ASTRA. Trucks for the toughest conditions

ASTRA. Trucks for the toughest conditions

P. Vernikov

ASTRA Veicoli Industriali has been creating vehicles for the most difficult conditions for half a century - mining, forestry, construction. These vehicles are capable of operating in the polar tundra, African deserts, and tropical jungles. Rich years of experience and our own unique developments allow the company's designers to create first-class heavy equipment.

Qualified specialists constantly improve technology and ensure high culture and quality of equipment production, thanks to which it enjoys well-deserved recognition both at home and abroad: 40% of ASTRA products are sold in Italy, 30% are exported and 30% are supplied to the armed forces of the NATO bloc. Large volumes of construction, difficult road conditions or the complete absence of roads, remoteness of repair bases, a pronounced continental climate with hot summers and harsh winters - all this gives reason to assume that ASTRA cars will find and firmly occupy their market niche in Russia. ASTRA trucks are designed specifically for use in extremely difficult conditions, where torque, power, stability and reliability become the determining factors.

The most popular items in the company's offer are dump trucks on automobile chassis and articulated dump trucks, and among them stand out three-axle vehicles with “tundra” bodies - bucket type, rear unloading, without a tailgate, with exhaust gas heating. A powerful, durable frame, reinforced suspension and axles, and a high-torque engine allow the installation of larger bodies: on three-axle vehicles - with a capacity of 16 m3 (19 m3 - "with a cap"), on four-axle vehicles - with a geometric volume of 18 m3 (21 m3 - " with a hat").

Traditionally, ASTRA dump trucks are equipped with bodies from the Italian company CANTONI, but there is experience in installing Russian bodies. Lumber companies are also showing interest in ASTRA technology. Several such companies are already awaiting delivery of chassis for further installation of log carriers and tractors for cut-off transporters.

I would like to note the interest in ASTRA chassis from body companies. The chassis frame is designed for heavy loads, made of a profile that is constant along the entire length, with various wheelbase and rear overhang options and is ideal for mounting various superstructures - dump and special bodies, concrete mixing plants and concrete pumps, crane installations, various tanks, logging sites. The traditional line of articulated dump trucks, which have long been trusted for their reliability, power and maneuverability, has attracted traditional customer interest.

High ground clearance and the presence of center and cross-axle differential locks, engine adjustment for maximum torque make it possible to successfully operate ASTRA vehicles with a 6x4 wheel arrangement in places where only all-wheel drive vehicles usually operate, which has a positive effect on the cost of work. Of course, in the most difficult off-road conditions, all-wheel drive vehicles are the most effective, and they are also widely represented in the ASTRA model range, and these vehicles are maximally unified with non-all-wheel drive models and have the same load capacity.

It is possible to equip the vehicles with single-pitch tires on all axles, which makes the ASTRA vehicle an absolute all-terrain vehicle. For soils with reduced bearing capacity - sands, swamps, virgin snow, the machine can be equipped with axles with single-pitch wide tires.

Considering the specifics of ASTRA equipment, which is a special non-commercial vehicle and is intended for off-road use, its most effective use is in the construction industries, for example, when filling roads, as well as in the development of deposits, where equipment with high maneuverability, strength and reliability is needed, which does not require complex and expensive service. The specifics of the work of companies working in the logging and removal of timber often also require the use of off-road vehicles, so we can reasonably talk about the effective use of ASTRA equipment in this industry.

(ASTRA)

Piacenza Italy 1972-

Immediately after the end of World War II, designer Mario Bertuzzi founded the company for the production of specialized vehicles "Anonima Sarda Trasporti" with the abbreviation ASTRA, which was soon converted into the understandable name "Astra". It began creating military equipment in the early 70s, when the program included the VM20 cargo series with a total weight of up to 30 tons. All the vehicles that made it up were equipped with a durable frame welded from two pairs of longitudinal side members, 2-seater fiberglass a cabin above the engine, made on a steel frame, a six-speed gearbox, double main gears and planetary wheel reduction gears, front suspension on parabolic springs, pneumatic brake drive and power steering.

Astra VM20MV1, 6X6, 1975

Astra VM201MS1, 4X4, 1979

Astra BM309F, 6x6, 1983

Astra VM305. 6X6,1985

Astra HD66.45, 6X6, 1994

Astra SM44.31 (M170.31WM) 4X4, 1999

Military versions had a 6x6 wheel arrangement and were equipped with a 6-cylinder diesel engine “8210.02” (13.8 l, 260 hp) from FIAT. The base one was a 10-ton VM20MT dump truck with an 8.5 cc body. Subsequently, this model range was supplemented by a 13-ton MC2 tactical truck with a winch and various chassis for transporting tracked armored vehicles and installing repair and recovery equipment, cranes, bridge layers, and drilling rigs. The development of this range was the 450-horsepower tank tractor VM25 (6×4) and the 8.5-ton army truck VM201M (4×4) with a 6-cylinder FIAT diesel engine (8.1 l, 170 hp). At its base, a dump truck and a fuel tanker were produced, as well as a 4-ton tactical truck VM201MS1, which met NATO requirements. In the early 80s.

Astra also produced the VAB amphibious cargo vehicle, created in Spain (Pegaso).

