms of quality, they were not equal to them in the USSR, it was not for nothing that the plant gave a 10-year warranty for its secret cars. Since 1960, the production of the MAZ-535/537 family has mastered Kurgan plant wheeled tractors (KZKT), and MAZ continued to develop machines of the new MAZ-543 family with two cabins, which received the unofficial name "Uragan". Back in 1958, MAZ assembled the first samples of the new generation "500" cars with a cab over the engine, but only in 1965, after the reconstruction of the plant, their mass production began.


The basic version was the onboard 7.5-ton MAZ-500 with a wheelbase of 3850 mm. It used a new diesel engine from Yaroslavsky motor plant YaMZ-236 V6 (11149 cm 3, 180 hp) with direct injection and combustion chambers in the piston, 5-speed gearbox with synchronizers for four top gearsspaced main gear with planetary wheel gears, power steering, telescopic hydraulic shock absorbers in the front suspension, discless wheels, tiltable all-metal cab.


The base model with a gross weight of 14.2 tons developed a speed of 75 km / h and a fuel consumption of 25 liters. 100 km. Its first options were the onboard MAZ-500G with an awning and the MAZ-500V truck tractor for towing the 14-ton MAZ-5243 semi-trailer. In 1965, the plant produced the northern version of the MAZ-512 and the tropical MAZ-513, as well as 7 ton dump truck MAZ-503 with a body with a capacity of 3.8 m 3 and a short-base truck tractor MAZ-504 (base 3280 mm.), Which worked with a MAZ-5245 semi-trailer as part of a road train with a gross weight of 24 tons.


Experimental dump trucks MAZ-510 with a single cab and a body with a protective visor and MAZ-511 with two-way rollover were very original. In 1969, the MAZ-509 (4 × 4) timber carrier with twin rear wheels, a permanent drive of all wheels and a winch, designed to work with 2-axle dissolutions GKB-9383 or TMZ-803M with a total weight of 29 tons. On its basis, a batch of MAZ-508 (4 × 4) truck tractors was produced. A year earlier, the plant manufactured its first 3-axle vehicle, a 14-ton truck MAZ-516 (6 × 2) with a third supporting and lifting bridge.


In 1970, the 500 family was modernized. The wheelbase of the MAZ-500A onboard model has increased by 100 mm, the carrying capacity has increased to 8 tons. The derivative models have changed accordingly: MAZ-503A and MAZ-503B dump trucks with bodies up to 5.1 m 3, MAZ-504A, MAZ-504B and MAZ-504G truck tractors for flatbed and dump semi-trailers. An exception was the MAZ-504V mainline tractor, which received a new YaMZ-238 V8 diesel engine (14860 cm 3, 240 hp). He worked with 2 axle flatbed semitrailer MAZ-5205 (gross train weight 32t.), Had a berth in the cab, a sprung driver's seat and was produced until 1979.


In 1973 g. new motor installed on a 3-axle MAZ-516B truck with a carrying capacity of 14.5 tons. A year later, an onboard version of MAZ-514 (6 × 4) with a YaMZ-238E engine (265 hp) and an 8-speed gearbox was released. On the MAZ-515B truck tractor, the YaMZ-238N diesel engine (300 hp) was used, which made it possible to increase the mass of the road train to 40.6 tons. The third generation of MAZs 1977-89 was a collection of various transitional combinations from the 500 series chassis with old and new engines, gearboxes and cabins, which became the basis for all modern models.


The first prototype of the modern generation was the 8-ton MAZ-5335 truck, which differed only in the cab lining and an all-metal cargo platform. On its basis, a 7.2-ton MAZ-5549 dump truck, MAZ-5429 mainline truck tractors with a 3-seater sleeping cab and MAZ-5430 for working with a dump semitrailer, as well as a MAZ-509A (4 × 4) timber truck were produced. A new diesel YaMZ-238E (265 hp) and a fully synchronized 8-speed gearbox were installed on the MAZ-53352 onboard 8.5-ton truck. On its chassis, a MAZ-5428 truck tractor was created for road trains with a gross weight of 33 tons.


By this time, the contours of a more advanced family were outlined, which was based on new YaMZ diesel engines (280-360 hp), a dual-band 8-speed gearbox and a new tiltable cab, offered in short and long (sleeping) versions. Updated family included 2 and 3 axle flatbed trucks MAZ-5336 (4 × 2), MAZ-6301 (6 × 2) and MAZ-6302 (6 × 4), truck tractors “5432”, “5433”, “6421 "And" 6422 ", dump truck" 5551 "and timber carrier" 5434 "(4 × 4). The first of them in 1978 was the MAZ-6422 (6 × 4) truck tractor, the so-called "SuperMAZ", equipped with a YaMZ-238F diesel engine with a turbocharger (320 hp), stabilizers lateral stability in suspension and the most comfortable version of the cab with two berths.


He worked with a MAZ-9398 3-axle flatbed semitrailer with a carrying capacity of 26 tons. The total mass of the road train reached 42 tons, the maximum speed is 88 km / h. A year later, the production of a similar 2-axle model "5432" began. The transition to the new generation was practically completed by 1985, and the MAZ-54322 and MAZ-64227 truck tractors with more comfortable cabins became the base. To replace the 5335 series, the production of 5337 trucks, 5551 dump trucks and 5433 truck tractors with a 180-horsepower V8 diesel engine was launched. In 1988, the models "54321" and "64221" were added to them, which received new engines YaMZ-8421 and YaMZ-8424 with a capacity of 360 and 425 hp.


