Air suspension for KAMAZ 4308 - Installation steps

Seat

Seat with air suspension from the German company Grammer
Seat with air suspension from the German company Grammer

KAMAZ trucks roaming the Russian expanses are sometimes equipped with driver’s seats almost from the 1976 model, which, in combination with the archaic cab suspension, do not provide adequate comfort when driving on our roads.

Initially, the vertical movement of the spring-loaded driver's seat was limited above by the windshield frame and ceiling, and below by the wheel arch. If KAMAZ had a flat floor from the pedals to the sleeping bag, there would have been a more modern chair there long ago. Attempts to adapt a seat from a Zhiguli or a foreign passenger car to a KAMAZ (it’s not so easy to find from a truck) took place only when the driver’s great desire was combined with the creative talent of the welder of his car depot. Moreover, when adapting a seat for a truck or bus, it was necessary to look for a design with a different kinematics, with reduced suspension travel.

The ice began to break only in the 21st century - the car plant began making a slightly modified part of the cabin floor, providing greater travel. If you open the cabin of a restyled KAMAZ, you can see how seriously the “hump” of the wheel arch has been trimmed, but it is unrealistic to completely remove it. Component manufacturers have also found competent engineering solutions to the problem of providing driver comfort. One of these (the abbreviation stands for “development and production of automotive equipment”) is based in the same Naberezhnye Chelny as the automobile plant itself. It completely developed and manufactured the VP-53205 seat, the main feature of which is air suspension. The design uses a pneumatic valve, which automatically sets the elasticity of the suspension to the weight of a particular driver: the heavier it is, the higher the pressure in the pneumatic element. That is, a thin person won’t shake on potholes, and a well-fed, big guy won’t push the piston all the way. But, of course, there are reasonable limits - the driver’s weight should be from 50 to 120 kg. The suspension mechanism, as we are used to seeing on foreign cars, is covered with a corrugated cover, thanks to which its kinematics will not be disturbed by a wrench or mittens sliding off the sleeping shelf. Another innovation in the design is a two-rigid pillow. Polyurethane foam padding is also produced by RIAT using a special technology - the density of the synthetic sponge in different parts of the casting differs due to a change in the ratio of the mixture components. The result is a more accurate match to the anthropometric characteristics of a person, which means high comfort for the driver on long-distance flights.

It is known that a driver simply cannot sit awkwardly in a properly designed seat. The remaining elements of the seat are made taking into account modern requirements of ergonomics, safety and hygiene. Thus, the high, anatomically shaped back, in addition to developed, elastic lateral support bolsters, is equipped with a headrest. The three-point seat belt is attached to the tubular seat frame with bolts of strength class 8.8 with a two-start inch thread 7/16 - 20 UNF, which fully complies with UNECE regulations. Some components of the new chair are imported in order to avoid premature breakdowns typical of similar domestic products. For example, the mechanism for smoothly adjusting the backrest angle is from the French company Faurecia SA, part of the Peugeot-Citroen concern. The seat upholstery is combined: the front part is made of triple jacquard 5 mm thick, and the side part is made of tapestry fabric duplicated with non-woven fabric. If the upholstery becomes dirty (even with petroleum products!) it is easy to clean it with special car care products - there are plenty of them on sale.

As is customary with many manufacturers of automotive “upholstered furniture”, the Riatov seat VP-53205 is produced in three configuration levels: basic Low, medium Middle and luxury High. On average, lumbar support adjustment is added, and the top version is equipped with electric heating and three additional adjustments: height, depth and tilt of the pillow. In the future, the only thing left to do is to provide the seat with internal ventilation... Since December 2010, the Riatov seat VP-53205 has been supplied to the KAMAZ assembly line. With such a seat, the car costs about 5 thousand rubles more than with the original KAMAZ one. This creates healthy competition with the undoubtedly comfortable seats of the German company Grammer. They are used, and now it is possible to equip KAMAZ trucks with them.

