Classic Shacman Dump Truck Shacman X3000 SX3256DR384

Daniil Minaev, photo by the author

I've been feeling lucky lately. More precisely, I am transported and regularly transported by general construction dump trucks. I have never yet come across such a number of vehicles of similar purpose, design and tonnage for study at the same time over the past few months. The subject of today's review is the Shacman X 3000. Sales of the new product are scheduled to begin at the end of 2015. So, what will this Chinese automaker offer to the Russian construction industry on New Year's Eve?

What the creators of the car value very much is their reputation, and they constantly emphasize the fact of cooperation with famous European manufacturers, separately noting that a significant contribution belongs to the MAN company. Everyone is accustomed to the fact that designers from the Middle Kingdom are often reproached for outright plagiarism and careless “absorption” of technologies and experience. Here at SHAANXI Automobile Group, whose export brand is the Shacman trademark, they are very wary of such accusations and put a lot of licensing documentation on display. However, what difference does it make to the end user how the components and assemblies were designed, as long as they work reliably and durable. But the positive (surprisingly) result of such a decent approach from the manufacturer was not long in coming, even without the tedious trial operation, and even at the stage of the first acquaintance.

Familiar outlines

Having examined the dump truck from the outside, I immediately realized that this was a further development of the previous Shacman F2000 models and the F3000 that subsequently replaced it. The design is indeed based on licensed MAN F2000 - a very successful family of German trucks recognized by the market. And looking at the familiar outlines of the familiar “Manov” cabin, retouched with new bumpers, hood and optics, as well as an original set of fairings, I felt a slight nostalgia. The dump body of our own production, with a volume of 19.3 m3, looks good, but its shape still reveals its Asian origin.

Ergonomics without quirks

Climbing into the cabin, I was again convinced of healthy traditionalism and almost completely got rid of “Sinophobia”: everything was in its place, no lilac shades of hard plastic, flickering, hard-to-read instruments and phenolic aromas. Moreover, before even setting off, I noticed an excellent overview and a full-fledged wide “sleeping bag” - even a large “dumper” will be able to sit comfortably and take a nap while waiting for loading. At night, he will be able to hide from prying eyes and bright lights in the parking lot behind window curtains along the entire perimeter of the glazing, which are included in the basic package. It’s just that the owner of the vehicle will have to worry about confirming the driver’s correct use of working time: I did not find a tachograph as standard. As the product engineers noted, work in this direction is underway, but so far the car has been delivered only with the electrical wiring prepared for the installation of a tachograph. Well, at least that way. Moreover, I still don’t have the chance to have a full test drive; this is an exhibition piece that they decided not to ballast, much less load “heap” in order to avoid losing its ceremonial luster.

That’s right, let the new product remain elegant and still have time to enjoy the everyday construction work on Russian roads. But for a more detailed acquaintance, I was still allowed to make a couple of circles, and then inspect the car in the inspection ditch of the cargo service center. I will pay further attention to the results of studying the construct, now about the workplace. The driver’s seat is made quite “adult-style”, on pneumatics, has a lot of adjustments, including adjusting the rigidity for the driver’s weight; in contrast to it (the seat), the steering column, although adjustable for reach and tilt, is locked with two mechanical thumb-locks. I don’t see any particular tragedy in this, it’s just that when changing drivers, you’ll have to spend a little more time to adjust it “to suit you” than on the European pneumatic steering column locks that have long become familiar.

I praise the excellent pedal assembly - the efforts are small and reactive, they didn’t forget about the platform for resting the left foot - in the right place and the right size. At some point, I caught myself thinking that if I imagine that, theoretically, I came across a MAN F2000 for testing that had been preserved or perfectly restored, then the perception of the car would be close. This was confirmed by the gear shift algorithm of the 12-speed manual transmission - six moves and a range flag - a solution from old Europe at the turn of the century.

A couple of laps on a construction site

The engine started at half a turn, without loading the cabin with unnecessary vibration. To say that the engine here is quiet is not entirely true, but the noise level is quite within the tolerance and is not annoying. According to the sensations from the transmission, the first three gears in the gearbox are clearly “construction” - they have very low, literally “creeping” gear ratios, but when you engage the fourth, the unloaded dump truck rushes forward with the agility of an Oryol trotter - the difference is significant. Apparently, this was intended for work “on the ground” with frequent maneuvering: the driver has 336 “horses” in his arsenal, which is not a lot and not a little by modern standards. Everything else is also quite good: the monochrome display of the on-board computer “knows” several languages, but sometimes it still stubbornly displays hieroglyphs, and when the engine starts, the analog scale arrows politely make a “lap of honor.” The motor retarder is presented here in the form of a simple damper in the exhaust system. Plastic in the cabin without “crickets”, a hatch in the ceiling of the usual design, a very effective air conditioner (and this is very important for the dusty work of a dump truck driver!), a head unit for a standard audio system with a USB connector.

