AvtoKrAZ is working again - a batch of powerful tractors for transporting military equipment has been produced

For questions regarding the purchase of this equipment (KRAZ-5444 truck tractor 4×2), terms of credit and leasing, service and warranty, please contact the plant’s dealers or official representative offices. Delivery of the KRAZ-5444 4×2 truck tractor can be carried out either directly from the manufacturer or from sites in Moscow and other regions of the Russian Federation.

KrAZ-5444
fifth-wheel tractor is designed for towing semi-trailers with a total weight of 28 tons on public roads with a permissible load on the drive axle of 100 kN (10,000 kgf), as well as on roads with a permissible load on the drive axle of 115 kN (11,500 kgf) .

The type of climatic modification according to GOST-15150 is “U”.

The car is equipped with spare parts. At the customer's request, the vehicle can be equipped with a pre-heater and a cabin with a berth.

KrAZ vehicles

equipped with diesel engines produced by the Yaroslavl Motor Plant (Russia). Naturally aspirated engines have a power of 240 hp. and are equipped with a 5-speed gearbox; supercharged engines with a power of 300-330 hp equipped with an 8-speed gearbox.

About the history of the enterprise and the KrAZ-6443 model

The first decade of its existence, the Kremenchug Automobile Plant produced bridges. The decision to build a bridge plant in the city of Kremenchug was made in August 1945. Until 1956, more than six hundred bridges were built here for such large rivers as the Volga, Dnieper, Daugava, Dniester and others.

In 1956, the enterprise was transformed into a combine plant, and was engaged in the production of forage harvesters for beets and corn; road rollers; tractor wheels; a number of types of agricultural machinery. At the same time, the Kremenchug plant was mastering the production of heavy-duty vehicles, based on the main models of the Yaroslavl Automobile Plant.

The first two KrAZ trucks (based on the YaAZ-210) solemnly left the factory gates in April 1959. And already in 1961, the Kremenchug Automobile Plant produced cars not only for the domestic market, but also for export (more than five hundred KrAZ vehicles were delivered to Argentina, Afghanistan, Bulgaria, China, India, Vietnam and other (26 in total) countries of the world. 100 The thousandth KrAZ rolled off the factory assembly line in 1968.

The first two KrAZ trucks in history at the May Day demonstration in 1959.

By 1978, KrAZ vehicles of six models in 28 modifications were already in widespread use throughout the USSR and were supplied to 57 countries around the world. The Kremenchug Automobile Plant reached its maximum production volume (30 thousand cars per year) by the mid-80s of the twentieth century.

The KrAZ-6443 model comes from those prosperous years: the first truck tractor of this brand was manufactured in 1987, but the start of mass production was in 1992. In the model range of the plant, the KrAZ-6443 is a continuation of the KrAZ-6510 family.

The three-axle KrAZ-6443 truck tractor with a 6x6 wheel arrangement is intended for towing heavy semi-trailers on roads that allow the movement of vehicles with a load on dual axles of up to 220 kN (22,000 kgf). To work on very “dense” off-road conditions, in rough terrain, there is a separate model of the Kremenchug truck tractor - KrAZ-6446, equipped with special all-terrain tires with a powerful lug tread.

As a rule, the KrAZ-6443 tractor is used for transporting cargo with particularly significant weight and non-standard dimensions; heavy construction equipment and industrial equipment. This tractor is distinguished by significant mobility and has a turning diameter of no more than thirteen meters, which makes it quite convenient when working on construction sites.

KrAZ-6443 successfully copes with the transportation of heavy energy-rich equipment.

The car is equipped with spare parts. At the request of the customer, as additional options the KrAZ-6443 can be equipped with:

• engine preheater (“Webasto” or “Teplostar-14.TS10”);
• extended cabin, with a specially equipped berth.
• additional cabin heater "Planar-4D/24";
• imported fifth wheel coupling device of reduced height: “JOST” or “George Fisher” type.

