In 1958, the Miass Automobile Plant began work on a project for a car, which was to take its place among vehicles intended for the national economy. Moreover, the base model for the new truck was the Ural-375 - a cargo SUV that was only planned to be launched in series.
The new car received the marking "Ural-377", a photo of the car is presented below.
Reasons for creating the 377th
It is believed that the main reason for the release of the new truck was the desire to expand the lineup and release a car that would find application not only in the armed forces, but also in civilian life. In addition, in the Soviet Union, the niche that could be occupied by a three-axle truck with two driving bridges (6x4) and increased payload was free.
Also during this period of time, the country was rapidly building the whole road network, the coating of which could withstand the load reaching up to 6000 kg on one vehicle bridge. And for such routes, off-road trucks were not needed.
However, creating a model from scratch was expensive. Therefore, following the concept of unification prevailing among automakers in the USSR, it was decided to unify the new car with the all-wheel drive Ural-375, which was already preparing for serial production.
Differences of the 377th from the 375th
The Ural-377 car in the experimental version appeared in 1961, and, at first glance, it was not much different from its prototype. Nevertheless, it was already another car. The main differences between the new truck and its "brother" all-terrain vehicle were as follows:
- The engine of the new machine lost shielding wiring.
- The front axle ceased to be leading, it was replaced by a tubular beam, and in connection with this, one drive was removed from the transfer case. Moreover, the design of the "distribution" due to the requirements of unification remained unchanged.
- The spare wheel holder, which was located vertically on the 375th, was mounted horizontally on the starboard side of the Ural-377, on the starboard side, directly under the wooden cargo platform. The platform itself has also changed and has become larger in volume than the all-terrain vehicle.
- For the first time, a completely metal, heated, two-door cabin for three people was installed on the new Ural (driver + 2 passengers). Such a cabin was subsequently installed on all subsequent models of off-road trucks.
Ural-377: the beginning of the road
After a series of factory tests, during which the identified shortcomings were eliminated, by the fall of 1962, the factory workers had prepared two cars already for state inspection.
After successfully passing the first state and then interagency tests in March 1966, the Ural-377 was recommended for serial production. Moreover, in the report of the last inspection it was noted that the new Ural 6x4 meets the specified requirements, is a model that has a high degree of unification with the Ural-375 (serial model), and the new truck can be used as a tractor, dump truck and chassis for various modifications.
Ural-377: technical specifications
- Dimensions - 7 m 60 cm x 2 m 50 cm x 2 m 62 cm (L x W x H).
- Payload - 7 t 500 kg.
- Gross weight - 15 t.
- Base - 4 m 20 cm.
- Ground clearance - 40 cm.
- The maximum speed is 75 km / h.
- Gas consumption - 48 liters per 100 km.
- The power unit is ZIL-375, gasoline, 8-cylinder.
- The volume of the power unit is 7 liters.
- Engine power - 175 l / s.
- Gearbox - five-speed.
- Clutch - dry type, double-disc.
The weak point of the new truck
It was the pursuit of the maximum possible unification with the serial “Ural” that caused the new model to lose in terms of its characteristics to the competitors that were being developed then - MAZ-500 and ZIL-133. The ratio of the vehicle's load capacity to its own weight was lower than that of MAZ and ZIL. The length of the cargo platform was insufficient, and it had a loading height too high - 1 m 60 cm. Despite the fact that the platform was relatively small, it had a critical displacement to the rear of the machine. Such an arrangement at full load, as well as during the carriage of goods that go beyond the body (long), led to a partial hanging of the front wheels, which significantly reduced the handling of the truck. In addition, a gasoline-powered engine was installed on the Ural-377. This despite the fact that other truck manufacturers in the country sought to install more economical and practical diesel power units on their models.
Trying to rectify this situation, the factory workers began a development called Ural-377M, in which they tried to eliminate all these shortcomings, but nothing good came of it. Modification of the “Urals” “stalled” and settled on two experimental machines that never reached the mass production.
But despite the fact that the new cross-country truck turned out to be not entirely successful, the car factory produced 71 thousand cars in various modifications:
- Ural-377N. It differed from the base model with wide-profile rubber.
- Ural-377K. The model is specially designed for operation in low-temperature regions of the country.
- Ural-377C and the CH modification are tractor units for semi-trailers with a permissible weight of 18.5 tons.
Moreover, the 377th found its application not only in the civilian, but also in the armed forces. It was widely used both as a tractor and as a chassis for the installation of special equipment.