Onboard KrAZ-5233BE 4×4 (technical characteristics)

KrAZ-5233

Total information

Design

Engines

YaMZ-238DE2

Transmission

9 speed manual

Characteristics

Mass-dimensional

Other

KrAZ-5233KrAZ-5233

KrAZ-5233

- Ukrainian all-wheel drive cargo vehicle. Produced since 2008 in several versions.

Story

Development of the truck began in the first half of the 1990s.

In 1995, at the Kiev International Motor Show, the KrAZ-5133V2 onboard vehicle with a payload capacity of 8.5 tons, with a 4x2 wheel arrangement, and a YaMZ-238D engine with a power of 318 hp was presented. and 8-st. Manual transmission.

In 1996, the KrAZ-5131BE all-wheel drive onboard vehicle with a carrying capacity of 5 tons, with a 4x4 wheel arrangement, and a YaMZ-238BL engine with a power of 288-300 hp was introduced. and 8-st. Manual transmission.

Later, the KrAZ-5133BE all-wheel drive vehicle with a carrying capacity of 5 tons, with a 4x4 wheel arrangement and a YaMZ-238D or YaMZ-238DE2 engine with a power of 330 hp was introduced.

In 2007, on the basis of the KrAZ-5133BE, the KrAZ-5233BE “Dakar” (KrAZ-5233BE-086-D10) was created in one copy to participate in the rally-raid “Lisbon-Dakar-2008”, but the car did not take part in it due to for the organizers' refusal to withdraw from the competition due to the danger for the athletes.

In 2008, serial production of the KrAZ-5233BE began (an improved version of the KrAZ-5133BE).

In 2010, the KrAZ-5233NE serial chassis was introduced.

The flagship of the Ukrainian automobile industry, PJSC AvtoKrAZ, continues to produce warlike and militaristic new products.
After “Sapper in Armor”, another armored all-wheel drive two-axle vehicle
KrAZ-5233NE
. This time in the version of a trench excavator.

The armored “shrew” is the fruit of cooperation between KrAZ and the Kryukov Carriage Works located there in Kremenchug.

01.

The base of the trench-excavation vehicle was the
KrAZ-5233NE
with a 4x4 wheel arrangement, which has an original design. The special chassis, according to the technical specifications, has an armored cabin, engine compartment and fuel tank.

02.

To ensure optimal temperature conditions for the engine when digging trenches at low speeds, a radiator with increased heat transfer is used.

03.

To increase the maneuverability of the special vehicle, its wheelbase was shortened to 4000 mm (instead of 5000 mm on production trucks of this model).

04.

The frame design has a number of modifications for the installation of complex earth-moving equipment and a pushing bulldozer blade. “The Knife” gave the already warlike KrAZ even more brutality in appearance.

05.

The total weight of the new trencher is 18,500 kg. Crew - 2 people. The maximum speed of the machine on a horizontal section is 85 km/h.

The heir to the famous Soviet regimental digging machine PZM-2

.
Let us remember the “veteran” of the engineering troops with a separate Remarque
.
Remark M-Park
06.

The PZM-2
earthmoving machine
T-155
wheeled tractor
T-150K
tractor
Kievsky
for the engineering troops of the Soviet Army .

Photo by
Alexander BYKOVSKY 07.

The very first version
of the PZM
was adopted by the Soviet Army back in 1968.
The modernized version under the designation PZM-2
, in terms of equipment, differed only in technological improvements.

Photo by
Alexander BYKOVSKY 08.

The PZM-2
“trencher” was in service with engineer companies of motorized rifle regiments (3 pieces), tank regiments (1 piece), parachute regiments (3 pieces), engineer battalions of airborne divisions ( 9 pcs.).

Photo by
Sergei POPSUEVICH A considerable number of PZM-2

still in “battle formation” of all post-secular armies.

09.

Ukrainians now have a new option. Some performance characteristics of special equipment are chain and bucketless working parts. Soil discharge is possible on one or both sides. The average technical productivity when digging trenches in non-frozen soils is 300-400 m3/h, when digging pits - 140-160 m3/h.

10.

At the end of last year, the special chassis was handed over to its neighbors - to
the Kryukov Carriage Plant
, where attachments were installed on it. For six months, a test cycle followed at the testing grounds of the automobile plant and engineering departments of the Armed Forces.

11.

A few more characteristics are the overall dimensions in the transport position: length - 7500, width - 2520, height - 3650 mm. The time for transferring earthmoving equipment from transport to working position or from working to transport is no more than 3 minutes.

I wonder what armored variant of the two-axle KrAZ will be next?

