Ural-44202
Specs, engines and history
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By Oleksandr Hnatiuk, Automotive Editor & Used Car Specialist Reviewed by Felix Hartmann
Who the Ural-44202 suits: verdict
Our verdict · Oleksandr Hnatiuk
The Ural-44202 makes sense where loads must travel on bad roads or none at all: pipeline and drilling sites, forestry, mining and remote construction. Its strengths are all-wheel drive with a lockable centre differential, high ground clearance, cold-weather equipment and a simple design that is easy to repair, with widely available parts. On good roads it is slower, thirstier and less comfortable than a European road tractor, and the cab, even after the 2011 update, still has exposed wiring and tubing.
For a used truck, prefer a -59 or later version with the newer cab and the pneumatic transfer-case control. Check the transfer case, the balancer suspension bushes and the frame around the fifth wheel. Other models of the plant, including the Ural-5557 with tyre-pressure control and the newer Ural Next, are in the Ural catalogue, and the plant's story is in the history of Ural.
The Ural-44202 is a 6x6 bonneted tractor unit built by the Ural automotive plant on the basis of the Ural-4320 off-road truck. It pulls semi-trailers on roads and rough tracks with a gross train weight of up to 28,300 kg. Later versions use a turbocharged YaMZ-236 V6 diesel of about 169 kW (230 hp) with a five-speed gearbox, a two-speed transfer case and a lockable centre differential.
In short
- Semi-trailer tractor version of the Ural-4320, with all three axles driven and the same high ground clearance and single wheels.
- Engine on later trucks: YaMZ-236NE2 turbocharged, intercooled V6 diesel of 11.15 litres, about 169 kW (230 hp), built for Euro 2 and later Euro 3 limits.
- Gross train weight up to 28,300 kg; fifth-wheel load up to 8.5 tonne-force (83.3 kN); length 7,550 mm.
- From March 2011 the Ural-44202-59 brought a new cab with a plastic bonnet; a cab-over version was added later.
Ural-44202 at a glance
The Ural-4320 family has been in production since 1977 and is known for its ability to cover terrain where ordinary road trucks cannot go. The Ural-44202 turns that chassis into a tractor unit. It replaces the cargo body with a fifth-wheel coupling, so the truck can haul semi-trailers with heavy or oversized loads to oil and gas fields, construction sites and remote areas with poor or no roads.
| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Maker | Ural Automotive Plant |
| Base truck | Ural-4320 |
| Type | Bonneted semi-trailer tractor unit |
| Wheel formula | 6x6 |
| Engine (later trucks) | YaMZ-236NE2, V6 turbodiesel, 11.15 l |
| Power | about 169 kW (230 hp) |
| Gross train weight | up to 28,300 kg |
| Fifth-wheel load | up to 8.5 tf (83.3 kN) |
| Operating range | −45 °C to +40 °C |
Engine and emissions
Early trucks of the Ural-4320 family used KamAZ-740 V8 engines with 154 kW (210 PS), and later the YaMZ-236 V6 and YaMZ-238 V8. The tractor version described here uses the YaMZ-236NE2: a four-stroke V6 diesel with direct injection, a turbocharger and charge-air cooling. It produces about 169 kW (230 hp) from 11.15 litres and has a pre-heater for cold starts.
According to the old 1cars text, the engine was certified to the Euro 2 standard on earlier trucks and to Euro 3 on later ones, and the newer engine reduced fuel consumption compared with older Ural tractors. Engine braking is provided by an exhaust brake, a valve in the exhaust system that acts as a retarder on long descents.
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Engine | YaMZ-236NE2, four-stroke V6 diesel |
| Aspiration | Turbocharged, charge-air cooled |
| Displacement | 11.15 l |
| Power | about 169 kW (230 hp) |
| Emissions | Euro 2, later Euro 3 |
| Cold start | Pre-heater |
| Auxiliary brake | Exhaust brake |
Gearbox and all-wheel drive
Power goes through a single-plate dry clutch with a diaphragm spring (type YaMZ-182) to a YaMZ-236M five-speed manual gearbox with synchromesh on second to fifth gears. Behind it sits a mechanical two-speed transfer case with a centre differential that the driver can lock. On the updated trucks the transfer case and the differential lock are operated pneumatically by a switch on the dashboard, instead of the old floor lever.
The drive reaches the axles through four open propeller shafts with needle-bearing joints. The driven axles are of the through-drive type, so the propeller shaft passes through the middle axle to the rear one. Together with the large wheels, this layout gives the truck its high ground clearance.