Air suspension for KAMAZ 4308 - Installation steps

ARAID auxiliary air suspension kits are attached to the main power elements of the car: frame, side member, subframe, axle, beam, lever. Easy and simple assembly with bolted connections allows you to quickly and error-free install the equipment, as well as replace parts in case of mechanical damage. The air suspension brackets are made of high-strength steel ST3 6mm and 8mm and undergo additional anti-corrosion galvanizing and powder coating, which protects them from corrosion and significantly extends the service life of the product. The use of bellows and sleeve type air springs allows us to adapt our kits to a wide range of vehicles (commercial vehicles, trucks, minibuses, pickups). Direct work with factories that manufacture air springs, pneumatic equipment, and fasteners allows us to guarantee the quality of products and the preservation of their characteristics throughout their entire service life.

Installing an auxiliary air suspension on a light-duty commercial vehicle KAMAZ 4308 is an excellent solution and provides a number of advantages compared to the standard spring suspension.

• Reduced load on springs, silent blocks, shock absorbers and other chassis elements, which significantly increases their service life
• Elimination of noise and vibration, elimination of breakdowns due to overload
• Leveling the horizontal position of the car when the springs sag, which means proper operation of the head light and a reduction in braking distance.
• Improving directional stability by reducing roll and sway
• Increasing the energy capacity of the suspension, increasing comfort for the driver and passengers, as well as preserving fragile cargo when driving on bad roads
• Increasing profits from transportation due to the ability to transport more cargo in 1 trip, as well as savings on replacing springs and traffic police fines for overloading
• Possibility of adjusting the height of the tailgate overhang when loading and unloading

In the standard configuration of ARAYD axle kits, air is supplied to the air springs by any external compressor through the inflation valve.

Depending on the tasks and type of transport, we can offer various options for equipping with an air suspension control system, which allows manual pressure adjustment from the passenger compartment, or automatic pressure/clearance adjustment. These systems include all the necessary equipment (compressor, pressure gauge, control unit, pneumatic equipment, tubes, etc.) necessary for connection and correct operation with our kits.

Photo of installation of air suspension on a KAMAZ 4308 vehicle.

Argamak the color of the skyTractor KamAZ-53602

I. Golovin, photo by K. Ushanov

After a considerable number of Chinese cars that passed through our hands, it became a shame for our manufacturers. After all, we are giving back our native land inch by inch! Don't we notice? We voluntarily leave some market segments, which are instantly filled with cheap and unknown transport. We were delighted when three promising KAMAZ models appeared at the test site - an all-wheel drive 20-ton dump truck, a 9-seater auto transporter, and, perhaps, the most interesting of this trinity model - a 6x2 base chassis with the ability to work as part of a road train.

This car is interesting primarily because it has a lifting non-driving third axle (“lazy,” as drivers say). The first experience in constructing such machines was in the early 1970s (for example, MAZ-516). A distinctive feature of this scheme with a third lifting axle is that the vehicle can operate equally successfully on both urban and intercity routes (the “two-in-one” principle), i.e. it is most suitable for “door-to-door” transportation, which have recently become increasingly important. In contrast to the typical 6x4 layout, trucks with a 6x2 wheel arrangement and a lifting third axle consume less fuel (due to lower losses in the transmission), are more dynamic on the highway (the ability to raise the axle and reduce drag), and are more maneuverable in cramped conditions (no need to " drag the third axle when turning) and show less tire wear. When fully loaded, the “lazy” axle is lowered, partially (by 10–15%), relieving the drive axle.

A scheme with a driving second (middle) axle is more often used, but there are models where the second axle is lifted, and the driving axle is the third axle. In Europe, such trucks are not uncommon; accordingly, they are supplied to Russia in considerable quantities, both used and new. Domestic analogues appeared recently and almost simultaneously from two manufacturers - MAZ and KAMAZ. (MAZ-631019+837310)

“An ugly plane won’t fly!”

If you follow the expression of the brilliant aircraft designer A.N. Tupolev, then this car has a great future. The car is really beautiful! Have you ever seen a KamAZ truck in metallic blue? A trained eye will immediately notice the updated cabin and different bumpers. The protective side cover, located in the base, stretches from the cab to the rear wheels and gives the model a complete and harmonious look.