Modifications

Civil

• KrAZ-5233N2
  - a vehicle with a chassis body, designed for mounting various equipment;

• ATs-40 (5233N2)
  - fire truck - tanker, developed by AvtoKrAZ together with the Pozhspetsmash design bureau (Priluki). The vehicle is equipped with a pump for supplying water, a water tank with a volume of 5000 liters, a container for foam-forming substances made of stainless steel with a volume of 400 liters, an electric generator, fire hoses and barrels for extinguishing various types of flames, pneumatic tools for eliminating rubble and other rescue equipment.
• KrAZ 5233N2 UYAR-01
  is a road repair vehicle with MDKZ-6/11 equipment, designed for repairing asphalt concrete road surfaces.
• KrAZ 5233N2 (FPV-14224)
  is a rotation bus on the KrAZ 5233N2 chassis, with a passenger van manufactured by Nefteavtomatika OJSC (Poltava), designed to carry 26 passengers. The first three cars were released in 2013[1]

• KrAZ-5233N2-D10
  - truck tractor;
• KrAZ-5233NE type 1
  - a vehicle with a chassis body;
• KrAZ-5233NE type 2
  - a vehicle with a chassis body;
• KrAZ 5233BE-019
  is a special off-road vehicle for the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Ukraine, equipped with a hydraulic crane and special equipment (flashing beacon, radio station, GPS navigator, etc.);
• KrAZ-5233BE "Dakar" (KrAZ-5233BE-086-D10)
  - a modification of the truck for participation in the rally-raid "Lisbon - Dakar-2008", created in 2007 in one copy. It differs from the standard model by two additional fuel tanks of 250 liters each.

Military

• KrAZ-5233BE
  in several versions:

• KrAZ-5233BE “Spetsnaz”
  is a multifunctional off-road vehicle for transporting military personnel and cargo, towing artillery systems with a caliber of up to 152 mm, transport and special trailers on all types of roads and off-road. Equipped with a cabin with an opening hatch on the right side of the roof and equipped with a tilt side platform[2];
• KrAZ-5233VE "Sapper"
  - a mine clearing vehicle with a hydraulic crane;
• field communication complex based on KrAZ-5233BE (developed by AvtoKrAZ together with)[3]
• a mobile firing point on the KrAZ-5233BE “Spetsnaz” chassis - with a ZU-23 anti-aircraft gun installed in the back; by the beginning of 2011, one demonstration copy was created[4]; 5 cars were shown at the parade on August 24, 2014[5][6]
• KrAZ-5233 “Raptor”
  - an armored truck KrAZ-5233BE for transporting infantry, first introduced in February 2015. Capable of transporting up to 20 people[7]

• KrAZ-5233 “Fortress on Wheels”
  is an armored truck produced by NPO Praktika, developed in 2014[8]
• armored trench-excavation vehicle on the KrAZ-5233NE chassis.[9]
• propaganda vehicle based on KrAZ-5233 - presented on March 14, 2015[10]
• KrAZ-01-1-11/SLDSL
  is an armored vehicle with a V-shaped bottom based on the KrAZ-5233BE, developed in 2012 jointly with the Indian. It can carry up to 12 people, is equipped with a Rigel MK1 rotating turret, has eight embrasures, an audiovisual surveillance system, and night vision cameras[11].
• KRAZ-ASV “Panther”
  is an armored vehicle with a V-shaped bottom based on the KrAZ-5233BE, developed with the participation of and presented in 2013[12].
• KRAZ MPV (SHREK ONE)
  - an armored vehicle with a V-shaped bottom based on the KrAZ-5233, developed with the participation of India, presented in 2014[13]
• KrAZ Hulk
  - cabover armored vehicle on the KrAZ-5233 chassis[14]

5233BE “Dakar”

It turned out that the sports car was based on a serial KrAZ-5133BE (4x4). Improvements were minimal. First of all, for strict European dimensions (width limit of 2.5 meters), standard wide-profile “bast” tires with dimensions 1350x550-533 were replaced with Belarusian Bel-95 tires (16.00R-20). To do this, we had to slightly modify the hubs of the drive axles. The side platform was strengthened and narrowed to the same size (previously it was 2600 mm). Accordingly, the platform was modified from the inside - four powerful tubular arches were installed to protect the body when it rolls over.

Holders for six spare wheels were placed along the side sides, and a small crane-jib of a cable winch was attached to the last reinforced arch for lifting and lowering the spare wheels. Visible external changes include additional fuel tanks on both sides with a total volume of 750 liters and a body awning that completely covers the sides. The cabin was left unchanged, but an extended version was chosen, originally intended for installing a berth. The “sleeping bag” itself was not mounted, but three chairs were arranged in a checkerboard pattern - this gave more working space for the crew. No additional safety cages were welded inside (but in vain, coups on the Dakar are not uncommon, and it would not hurt to further protect the cabin).

You won't see sports seats here - there are regular seats - Pilot with air suspension. Driving them on European roads is just fine, but they definitely wouldn’t withstand the gullies of African deserts. Indirect evidence - during our “rides” on two of the three seats, the air suspension failed (the air supply hoses were frayed). Moreover, even during small jumps from sand dunes, passengers had difficulty maintaining a “combat” position in these seats. And a reckless desire to give a girl a ride in a car - a PR manager of KrAZ - ended with a cut chin that drew blood. Just imagine how difficult it would be for the crew in such seats on a real Dakar.

There are few changes in the mechanical part of the car. The engine remains standard - YaMZ-238D, with a capacity of 330 horsepower. It’s funny that this is not even the most powerful unit installed on KrAZ trucks. The installation of a 400-horsepower YaMZ-7511.10 under the hood has long been worked out, but, apparently, the 238th was considered more reliable. The most interesting metamorphoses occurred with the gearbox. Despite the fact that the quality of the “native” Yaroslavl gearbox is constantly improving, we chose the Chinese 9-speed Shaanxi and MFZ-430 clutch for the long journey. Despite our skepticism, everyone who knows the car first-hand unanimously assured us that the box is simply gorgeous! And when we asked where it suddenly came from at KrAZ, they had to admit: they were looking closely to install them serially as an alternative to the Yaroslavl one.

