Tippers have always been, are and will be relevant in the freight market. These machines are designed to deliver a variety of bulk cargo, mainly over short distances. Carriers usually buy cheap items. These include the "Chinese." But they very quickly become worthless. As the operating experience has shown, Russian KamAZ trucks are more hardy in our conditions. But they cost about the same. Well, let's look at one of these representatives. KamAZ-6520 today in our review.
Description
So what is this truck? KamAZ-6520 is a dump truck that has been produced at the Kama Automobile Plant since 2007. This model is still being produced, but in a slightly different form (more on this later).
Model 6520 was intended for the transport of construction and industrial cargo of large mass. These dump trucks are actively used in quarries, when digging ditches and on building sites. The machine is capable of transporting materials such as gravel, sand, soil and so on. Also, this car was used by utilities for garbage collection.
Design
This truck has a unified cab, which was put on almost all modifications of KamAZ trucks (including 5460). The car has a massive bumper with rectangular optics and two powerful towing eyes. On the grille there is a proud inscription "KAMAZ". Above the windshield is a sun visor and several side lights.
Restyling
In 2012, at the Kama Automobile Plant, the truck cab design was changed. What does the new KamAZ-6520 look like? The reader can see the photo of the updated version in our article.
The cabin received other, more “kind” outlines. The shape of the bumper and grille has changed. But the profile changes are minimal. Only reflective tape and additional mirrors appeared (this is a big plus from a security point of view). The number of windshield wipers has also changed - now there are three.
Cabin disadvantages
What do the reviews say about the KAMAZ cabin? The metal on the truck is pretty weak, owners say. And if the restyled models have just gained new chips, then the old models have already fully begun to rust. Corrosion is a weak point of all KAMAZ cabs, starting from the 90s. Especially vulnerable places near the arches and the bottom of the radiator grill. Also on new models optics suffer. The headlights of the cars are plastic, and over time they begin to cloud. The factory foglights cope very poorly with the lighting. Their owners usually change to new, more powerful.
KamAZ-6520: dimensions, clearance
Depending on the modification, the total length of the truck is 7.71 or 7.8 meters. Height - 3.01 meters. The width of the KamAZ-6520 dump truck excluding mirrors is 2.5 meters. Ground clearance - 20 centimeters. However, all the important nodes are quite high, which allows the truck to easily move on roads outside the paved surface.
Carrying capacity
The car is equipped with a metal body with a volume of 12 m 3 with a hydraulic lift drive. On board this machine is capable of taking up to 14.4 tons of bulk cargo. The angle of the body is about 50 degrees. This truck also has a tow hitch. KamAZ-6520 is capable of towing trailers with a gross weight of up to 20 tons.
Cabin
Boarding the car is carried out by means of handrails and steps. Inside the cabin has a simple and sometimes ascetic look. The steering wheel is thin and double-spoke, as in the first KamAZ cars of the 70s. The front panel also has not changed much since then. There are still arrow pointers, as well as a series of indicator lamps at the top. In the center of the panel there is a small glove box.
The manufacturer claims that the cabin at KamAZ-6520 is of increased comfort. But drivers say the opposite. In terms of comfort, this truck is practically no different from the old KamAZ-5320. Here are the same flat seats with a minimum of adjustments and a noisy cabin with constant vibrations.
The picture has changed for the better after installing a new sample. So, in the cabin increased the amount of plastic. The panel itself became slightly convex, and part of the console was turned to the side towards the driver.
The steering wheel has become four-spoke and more compact. The instrument panel is now hidden behind a single plastic window. The shape of the seats has changed (the driver’s seat even on air suspension), but still their design is much inferior to foreign cars. The gas pedal is no longer floor. Above the window there is a plastic shelf with three compartments. However, there is still no air conditioning, power windows and other “civilization benefits” in KamAZ. Drivers also install tape recorders on their own.
In general, the cabin at KamAZ improved slightly. But the old problems did not go away. Inside, it is still noisy and there is a mass of extraneous vibrations.
Specifications
KamAZ-6520, like other dump trucks of this brand, is equipped with an eight-cylinder V-shaped engine of the 740.60 series. However, if it was atmospheric on other models, then in this case there is a turbine. Thanks to the boost, engine power and torque have increased significantly. As a result, the KamAZ-6520 engine develops power of 360 horsepower with a cylinder displacement of 11.76 liters. Torque reaches 1570 Nm at 1900 rpm. The power plant is distinguished by direct fuel injection and meets the environmental standards of Euro-3.
