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BelAZ-540 - a mining dump truck that has become a symbol of the Soviet Union abroad

BelAZ-540 - a mining dump truck that has become a symbol of the Soviet Union abroad
BelAZ-540 is a landmark car. It was after its appearance that Soviet mining dump trucks became known all over the world. The design of the model set the vector for the development of BelAZ for at least the next 60 years.


The story of


BelAZ-540 was "born" thanks to the enthusiasm of the designers of the Belarusian Automobile Plant. They did not receive any tasks for the development of a new dump truck - they simply needed to improve the serial MAZ-525. Recall that this model was handed over to the enterprise in 1958, since the Minsk Automobile Plant did not specialize in mining dump trucks.

БелАЗ-540 – карьерный самосвал, ставший символом Советского Союза за рубежомOne of the few MAZ-525s that have survived to this day. Photo: Youtube.com

The chief designer of BelAZ, Z. L. Sirotkin, was an ambitious man. He did not want to modify someone else's equipment, but dreamed that the enterprise would produce something of his own, original. Therefore, in 1960, it was proposed to make a new mining dump truck using the MAZ-525 developments.

It is interesting that they worked on the project mainly in their free time, staying after a hard day and on weekends. But no one paid for it.

The chief designer of BelAZ reasoned that the new mining dump truck should become iconic and memorable. Therefore, during its development, it was decided to equip the machine with the most modern innovations:

✅ Suspensions of pneumohydraulic type
✅ Hydromechanical transmission
✅ Pneumatic brakes

The appearance of the car also had to distinguish it from other Soviet trucks. For the design of the BelAZ-540, one should thank V. S. Kobylinsky, who was then working in NAMI and who came to the Belarusian Automobile Plant several times on business trips.

BelAZ-540 at work in a quarry. Photo: Youtube.com

The artist-constructor finished work on the appearance in 20 days. During this time, all the necessary sketches and drawings were ready. At the very beginning of 1961, Kobylinsky had already made a model in 1:10 proportions from plasticine.

Having received the layout, the bodybuilders created a 1:1 instance based on it. It remains only to translate the car into metal, that is, to complete the running prototype. This became a problem - the young design bureau did not have specialists with experience, and the new mining dump truck turned out to be a model that has no analogues in the USSR.

Many components and bodywork had to be made by hand - there were no special machines. Each unit had to be tested on stands, first separately, then in bundles with each other. Numerous difficulties arose at this stage.

But the enthusiasm of designers and engineers paid off - on September 14, the first prototype was made. On the same day, the dump truck solemnly left the gates of the plant. About a month later the car was sent to Moscow. It is interesting that the dump truck traveled from Zhodino to Moscow on its own, and this is 660 km. The car drove without incident and arrived on time, delighting drivers and pedestrians along the way.

Angular, but so native, Soviet. Photo: Youtube.com

After being shown to the authorities, the dump truck was left near the VDNKh pavilion for a couple of months. At the exhibition, the car received a diploma of the first degree. Then the prototype went back to Zhodino, also, by the way, on its own.

It is believed that the serial production of BelAZ-540 started in 1965. This is not entirely true, rather, production began a few years earlier. For example, in the period from 1962 to 1964, about 35 mining dump trucks were assembled.

Technical features


Compared to MAZ-525, BelAZ-540 has become a modern car. Although its carrying capacity was only 2 tons higher - 27 versus 25, it surpassed its predecessor in a number of other characteristics:

✅ The curb weight is 3 tons lower.
✅ Speed ​​50 km/h
✅ Ease of control and comfort level is higher due to the use of pneumohydraulic suspensions
✅ Lower fuel consumption

It is interesting that receivers for pneumatic equipment were installed between the spars of the welded frame.

The engine on the BelAZ-540 was initially installed with the D-12A-375 index. This motor has a long history. It was developed for tanks, then migrated to the MAZ-525 and eventually went to the first BelAZ, but with an increase to 375 hp. With. power. The working volume of the power unit is 38 liters. Naturally, fuel consumption inspired respect - 88 liters. per 125 kilometers.

The strange location of the cabin caused bewilderment among everyone who saw BelAZ for the first time. Photo: Youtube.com

It cannot be said that the choice of the motor was successful. Despite the fantastic traction, this unit was originally military, tank. Hence the complex design, huge oil consumption and, in general, a low resource for trucks.

By the way, the improved BelAZ-540A, which appeared in 1967, received a new engine, specially designed for such equipment. This is a YaMZ-240 with a volume of 22,3 liters and a power of 360 liters. With.

At first glance, it seems that the appearance of a car with a strange cab layout is an exclusively design decision. In fact, this was done to minimize the length of the dump truck while maintaining load capacity. The same scheme made it possible to perfectly distribute the weight along the axles.

Fame


Everyone who was interested in trucks in the USSR still remembers how the BelAZ-540 amazed the imagination with its size. Of course, compared to modern models, it looks unsightly, but in the mid-60s it was the main giant of the domestic automotive industry.

They even made themed toys. Photo: Youtube.com

The dump truck became a real "star" of the Soviet Union. Cars were demonstrated at all specialized exhibitions in major cities. Tourists were taken to BelAZ-540, allowing them to be photographed against the background of the giant.

By the way, in the movie "Queen of the gas station" they showed just such a car. Since the picture was shot in 1962, the car was experimental - one of the first. There were no "film bloopers". For example, the very fact that a mining truck is moving on public roads is already nonsense.

World demand


After the appearance of BelAZ-540, it became clear that the new mining dump truck aroused interest not only among friendly countries, but also among capitalists. Therefore, Autoexport began to actively advertise cars, releasing colorful booklets in different languages.

In Soviet films, these cars flashed often. Photo: Youtube.com

This paid off - Soviet trucks were bought even in England. In just 10 years, more than 40 BelAZ-540 vehicles have been purchased there. Naturally, cars for export were assembled more carefully so as not to shame the USSR in front of the capitalists.

Due to the low price, Soviet mining dump trucks worked in a number of countries, from Africa to China. The latter, by the way, became the largest partner from far abroad in the history of BelAZ.

Upgrades


In 1986, BelAZ-540A went through another restyling. The carrying capacity of the model was raised to 30 tons. Since there were many changes, the dump truck received a new index - 7522.

The model was equipped with a modernized engine and torque converter with increased efficiency. Due to a number of improvements, the service life of BelAZ-7522 has increased by 15%.

In the late 80s, the car was once again modernized. Now it was called BelAZ-7540. But in fact, it was still the same mining dump truck with an index of 540. The most important difference from the previous model is the new, more powerful YaMZ-240NM engine with 420 hp. With.

Heroes of their time. Photo: Youtube.com

Cars were constantly refined, eliminated "childhood diseases". They also took care of the comfort of drivers - the cabs became warmer, the seat - softer, the mirrors - larger.

After the collapse of the USSR, BelAZ-540, or rather, its improved model 7540, continued to be produced. Of course, production was reduced dozens of times, because supply chains were disrupted, as were trade relations.

The last specific dump truck of the series, with a unique angular design, was released in 1996. On this, the history of BelAZ-540 is considered complete. Although, these machines are still working in some quarries, fortunately, the manufacturer provides them with spare parts.

Author:

Photos used: https://youtube.com

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