There were no other surprises in the transmission - it uses a standard transfer case and serial axles with a slightly modified gear ratio to provide a higher maximum speed. I sat behind the wheel of a sports KrAZ with trepidation - just the appearance of the car turns me on and provokes a “driver’s” driving style. And there were quite a lot of onlookers in the secluded sand quarry on the banks of the Dnieper. And where did they come from? And there it is! Local fishermen, who had been sitting peacefully on the ice before our arrival, suddenly threw down their spinning rods and settled down to watch the races. And the mechanic of the only excavator quit his job and climbed onto the roof of the dragline to better see our tricks.

Thus, he completely paralyzed traffic in the quarry and created a traffic jam of BelAZ trucks. In general, our departure did not go unnoticed. The permanently switched on all-wheel drive helped the KrAZ-5233BE to “not go wrong” in a difficult situation, but did not allow it to “light up” in sharp turns. It was not possible to achieve a beautiful drift of the rear axle for a spectacular photograph. But when driving through the dunes with an empty car, I could only use the top row of gears, which, in combination with a really luxurious Chinese gearbox (maybe it was made to special order?) saved me from problems with choosing gears - shifting according to the familiar pattern happened quickly and clearly.

I won’t say anything about the clutch and gas pedal: in a jumping car you think about their work last, but since there are no “negatives” left from them, it means everything is normal. But the brakes have a “Krazov” character! The pressure on the brake pedal must be very precisely measured. If you press the pedal a little harder, the car will stop dead in its tracks. It’s good that in the conditions of the sand pit there was almost no need to brake - it was enough just to let off the gas for the car to start slowing down. But I had to turn the steering wheel a lot and quickly. It is very light, but with weak feedback. On a sports car, I would like more sensitive steering, but let's not forget: the units on the car are serial! I also remember that when turning the steering wheel from lock to lock in the extreme positions, the power steering paused for a moment. Apparently, active steering was not initially included in the plans of the truck developers.

The frozen sand in January and the excellent geometric cross-country ability of the KrAZ created an excellent alliance for demonstrating the vehicle’s high-speed passes over rough terrain. Any hill or ravine was taken with ease or even with some carelessness by such “dummies” as automobile journalists. But permissiveness played a cruel joke on us - we still locked him up! Moreover, between two sand dunes, where before entering a new hill it was necessary to slow down to zero. He was no longer able to move up the hill on the sand, and we quickly dug in. Further attempts to get out of the unexpected trap ended with even more burying in loose soil. We already began to rub our hands joyfully - yeah, we buried the “Dakar” car!

But we rejoiced early, because in the heat of the races we completely forgot about the centralized tire inflation, which is standard on the car. The reason for this forgetfulness is the new tires, which at first glance are not at all designed for driving with minimal pressure. They are initially designed for a large load capacity and their sidewalls are not elastic. But to get out of the “awkward situation” their characteristics turned out to be quite sufficient. As soon as the pressure dropped to 2 atmospheres, the car emerged from the sandy captivity surprisingly easily. It became clear that we would not be able to seriously trap her in this sand quarry - she would still get out! Then the races took place on the highway. We wanted to reveal the speed limit of the car, since the gear ratio of the main gears of the drive axles was reduced.

Theoretically, the speed of the car should have increased from 80 to 125 km/h, but in reality the KrAZ accelerated to 130-140 km/h according to the speedometer. It didn’t work anymore - there weren’t enough straight sections of the road. But there was still a margin left - the engine speed in top gear at that moment barely exceeded 1500 min-1. There was no expected roar of the engine in the cockpit at that moment. It’s not even somehow sporty... Summing up the “rides”, we can state: the sports KrAZ is in fact nothing more than a serial two-axle all-wheel drive vehicle, only with an increased maximum speed.

On KrAZ trucks, reliability and maneuverability are present from the very beginning. These are exactly what the creators of the KrAZ-5233BE wanted to use for rally raids. Returning to the plant after a test drive, we overtook an almost brand new KrAZ dump truck. Who would have thought that the driver of that car would get his blood pumping and decide that his “workhorse” was no worse than its sports relative! Headlong, he rushed in pursuit of us, scaring off not only oncoming cars, but also cars moving in the same direction. The attempt to measure strength was as desperate as it was risky. And if you think about it, the Kremenchug attempt at the Dakar practically in an ordinary production car is from the same series of risky adventures with an uncertain ending.

So far everything ended well, the KrAZ-5233BE “Dakar” with its unexpected appearance at the start of the rally-raid in Lisbon caused a stir in the camp of competitors and returned home safely. It’s hard to believe that he would have been able to reach the finish line at Pink Lake without any problems - the route is very difficult, and he has little racing experience. And the characteristics of the car are more than modest for this. However, beginners sometimes get lucky...

©. Photos taken from publicly available sources.

