Ural-3255

Ural-3255 at a glance

The 3255 belongs to a family of special bodies on the Ural-4320, the 6×6 general-purpose truck built since 1977. Where the truck carries cargo or troops under canvas, the 3255 carries people in comfort over the same terrain: oil and gas fields, forestry roads, mines and northern regions with deep snow. Its long bonnet, high ground clearance and big 14.00-20 tyres show where it comes from. The story of the factory is told in the history of the Ural plant.

Body and passenger cabin

The passenger module is a closed, thermally insulated all-metal body with double-glazed tinted windows, a service door and an emergency door, an emergency roof hatch and a roof ventilator. According to the old 1cars text, the version described there has 28 cloth-covered seats in pairs on both sides of the aisle, staggered to make boarding easier, with height-adjustable head restraints. Metal rails along the floor let the operator move or remove seats to create space for luggage or equipment.

Heating matters in this kind of work. The van can be warmed in three ways: by an independent heater under the entrance steps, by warm air from the engine cooling system and by two electric radiators under the seats. Eight ceiling lamps, a window to the driver's cab, an intercom between driver and passengers, a fire extinguisher and emergency hammers complete the equipment. The body can be specified to the customer's needs.

Driver's cab and controls

The cab is the familiar Ural steel cab with a long bonnet. Its floor sits almost 1.3 metres above the ground, so a flexible extra step hangs on cables below the main footboard. The dashboard follows the standard truck, with an added gauge for the tyre-inflation system. The driver's seat adjusts in four ways, though only the fore-and-aft setting is quick to change. The old text also notes a large thin-rimmed wheel with hydraulic power steering, a heavy clutch, sensitive air-assisted brakes and a long gear lever, so the bus asks for an experienced driver.

Engines, transmission and chassis

The engine has direct injection and a preheater for cold starts. The exhaust retarder works as an engine brake on long descents. The old text quotes fuel use of about 30 litres per 100 km at 40 km/h and 36 litres at 60 km/h on hard roads, rising to 50–60 litres per 100 km off-road; these are operating estimates, not official figures. Load-carrying and towing figures of the base truck are on its own page, and you can compare it with its predecessor in Ural-375 vs Ural-4320.

Ural-3255 vs Ural-M: dimensions compared

The current Ural-M crew bus is 675 mm shorter than the 3255 described in the old text but 245 mm taller, and it carries six fewer passengers. The newer Ural-M versions use the modern cab with a lower central floor in the van body, a 300-litre fuel tank and ABS as standard. A shorter 4×4 version, the 32552-3020-79, seats 14 and weighs 9,545 kg. The latest generation of the conventional truck family is covered on the Ural Next page.

Strengths and weaknesses

Owners and testers value the 3255 for its off-road ability, high ground clearance, six-wheel drive and tyre-pressure control, which let it reach sites that ordinary buses cannot. The body is warm, roomy and easy to adapt, and parts are widely available because the chassis is shared with the Ural-4320. The drawbacks are high fuel consumption, modest performance on paved roads, a high and awkward entry to both the cab and the van, heavy controls and, according to the old text, uneven build quality on early vehicles.