KAZ-4540: technical characteristics, photo. Trucks of Kutaisi Automobile Plant

The development of machine building in the USSR was given special attention. Each plant tried to create a technological car, which will take its niche in the infrastructure chain of the country. The plant in the city of Kutaisi kept up with the general tendencies and fulfilled the set requirements and tasks. The designers created a truck, which became legendary, KAZ-4540.

History of creation

In 1975, at the request of the USSR Gosselhoztekhnika, NAMI together with the City Clinical Department of the city of Balashov, which specialized in creating trailers for automotive and tractor equipment, as well as with the Yaroslavl plant, began the development of new machinery. The task was to create a new model of a road train for agricultural needs. The truck was to become some missing link, which included the collection of crops on the field, their further loading, as well as rapid transportation and unloading.

In the early 80s, the production of new all-wheel-drive road trains was established at the Kutaisi plant. The basis for the new model was a prototype NAMI-0215, built from the conventional KAZ-608B, with upgraded running equipment and a two-axis drive.

Before the mass production was launched and a new truck was delivered to the expanses of the former USSR, full-scale testing of the samples was carried out. For this purpose, 20 machines were initially created, on which all road and bench checks were carried out. In 1981, a new train was successfully completed at the NAMI training ground. The designers did not stop there and made a number of amendments and changes to the individual nodes and parts of the design. After this, new experiments followed and further tests. The new KAZ-4540 had nothing in common with the previous models of the brand "Colchis".

Already in January 84th, when interdepartmental tests were completed, the truck was recommended for launch in production. A month later they created the first batch of 500 cars.

On the basis of this truck, a truck tractor was also developed . He received a new marking - KAZ-4440.

"Colchis"

This name was given to a lineup of tractors produced by the Kutaisi plant. The first truck left in August 1951. Most of the components were brought from the Stalin plant. Thanks to the nodes of the Moscow enterprise and assembled dump trucks, small-size truck tractors, as well as cargo vehicles under the brand name "Colchis". The photos of the new copy did not look like any of those existing at the time.

"4540" is a model created to meet the needs of agriculture. Production continued from 1985 to 1998. During this period, several different modifications of the truck "Colchis" were created. A distinctive feature of KAZ-4540 was a bright orange cabin with very large windscreens.

Appointment

The cargo transportation KAZ-4540, which differed from all other models by the two leading bridges, was often used in conjunction with the GKB-8535 trailer. This bundle was a kind of road train used to transport agricultural products.

The KAZ-4540 dump truck is a universal machine with the possibility of unloading on three sides. Depending on the specifics of the materials or terrain, one particular method was used. The truck was equipped with an all-wheel drive with an additional lock differential rear axle.

Technological design allowed the machine to be used in conjunction with combine harvesters for harvesting cereals and cotton. "Colchis" is a car with sufficient cross-country capability required for machinery used in agriculture and a capacity of 11 tons.

In 1990, the designers prepared the documentation that would allow the car to be equipped with a refrigerator, used together with a cargo platform, and also to create a car for firemen. Unfortunately, the developments were not further developed and remained only on paper. "Colchis", the photo of which is presented below, is the most popular specimen at the time of the creation of the machine.

Cabin

The cab is hooded, located above the engine. This arrangement has made it possible to increase maneuverability and maximize the use of the entire platform. "Colchis" - a car with a short wheelbase and an excellent overview for the driver. The large-capacity cabin had a separate seating area, a fan, and a heater. All this in the aggregate provided a sufficiently high comfort parameter for long and long flights. In 1985, it was a very good indicator.

In 1990, the production of the upgraded version began. It was equipped with a hydraulic system to control the opening of the sides. When unloading on any of the working sides, the board was automatically closed.

Power component

The car was equipped with a diesel engine of the YaMZ-KAZ-642 brand. The KAZ-4540 engine was installed behind the wheelbase and worked in tandem with an eight-speed gearshift (4 available gears and an additional divider).

The power plant was located directly above the front axle, and all the control bodies were pushed as far forward as possible. The driver's seat was above the engine. The decision to create such a layout was caused by the need to increase the useful area on which the transported materials were located. By increasing the angle of exit increased cross-country ability. Such a scheme ensured uniform distribution of the load on both axes. The front part is 6.12 tons of weight, and the rear - 6.14 tons.

Uniform loading has allowed to use single wheels with wide tires, and also considerably simplified the system of the control of pressure in air chambers.

Many innovations were introduced in the creation of KAZ-4540. One of these was the disk joint, which is more reliable than the spherical analog. The maximum speed was 80 km / h, but the load-carrying capacity was only 6 tonnes.

Chassis

The running equipment allows the machine to move along heavy dirt roads, as well as in fields after plowing. The KAZ-4540 dump truck was equipped with a transmission with 8 positions, providing forward movement, and also two - back. It was a complex design, consisting of a 4-speed transmission and a divider with 2 modes of operation.

Dry clutch is installed with friction discs and pneumatic drive. The rotation from the motor was fed to both bridges. In the transfer case, a differential was installed to implement interaxle locking. The control was carried out with a separate button located on the instrument panel.

Suspension of the front axle is assembled from longitudinal springs and telescopic shock absorbers. At the rear are semi-elliptic twin springs.

Advantages

Drivers who worked on the Kolkhida branding technology note that the most successful model was KAZ-4540. Reviews are not entirely unambiguous, but in many ways converge. The main advantages that were noted:

- "4540" is the first dump truck in the USSR, created exclusively for the needs of agriculture.

- Simple maintenance and repair due to easy access to almost all nodes and mechanisms.

- Excellent cross-country ability with maximum loading of the road train.

- Cargo platform with three variants of unloading.

- A full-size, beskapotnaya cabin, which was equipped with the latest technology.

disadvantages

The low qualification of the plant's workers did not allow the production of high-quality machines. KAZ-4540 had quite a number of shortcomings:

- Often the mechanism responsible for lifting the cabin failed.

- Frequent leaks of working fluids and oil at the joints of transmission and motor mechanisms.

- The injection pump was not able to produce the required parameters.

- Weak places were also rivets, responsible for fastening the front springs to the frame.

Some of the advantages of improper operation and improper driving turned into shortcomings. The same load on both bridges allowed to increase cross-country ability, but with aggressive driving there was a high probability of overturning the car. KAZ-4540, the characteristics of which are presented in the article, is still used in some regions of Russia, Ukraine and other countries of the former USSR.