In our case, the installed 20-foot container was used as ballast (the machine arrived in this form for testing from the factory). However, the chassis itself can be used to install any superstructure (including a container ship). The most logical, as I see it, would be to install a van (isothermal or tented) on this vehicle, since in this case, operation in tandem with a trailer involves the most efficient use of the vehicle: the hitch allows you to move around the city more freely and maneuverably compared to a semi-trailer. Carrying capacity remains at the usual intercity level. In isothermal version: 10 t per tractor, 10 t per trailer. In the case of an awning - about 15 and 12 tons, respectively. Kama trucks have long been equipped with a European towing device, so there will be no problems with selecting a trailer. However, factory workers apparently think differently. The option of using this chassis as a truck tractor is put in first place in the model range of this family.

What lies behind beauty?

Beauty, of course, is a great power, but it is guided by the mind, in our case – by content and functionality. What you really notice is the new cabin body kit. New fairings, a pair of additional headlights at the bottom of the bumper, and a sun visor. Again, side protective covers with a dimensional light garland, which were not present on Kama trucks: all this is aimed at increasing safety, reducing fuel consumption and aerodynamic noise.

If you look closely at the wheels, you can see small plastic boxes (the size of a matchbox) on the rims in the area of ​​the air fitting. These are air pressure sensors that send radio signals into the cabin to a small monitor about the condition of each wheel. If the pressure drops below normal, the buzzer rings and the problem wheel is indicated on the screen diagram. Such a system is much cheaper than a centralized wheel inflation system (which is not very justified on long-haul airliners) and its effectiveness is undeniable.

Power plant KamAZ-740.63-400 with a power of 400 hp. (as indicated by the nameplate on the front facing of the cab) with a 16-speed ZF 16S151T gearbox with a divider and range-multiplier, as well as a built-in intarder, was known only from small-scale batches. It should be noted that for the first time the Russian manufacturer will install an intarder serially on this chassis. Previously, this function was available only to owners of MANs and Scanias. An interesting approach is taken by ZF and KamAZ specialists to count the number of gears of the same gearbox. Chelny residents indicate the total number of gears - 16, and the manufacturers claim that there are 4 main gears in the box (the divider doubles the number, we get 8, and the range-multiplier doubles this number again - we get 16 in total).

The hydraulic booster is also from ZF, the unit has long been known and very reliable. The front axle is original, from Chelny, the drive axle is a Bulgarian Madara, with a hypoid gear, the lifting axle is a German BPW. “Shoes” on all wheels – Michelin, muffler made in Europe. This combination of main units was selected taking into account improved operating performance.

In general, I really liked the car while driving, both in city driving and on the highway. Electronic components of fuel supply controls, brake system and gearbox controls contribute to the excellent behavior of the airliner. And using cruise control on intercity flights, the driver gets much less tired. And Euro 3, don’t forget, is a necessary condition for modern times.

The truck frame is taken from a standard three-axle chassis, but converted at the rear to a trolley with a lifting air axle, which makes it original. The “lazy” bridge is raised by a structure of its own design. Two air springs are used here - one for each lifting wheel, and between the second and third axles, under the frame, there are lifting mechanisms operating on the principle of brake energy accumulators. The process can be controlled from the remote control in the cabin, or you can set the automatic lowering and raising of the axle depending on the weight of the cargo. Raising the cab with the well-known KAMAZ hydraulic pump, you immediately notice the new combined engine sound insulation - soft, shielded on the rear side of the cab, plus a plastic casing installed behind the units. The silence in the cabin is at the level of a decent foreign car. The passenger and driver can talk without raising their voices.

In addition to the silence while driving, you also note the smoothness of the ride. That's where the solution is! For the first time on KamAZ, the cabin is installed on four air springs with built-in shock absorbers. All foreign analogues are equipped in a similar way, but ours is a debut. But better late than never. According to the factory test driver, on the road from Naberezhnye Chelny he felt seasick as if in a passenger car.

It was an unpleasant surprise that there is no access to the windshield washer reservoir installed in the area of ​​the right footrest, and lifting the cabin to fill it is a controversial design finding. By the way, the oil dipstick and hydraulic clutch reservoir are accessible only when the lining is raised. I understand that the modification will be carried out by “happy” drivers, but maybe the designers should think better? The second unknown is the coolant drain valve from the radiator. It is located so low that it can be damaged by the slightest unevenness in the road. A small pile of snow will be enough to damage such a delicate knot.

Cabin or office?