Options and modifications

• KrA3-250 is a basic model, an “empty” chassis for add-ons, or a chassis with an onboard platform.
• KrA3-250V – truck tractor.
• KrA3-250K is a special crane chassis for mounting truck cranes produced by the Drogobych and Kamyshin truck crane plants.
• KrA3-251 – 14-ton dump truck with rear unloading.
• KrA3-252 – truck tractor.

“Empty” KrAZ-250 chassis were sent to specialized factories, where, in addition to cranes, they were also equipped with concrete mixers, concrete pumps, cranes and other special-purpose equipment. But the most common option was a truck crane, with a maximum lifting capacity of 20 tons and a maximum lifting height of the boom of 10.3 m. The lifting device is located on a movable platform, and the boom is equipped with steel ropes and load grippers. The design includes outrigger supports that provide auxiliary stability during manipulations with the load.

KrA3-260 all-wheel drive trucks performed the tasks previously assigned to the KrA3-255 family. The main ones in this family are the KrA3-260D truck tractor and the KrA3-260 flatbed tractor. They were intended, for example, to tow heavy 152 mm guns. Truck tractors towed semi-trailers with armored vehicles and low-bed semi-trailers of the S-3OOPTS anti-aircraft missile system. Various engineering vehicles were mounted on the chassis: PPS-64 and PPS-91 parks, E0V-4422 excavators, TMM-ZM bridge, UMS-2B bridge-building installations, etc.

All modifications of KrA3-25O are designed for roads allowing a load of 18 tons on dual rear axles, and can operate at temperatures from +40° to –40°. The KrA3-25O vehicle can tow a trailer weighing up to 20 tons. The car is designed in such a way as to ensure the highest possible unification both within the family and with previous cars of the Kremenchug Automobile Plant.

Specifications

There are three modifications of this vehicle: KrAZ-6443 – a basic modification with a 6×6 wheel arrangement; KrAZ-644301 is a truck tractor specially prepared for operation in cold climate zones; and there is also a modification of the KrAZ-6443 with a 6x4 wheel arrangement.

Overall dimensions and weight parameters

• Length – 7.665 meters; width – 2.484 meters; Cabin height is 2.985 meters.
• Wheelbase - 4,080 meters.
• Installation length of the frame – 4.475 m; mounting frame height – 1.142 m; frame width – 0.87 m.
• Track – 2,070 meters.
• Ground clearance is standard – 290 mm.
• Front/rear overhang – 1250/820 mm.
• Saddle height – from 1440 to 1520 mm.
• The turning radius is 13 meters.
• The maximum climbable grade is 18 degrees.
• Entry angle – 35 degrees; exit - 50 degrees.
• The curb weight of the vehicle is 10.8 tons.
• The total weight of the vehicle is 28 tons.
• The permissible load on the front axle is 6 tons.
• The permissible load on the rear axle is 22 tons.
• The permissible vertical load on the fifth wheel coupling is 17 tons.
• The permissible total weight of the towed semi-trailer is 48 tons.
• The permissible total weight of the road train is 59 tons.

Engine KrAZ-6443

Until the beginning of 2015, KrAZ-6443 vehicles were equipped with diesel engines produced by the Yaroslavl Motor Plant. Namely, V-shaped 8-cylinder turbocharged engines (Euro-2): YaMZ-238D – 318 hp; YaMZ-238FM – 320 hp; YaMZ-238DE2 – 330 hp. (range from 2,100 rpm).

The working volume of each of these modifications of the YaMZ-238 is 14,860 cm³. The maximum torque (according to DIN-70020) is: YaMZ-238D – 1,225 Nm; YaMZ-238FM – 1,185 Nm; YaMZ-238DE2 – 1225 Nm., in the range of 1200-1400 rpm. All engines are equipped with a turbocharging system and liquid cooling.

