KrAZ-257 - the legendary Soviet truck with a cab on a wooden frame

Soviet trucks of the KrAZ brand have been working at almost all major construction sites in the USSR since the 1960s. These giants fell in love with drivers for their power, amazing performance, simplicity and maintainability.


KrAZ-257, which appeared in 1965, became the first model of the Kremenchug Automobile Plant, created independently. The truck turned out to be so successful that even the Soviet Union survived, though not for long. In 1995, the model was discontinued, which was natural - a car with a cabin on a wooden frame was a complete anachronism.

History

The Kremenchug plant began its work in 1959. Before the company decided to produce trucks, they did:

✅ Combines
✅ Road rollers
✅ Carts for tractors

And even earlier, the plant was generally engaged in bridges. In 1959, it was decided to transfer the production of YaAZ-210 heavy trucks to Kremenchug, more precisely, their modernized versions with the main chassis index 219. This is how the KrAZ-219 family appeared.


In 1965, the manufacturer released his heavy truck, which was assembled for 30 years, periodically upgraded. By the way, the famous wooden cabin, or rather, the frame, sheathed with steel sheets, has never become all-metal.

KrAZ-247 is the basic airborne model. On the chassis, the manufacturer produced a whole family of heavy diesel vehicles, including modifications for work in the northern regions and special vehicles. Truck tractors KrAZ-248 and dump trucks with the index 256B are still the same line.

Features of the model

The new truck, developed by the engineers of the Kremenchug Automobile Plant, turned out to be revolutionary. If KrAZ-219 inherited all the problems of the outdated YAZ, then they tried to get rid of them for the new car.


The most important thing is the emergence of a fundamentally new engine. The two-stroke diesel, which traces its pedigree since the 40s, was finally abandoned. Instead, they installed a new four-stroke engine of the Yaroslavl plant, known as YaMZ-238.


The new model has become lighter by about 300 kg, while the carrying capacity has increased from 10 to 12 tons. A tire pressure adjustment system also appeared, which helped to achieve a high cross-country ability of the car. Although, in any case, you need to understand that the Kraz-257 is not the famous military "Laptezhnik" with all-wheel drive. This truck was created for the civilian market, although due to the 6x4 wheel arrangement it had better cross-country ability than two-axle models.


Throughout all the years of production, KrAZ-257 has been constantly improved. The changes were carried out gradually, and the global modernization took place only in 1977. The manufacturer analyzed the experience of operating the model in harsh conditions and decided to increase its resource. The most important changes are the updated engine and braking system. The car became known as KrAZ-257B1.

Another major upgrade was made in the early 80s. The truck received a number of changes:

✅ Pendants with 10% longer service life
✅ Loading platform using cold-formed profiles in the design
✅ Steering wheels made of new, frost-resistant material

The model fell in love with the "construction sites of the century" in the Soviet Union. The margin of safety laid down by the designers is still amazing. It is difficult to “kill” a car even purposefully.

Cabin and its features

KrAZ-257 is a truck for tough men who are used to enduring hardships. Therefore, talking about the level of driver comfort is somehow even inconvenient.


It is worth starting the description at least with the fact that the cabin was created on the basis of a wooden frame sheathed with steel sheets. The standard solution for the late 40s, in the mid-60s it was already a complete anachronism.

For example, in the GAZ-51 trucks, the cab became all-metal in the early 50s. The Kremenchug Automobile Plant did not have the technical ability to produce such models, and the country urgently demanded heavy trucks. Therefore, it was decided to use cabins on a wooden frame. As a result, this scheme was preserved until the end of the model release.

However, compared to the trucks of the second half of the 40s, the KrAZ-257 was quite comfortable. The driver's seat was adjustable and had a spring shock absorber. Even in the basic modifications for the middle lane, the designers provided for a heater, windshield wipers and a ventilation system.

There is a lot of space in the cockpit, but only for work. There are no sleeping bags. In the latest modifications of the KrAZ-257, the designers provided for places to rest due to the transformation of the driver's and passenger's seats.


They tried to make the cabin all-metal, but for this they would have to invest huge sums in new equipment. The state was not ready to allocate money for this. Therefore, we decided to equip the KrAZ-257 with a cab from a serial truck of another brand.

By the way, one of the leading designers of the plant insisted on a cabover layout, like the MAZ-500. Unfortunately, this project was the most problematic - it required a redesign of the truck. As a result, KrAZ remained with its archaic cabin.

Engine and other performance characteristics

A fundamentally new engine is installed under the hood of the Soviet truck, compared with the two-stroke diesel engine of the previous model. This is YaMZ-238. The volume of the power unit is almost 15 liters, the power is 240 liters. With.

The engine made it possible to increase the maximum speed of the truck compared to the previous model. KrAZ-219 accelerated to only 47 km / h. The new truck could reach 62 km/h.


Fuel consumption of KrAZ-257 averaged 38 liters per 100 km - this is according to the manufacturer. In fact, he could reach 50 liters, but in Soviet times no one paid attention to this. Compared to the gasoline ZIL-131 and Ural-375, the truck of the Kremenchug Automobile Plant was considered economical. Moreover, no one needed diesel fuel in those years - the drivers simply poured the surplus onto the ground.


The KrAZ-257 engine works in conjunction with a manual transmission. The unit is equipped with synchronizers in all gears except the first. There is a two-stage transfer box, center differential.


The KrAZ-257 frame is riveted with stamped cross members. The chassis of the truck is somewhat monumental. The designers have put in it a huge margin of safety.

Reviews

Soviet drivers who worked on the KrAZ-257 always spoke of these vehicles in a positive way. The machine coped with the work in the most severe conditions, and in cases of rare breakdowns it was repaired on its own. Although the KrAZ parts are heavy, only the strongest drivers repaired cars alone.

As for modern realities, there are many complaints about the old Soviet truck. For example, the seats are more like trams from the USSR. In the hot season, the wooden frame annoyingly creaks on all the bumps.


In the city, because of the long hood, small cars are not visible if you drive up behind them at a traffic light. And the turning radius of the KrAZ-257 is large.

But the build quality of trucks is always on top, even with the latest modifications of the first half of the 90s. Thank you for this is rather the engineers who specially created the machine with the expectation of operation in harsh conditions and repairs in the "field".

KrAZ-257 is a wonderful truck for its time. Unfortunately, now this car is no longer relevant. Although, single copies are still working in the vastness of our country.