MAZ-2000

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MAZ
The received MAZ-2000 perestroika in Minsk
The received MAZ-2000 perestroika in Minsk
MAZ-2000
Manufacturer: Minsky Avtomobilny Zavod
Sales designation: МАЗ-2000
Production period: 1985-1991
Previous model: none
Successor: none
Technical specifications
Designs: tractor
Engines: MAN diesel engine
Power: 213 kW
Payload: 21 t
Perm. Total weight: 33 t

The MAZ-2000 Perestroika ( Russian МАЗ-2000 "Перестро́йка" ) is a prototype truck from the Belarusian vehicle manufacturer Minski Avtomobilny Sawod , which was developed from 1985 onwards. At Paris Motor Show in 1988 , the vehicle of international experts was presented. The modular semitrailer truck received a lot of attention and recognition from foreign experts, but was neither the first nor the only design with comparable features on a global scale.

For Soviet relations was lorry unique, especially because it consists of individual modules, which should allow to use the truck exceptionally flexible. The drive unit, the driver's cab, the loading area and also individual axles could be exchanged between the vehicles as required and could be put together in a kind of modular system in different configurations. Due to the collapse of the Soviet Union and due to financial bottlenecks, however, it did not go into series production. Only one of the two prototypes built has survived. It was restored in 2004 after a long period of inactivity and has stood as a memorial on the manufacturer's site since then.

Development history

The considerations of building semitrailers differently than the conventional variant, consisting of a semitrailer tractor and semitrailer , go back a long way. In the 1940s, for example, a tanker truck with a structure similar to the MAZ-2000 was shown on an advertising poster for the American company Bohn. Until 1983 the German company Steinwinter built the Steinwinter 2040 , an underfloor tractor unit with a height of only 1.2 meters. In contrast to the Soviet design, the driver's cab and drive are housed in the same “module”. The later chief developer of KamAZ dealt theoretically with modular concepts in 1976 and 1977, the idea was taken up again in 1986 and greatly expanded into a complete module system, but was not implemented in practice. Similar concepts were also developed in the USA and Western Europe, for example the Kenworth Windclipper with swiveling driver's cab (1986, not implemented) or the VIRAGES VE10 concept vehicle from Renault (1985), which was later modified as the Renault Magnum and was built in series. The latter had an optically similar design and a driver's cab that was completely separated from the engine compartment without an engine tunnel, but not a modular structure. The engineer in charge of the “Perestroika” project, Michail Wysozki (Russian Михаил Высоцкий, 1928–2013) had already worked on designs for articulated buses that were technically similar to the later MAZ-2000 in the early 1980s. Drafts for underfloor tractor units were also made, but the driver's cab and trailer were permanently connected and only the motor vehicle was interchangeable.

The Minski Awtomobilny Sawod began development in 1985, and in 1986 the first of two prototypes was completed. Depending on the configuration, the vehicle consists of at least four separable modules: the undercarriage with engine, gearbox, steering and drive axle at the front, above the cabin as a separate module, behind it the transport module (consisting of the frame, the loading area and the central axle) and an additional one Axis module. The cabin and transport module are rigidly arranged in relation to one another, the entire undercarriage is steered hydraulically, similar to a bogie . This basic configuration could optionally be expanded to include an additional axle or an additional transport unit and a motor vehicle. Trucks with 33 or 40 tons and trains with a total weight of up to 80 tons would have been possible. The aim was the greatest possible flexibility in use and the universal interchangeability of the modules, for example at border crossings.

The prototype was equipped with very modern equipment by Soviet standards. The body is made of fiberglass , the cabin has been furnished with two beds, an FM radio, air conditioning, modern seats and air suspension. There was even a reversing camera , the gear selection was made with a gear lever, but electronically transferred to the gearbox and controlled by a microprocessor, not mechanically via a shift linkage. On the other hand, the status of series production at MAZ at that time was the MAZ-5335 , a vehicle that goes back directly to designs from the 1950s and works without any electronics. A six-cylinder in-line engine of the type D2866 was chosen as the drive, one of which was imported by MAN and one from Hungary, where Rába built corresponding engines under license from MAN. The output was rather low at 290 hp (213 kW). Due to the body design and the low air resistance, the truck still reached a top speed of 130 km / h and was therefore as fast as Soviet passenger cars. The twelve-speed manual transmission came from MAZ's own production.

Still in secrecy, the MAZ-2000 was presented to a select audience at a Moscow fair in 1988. Subsequently, at the Paris Motor Show in 1988, a second, visually slightly modified copy was shown to the public. The type designation chosen for the prototype - MAZ-2000 - does not correspond to the current Soviet standardization , but refers to the year 2000. Although great interest was also expressed from the international side, the truck was never taken into series production. After a few optical modifications, the project was discontinued in 1991 due to a lack of funds and in the wake of the collapse of the Soviet Union .

As of 2004, both prototypes and an additional drive module had been received. The first vehicle with a Rába engine, which was shown in Moscow and was better equipped, was almost completely restored at this point and is now a monument on the factory premises. On this example, the rear axles and the structure were subsequently replaced by a different design. The second vehicle with a MAN engine, as exhibited in Paris, was in poor condition and was later scrapped.

At MAZ, the prototype was never used constructively again. It turned out to be economical, but very impractical. Its operation required a lot of attention and experience, especially since the motor vehicle swerves in both directions when it is steered. Various structures in freight transport would also have had to be changed, which did not prove to be practical. The underfloor engine was by design poorly aimed drive module and wait for one of the reasons why already MAN to the acquisition of Büssing had abolished this type. The construction of the MAZ-2000 was even patented by the manufacturer in the USA, but the property rights have now expired.

Between 1989 and 1991, the Moscow vehicle institute NAMI built a non-modular truck with the designation NAMI-0286, a visually similar but classically constructed truck. As with the MAZ-2000, there was never any series production.

Technical specifications

For the second copy, if known.

  • Engine: in-line six-cylinder diesel engine
  • Engine type: MAN D2866
  • Power: 290 hp (213 kW) at 2200 min -1
  • Torque: 1200 Nm
  • Transmission: manual transmission, 12 gears
  • Gearbox type: In-house production by MAZ
  • Top speed: 130 km / h
  • Brake: air brake with ABS
  • Drive formula: 6 × 2, front-wheel drive

Dimensions and weights

  • Length: 14,900 mm
  • Width: 2500 mm
  • Height: 4000 mm
  • Loading volume: 83 m³
  • Turning circle, measured on the front wheel: 23.8 m
  • Tire size: 18.00R22.5
  • Empty weight: 12,000 kg
  • Payload: 21,000 kg
  • permissible total weight: 33,000 kg
  • Axle loads: 11,000 kg each with three axles

literature

  • LM Shugurov: АВТОМОБИЛИ России и СССР . Third part. Ilbi / Prostreks, Moscow 1998, ISBN 5-87483-052-9 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ www.telegraph.co.uk: Trucks of the Soviet Union: the definitive history
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k Знаменитый МАЗ Перестройка 1988 года: рассказываем о проекте во всех подробностях . Specialist article on MAZ-2000 perestroika from the magazine “Авторевю”, limited preview on autoreview.ru (Russian)
  3. ^ Concept vehicle Steinwinter Cab-Under: Somehow undergone spiegel.de, June 21, 2016.
  4. ↑ a b МАЗ-2000 «Перестройка» - советский автомобиль XXI века (Russian)
  5. ↑ LM Shugurow: АВТОМОБИЛИ России и СССР . Third part. P. 108.

Web links

Commons : MAZ-2000  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files