The fuel consumption of a road train is determined by the manufacturer at the level of sixty liters of diesel fuel per 100 kilometers. The car is equipped with two fuel tanks, 250 liters each.

Powerful timber carrier based on KrAZ-6443.

After the aggravation of the political situation in Ukraine, many Ukrainian enterprises, including the Kremenchug Automobile Plant, announced a complete rejection of Russian-made components.

As a result, since 2015, the KrAZ-6443 is no longer equipped with a Yaroslavl engine, but with a Chinese-made diesel engine. Replacements for other Russian-made components and parts were also found in China. However, very few cars of this brand are made anymore, and it is very difficult for the plant to find buyers for them. Despite the fact that the price of the KrAZ-6443 is much cheaper than its imported “classmates”.

Transmission

Until 2015, all KrAZ-6443 vehicles were equipped with an 8-speed dual-range YaMZ gearbox with synchronizers in all gears except reverse; with integrated parking brake. Gearbox ratios – 7.73; 5.52; 3.94; 2.80; 1.96; 1.39; 1.00; 0.71. Reverse – 11.79; 2.99. Main transmission – central, two-stage, single-speed axles, middle axle of a through type.

The final drive ratio is 8.173. Transfer case gear ratios: top gear – 0.95; lowest gear - 1.31. By the way, the same Yaroslavl manual transmission on the KrAZ-65032, KrAZ-650321 dump trucks is also equipped with a power take-off to drive the pump for the tipping mechanism of the loading platform.

Clutch – double-disc, dry, friction type, with peripherally located pressure springs.

Steering and brake control

The steering mechanism is mechanical, with hydraulic booster. The service brakes are classic drum-type wheel brakes with internal pads. The parking brakes and transmission brake are also drum-type, located on the output shaft of the transfer case; mechanical drive. Auxiliary brakes are throttle type, pneumatic drive, installed in the gas exhaust system.

Suspension

The car is built on a platform with a dependent suspension using semi-ellipse springs in the rear. This configuration allows you to increase the load on the coupling device and guarantee the operation of the circuit under conditions of increased mechanical loads on any type of road surface.

KrAZ-6443 with an extended cab.

The front suspension is dependent, on two semi-elliptic springs, working in conjunction with two hydraulic shock absorbers. The rear suspension is dependent, balanced on two semi-elliptic springs. Tires used size 12.00R20 (320R-508). The rim size is 216B-508 (8.5B-20).

Weight characteristics of KRAZ-5444:

Cabin of the KrAZ-6443 vehicle

The three-seater cabin of the KrAZ-6443 heavy tractor has improved ergonomics of the driver’s workplace compared to classic KrAZ trucks of the 70s/80s. Forward and side visibility has also improved significantly.

The instrument panel still looks very simple and concise, but informative. The cabin is equipped with a powerful and efficient heater, which copes quite effectively with warming up in severe northern and Siberian frosts.

View of the KrAZ-6443 interior from the open driver's door.

The cabin interior will please anyone who is nostalgic for the good old 80s of the twentieth century. All its design, one might say, remains in the style and level of cars of that glorious era.

The seats (separate – driver and double passenger) are new, comfortable, but also, so to speak, “retro-design”, “originally from the twentieth century”.

Despite the presence of a hydraulic power steering, the steering wheel is large and of considerable diameter, as it should be on a heavy, brutal truck. (For example, those who enter the interior of the new Ural Next for the first time are first stupefied by the small “Gazelle” donut, which somehow does not fit with the image of a powerful truck).

Reviews from drivers and owners about the KrAZ-6443

Despite the fact that the KrAZ-6443 is a special truck tractor, not “widely used” and not very widespread in a number of regions of the CIS, over the 25 years of its production, many people have had the opportunity to work on this equipment and get to know it better. Drivers note that this tractor is an old-school, “Soviet-style” vehicle: durable, unpretentious, powerful, load-lifting, and with high cross-country ability.