• Author: Evgeny Smolnikov
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In service

• Nigeria Nigeria - in 2008, 100 KrAZ-5233BE trucks were manufactured and supplied to the national police[15]
• Ukraine Ukraine:

• Ministry of Emergency Situations
  - at the end of 2008, several KrAZ-5233BE-019 “Miner” trucks were purchased[16], in February 2015 two more armored KrAZ-5233BE were received[17]
• Armed Forces of Ukraine
  - On October 29, 2010, the KrAZ-5233 passed state tests and was recommended for introduction into service with the Armed Forces of Ukraine[18]; On August 23, 2011, two modifications of the KrAZ-5233 Spetsnaz all-terrain truck[19] were adopted by the Ukrainian Armed Forces - KrAZ-5233VE and KrAZ-5233NE (which should in the future replace the Soviet Ural-4320 and KamAZ-4310)[20 ].
• Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine
  - in July 2014, the first 5 KrAZ-5233 Spetsnaz trucks were transferred to service with the National Guard of Ukraine[21]; On November 22, 2014, military unit 3022 NSU handed over four more KrAZ-5233[22]

Notes

1. [riamotor.ru/index.php?newsid=8383 Yuzhny GOK received KRAZ shift trucks]
2. [ukrday.com/avto/novosti.php?id=90033 KrAZ arrived in Kyiv with its “Special Forces”]
3. [www.ukrrudprom.com/news/navtokraz040707.html AvtoKrAZ and Telecard-Pribor created a field communications complex based on KrAZ-5233BE] // “Ukrrudprom” dated July 4, 2007
4. Leonid Gogolev. [w[www.autocentre.ua/tr/tracks/war-cars/na-sluzhbe-armeyskoy-18364.html In army service]/ “Autocentre” dated January 17, 2011
5. [w[www.youtube.com/watch?v=3k3obLF-sGA Ukraine. Kyiv. Military parade] Channel 5 report from August 24, 2014 (live broadcast)
6. “ KrAZ cars of various modifications collapsed along Khreshchatyk.
   On the march there were cars with ZU-23-2 anti-aircraft guns installed on them " [w[www.mil.gov.ua/news/2014/08/24/chastina-uchasnikiv-paradu-ta-prodemonstrovanoi-tehniki-pislya/ Chastina participants in the parade and the demonstrated equipment after the clearing will be sent to the ATO zone] official website of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine dated August 24, 2014
7. [w[www.autoconsulting.com.ua/article.php?sid=32714 KrAZ has developed a peacekeeping version of the armored Raptor. Video]/ “AUTO-Consulting.UA” dated February 4, 2015
8. [w[www.autoconsulting.com.ua/article.php?sid=32330 Ukrainian security forces will receive another batch of “Fortresses on Wheels”]/ “AUTO-Consulting.UA” dated December 10, 2014.
9. [w[www.autoconsulting.com.ua/article.php?sid=36904 An armored earth-moving vehicle was created on the basis of KrAZ]/ “AUTO-Consulting.UA” dated August 30, 2016
10. [w[www.autoconsulting.com.ua/article.php?sid=32990 A propaganda vehicle was produced on the basis of KrAZ]/ “AUTO-Consulting.UA” dated March 17, 2015
11. [r[rus.newsru.ua/arch/auto/17jul2012/rkazz.html Indian company turned KrAZ into a military armored car]/ “News of Ukraine” dated July 17, 2012
12. Grigory Mazur. [a[armor.kiev.ua/php/news.php?id=5519 Kremechug armored car KRAZ-ASV Panther will join the arsenal of peacekeeping forces in many countries]li>
13. [w[www.military-informant.com/index.php/army/5015-1.html A new armored vehicle Shrek One has been developed based on the KrAZ chassis]li>
14. [w[www.autoconsulting.com.ua/article.php?sid=37242 KrAZ declassified the new armored army all-terrain vehicle KrAZ Hulk]/ “AUTO-Consulting.UA” dated October 10, 2016
15. [k[kremenchugtoday.com.ua/news.php?id=36638&year=2014&today=10&month=10 PJSC "AvtoKrAZ" conducted a training course for mechanics of the Nigerian armed forces]/ "Kremenchug Today" dated October 10, 2014
16. “ On the eve of New Year 2009, the Holding Company “AvtoKrAZ” delivered the final batch of special vehicles KRAZ-632216x6) and KRAZ-5233BE-019 (4x4) to the address of the Ministry of Ukraine for emergency situations And on the right, the population is protected from the legacy of the Chornobyl disaster... for the winning tenders of the Holding The company "AvtoKrAZ" delivered 24 vehicles to the address of the Ministry of Taxation of Ukraine, including special vehicles KRAZ-63221 and
    KRAZ-5322 "Miner" » [k[k[kremenchugtoday.com.ua/news.php?id=10104§ion =1&year=2009&today =16&month=01 “AvtoKrAZ” delivered special vehicles to the address of the Ministry of Taxation of Ukraine]/ “Kremenchug Today” dated January 16, 2009
17. [w[www.ukraineindustrial.info/archives/3404 Armored KrAZ-5233BE went to the combat zone to evacuate civilians]/ “Ukraine Industrial” dated February 5, 2015
18. Maxim Yakimov. [w[www.autocentre.ua/news/Events/KRAZ-36167.html KrAZ-5233 “Spetsnaz” is recommended for introduction into service with the Ukrainian Armed Forces]/ website “Autocentre. UA" dated October 29, 2010
19. [w[www.unian.net/common/536942-vezdehod-spetsnaz-prinyat-na-voorujenie-armii.html All-terrain vehicle "Spetsnaz" adopted by the army]/ UNIAN from September 1, 2011
20. [a[archive.is/20140411125532/www.mil.gov.ua/index.php?lang=ua&part=news&sub=read&id=21938 New vehicles have been adopted for the Armed Forces of Ukraine] official website of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine dated August 29, 2011
21. [w[www.autoconsulting.ua/article.php?sid=30956 KrAZ began supplying military trucks to the National Guard]li>
22. [v[vv.gov.ua/news.php?nid=6287&lang=ua&mid=1 40 Swedish carriages replenished the National Guard's fleet (VIDEO)]/ official website of the National Guard of Ukraine dated November 22, 2014