Exterior/Interior Shacman Shaanxi SX3256DR384 6X4

Driving force

The design of the power unit, transmission and chassis can be safely called traditional. Wheel formula 6x4, straight-through middle axle, locked interwheel and center differentials, rear spring-balancer and front spring suspension. The frame, 850 mm wide, is reinforced with an insert in the longitudinal spars, the thickness of the main spars is 8 mm, the height is 300 mm, the thickness of the “inlay” spars is 7 mm. The main gear, at the request of the client, can have different gear ratios: 4.42; 4.80; 5.73; 6.72. The engine – WEICHAI WP10.336E4 – in-line “six” with separate cylinder heads complies with Euro 4 environmental standards, but, as representatives of the plant assured, commercial vehicles will come to Russia already in the fifth environmental class. That is, a tank with a blue cap (for AdBlue reagent) will become a more relevant equipment on the frame. Agree that the use of SCR technology to achieve only Euro 4 standards is not entirely decent today. Anti-roll bars front and rear are standard equipment. Hydraulics for lifting the dump body are offered to choose from: the famous Hyva or Junton, in-house production of the SHAANXI Automobile Group holding.

Thoughtful ratio

Thanks to rapid sales growth in 2014, Shaanxi Auto took first place in the Chinese market in terms of heavy truck production volume.
High rates of sales growth were made possible thanks to the launch of new series of trucks: X3000, F3000 and M3000. Shaanxi Auto Group states that the great interest in the company’s new models is associated not only with the high quality of trucks, but also with a fundamentally new strategy for servicing Shacman vehicles. X3000 is a new multi-purpose truck. The truck cabin is designed taking into account European design standards and ensures comfortable operation of the truck over medium distances. The designers of the X3000 trucks have worked hard to reduce the dead weight of the vehicle, which also helps to reduce fuel consumption. MAN designers took part in the development of the X3000 truck architecture. This made it possible to create a truck equipped with an intelligent on-board control system, which reduces the likelihood of driver errors during operation.

The F3000 series, already known to Russian drivers, received a more powerful Cummins engine in 2014. Complete with a 12-speed gearbox and Hande axles (with a maximum permitted load of up to 13 tons), this truck has become one of the most high-tech dump trucks in China. In addition, these machines have an advantageous ratio of fuel consumption per unit of transported cargo.

Verdict

First of all, the issue of price plays a role here. Because if you take, for example, a Scania of the same carrying capacity, then you have to pay twice as much for it. There are owners who give preference only to Europeans.

And Shacman is for those who have not yet earned money on Scania, but have already gained experience on our KamAZ and MAZ trucks. Because the price tag will be approximately the same, but in terms of build quality and comfort, a Chinese truck is the best option. With timely changes of fuel and lubricants and proper care, this Shacman will run and run. He will earn his money.

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Secret of success

Surprisingly, this one-day acquaintance with yet another Chinese dump truck did not leave me with any negativity. Yes, venerable European leaders know how to make something more modern, but at a completely different price, about 2.5 times more expensive. In practice, this means that instead of two “Europeans”, the carrier can afford a fleet of five Shacman. A good reason to choose this brand will be the abundance of both licensed and purchased components and assemblies. For example, there is a ZF steering mechanism, and the braking system is built on Wabco components, the drive axles are either the same licensed MAN, or a purchased Stayer. Confidence in the car is complemented by acceptable build quality - I examined this, including in the ditch, believe me, I have something to compare with. As a result, the overall impression of the car is that it is a neat and even well-made average machine instead of the expected ridiculous “black and white” copier based on the principle “made like your neighbor’s”. If the creators of this dump truck put an adequate price tag on it at the end of the year, then I vote “for”!

Technical characteristics of the Shacman X3000 SX3256DR384 dump truck

Distinctive features of Shacman Shaanxi SX3256DR384 6X4 dump trucks