Not everything is clear with the build quality at the Kremenchug Automobile Plant. Some owners and drivers cannot praise enough the reliability and trouble-free operation of the KrAZ-6443. Others who were unlucky, quite the opposite, “during the first two years of operation they went through everything from top to bottom, and even climbed into the engine more than once, although in theory they should have only changed the oil.” But repairing a KrAZ, trimming its wheels, and, what can I say, just a long trip on this heavy tractor is not an activity for those weak in body, nerves and spirit. This is truly a real challenge.

Many, not without reason, compare the KrAZ-6443 with a tank (which, as you know, are not afraid of dirt). A strong vehicle, even without all-terrain tires, like the 6446, goes over any off-road terrain smoothly and calmly, as if on the road, and effortlessly overcomes obstacles inaccessible to other trucks. And on the ice it slowly but surely crawls up any decent hill - where the KamAZ trucks are already sliding and “whistling” with their tires.

Dashboard of KrAZ-6443.

The speed is kept uniform regardless of the circumstances: whether it’s downhill or uphill; no matter whether loaded or empty; very low gear ratios. One driver remembers how he dragged a folded tower crane with all its monstrous massive counterweights onto a KrAZ-6443: “just a hell of a torque! He almost didn’t feel this tap!”

Fuel consumption, of course, is high, but it matches the power and capabilities of this machine, and besides, it grows for a reason, but in proportion to the load: “as you load it, so will it eat.”

In the vastness of Siberia, the Far East, the Far North, the KrAZ-6443 is at home. But in the city it’s more of a guest. In urban conditions, especially in narrow places, you have to twist and turn so as not to repeat the “feat of a bull in a china shop,” but this is a matter of experience and habit.

KrAZ-6443 takes on board the components of a tower crane.

Regarding the spartan environment in the cabin and the lack of comfort, everyone honestly says that this is the case. However, as one of the drivers, with the nickname “Uncle Misha,” put it, “I don’t understand people who appreciate the design and convenience of a truck. After all, this machine is a working one and was not created to take girls for rides, but to plow tirelessly and perform its function, and KrAZ copes with this perfectly!”

KrAZ-250 engine

Cars of this model were equipped with eight-cylinder V-shaped diesel engines YaMZ-238, YaMZ-238D, YaMZ-238M2. The working volume of this engine is 14.86 liters, the compression ratio is 16.5, the cylinder operating order is 1-5-4-2-6-3-7-8. The cylinder diameter is 13O mm, the piston stroke is 14O mm. 14.86 l, compression ratio 16.5, operating order 1-5-4-2-6-3-7-8. The rated power of the naturally aspirated modification is 176 kW (24О hp), with turbocharging – 243 kW (33О hp), at 21Оо rpm, torque 883 Nm (90 kgf-m) at 1250-1450 rpm The high-pressure fuel pump is an 8-section, spool-type, with a low-pressure fuel priming pump, a diesel fuel injection advance clutch and an all-mode speed controller. Nozzles are closed type. Dry air filter, with replaceable filter element and clogging indicator. The engine was equipped with a PZhD-44MBU pre-heater with a heat output of 32,000 kcal/h.

Price KrAZ-6443

The cost of the new KrAZ-6443 truck tractor starts at 3 million rubles. Used cars of this brand, manufactured in the early 2000s, are offered at prices ranging from 500,000 to 2 million rubles, depending on their technical condition.

KrAZ-6443 in Rwanda.

Based on everything considered, the following conclusion can be drawn regarding the KrAZ-6443 tractor: this is a special-purpose vehicle, by no means universal. It cannot be used in ordinary cargo transportation, be it short or long-distance: very high fuel consumption and slow speed of movement.

But for solving a number of purely special tasks, this car is simply irreplaceable. If you need to deliver heavy machinery or large-sized industrial equipment, including to those places where the roads are more like “just directions,” then no one can handle this difficult and responsible task better than the KrAZ-6443 6x6.