Links

• Dump trucks	KrAZ-222 • KrAZ-251 • KrAZ-256B • KrAZ-65032 • KrAZ-65055 • KrAZ-6510 • KrAZ S18.0 • KrAZ S18.1 • KrAZ C20.0 • KrAZ C20.2 • KrAZ C20.2R • KrAZ C26.2M
  Truck tractors	KrAZ-221 • KrAZ-252 • KrAZ-258 • KrAZ-5444 • KrAZ-64431 • KrAZ-6444
  Off-road vehicles	KrAZ-214 • KrAZ-255B • KrAZ-260 • KrAZ-5133VE • KrAZ-5233 • KrAZ-6140TE • KrAZ-6322 • KrAZ-6443 • KrAZ-6446 • KrAZ-65032 • KrAZ T17.0EX “Burlak” • KrAZ- V6.2MEKH • KrAZ-V12.2MEKH • KrAZ-7634
  Timber trucks	KrAZ-255L • KrAZ-6437 • KrAZ-6133M6
  Armored cars	KRAZ-ASV Panther • KRAZ Cobra • KRAZ Cougar • KrAZ Feona • KrAZ Hulk • KrAZ Hurricane • KrAZ Shrek One • KRAZ Spartan italics indicate promising, experimental, or samples that did not go into mass production

