The KamAZ-53215 is the second-generation flatbed that took over from the KamAZ-5320 in 2001. It keeps the three-axle six-by-four layout and the ten-tonne payload of its predecessor but brings a more powerful Euro 2 engine, a revised cab and a different final drive.
KamAZ-53215 at a glance
| Maker | KamAZ, Naberezhnye Chelny |
|---|---|
| Production | since 2001 |
| Generation | second |
| Predecessor | KamAZ-5320 |
| Layout | 6×4 flatbed |
| Kerb weight | 8,350 kg |
| Payload | 10,000 kg |
| Gross weight | 19,650 kg |
| Engine | KamAZ-740.31-240, 10.85 l V8, Euro 2 |
| Power | 176 kW (240 hp) |
| Gearbox | five-speed with splitter |
| Final drive | 5.43 |
| Tyres | 10.00 R20 (280 R508) |
| Top speed | 90 km/h |
The article is based on one source, the Russian Wikipedia page on the KamAZ-53215, which gives little beyond the specification table.
History of the KamAZ-53215
The 53215 is the direct successor of the first-generation KamAZ-5320, and it belongs to the second generation of the plant’s trucks. Production began in 2001, the year in which the 5320 family left the line, so the two models overlapped only briefly at the changeover. The new lorry kept the six-by-four layout and the ten-tonne payload that had made the 5320 the backbone of Soviet and Russian road freight.
The engine is the KamAZ-740.31-240, a V8 of 10.85 litres with turbocharging and charge-air cooling in Euro 2 specification, rated at 176 kW, or 240 hp. That is thirty horsepower more than the original 5320 had, which shows in the gross weight: the 53215 weighs 8,350 kg empty and has a gross weight of 19,650 kg against the 18,225 kg of the earlier lorry. The gearbox is a five-speed unit with a splitter, and the final drive ratio is 5.43, against 6.53 on the 53212.
The cab comes with a high or a low roof and with or without a sleeping place, so the same lorry could be specified for long-distance work or for day operation. The wheels carry single-road tyres of 10.00 R20, the truck reaches 90 km/h, climbs a 25 per cent gradient and turns in 9.8 m, the same turning circle as the 53212 despite the new chassis. The model also appeared in miniature: on 21 June 2014 a 1:43 model of a KamAZ-53215 in NefAZ-6606 form was issued in the Russian partwork series «Avtomobil na sluzhbe», number 69.
Design and features
- Second-generation chassis: the replacement for the long-serving KamAZ-5320.
- 240 hp Euro 2 V8: the turbocharged and intercooled KamAZ-740.31-240.
- Splitter gearbox: a five-speed main box with a two-speed splitter and a 5.43 final drive.
- Cab choice: high or low roof, with or without a sleeping place.
- Higher gross weight: 19,650 kg instead of the 5320’s 18,225 kg.
KamAZ-53215 versions
- KamAZ-53215 flatbed: the standard lorry with a ten-tonne payload.
- High-roof sleeper: the long-distance specification.
- Low-roof day cab: the version without a berth.
- NefAZ-6606: the form in which the 53215 was modelled in the 2014 partwork series.
The 53215 replaced the KamAZ-5320 and sits alongside the long KamAZ-53212 in the story of the flatbed KamAZ. More trucks are in the KamAZ collection.
Sources
- КАМАЗ-53215, Russian Wikipedia: specifications, model history
