MAZ-500

MAZ-500 at a glance

The MAZ-500 was the first mass-produced Soviet truck with the engine under the cab, a layout that was spreading among truck makers worldwide in the 1960s. Moving the cab forward increased the load length on the same wheelbase, cut weight and fuel consumption and improved the driver's view. The plant's story is told in the history of MAZ, and its trucks are in the MAZ catalogue.

From MAZ-200 to MAZ-500

The MAZ-200 of the 1950s was a conventional bonneted truck, and by the mid-1950s the Minsk engineers were working on its replacement. A first prototype of the MAZ-500 ran in 1955, and the truck was shown publicly in 1958. Delays in developing its new engine pushed full production back: a limited series began in 1963, and the MAZ-500 went into full production in 1965. The goal was a truck with higher payload, lower weight and lower fuel consumption. The frame was arranged to increase payload, and the cab-over layout allowed a longer platform. The MAZ-500 was modernised in 1970, becoming the MAZ-500A, and again in 1977, when it gave way to the MAZ-5335.

Cab and body

The MAZ-500's all-metal cab has two doors, three seats and, for the first time on a MAZ, a sleeping bunk; the dump truck version seats two. The whole cab tilts forward to give access to the engine, a feature that was still uncommon in the West when the truck appeared.

The driver's seat can be adjusted in several ways, the controls were laid out with care, and the cab has storage boxes for tools and personal items. The windscreen is split in two, and the wiper motors sit at the bottom of its frame. A heater was fitted, but because the efficient diesel gives off little waste heat, the cab took a long time to warm up in winter. The cargo platform of the early trucks was wooden; from the end of the 1960s it was made of metal.

Engine and drivetrain

The YaMZ-236 is a four-stroke V6 diesel without a turbocharger, made by the YaMZ engine plant. By modern standards its emissions are high, but it is known for durability and is still praised by owners. The engine could be started with a crank or a tractor, without electricity, which was useful for military users. The fuel tank has internal baffles to prevent fuel surges. In 1970 the single-plate clutch was replaced by a twin-plate clutch to cope with higher loads. The rear axle has reduction gears in the wheel hubs, which take load off the differential and half-shafts; this design was also new for MAZ.

Dimensions and weights

The permissible front axle load is 4.8 tonnes and the rear 10 tonnes; the stopping distance quoted for the MAZ-500 is 18 metres.

MAZ-500A (1970–1977)

The MAZ-500A was the improved base model introduced in 1970. Its dimensions were adjusted to meet export requirements, the gearbox was optimised, and outside the only visible change was a new radiator grille. Payload rose to 8 tonnes and top speed to 85 km/h. The 500A family included the 500ASh chassis-cab, the 500AS polar version, the 500AYu hot-climate version and the improved 503A dump truck. The 500A chassis also carried the TZ-500 aircraft refuelling truck and the KS-3562 truck crane.

MAZ-500 variants

The army's MAZ-500V had an all-metal body with reworked suspension and frames for a canvas cover. The rare MAZ-500G long-wheelbase version was built only in a small series for bulky loads. The MAZ-504V tractor, with its 177 kW (240 PS) V8, could pull semi-trailers with a total weight of up to 20 tonnes, and the MAZ-509 logging truck combined a twin-plate clutch, a gearbox with more ratios and a driven front axle for work on forest tracks.

Several more versions remained prototypes, including the MAZ-511 side-tipping dump truck of 1962, the all-wheel-drive MAZ-508V tractor and the three-axle twin-steer MAZ-520. Three-axle derivatives such as the MAZ-516A stayed in production until about 1981.

Climate versions

The MAZ-500 had to work in both very cold and very hot regions, so MAZ built dedicated versions. The MAZ-512 (originally 500S) for polar conditions had extra cab heaters, better insulation, a pre-start heater for the engine coolant and oil and additional lights for poor visibility. The MAZ-513 (500Yu) for hot climates had a double roof, extra ventilation and thermal insulation of the cab. When the improved 500A arrived in 1970, the same idea continued with the polar 500AS and the hot-climate 500AYu, and the dump truck received its own cold-weather version, the 503S. These versions let one basic design serve from the Arctic to the deserts of Central Asia.

Legacy and the MAZ-500 today

The MAZ-500 family was a workhorse of construction, agriculture, forestry and the army across the Soviet Union and beyond, and its cab and layout lived on in the MAZ-5335 until 1990 and in later Minsk trucks such as the MAZ-5337. Because the trucks are simple and durable, many survive in working order in former Soviet republics. Enthusiasts often upgrade them by fitting the more powerful YaMZ-238 V8, which also requires a gearbox with a splitter, as well as a more modern rear axle and new shock absorbers. Comparable trucks of the era include the ZIL-133.