KamAZ-53605: the two-axle tipper and chassis

The KamAZ-53605 is the plant’s two-axle construction tipper, shown in 2005 and in production ever since. Today it is offered as a tipper with a NefAZ body and as a bare chassis for street sweepers, sprinklers and tankers, and its engine has changed from KamAZ’s own V8 to a Cummins inline six.

KamAZ-53605 at a glance

The article is based on one source, the German Wikipedia page on the KamAZ-53605, which describes the vehicle as offered in 2016.

History of the KamAZ-53605

KamAZ presented a new two-axle construction tipper in 2005, and by September of that year it was already clear that the vehicle would be built in series. The 53605 was positioned above the KamAZ-43255 and below the plant’s various three-axle vehicles, and it was offered for sale from 2005. The tipper body holds 6.5 cubic metres and can be emptied only to the rear.

The mechanical specification has changed over the years, above all the engine. Early vehicles used KamAZ-740 V8 turbodiesels of either 260 hp (191 kW) or 280 hp (206 kW), both of 10.85 litres. The current 53605-A4 has a Cummins inline six of only 6.7 litres that nevertheless produces 298 hp (219 kW) and 1,097 Nm, in Euro 4 form and with a ZF gearbox. By 2016 the maker also listed a chassis version, typically used for special bodies such as sweepers and tankers; the «Shtorm» water cannon, which is also used by the military, uses the 53605 chassis as its basis.

Tippers are still built, but the body now comes from the Neftekamsk plant, NefAZ, a KamAZ subsidiary that has made tipper bodies since the 1970s. Both companies market the vehicle: KamAZ sells both the chassis and the tipper, NefAZ only the tipper. The 2016 chassis had a 6,650 mm length, 2,500 mm width and 2,945 mm height on a 3,950 mm wheelbase, with a long-wheelbase variant of 7,130 mm and 4,200 mm respectively. Empty weight was 6,475 kg, payload 13,950 kg and gross weight 20,500 kg, with 7,500 kg on the front axle and 13,000 kg on the rear; the frame takes bodies up to 3,990 mm long, or 4,670 mm on the long version.

The permissible trailer weight is 14 tonnes, which gives a train weight of 34.5 tonnes with the vehicle at its gross weight. In practice that figure is rarely usable, because axle-load and two-axle weight limits intervene: in Germany, as in many European countries, a two-axle lorry is limited to 18 tonnes and the rear axle to 11.5 tonnes rather than the 13 tonnes the chassis is rated for. The truck reaches 90 km/h, climbs a 25 per cent gradient and turns in 16 m, carries 210 or 350 litres of fuel and runs on 24 volts with two 190 Ah batteries.

Design and features

• Two-axle tipper: a 6.5 m³ body that tips to the rear, positioned between the 43255 and the three-axle tippers.
• Modern engine: the current 53605-A4 uses a 298 hp Cummins ISB6.7e4 with 1,097 Nm.
• ZF gearbox: a nine-speed ZF 9S1310 manual.
• Chassis versions: sweepers, sprinklers, tankers and even the «Shtorm» water cannon use it.
• Long-wheelbase option: 7,130 mm and a 4,670 mm body length instead of 3,990 mm.

KamAZ-53605 versions

• KamAZ-53605 tipper: the original 6.5 m³ construction tipper.
• KamAZ-53605 chassis: a bare chassis for sweepers, sprinklers and tankers.
• KamAZ-53605-A4: the current version with the Cummins ISB6.7e4 300 and ZF gearbox.
• Early versions: KamAZ-740 V8 engines of 260 or 280 hp.
• «Shtorm» water cannon: a special vehicle on the 53605 chassis.

The smaller KamAZ-43253 is the flatbed of the same two-axle class, and the three-axle KamAZ-65115 is the plant’s classic tipper. More trucks are in the KamAZ collection.

Sources

• KamAZ-53605, German Wikipedia: history, engines, specifications