Excerpt characterizing KrAZ-5233

When Pierre entered the gate, he was overcome with heat, and he involuntarily stopped. – Which, which is your house? - he asked. - Oh oh oh! - the girl howled, pointing to the outbuilding. “He’s the one, she’s the one who was our Vatera.” You burned, my treasure, Katechka, my beloved young lady, oh, oh! - Aniska howled at the sight of the fire, feeling the need to express her feelings. Pierre leaned towards the outbuilding, but the heat was so strong that he involuntarily described an arc around the outbuilding and found himself next to a large house, which was still burning only on one side of the roof and around which a crowd of French were swarming. Pierre at first did not understand what these French were doing, carrying something; but, seeing in front of him a Frenchman who was beating a peasant with a blunt cleaver, taking away his fox fur coat, Pierre vaguely understood that they were robbing here, but he had no time to dwell on this thought. The sound of the crackling and roar of collapsing walls and ceilings, the whistle and hiss of flames and the animated cries of the people, the sight of wavering, now scowling thick black, now soaring lightening clouds of smoke with sparkles and sometimes solid, sheaf-shaped, red, sometimes scaly golden flame moving along the walls , the sensation of heat and smoke and the speed of movement produced on Pierre their usual stimulating effect of fires. This effect was especially strong on Pierre, because Pierre suddenly, at the sight of this fire, felt freed from the thoughts that were weighing him down. He felt young, cheerful, agile and determined. He ran around the outbuilding from the side of the house and was about to run to the part of it that was still standing, when a cry of several voices was heard above his head, followed by the cracking and ringing of something heavy that fell next to him. Pierre looked around and saw the French in the windows of the house, who had thrown out a chest of drawers filled with some kind of metal things. Other French soldiers below approached the box. - Eh bien, qu'est ce qu'il veut celui la, [[What else does this need,] one of the French shouted at Pierre. - Un enfant dans cette maison. N'avez vous pas vu un enfant? [[Child in this house. Have you seen the child?] said Pierre. – Tiens, qu'est ce qu'il chante celui la? Va te promener, [[What else is this interpreting? “Get to hell,” voices were heard, and one of the soldiers, apparently afraid that Pierre would take it into his head to take away the silver and bronze that were in the box, advanced threateningly towards him. - Un enfant? - the Frenchman shouted from above. – J'ai entendu piailler quelque chose au jardin. Peut etre c'est sou moutard au bonhomme. Faut etre humain, voyez vous… [[Child? I heard something squeaking in the garden. Maybe it's his child. Well, it is necessary according to humanity. We are all human...] Ou est il? Ou est il? [[Where is he? Where is he?] asked Pierre. - Par ici! Par ici! [[Here, here!] the Frenchman shouted to him from the window, pointing to the garden that was behind the house. – Attendez, je vais descendre. [[Wait, I'll come down now.] Indeed, a minute later a Frenchman, a black-eyed fellow with some kind of spot on his cheek, in only his shirt, jumped out of the window of the lower floor and, slapping Pierre on the shoulder, ran with him into the garden. “Depechez vous, vous autres,” he shouted to his comrades, “commence a faire chaud.” [[Hey! Under the bench lay a three-year-old girl in a pink dress. – Voila votre moutard. “Ah, une petite, tant mieux,” said the Frenchman. - Au revoir, mon gros. Faut être humaine. Nous sommes tous mortels, voyez vous, [[Here is your child. Ah, girl, so much the better. Goodbye, fat man. Well, it is necessary according to humanity. All people,] and the Frenchman with a spot on his cheek ran back to his comrades. Pierre, gasping for joy, ran up to the girl and wanted to take her in his arms. But, seeing a stranger, the scrofulous, unpleasant-looking, scrofulous, mother-like girl screamed and ran away. Pierre, however, grabbed her and lifted her into his arms; she screamed in a desperately angry voice and with her small hands began to tear Pierre’s hands away from her and bite them with her snotty mouth. Pierre was overcome by a feeling of horror and disgust, similar to the one he experienced when touching some small animal. But he made an effort over himself so as not to abandon the child, and ran with him back to the big house. But it was no longer possible to go back the same way; the girl Aniska was no longer there, and Pierre, with a feeling of pity and disgust, hugging the painfully sobbing and wet girl as tenderly as possible, ran through the garden to look for another way out. When Pierre, having run around courtyards and alleys, came back with his burden to Gruzinsky’s garden, on the corner of Povarskaya, at first he did not recognize the place from which he had gone to fetch the child: it was so cluttered with people and belongings pulled out of houses. In addition to Russian families with their goods, fleeing here from the fire, there were also several French soldiers in various attire. Pierre did not pay attention to them. He was in a hurry to find the official’s family in order to give his daughter to his mother and go again to save someone else. It seemed to Pierre that he had a lot more to do and quickly. Inflamed from the heat and running around, Pierre at that moment felt even more strongly than before that feeling of youth, revival and determination that overwhelmed him as he ran to save the child. The girl now became quiet and, holding Pierre’s caftan with her hands, sat on his hand and, like a wild animal, looked around her. Pierre occasionally glanced at her and smiled slightly. It seemed to him that he saw something touchingly innocent and angelic in this frightened and painful face. Neither the official nor his wife were in their former place. Pierre walked quickly among the people, looking at the different faces that came his way. Involuntarily he noticed a Georgian or Armenian family, consisting of a handsome, very old man with an oriental face, dressed in a new covered sheepskin coat and new boots, an old woman of the same type and a young woman. This very young woman seemed to Pierre the perfection of oriental beauty, with her sharp, arched black eyebrows and a long, unusually tenderly ruddy and beautiful face without any expression. Among the scattered belongings, in the crowd in the square, she, in her rich satin cloak and a bright purple scarf covering her head, resembled a delicate greenhouse plant thrown out into the snow. She sat on a bundle somewhat behind the old woman and motionlessly looked at the ground with her large black elongated eyes with long eyelashes. Apparently, she knew her beauty and was afraid for it. This face struck Pierre, and in his haste, walking along the fence, he looked back at her several times. Having reached the fence and still not finding those he needed, Pierre stopped, looking around. The figure of Pierre with a child in his arms was now even more remarkable than before, and several Russian men and women gathered around him. – Or lost someone, dear man? Are you one of the nobles yourself, or what? Whose child is it? - they asked him. Pierre answered that the child belonged to a woman in a black cloak, who was sitting with the children in this place, and asked if anyone knew her and where she had gone. “It must be the Anferovs,” said the old deacon, turning to the pockmarked woman. “Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy,” he added in his usual bass voice. - Where are the Anferovs! - said the woman. – The Anferovs left in the morning. And these are either the Marya Nikolaevnas or the Ivanovs. “He says she’s a woman, but Marya Nikolaevna is a lady,” said the yard man. “Yes, you know her, long teeth, thin,” said Pierre. - And there is Marya Nikolaevna. “They went into the garden, when these wolves swooped in,” the woman said, pointing at the French soldiers. “Oh, Lord have mercy,” the deacon added again. - You go over there, they are there. She is. “I kept getting upset and crying,” the woman said again. - She is. Here it is. But Pierre did not listen to the woman. For several seconds now, without taking his eyes off, he looked at what was happening a few steps away from him. He looked at the Armenian family and two French soldiers who approached the Armenians. One of these soldiers, a small, fidgety man, was dressed in a blue overcoat belted with a rope. He had a cap on his head and his feet were bare. The other, who especially struck Pierre, was a long, stooped, blond, thin man with slow movements and an idiotic expression on his face. This one was dressed in a frieze hood, blue trousers and large torn boots. A little Frenchman, without boots, in a blue hiss, approached the Armenians, immediately, saying something, took hold of the old man’s legs, and the old man immediately began hastily to take off his boots. The other, in a hood, stopped opposite the beautiful Armenian woman and silently, motionless, holding his hands in his pockets, looked at her. “Take, take the child,” said Pierre, handing over the girl and addressing the woman imperiously and hastily. - Give it to them, give it to them! - he shouted almost at the woman, putting the screaming girl on the ground, and again looked back at the French and the Armenian family. The old man was already sitting barefoot. The little Frenchman took off his last boot and clapped the boots one against the other. The old man, sobbing, said something, but Pierre only caught a glimpse of it; all his attention was turned to the Frenchman in the hood, who at that time, slowly swaying, moved towards the young woman and, taking his hands out of his pockets, grabbed her neck. The beautiful Armenian woman continued to sit in the same motionless position, with her long eyelashes lowered, and as if she did not see or feel what the soldier was doing to her. While Pierre ran the few steps that separated him from the French, a long marauder in a hood was already tearing the necklace she was wearing from the Armenian woman’s neck, and the young woman, clutching her neck with her hands, screamed in a shrill voice. – Laissez cette femme! [[Leave this woman!] Pierre croaked in a frantic voice, grabbing the long, hunched soldier by the shoulders and throwing him away. The soldier fell, got up and ran away. But his comrade, throwing away his boots, took out a cleaver and menacingly advanced on Pierre.

