BelAZ-540 truck history

Manufacturer:	BelAZ
Years:	1961 to 1985
Type:	Commercial vehicle
Body:	Truck,Dump truck
Engine:	Diesel 12-cylinder

The truck BelAZ-540 (БелАЗ-540)  is a large dump truck of the Soviet vehicle manufacturer BelAZ , which was built from 1961 to the mid 1980s. The GDR also imported the machines and used them especially in mining.

Already in 1961 BelAZ built the first BelAZ-540 dump truck was set to replace the MAZ-525 . The twelve-cylinder engine with 39 l displacement was originally developed by the Soviet Union in the Second World War for tanks and had already been used in its predecessor. The BelAZ-540 was also directly driven by the front-mounted diesel engine via a normal clutch and a manual transmission. 

Around 1965, the new model went into series production. As early as 1967, the extremely inefficient diesel engine was replaced by the more modern JaMZ-240 from the Jaroslawski Motorny Sawod . With significantly less displacement this still made 360 ​​hp (265 kW). The vehicles with this engine were called BelAZ-540A and was still produced until 1985.

Technical details

• Engine: 12-cylinder four-stroke diesel engine
• Engine type: D-12A-375
• Power: 375 hp (276 kW)
• Displacement: 38,880 cc
• Bore: 150 mm
• Stroke: 6 × 180 mm and 6 × 186.7 mm
• Torque: 1667 Nm
• Transmission: hydraulic, three forward gears + one reverse gear
• Maximum speed: 55 km / h
• Fuel consumption: 125 l / 100 km
• Tank capacity: 400 l
• Length: 7180 mm
• Width: 3480 mm
• Height: 3415 mm
• Ground clearance: 475 mm
• Wheelbase: 3550 mm
• Front gauge: 2400 mm
• Rear gauge: 2800 mm
• Tire size: 18.00-25
• Curb weight: 21,000 kg
• Payload: 27,000 kg
• permissible total weight: 48,000 kg
• Contents dump body: 15.3 m³