It's time to visit the cabin. After the previous “KAMAZ” cabs, this one is related to the French “cabinet”. After the boring instrument panel, which over thirty years has become outdated and dangerous, the new design is undoubtedly progress! What I would like to note first is the pneumatic control of the steering column adjustments. It's simple: turn the toggle switch to the right of the driver and set the steering wheel position as you wish, in angle and height. This feature, in my opinion, even outshines the very comfortable Pilot seat with five-way air suspension. A similar seat is installed for the passenger, but a little simpler (the old KAMAZ seats generally resembled a provincial cinema).

Although, according to the option list, other seats can be installed, as well as a radio or autonomous heater. We were pleased with the toggle switches for enabling additional functions: differential locking, unauthorized activation of autonomous heaters, radio (!) and a number of other electrical systems. In this case, I completely agree with the designers - you feel calmer when it is possible to de-energize any unit in the event of emergency situations or to prevent undesirable consequences. Since the transition from analog tachographs to digital ones is taking place, both are installed in this car! In our case, this was done to demonstrate the capabilities of both types. The client can choose and, when operating requirements change, easily change the type of device. But the lack of a duplicate control button for the right window lifter on the driver’s side will be attributed to the forgetfulness of the developers.

The instrument panel has been radically updated, something similar can already be found on production cars. I liked the power panel with conveniently placed relays and fuses. The cover of the relay and fuse box opens to the side rather than folding down, plus a spacious glove compartment. The only note: to quickly detect burnt fuses, it would be nice to install indicator LEDs.

Continuing the association with the office, one cannot fail to note the many niches, compartments and drawers, sorry, “bureau” - bureau. And taking into account the containers under the lower berth and the ability to install a refrigerator (this car had one), you can place all the “travelling” belongings of the crew in the cabin. For a full-fledged office, the only thing missing is a table for receptions (it also serves as a dining table when traveling).

In principle, if various furniture for this cab model is produced (even if not by KAMAZ itself, but by companies around the plant) and offered to customers, then the issue of arranging the living space for the driver will disappear by itself. The interior lining is of high quality, the heat and sound insulation is good, and non-staining material is used. Continuing the “office” parallel: there are two full-fledged sleeping places (the upper one is reclining), the sleeping compartments are equipped with personal lamps and fenced off with curtains, curtains are also installed along the entire perimeter of the glazing.

You can rejoice at the ergonomic progress at the Kama Automobile Plant. By the way, rumors about a fundamentally new KamAZ cab have been circulating for several years; every time at car shows, experts announce its imminent replacement, but for now we have to be content with only one, albeit retouched, design from 1976, a gift to the 25th Congress of the CPSU, by the way. Alas, the gift has worn out after thirty years...

From heaven to earth

Summing up my emotions, I will say the following. KamAZ is really ready to provide the consumer with the right, good car. Its relevance is beyond doubt. The car turned out to be very interesting, both externally and technically. Unfortunately, there are archaic design elements (for example, the interior door handles became practically inaccessible after the installation of new seats; the mirror brackets are not removable; the radiator drain valve is located extremely low), it would be a good idea to fundamentally change the engine model... In fact, you can find a lot of objects for grumbling , but it all comes down to price. If this model and its derivatives are available in value terms to domestic consumers, without being very close to imported analogues, success is guaranteed.

Special opinion

Testing a lot of Chinese vehicles last fall caused a lot of trouble, and therefore the appearance of a three-axle KamAZ with a blue cab at the Dmitrovsky test site went unnoticed for me.

One evening in the open park of NITSIAMT, while talking with Chelny residents, I suddenly took a closer look at the truck standing next to me: yes, this is a unique 6x2″ vehicle. The third axle is lifting! Is this from KamAZ?

As STC employees told me, KamAZ-53602 is positioned on the market as a truck tractor with a trailer and semi-trailer, although the chassis can be used for mounting municipal equipment and ready-to-install bodies on it.

At a press conference held at Crocus Expo at the MIAS-2006 exhibition, General Director of KAMAZ OJSC Sergei Kogogin said that the company would acquire a license to produce cabs. I believe that Chelny specialists will have enough imagination and strength to design their own new, “Kamaz” cabin. And the plant has enough financial resources, although the truck cabin is the most expensive technological and production element of the design.

The cabin is mounted on air suspension with hydraulic locks, equipped with an air heater, electric windows and a refrigerator. The interior of the blue Argamak exceeded all expectations, as it is radically different from its serial counterparts.