Throw on the “Dakar”Sports truck KrAZ-5233BE “Dakar”

Word of mouth The news that the Kremenchug truck had set out to conquer the Dakar quickly spread among marathon fans in the former USSR. Of course, everyone knew about KrAZ’s plans to take part in the race - the plant even presented a special project “Samum” for this occasion (“GP” No. 8, 2007). But there was no talk that this would happen in 2008! It soon became clear: the conversation was not about a full-fledged fight in the race, but only about the participation of technical personnel outside the competition in preparation for the next Dakar. The maximum task is to complete the entire route and finish in the capital of Senegal. The minimum task is to take a closer look at the organization and composition of the race, try the car in the sand, and, based on this experience, continue preparing the combat vehicle. O crossed out all plans, but the effect of a bomb exploding was still achieved: no one expected such agility and determination from KrAZ !

Without further ado, our magazine has a strong friendship with the Kremenchug Automobile Plant, so we could not miss such an event as the appearance of a sports car at KrAZ. We were the first automotive journalist to take the car for a test - it was interesting to find out what kind of “monster” KrAZ created and why it scared Europe so much. It turned out that the sports car was based on a serial KrAZ-5133BE (4x4). Improvements were minimal. First of all, for strict European dimensions (width limit of 2.5 m), standard wide-profile “bast” tires with dimensions 1350x550-533 were replaced with Belarusian Bel-95 tires (16.00R-20). To do this, we had to slightly modify the hubs of the drive axles. The side platform was strengthened and narrowed to the same size (previously it was 2600 mm). Accordingly, the platform was modified from the inside - four powerful tubular arches were installed to protect the body when it rolls over. Holders for six spare wheels were placed along the side sides, and a small crane-jib of a cable winch was attached to the last reinforced arch for lifting and lowering the spare wheels. Visible external changes include additional fuel tanks on both sides with a total volume of 750 liters and a body awning that completely covers the sides. The cabin was left unchanged, but an extended version was chosen, originally intended for installing a berth. The “sleeping bag” itself was not mounted, but three chairs were arranged in a checkerboard pattern - this gave more working space for the crew. No additional safety cages were welded inside (but in vain, coups on the Dakar are not uncommon, and it would not hurt to further protect the cabin). You won’t see any sports seats here – there are regular Pilot seats with air suspension. Driving them on European roads is just fine, but they definitely wouldn’t withstand the gullies of African deserts. Indirect evidence - during our “rides” on two of the three seats, the air suspension failed (the air supply hoses were frayed). Moreover, even during small jumps from sand dunes, passengers had difficulty maintaining a “combat” position in these seats. And a reckless desire to give a girl a ride in a car - a PR manager of KrAZ - ended with a cut chin that drew blood. Just imagine how difficult it would be for the crew in such seats on a real Dakar... There are few changes in the mechanical part of the car. The engine remains standard - YaMZ-238D, with a power of 330 hp. It’s funny that this is not even the most powerful unit installed on KrAZ trucks. The installation of a 400-horsepower YaMZ-7511.10 under the hood has long been worked out, but, apparently, the 238 was considered more reliable. The most interesting metamorphoses occurred with the gearbox. Despite the fact that the quality of the “native” Yaroslavl gearbox is constantly improving, we chose the Chinese 9-speed Shaanxi and MFZ-430 clutch for the long journey. Despite our skepticism, everyone who knows the car first-hand unanimously assured us that the box is simply gorgeous! And when we asked where it suddenly came from at KrAZ, they had to admit: they were looking closely to install them serially as an alternative to the Yaroslavl one. There were no other surprises in the transmission - it uses a standard transfer case and serial axles with a slightly modified gear ratio to provide a higher maximum speed.