Chassis, steering and brakes
| Area | Design |
|---|---|
| Front suspension | Two semi-elliptic leaf springs with telescopic hydraulic dampers |
| Rear suspension | Balancer (bogie) suspension with reaction rods |
| Steering | Integral hydraulic power steering, double-acting |
| Service brakes | Drum brakes with pneumatic-hydraulic actuation |
| Auxiliary brake | Exhaust (compression) brake |
| Parking brake | Drum brake on the transfer case output shaft |
| Fifth wheel | 50-type kingpin to the national standard of the time |
The parking brake acts on the transmission rather than on the wheels, a common layout on heavy all-wheel-drive trucks. The coupling dimensions and the 83.3 kN maximum vertical load on the fifth wheel follow the standards of the period, so the tractor can work with existing semi-trailers.
Cabs: from the classic bonnet to the -59 version
The original Ural-44202 used the classic steel cab and bonnet of the Ural-4320. In March 2011 the plant added the Ural-44202-59 to its range of bonneted trucks. Its new cab has an integrated bonnet, wings and grille surround made of plastic, and a plastic front bumper, while the off-road chassis stays the same. The Ural-4320 family's later cab versions, numbered 48, 58 and 59, have a larger bonnet and a sprung driver's seat.
Inside, the newer cab has a tall, spacious layout with a steering wheel adjustable for angle and a one-piece windscreen without a central pillar. Two passenger seats sit beside the driver. A large heater box in the centre of the dashboard reflects the truck's work in cold regions. Versions with the suffixes -0511, -41 and -45 have a longer cab with a sleeping berth; to fit it, the wheelbase was lengthened by 275 mm, which kept the truck compatible with the earlier bodies and semi-trailers. Later the plant also built cab-over tractors of the same family, such as the Ural-44202-3511-82M, with a cab closer to European designs.
Dimensions and weights
| Parameter | Metric | Imperial |
|---|---|---|
| Length | 7,550 mm | 297.2 in |
| Width | 2,500 mm | 98.4 in |
| Height | 3,255 mm | 128.1 in |
| Wheelbase | 3,800 + 1,400 mm | 149.6 + 55.1 in |
| Gross train weight | up to 28,300 kg | 62,391 lb |
| Fifth-wheel load | up to 8.5 tf (83.3 kN) | 18,739 lbf |
| Operating temperature | −45 °C to +40 °C | −49 °F to +104 °F |
Ural-44202 compared with the Ural-4320 cargo truck
| Parameter | Ural-4320 (cargo) | Ural-44202 (tractor) |
|---|---|---|
| Role | Flatbed truck with tilt | Semi-trailer tractor |
| Wheel formula | 6x6 | 6x6 |
| Engines | KamAZ-740, YaMZ-236, YaMZ-238 | YaMZ-236 family, later YaMZ-236NE2 |
| Load | 5–6 t on the platform | Up to 8.5 tf on the fifth wheel |
| Towing | Trailer up to 11,500 kg | Semi-trailer, train up to 28,300 kg |
| Length | 7,366 mm | 7,550 mm |
| Height | 2,715 mm (cab) | 3,255 mm |
The cargo truck carries its load on its own platform and can tow a trailer, while the tractor puts most of the load on the semi-trailer axles. For off-road haulage of heavy items, the tractor's higher train weight is the main advantage. Wider comparisons of the family are in the Ural-4320 versus ZIL-131 and KamAZ-4310 versus Ural-4320 pages.
Ural-44202 photos 16
FAQ
What is the Ural-44202?
It is the semi-trailer tractor version of the Ural-4320 off-road truck: a bonneted 6x6 with a fifth-wheel coupling, designed to haul semi-trailers on all types of roads and on rough terrain.
What engine does the Ural-44202 use?
Later trucks use the YaMZ-236NE2, an 11.15-litre turbocharged and intercooled V6 diesel with about 169 kW (230 hp), with a pre-heater and an exhaust brake. Earlier versions of the family used other YaMZ and KamAZ diesels.
How heavy a load can the Ural-44202 pull?
The gross train weight is up to 28,300 kg, and the fifth wheel takes a vertical load of up to 8.5 tonne-force, or 83.3 kN. Actual limits depend on the road and terrain.
What is the Ural-44202-59?
It is the version introduced in March 2011 with a new cab. The bonnet, wings and grille surround form one plastic unit, the bumper is plastic, and the interior gained a better seat, a new steering wheel and improved insulation.
In what temperatures can the Ural-44202 work?
The truck is designed for operation from −45 °C to +40 °C. It has an engine pre-heater, a large cab heater and, on later trucks, improved thermal and noise insulation.
Data sources
Data collected automatically from the sources below and not yet checked by an editor.
- The text of this article (1cars archive)