I was told many times that it is impossible to install a driver's seat with air suspension in the KamAZ cab, since it is mounted on the wheel arch, but I gave examples of installation of such seats by home-made workers. And here is a comfortable Pilot seat on this car.

The driver can adjust the steering column in angle and height as convenient and comfortable for him. Previous models of Chelny truck cabs included an adjustable steering column, only the adjusting drive was mechanical and, frankly speaking, inconvenient. And on this car, the toggle switch for the steering column pneumatic drive is installed at the bottom of the center console.

The instrument panel is made of safety plastic. The only let down is the instrument cluster - it extends beyond the steering wheel rim, which impairs the readability of the instruments. The center console is well formed.

The sleeping places, separated from the working area of ​​the cabin by curtains, are comfortable. They are quite wide, with lamps in the walls. The upper berth folds down.

It is quite convenient to operate the windshield and get into the cabin. Unfortunately, opening the cab door from the inside is inconvenient, especially in winter, when the sleeve of warm clothing does not allow the driver and passenger to stick their hand between the seat cushion and the door to reach the door lock handle.

Driving KamAZ-53602 left a pleasant impression. If only there wasn't black exhaust coming out of the exhaust system. KamAZ engines have become morally obsolete. At one of the press conferences, Sergei Kogogin noted that, at the buyer’s request, the plant can install Euro 3 or Euro 4 engines on its cars. I readily believe that these engines are produced in small batches.

A V-shaped “eight” with turbocharging, a gearbox with a divider, a range-shifter and an intarder makes KamAZ different from itself. Even loaded to a mass of 26.5 tons, the Argamak easily picks up cruising speed. The fuel pedal operates softly and smoothly, which made it easy to maintain a constant speed during measurements. When working in maximum speed mode, the engine did not fail and worked very well at low and high speeds. The most important thing is that I did not notice any strain or failure during its operation, which almost all KamAZ engines suffer from, especially under load.

The rear axle and lifting axle with air suspension had a positive effect on the smoothness of the ride. I could judge the controllability of the container ship only by its passages on the turning loops of the dynamometer road. But this was enough to verify the excellent performance of the ZF power steering. The comfortable steering wheel could be easily turned with one hand, and the power steering mechanism did not produce any extraneous sounds. I wasn’t able to check everything myself on this, frankly speaking, unique KamAZ-53602. For example, it was impossible to check the operation of ABS - the road during the tests was completely dry. For the same reason, I could not determine the operation of the cross-axle locking of the rear axle. And there were a lot of other things I wanted to try on this car...

KamAZ's new project is ambitious. It includes several modern solutions and developments from leading manufacturers. It is important that they begin to attract foreign firms as investors to create joint ventures. As real examples - the joint venture "ZF Kama" and "Cummins Kama".

Own KamAZ-740.63-400 engine with a Bosch electronic control system, a ZF gearbox with a hydraulic deceleration system, a single-stage rear axle with a hypoid transmission and a cross-axle differential lock, a BPW lifting axle, pneumatic suspension of the drive axle and lifting axle, alloy wheels with Michelin tubeless tires , wheels equipped with a pressure monitoring system - it seems that we are not talking about KamAZ. If this list is not impressive, I will also give the expected equipment: pre-heater, refrigerator, cruise control, centralized lubrication system, cabin air heater. And then we came to the most important thing - the cockpit. A long awaited event!

The exact date of assembly of the first cabin is December 19, 1975. The main task then was to design the simplest cabin from a technological point of view, because the annual production was supposed to be 150 thousand - that’s 410 units per day, and the world had never known such volumes.

As a result, a design was created with a minimum number of parts and welding points (two thousand in total). KAMAZ is worthy of the Guinness Book of Records - “for the longest production of cabs without significant changes.” You can safely put forward the driver’s seat to compete for such a title. And what do we see on this car? Even the passenger seat is equipped with air suspension. The design received a tunnel floor, the doors began to close without overlap, the design of the front panel and instrument cluster was completely changed, and the finishing materials were qualitatively improved. Finally, this ancient stereotype of the “KAMAZ” interior has been broken and the associated depressing atmosphere has disappeared.

The editors express gratitude to the Group for providing the KamAZ-53602 vehicle for testing.