In 2008, a new power unit was added to the lineup. It became the American Cummins ISLe engine, manufactured in China under license. This power unit has a capacity of 342 horsepower. This is an in-line six-cylinder turbocharged engine.
With the release of the new cab, this unit replaced another, more powerful one. They became the Cummins ISLe 400. This is also an inline “six” with a working volume of 8.9 liters. Engine power - 400 horsepower, torque - 2100 Nm. The motor complies with Euro-4 standards.
Transmission
A mechanical 16-speed transmission with a divider, dry single-plate diaphragm clutch and mechanical control is used as a gearbox on all engines. This is the German ZF 16S151. What do the reviews say about her? The box is quite reliable and can withstand heavy loads. And since KamAZ-6520 is a dump truck, these characteristics are especially important.
However, as the reviews say, even the German box is not perfect. For some, springs fly out of the disc, which is why the car starts to twitch. The fifth and sixth gear synchronizer also wears out.
What depends on the engine
What fuel consumption does KamAZ-6520 have? This parameter depends on the type of engine. So, with a domestic engine, the truck consumes about 32-35 liters per hundred runs. With Chinese engines, which have a smaller volume and greater return, the car consumes from 26 to 30 liters.
But this indicator can vary significantly, since the operating conditions are different. For example, in the north, the same truck can spend up to 50 liters, since most of it goes to warm up (and the road itself is by no means fast). Note that KamAZ-6520 is able to overcome 14-degree climbs at full load and accelerate to a speed of 90 kilometers per hour.
Problems
Are there any pitfalls in the new KAMAZ engines? Reviews say the car may have problems with the fuel system. The times when KamAZ digested any oil slurry are long gone. Current diesel engines are very picky about the quality of the fuel (especially if it is a Common Rail system).
The pump suffers first. The fact is that diesel fuel acts as a lubricant for injectors and high pressure fuel pumps. Due to poor-quality lubrication, the wear of rubbing parts greatly increases. Also, owners are not advised to neglect the maintenance regulations. The fuel filter on KAMAZ engines changes every ten thousand kilometers.
There are malfunctions in the turbine too. This usually happens due to the use of poor fuel. Since the turbine operates on the energy of the exhaust gases, the soot that exits the cylinders forms a thick coating on the impeller. After a certain time, the compressor can simply catch the wedge and fail. Also, to extend the life of the turbine, you need to change the oil on time. It does not have to be expensive synthetics. You can pour and “mineral water”, but do everything according to the rules. By the way, the filter changes along with the oil. It is not worth saving. Cheap filters fall apart and particles of them can get into the lubrication system, which is not very good. Naturally, there can be no talk of any filtering properties.
Chassis and brakes
This dump truck is built on a classic frame platform with a 6 x 4 wheel arrangement. The front of the truck has a dependent suspension with springs and a pivot beam. There are bridges with balancers at the back. The brakes are fully drum, pneumatic drive.
After 2012, the car received a frame with reinforced spars. But the design of the brake system and the suspension itself remained the same. This scheme has not changed since the days of the USSR. The suspension is very simple and reliable. As operating experience shows, it is able to withstand overloads.
The suspension itself is pretty stiff. On bumps, the driver constantly jumps, even when the car is loaded.
Driving problems
Steering is a gear reducer. All KamAZ trucks come with hydraulic booster. According to reviews, the management of the truck is poor. On the road constantly have to taxi. The steering wheel play is colossal. This is a disease of both old and new dump trucks.
Cost
If we talk about ten-year versions with an old cabin, they can be purchased on average for 1 million 700 thousand rubles. But new copies will cost at least 3.5 million rubles. This price includes:
- 400 horsepower diesel engine;
- interaxal and interwheel blocking of differential;
- power steering;
- two batteries of 190 Ah each;
- 350 liter fuel tank;
- fog lights and sun visor.
For a fee, you can equip the truck with an autonomous interior heater.
Conclusion
So, we found out what characteristics and features KamAZ-6520 has. As you can see, the cost of a domestic dump truck is much lower than foreign cars like "Man", "Mercedes" and "Volvo". They cost fabulous money and take a very long time to pay off. The main competitor of this dump truck is the Chinese Hovo. Its cost is approximately the same (both for new copies and for used ones). However, as practice shows, Hovo has a smaller aggregate resource than the Russian KamAZ. By technical characteristics, they are almost identical. But many are afraid to take the "Chinese." Few people know how to repair these cars, and finding parts on the Hovo is sometimes impossible task. Therefore, many prefer KamAZ-6520.