In the early 80s. The legendary strength and reliability of Astra cars was fully confirmed by the 300 series with a new all-metal cabin (Ital Design). In 1983, the BM309F (6x6) truck with a gross weight of 33 tons, capable of transporting up to 20 tons of cargo or heavy armored vehicles on an open platform, entered service. On its basis, in 1985, they created the VM305 (6x6) tank tractor, which, when coupled with a 60-ton semi-trailer, reached a speed of 80 km/h. They used diesel engines FIAT-8280 (17.2 l, 352 hp) or 355-horsepower Mercedes-Benz OM423 (MercedesBenz), 16-speed CF (ZF) gearbox, differentials with electro-pneumatic locking , 2-circuit air brake system and multi-leaf suspension springs

In 1986, Astra became the heavy vehicle division of the IVECO concern. Three years later, it began production of the new “6000” family, which included several military trucks and tractors with a gross weight of 25~32 tons of modular design, equipped with diesel engines with a capacity of 260^420 hp. and an extended all-metal cab.

Astra SM88.42 (M320E42W), 8X8, 1996

Astra SM88.45 (M320.45WM), 8x8, 2001

Astra SM88.50T (M1100.50WTM), 8X8, 2002

Astra SM66.40 (M250.40WM), 6x6, 2004

In 1994, the “8000” or HD series appeared, which included a range of heavy air transportable tactical vehicles SM (Standard Militare), produced under the brands “Astra” and I VEKO with different indexings. They differed from civilian ones in a more spacious rectangular 5-seater cabin, all disc brakes with ABS and a tire inflation system. They were based on 300- and 370-horsepower flatbed trucks SM44.30 (4x4) and SM66.37 (6x6) for transporting soldiers, ammunition and towing artillery pieces, which had the indices M170.30WM and M250.37WM in the IVECO program. The SM88.42 (M320E42W) 8x8 chassis with a gross weight of 34 tons, equipped with a 420-horsepower IVECO diesel engine and an automatic 6-speed transmission, was used to install special superstructures and weapons. From the commercial range, the armed forces used 440-horsepower trucks, dump trucks and truck tractors of the HD66.45 (6x6) series with a total weight of 26-33 tons. In 1996, the company mastered the production of a new civilian range HD7/C, on the basis of which a modernized military one was born series. It consists of three base vehicles 5M44.31 (M170.31WM) 4x4, SM66.40 (M250.40WM) 6x6 HSM88.45

(M320.45WM) 8X8 with a lifting capacity of 7~17 tons, equipped with an IVECO Cursor-13 diesel engine with a capacity of 31 0450 l

.with, manual 16-speed or automatic transmissions with a number of gears of 5 or b. These chassis are used for transporting tracked combat vehicles along highways and for mounting command posts, container reloaders, repair and recovery equipment, radar stations, air defense systems, satellite control systems and installations for launching tactical missiles. The military program is closed by the 500-horsepower SM88.50T (M1100.50WTM) 8x8 tank tractor with a 32-speed transmission and two winches with a traction force of 25 tf. As part of a road train with a gross weight of up to 130 tons, it is capable of reaching a speed of 80 km/h. Since 2005, the company has been releasing a new HD8 range.

Table of contents

Model range ASTRA HD9

Astra HD9. Astra, which celebrated its 65th anniversary in 2011, is part of the Iveco concern. The cars it produces, being partially unified with similar class models of the parent company (primarily in engines and transmissions), are designed to work in more difficult conditions, and therefore have a more durable and durable chassis.

Since 2012, the Astra HD9 family of heavy three- and four-axle vehicles has been leading the model range, which includes both chassis and dump trucks with 6x4, 6x6, 8x4, 8x6, 8x8 wheel arrangements. They are equipped with Iveco F3B series engines with power from 310 to 560 hp. With. in two versions - Euro-3 and Euro-5. The engines are paired with 16-speed ZF gearboxes. The maximum gross weight of dump trucks is 56 tons.

The Astra HD8 family of trucks (HD is short for Heavy Duty) replaced the previous generation HD7 family in 2005. It includes a whole range of two-axle, three-axle and four-axle rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive models, including truck tractors designed to tow semi-trailers weighing more than one hundred tons, universal chassis and dump trucks. They are equipped with Iveco Cursor engines with power from 310 to 560 hp. pp., which are equipped with a proprietary engine brake and in the basic version are combined with a ZF 16-speed manual gearbox. Fiberglass cabins on a durable tubular frame were developed especially for these vehicles in four basic versions. The total weight of three-axle dump trucks reaches 40 tons, four-axle dump trucks – 50 tons.

To work in quarry conditions, based on the Astra HD8, the company produces specially modified Astra HHD8 (Heavy Heavy Duty) dump trucks with a 6x6 wheel arrangement. To withstand more severe operating conditions, they received additional reinforcement of the chassis and more durable bodies.

Off-road vehicles with a wheel arrangement of 4×4, 6×6 and 8×8 of the Astra SMH and Astra SMR families are offered especially for the armed forces. They are created on the basis of the Astra HD family of civilian models and differ from them primarily in a more utilitarian cabin, created taking into account military requirements.

The three-axle articulated dump trucks of the ADT family with automatic transmission, produced under the Astra brand, are used in the development of mineral deposits and on filling roads in difficult terrain. Depending on the modification, their carrying capacity ranges from 23 to 36 tons, and the geometric volume of the body is from 10.6 to 17 m3. For such dump trucks, engines of the Cursor 10 or Cursor 13 families are used, the power of which ranges from 320 to 455 hp. With.

Another direction of Astra’s work is the production of Astra HD9 mining dump trucks of traditional design. Their family includes models RD28, RD32, RD40 and RD50, where the numbers indicate the maximum load capacity in tons. All of them are equipped with an automatic transmission, as well as independent front and semi-independent rear hydropneumatic suspension.

Their engines, manufactured by Iveco or Deutz, develop from 353 to 653 hp, depending on the model. s., and the geometric volume of the body ranges from 14.2 to 23 m3.