Despite the abundance of foreign cars, domestic machines are still actively used in Russia and the CIS. And this applies not only to cars, but also to trucks. One of these is the MAZ-54329. The characteristic and overview of this truck tractor is further in our article.
Appearance
This truck left the assembly line in the 80s of the last century. At that time it was an advanced car. And not only technically, but also externally. What MAZ-54329 looks like, the reader can see in the photo in our article.
The car became the successor of the famous MAZ-500 (in common people, "tadpole"). The new model received an upgraded cabin, which became larger and wider. The car still used a metal bumper. And, compared with the 500th, in the new MAZ the windshield has expanded significantly. In view of this, three janitors were provided for in the design.
After the collapse of the USSR, the car was not discontinued, like many models of that time. Belarusians not only continued to produce this tractor, but also modernized it. MAZ-54329 in the 90s and 2000s looks very different. This can be seen in the photos presented in the article.
The cab design remains the same, but the car looks an order of magnitude more modern. So, the grille and bumper were modified. The cutout for the sleeping bag is now an integral metal part of the cab. Depending on the modification, a spoiler, fog lights and a fairing were installed on the MAZ-54329. As for the dimensions, the length of the truck tractor is 6 meters, the width is 2.5 meters, and the height is 3.65 meters.
Salon
The cabin of the described MAZ is designed for two people - a driver and a passenger. There was a sleeping bag on the back. Truckers also installed a second sleeping shelf here. For those who traveled alone, it became a small closet where you could put things.
By the way, there are no glove compartments in the car, except for a niche under the lower sleeping shelf. The center console also substantially hides the space - it is brought out to place the power unit under the cab. To go from the driver to the passenger side, I had to take off my shoes.
On the passenger side there is also no glove compartment. By modern standards, the design of all devices is quite ascetic. The only useful thing is the steering wheel that leans back to the windshield. This allows you to easily climb inside the cab.
The seats in the standard MAZ are not designed for long distances. And due to the lack of lumbar and lateral support, the driver’s back was numb. The only way out was the installation of other seats, from a foreign car (for example, from Scania or Volvo). There was also no air conditioning in the cab, although there was a mechanical sunroof. But it is not enough to provide normal ventilation in the cabin.
Another feature of MAZ-54329 cars is the absence of a high cabin in the modifications. In the future, Belarusians released the MAZ-5440, which turned out to be an order of magnitude more comfortable.
Specifications
The car was equipped with a diesel engine from the Yaroslavl Motor Plant. This is a V-shaped "eight" with a displacement of 14.8 liters. The unit was not equipped with a turbocharger. Therefore, with such a volume, it had only 240 horsepower.
But even this figure was enough for Soviet truckers. MAZ by all indicators bypassed the then KrAZ and KamAZ trucks.
In addition to MAZ-54329-020, there was its 400-strong modification. Belarusians managed to achieve such power thanks to the installation of a turbocharger. Moreover, the same YaMZ was used as the engine. But the most common version is 543205. This MAZ with an engine from the Yaroslavl Motor Plant already had 330 horsepower. Reviews of experts emphasize that this unit was distinguished by high traction and torque. Fuel consumption did not differ much from the atmospheric 240-horsepower version of the truck.
Transmission consumption
As a checkpoint, a 4-speed manual gearbox was used. Many will now be surprised - how can there be 4 speeds on a main tractor? The fact is that each transmission had its own “half” (increased and decreased row of steps). The result was 8 transmission speeds. In terms of fuel consumption, MAZ was the most economical Soviet tractor.
For a hundred kilometers the car spent from 29 to 32 liters of fuel. The car was equipped with a fuel tank of 350 liters. It was also possible to install an additional tank, which allowed to increase the total volume to 500 liters. As a result, the power reserve of the truck tractor increased from 1,100 to 1,600 kilometers. The maximum speed of the car is 85 kilometers per hour. Although on 400-horsepower versions, drivers easily accelerated and 120. Of course, this is not a very comfortable and safe mode of movement, but the power reserve of the truck was decent.
Conclusion
So, we found out what the MAZ-54329 tractor is. Of course, today this car noticeably loses to its competitors in terms of comfort and reliability. Therefore, in the 97th year, a new MAZ-5440 main tractor was developed, which is constantly being upgraded, as its predecessor once improved.