In the same year, cooperation began with the German company MAN (MAN), whose 360 strong engines were first installed on MAZ-54326 and MAZ-64226 tractors. Finally, in 1988 at Paris Motor Show the plant presented an experienced "truck of the future" - MAZ-2000 "Perestroika" 15 m long with all power units located inside the swivel bogie under the high streamlined cab. On April 14, 1989, the 1 millionth truck was assembled. It was the MAZ-6422 tractor handed over to the First Moscow Automobile Plant. In parallel, the production of heavy multi-axle dual-use vehicles was successfully developed.


They were based on the MAZ-543A (8 × 8) and MAZ-547 (12 × 12) chassis, which served as carriers of strategic missiles. Since 1973, on the basis of the first model, the production of a civilian 20-ton flatbed truck MAZ-7310 (8 × 8) and a timber-wicker carrier “73101” with a diesel engine D-12A (525 hp) began. Subsequently, on their basis, a 7410 truck tractor, a 7510 20-ton dump truck and a 7910 pipe carrier were created. After modernization in 1979, the plant began production updated trucks "73123", tractors "73132" and dump trucks "7516". Since 1986, a 21-ton 525-horsepower onboard version "7313" (8 × 8) and a 6-axle crane chassis "7913" (12 × 10) with a capacity of 650 hp have been produced.


On the units of serial trucks, a 4-axle 21-ton dump truck MAZ-6515 (8 × 4) with a diesel engine of 425 hp was developed. soviet army 7-axle missile-carrying chassis “7912” and “7917”, 8-axle vehicles “7922” and “7923” for the delivery of strategic missiles “Topol”, as well as unique 8-axle and 12-axle transporters “7906 "And" 7907 ". In 1991 this production was transformed into an independent enterprise - Minsk Wheel Tractor Plant (MZKT). The transition to economic reforms in the early 90s. marked by major economic and political upheavals that put MAZ on the brink of disaster.


In the future, MAZ was able to recuperate, modernize its previous trucks and create their new fourth generation. They now have protective guards, ABS in the brake drive, and an ASR traction control system. As well as russian engines The Yaroslavl and Tutaevsk Motor Plants began to use German MAN motors, American Cummins and even British Perkins motors more and more. On main tractors, 9-speed gearboxes were used yMZ transmission, 12 or 16-step "Eaton" (Eaton) and CF (ZF), electromechanical interlocking differentials, comfortable cabins with a high roof, adjustable seat and a steering column.


The basis of 2-axle machines of the 90s. the families "5336" and "5337" remained as before. On their basis, a wide range of cars has been created that differ in configuration and a number of parameters: on-board "53362", "53363", "53366", "53368" and "53371", truck tractors "54323", "54326", "5433", " 5440 "," 5442 "," 5443 ", dump trucks" 5551 "," 5552 "and all-wheel drive version" 55513 "with diesel engines with ISO-460 hp. Gross vehicle weight is 16-25 tons, road trains - up to 44 tons. New products in this series are the 8.7-ton truck "534005" (330 hp) with a larger cab for working with the MAZ-8701 trailer and the 543208 truck tractor with the new YaMZ-7511 engine (400 hp). ).


In the range of 3-axle machines base model became MAZ-6303 (6 × 4), on the basis of which the version “630168” (6 × 2) and all-wheel drive 11-ton truck “6317” (6 × 6), as well as truck tractors “64229”, “64229- 027 "and" 6425 ", dump trucks" 5516 "(6 × 4) and" 55165 "(6 × 6) with a carrying capacity of 15-16 tons, timber carriers" 6303-26 "(6 × 4) and" 64255 "(6 × 6) with engines of 240-460 hp. The total weight of the road trains is 42-67 tons. On March 11, 1997, the first 2-axle fifth-generation truck tractor of the 5440 family for a road train with a gross weight of 44 tons, developing a speed of 120 km / h, rolled off the assembly line. It can be equipped at the customer's option different engines with a capacity of 370-600 hp, 9, 12 and 16-speed gearboxes, leaf spring or air suspension with electronic stiffness control.


The car is equipped with a comfortable cabin of our own production with an internal height of 1850 mm. and two berths. The 544008 tractor is equipped with a 400-horsepower YaMZ-7511 diesel engine, variants with imported units have the indexes “544020”, “544022”, “54421”. The new 3-axle generation was started by the MAZ-6430 (6 × 4) truck tractor for 46-ton road trains. Its variants "643008" and "643026" are equipped with 400-horsepower YaMZ and MAN diesel engines, respectively. In 1999, the plant presented an unusual 4.5-ton delivery truck MAZ-4370 with a diesel D-245.9 (136 hp).


Minsk Motor Plant (MMZ). Its production began in March 2000. On October 23, 1998, at the MAZ-MAN joint venture, a line for the assembly of MAZ-MAN-543265 and MAZ-MAN-543268 (4 × 2) mainline tractors with 370-410 engines began operating h.p. for work as part of 44-ton road trains. They were based on the converted MAZ-5432 chassis with MAI diesel engines, cabins from the F2000 series and a 16-speed gearbox TsF. Since 2000, 3-axle tractors "642268" and "642269" (6 × 4) with 400-465 hp engines have been produced. for towing road trains with a gross weight of up to 65 tons.


Despite all the difficulties, the Minsk Automobile Plant with a team of 20 thousand occupies a leading position in the production of trucks in the CIS countries. If in the 80s. he produced up to 40 thousand trucks a year, then in the 90s. - total IT-12 thousand (in 2000 assembled 13085 chassis). The plant continues to manufacture a wide range of different trailers and semi-trailers, and since 1993 its branch has been operating for the production of multi-seat buses. Since the day of its foundation, MAZ has manufactured more than 1.2 million vehicles.


©. Photos are taken from publicly available sources.