The MAZ-5551 was a heavy dump truck and chassis of the Minsk Automobile Plant, built from 1985 to 2019. It used the base of the MAZ-5337 and a completely new cab with a panoramic windscreen that broke with the rounded shapes of the MAZ-500 family.
MAZ-5551 at a glance
| Maker | Minsk Automobile Plant (MAZ), Belarus |
|---|---|
| Production | 1985–2019 |
| Base | MAZ-5337 |
| First prototypes | 1973 |
| First year of production | 1985, 32 machines |
| 1986 output | 1,701 machines |
| Series production | from 1988 |
| Cab | like the MAZ-5432 tractor but without a sleeping place |
| Windscreen | single panoramic glass instead of two flat halves |
| Cab update | 1998; that cab was made until 2019 |
The MAZ-5551 is covered only by the Russian Wikipedia article; this page is based on one source.
History of the MAZ-5551
A new cab for a new tipper
The MAZ-5551 was built on the base of the MAZ-5337, and besides the tipper chassis a chassis for various kinds of special equipment was offered. Its new cab resembled that of the MAZ-5432 tractor unit but had no sleeping place, and it was completely different from the cabs of the earlier MAZ-500 and MAZ-5335 families. The shape of the headlights, the radiator grille and the outer panels of the cab were changed, because the rounded body forms had gone out of fashion. The windscreen changed from two flat halves with a central pillar to a modern, and more expensive, panoramic glass. A new spoiler appeared on the roof, the interior was modernised and the control levers and the steering wheel were new.
Slow start, long life
The first prototypes of the MAZ-5551 were built in 1973, but production began only in 1985, when just 32 machines were made. In 1986 output reached 1,701, and series production of the tipper proper began in 1988. From 1985 to 1990 the MAZ-5551 and the older MAZ-5549 were built at the plant at the same time.
The 1998 cab
From 1998 the tipper was built with an updated cab and a radiator grille that gave access to the service points of the whole front panel and not only of the grille. That cab remained in production until 2019, when the model was withdrawn after 34 years.
Design and features
- Panoramic windscreen: a single sheet of glass replaced the two flat halves of earlier MAZ cabs.
- New face: new headlights, grille and outer panels replaced the rounded forms of the MAZ-500 family.
- Two bodies: tipper chassis and a chassis for special equipment.
- Long production: built from 1985 to 2019, with the 1998 cab lasting to the end.
MAZ-5551 versions
- MAZ-5551 tipper: the standard dump truck on the MAZ-5337 base.
- MAZ-5551 chassis: bare chassis for special equipment.
- 1998 specification: updated cab and a grille opening the whole front panel.
The MAZ-5551 was based on the MAZ-5337 and replaced the MAZ-5549, while the bigger MAZ-5516 took the six-wheeled tipper work. More are in the MAZ collection.
Sources
- MAZ-5551, Russian Wikipedia: cab, production figures, 1998 update
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