The MAZ-200 was a Soviet 7-tonne lorry of the Minsk Automobile Plant and the first Soviet truck powered by a diesel engine. Production began at Yaroslavl in 1947 as the YaAZ-200, moved to Minsk in 1951, and ran until the end of 1965, when the plant changed over to the MAZ-500.
MAZ-200 at a glance
| Maker | Yaroslavl Automobile Plant to 1950, Minsk Automobile Plant from 1951 |
|---|---|
| Production | 1947–1965, as the MAZ-200 from 1951 |
| Layout | 4×2, bonneted cab |
| Engine | YaAZ-204 two-stroke diesel, 110 hp, 120 hp from 1958 |
| Engine from 1962 | YaMZ-236 four-stroke V6 diesel, 165 hp |
| Gearbox | five-speed with synchronisers on all forward gears |
| Payload | 7 tonnes |
| Cab | wooden frame with steel sheeting |
| Total built at Minsk | about 230,000 by 31 December 1965 |
| Dump version | MAZ-205 and MAZ-205A, 98,721 built in 1947–1966 |
| Successor | MAZ-500 |
History of the MAZ-200
A diesel lorry for the post-war country
In February 1943 the Yaroslavl Automobile Plant was again given the task of creating a heavy lorry. A prototype based on the earlier Ya-14 project was built between July and December 1944 and took the number 200 from the Soviet numbering system adopted in 1943. The plant could not make an all-steel cab, so the prototype used one taken from a lend-lease Mack; the bonnet shape was copied down to the animal mascot, with the bulldog replaced by a bear from the coat of arms of Yaroslavl. The YaAZ-200 was shown to Stalin in June 1945, passed its trials in 1946 and entered series production in 1947.
From Yaroslavl to Minsk
In 1951 production of the two-axle lorries was moved to Minsk to free capacity for engines at Yaroslavl, and the lorry became the MAZ-200. The Minsk version differed by a radiator grille with vertical bars instead of horizontal ones and by a bison emblem instead of the Yaroslavl bear. It was the first Soviet truck with synchronisers on all forward gears, an overdrive top gear, unit injectors and a tachometer. Because thin rolled steel was scarce, a 1945 government decree had the cab built on a wooden frame and clad in wooden planking under sheets of black steel, painted in protective green; export machines were painted light blue.
The MAZ-205 dump truck
The MAZ-205A was the first vehicle to leave the new Minsk plant, on 7 November 1947. It was the most numerous member of the 200 family: 98,721 were built between 1947 and 1966, more than all the other versions together. The tippers worked on almost every construction site of the Soviet Union, among them the building of the Motherland Calls monument in Volgograd, where they carried concrete from the plant to the site. Two experimental versions, the MAZ-205B with a scoop-shaped body and the MAZ-506 with side discharge, did not enter production.
The YaMZ-236 and the end of the line
In 1962 the lorry received a new four-stroke six-cylinder YaMZ-236 diesel of 165 hp, and the designations changed to YaAZ-200P for the lorry and YaAZ-200M for the tractor unit, while the YaAZ-200R had hydraulic equipment for tipping semi-trailers. By 31 December 1965 about 230,000 lorries had been built at Minsk, when the plant went over completely to the MAZ-500. Many MAZ-200s stayed at work into the 1980s after several rebuilds.
Design and features
- The first Soviet diesel lorry: the YaAZ-204 was developed from the engine of the American GMC-4-71 tractor.
- A cab of wood and steel: a wartime shortage of thin rolled steel dictated the wooden-framed cab.
- Gearbox firsts: synchronisers on every forward gear, an overdrive top gear, unit injectors and a tachometer were all new for a Soviet lorry.
- Chassis for special bodies: the YaAZ-200D chassis carried tankers, fuel trucks, milk tankers, street washers, cranes and fire engines.
- A most numerous tipper: the MAZ-205A dump truck accounted for more vehicles than all other versions of the family together.
MAZ-200 versions
- MAZ-200: the standard lorry.
- MAZ-200G (1951–1958): troop transport with a high-sided body, folding benches and a higher final drive, good for 52 km/h.
- MAZ-200V (1952–1966): tractor unit with the YaAZ-204V engine of 135 hp.
- MAZ-200D: cab-chassis version for special equipment.
- MAZ-205 and MAZ-205A (1947–1966): the dump truck.
- MAZ-501 and MAZ-502: the logging lorry and the four-wheel-drive lorry built on the same family.
The four-wheel-drive MAZ-502 was developed on the same chassis, and the family was replaced by the cab-over MAZ-500 at the end of 1965. More are in the MAZ collection.
Sources
- MAZ-200, English Wikipedia: production history, engine and the list of variants
- MAZ-200, Russian Wikipedia: development, cab construction, gearbox firsts, total built
- MAZ-205A, Russian Wikipedia: dump-truck production numbers, versions, service
