The KamAZ-5320 is the truck that started the brand. It came from a project begun at ZIL, was moved to the new plant in Naberezhnye Chelny, and was built from 1976 to 2001 as a three-axle flatbed; every other truck of the first generation grew out of it.
KamAZ-5320 at a glance
| Maker | KamAZ, Naberezhnye Chelny |
|---|---|
| First prototype | 1974 (as the ZIL-170, 1968) |
| Series production | 16 February 1976 – 2001 |
| Layout | 6×4 flatbed |
| Engine | KamAZ-740.10, 10.85 l V8 |
| Power | 210 hp at 2,600 rpm |
| Gearbox | five-speed, synchronised on II–V |
| Splitter | two-speed, behind the clutch |
| Cab | three-seat, tilting forward |
| Tyres | 260-508R (9.00-20), radial, 12-ply |
| Trailer | GKB-8350 |
| Brakes | pneumatic, two-circuit, drums |
The article is based on one source, the Russian Wikipedia page on the KamAZ-5320.
History of the KamAZ-5320
The truck that became the KamAZ-5320 was designed at ZIL under the name ZIL-170. The first ZIL-170 was built in 1968 with an engine from the Yaroslavl motor plant, and the first prototype was tested in May 1969 on the Uglich–Rybinsk road. When the party and government decided to build a complex of plants for heavy lorries in Naberezhnye Chelny, further development and assembly were transferred there and the machine was renamed KamAZ-5320. The first experimental KamAZ-5320 left the line in 1974, production of the KamAZ-740 engine began in 1975, and the first series trucks were built on 16 February 1976, decorated, as was the custom, with the slogan «Our gift to the 25th congress of the CPSU».
The 5320 became a family rather than a single lorry. From it came the KamAZ-5410 tractor unit, the KamAZ-5511 tipper, the longer KamAZ-53212 flatbed and the KamAZ-53213 chassis, as well as a two-axle branch with the longer KamAZ-5325 and the standard KamAZ-4325 flatbeds, the KamAZ-43255 tipper and the KamAZ-4410 tractor. The first two members of the 5320 family entered production in 1977 and the rest followed later; all shared a similar construction and many parts.
The cab is a three-seat all-metal type over the engine, tilting forward on a torsion mechanism to give access to the engine, and the engine, clutch and gearbox form one power unit carried on three mountings. The KamAZ-740.10 is a four-stroke V8 diesel of 10,850 cm³ with 210 hp at 2,600 rpm, and it introduced a series of solutions that were new for Soviet lorry building: a nitrided crankshaft, a full-flow oil filter with a centrifuge, a hydraulic fan coupling and two thermostats, a sealed cooling system filled for life with antifreeze, a dry air filter with ejector dust removal driven by exhaust energy, graphite-coated piston skirts, removable cermet valve guides, a molybdenum-coated lower piston ring and an active-reactive exhaust silencer. After the fire of 14 April 1993 destroyed the engine plant, KamAZ-740 production stopped and until the plant was restored in December 1993 the family was fitted with the Yaroslavl YaMZ-238M2 of 240 hp.
The transmission used a two-disc clutch with a pneumatic booster, a five-speed gearbox synchronised on second to fifth, and a two-speed splitter behind the clutch with one direct and one overdrive ratio, shifted pneumatically. The final drive was double, with spiral bevel and helical gears, and the middle axle had a lockable inter-axle differential. The front springs were semi-elliptic with hydraulic double-acting dampers, the rear suspension was of the balance type, the brakes were drums with a two-circuit pneumatic drive, and the tyres were 12-ply radials of 260-508R. The model stayed in production until 2001.
Design and features
- First of the line: the original KamAZ model, developed from the ZIL-170.
- Ten-litre V8: the KamAZ-740.10 of 210 hp, full of then-new engineering solutions.
- Splitter gearbox: five speeds plus a two-speed splitter, giving ten ratios.
- Family base: the 5410, 5511, 53212, 53213, 5325, 4325, 43255 and 4410 all derived from it.
- Long life: twenty-five years in production, with a forced pause in 1993.
KamAZ-5320 versions
- KamAZ-5320: the basic 6×4 flatbed.
- KamAZ-53212: the lengthened flatbed for road trains.
- KamAZ-53213: a chassis version for special bodies.
- KamAZ-5410: the tractor unit.
- KamAZ-5511: the tipper.
- Two-axle branch: the KamAZ-5325, 4325, 43255 and 4410.
The tractor version is the KamAZ-5410, the tipper the KamAZ-5511, and the lengthened flatbed the KamAZ-53212. More trucks are in the KamAZ collection.
Sources
- КАМАЗ-5320, Russian Wikipedia: history, construction, family