Rides I sat behind the wheel of a sports KrAZ with trepidation - the appearance of the car alone turns me on and provokes a “driver’s” driving style. And there were quite a lot of onlookers in the secluded sand quarry on the banks of the Dnieper. And where did they come from? And there it is... Local fishermen, who had been sitting peacefully on the ice before our arrival, suddenly threw down their spinning rods and settled down to watch the races. And the mechanic of the only excavator quit his job and climbed onto the roof of the dragline to better see our tricks. Thus, he completely paralyzed traffic in the quarry and created a traffic jam of BelAZ trucks. In general, our departure did not go unnoticed. The constantly switched on all-wheel drive helped us not to make a fool of ourselves on the KrAZ-5233BE in a difficult situation, but did not allow us to “light up” in sharp turns. It was not possible to achieve a beautiful drift of the rear axle for a spectacular photograph. But, driving through the dunes with an empty car, I could only use the top row of gears, which, in combination with a really luxurious Chinese gearbox (maybe it was made to special order?) saved me from problems with choosing gears - shifting according to the familiar pattern happened quickly and clearly .I won’t say anything about the clutch and gas pedal: on a jumping car you think about their work last, but since there are no “negatives” left from them, it means everything is normal. But the brakes have a “Krazov” character! The pressure on the brake pedal must be very precisely measured. If you press the pedal a little harder, the car will stop dead in its tracks. It’s good that in the conditions of the sand pit there was almost no need to brake - it was enough just to let off the gas for the car to start slowing down. But the steering wheel had to be turned a lot and quickly. It is very light, but with weak feedback. On a sports car, I would like more sensitive steering, but let's not forget: the units on the car are serial! I also remember that when turning the steering wheel from lock to lock in the extreme positions, the power steering paused for a moment. Apparently, active steering was not initially included in the plans of the truck’s developers. The frozen sand in January and the excellent geometric cross-country ability of the KrAZ created an excellent alliance for demonstrating the vehicle’s high-speed passes over rough terrain. Any hill or ravine was taken with ease or even with some carelessness by such “dummies” as automobile journalists. But permissiveness played a cruel joke on us - we still locked him up! Moreover, between two sand dunes, where before entering a new hill it was necessary to slow down to zero. He was no longer able to move up the hill on the sand, and we quickly dug in. Further attempts to get out of the unexpected trap ended with even more burying in loose soil. We already began to rub our hands joyfully - yeah, we buried the Dakar car! But we rejoiced early, because in the heat of the races we completely forgot about the centralized tire inflation, which is standard on the car. The reason for this forgetfulness is the new tires, which at first glance are not at all designed for driving with minimal pressure. They are initially designed for a large load capacity and their sidewalls are not elastic. But to get out of the “awkward situation” their characteristics turned out to be quite sufficient. As soon as the pressure dropped to 2 atmospheres, the car emerged from the sandy captivity surprisingly easily. It became clear that we wouldn’t be able to seriously trap her in this sand pit - she would still get out! Then the races took place on the highway. We wanted to reveal the speed limit of the car, since the gear ratio of the main gears of the drive axles was reduced. Theoretically, the speed of the car should have increased from 80 to 125 km/h, but in reality the KrAZ accelerated to 130–140 km/h according to the speedometer. It didn’t work anymore - there weren’t enough straight sections of the road. But there was still a margin - the engine speed in top gear at that moment barely exceeded 1500 rpm. There was no expected roar of the engine in the cockpit at that moment. It’s not even somehow sporty... Summing up the “rides”, we can state: the sports KrAZ is in fact nothing more than a serial two-axle all-wheel drive vehicle, only with an increased maximum speed. On KrAZ trucks, reliability and maneuverability are present from the very beginning. These are exactly what the creators of the KrAZ-5233BE wanted to use for rally raids.

Epilogue Returning to the plant after a test drive, we overtook an almost brand new KrAZ dump truck. Who would have thought that the driver of that car would get his blood pumping and decide that his “workhorse” was no worse than its sports relative! Headlong, he rushed in pursuit of us, scaring off not only oncoming cars, but also cars moving in the same direction. The attempt to measure strength was as desperate as it was risky. And if you think about it, the Kremenchug attempt at the Dakar practically in an ordinary production car is from the same series of risky adventures with an uncertain ending. While everything ended well, the KrAZ-5233BE “Dakar” with its unexpected appearance at the start of the rally raid in Lisbon caused a stir in camp of competitors and returned home safely. It’s hard to believe that he would have been able to reach the finish line at Pink Lake without any problems - the route is very difficult, and he has little racing experience. And the characteristics of the car are more than modest for this. However, sometimes beginners are lucky... We thank AvtoKrAZ Holding Company for providing the car for testing.

Kremenchug–Kiev–Lisbon A story from a direct participant in the Dakar trip, AvtoKrAZ HC test driver Alexander Masliya: “The process of preparing for the trip was rapid. In a short period of time, it was necessary to prepare the necessary documents: in addition to driver's and medical visas, these were also visas - Schengen, Morocco, Mauritania, Senegal. Documents for the car were required - permits for the right to travel (for cars weighing more than 3.5 tons, such a permit is required for each country separately), etc. In addition, it was necessary to collect a whole body of spare parts - just in case, because on the highway events could turn out differently. differently. For the trip we were equipped with two suitcases with medical supplies: one was provided by the auto factory clinic, the other was taken by Sergei Malik, the crew pilot. The road to Lisbon was grueling. In four days (from December 30 to January 3) we drove almost six thousand kilometers. The hotels were full during the New Year holidays, and we were helped out by the “sleeping bags” that we took with us. We took the shortest route through the Pyrenees. The car was tested on the road, and we studied its behavior in various conditions. Difficulties were added by strict European rules, according to which the driver cannot drive for more than 4 hours in a row, and travel more than the required kilometers per day. For violation there are large fines. Along the way, in different countries we were greeted as heroes - the day before there were programs on television about the Dakar. In Spain, women with children asked for autographs, and in Portugal there is a large Ukrainian diaspora. They came up, tried to touch the car, take a photo with us. They told their life stories: someone used to work at KrAZ, someone served on this machine. When we were in Lisbon, members of the KamAZ-Master team arrived and cheerfully greeted us. The guys said: “What a great fellow you are for finally getting moving.”