The auctions that sell military equipment are always of interest. But many people have a question: what are the decommissioned ZILs, Urals and KAMAZ vehicles capable of? Now the military has shown these machines in action. Well, the test drive was impressive! The Onliner.by correspondent visited Starye Dorogi, where this event was held, and looked at the capabilities of the decommissioned military equipment.
The range of vehicles sold is large: trucks ZIL, Ural, KAMAZ, unpretentious KrAZ trucks and even tracked multipurpose light armored tractors MT-LB and MT-LBu. The last, as it might seem at first glance, is only a place at the Vtorchermet plant in Minsk in Gatovo - they look so scary.
Peeling paint, rust stains on the hull, and all militarized parts (hatches, turrets, loopholes for small arms) are welded with seams. But, despite this, the tractor is in demand in Russia. Only during the last auction, which we wrote about earlier, nine such tracked vehicles were sold. They are bought mainly by hunters, fishermen and outdoor enthusiasts. True, to travel on public roads requires a special permit from the traffic police.
Having a high cross-country ability, even in the hard-to-reach taiga, a rather economical tractor can reach speeds of up to 60 km / h. Agree, for an armored tracked vehicle produced in the second half of the last century, this is a pretty good indicator.
Of course, immediately after purchasing the MT-LB tractor it is not necessary to drive it into the mud. Military vehicles have been standing in the open for several years and require a certain kind of work. As the officers of the base in Starye Dorogi told us, it is necessary to start by replacing all rubber products that have lost their properties due to age. Otherwise, there are no problems with these machines, they are quite reliable and relatively inexpensive to operate.
Especially for our readers, the military demonstrated the power of the MT-LB by "mixing" dirt with it in the nearest forest not far from the unit. The tractor easily coped with overcoming a small ford.
Then the car at the maximum speed overcame a section of the forest road. It seemed that the wet and dirty tractor blown by the air instantly became dry, and the branches of bushes and trees swept away all the dirt from its hull.
Wheeled vehicles followed the MT-LB along the same ditch. The KAMAZ vehicle, which was partly allocated for testing, is actually being sold and will be put up at the next auction. The appearance of the equipment corresponds to its age and cost - the matte cabin, which was once shiny, has rusty "bugs" on the body. However, if you do not pay attention to this moment (for the owner with hands to paint is not a problem), then the car is in good condition. Rubber on iron disks will serve for more than one year, and all other nuances are completely removable.
The officers of the unit are sure that this KAMAZ will definitely be bought at an auction. For information, such cars were sold at recent auctions at an initial price of 55 million Belarusian rubles. The final cost is usually 20-25% higher than the initial one.
After KAMAZ disappeared into the thick of the forest, a military "Ural" drove to the edge. The flatbed truck was towing three more (!) GAZ-66. From the side it seemed as if the boy was pulling toy cars on a string.
At some point, the metal cable became taut. It seemed that one of the drivers of the driven cars put on the brakes. Indeed, the military simulated a situation as if on one of the trucks, after pressing the brake pedal, the brake pads were jammed.
Throwing mud from under the massive wheels, "Ural" began to confidently "bury itself" with a roar. A couple of minutes more, and it is unlikely that the car would have been able to go to the "land" by itself. Now that the wheels are up to the rims in the mud, the only way to get out of it and pull the column out is to use a winch.
Stretching it to a distance of about ten meters, the driver hooked on the first car. Turning on the service brakes, "Ural" began to pull the winch cable with a uniform roar. Like the carriages of a train, the cars started to move. In a couple of minutes, military trucks were freed from the captivity of the mud …
A little off to the side, on the edge of the forest, a mechanical repair shop for automotive equipment was deployed. Next to it, in the field, the engine was repaired, and welding was performed. The workshop does not even require electricity - it is completely autonomous. Similar workshops are currently being sold through the authorized organization RUE "Belspetskontrakt" and cost from 50 million Belarusian rubles.
Welding machine
Further, the journalists were shown the work of the ARS-14 filling station. A gasoline ZIL-131 with an installed barrel (2, 7 tons) and a pump now may well be retrained into a fire truck. The use of ARSs as "firefighters" is a frequent phenomenon, as evidenced by the coloring of some cars on the territory of the unit: 10 percent of the cars in the parking lot are painted red.
In addition, ARS-14 is used to deliver water and other liquid substances. Oil workers acquire stations for transporting liquid fuel, road workers - for washing roads. Our correspondent found another application for this model of military equipment. By connecting to the filling hoses a special pistol similar in appearance to refueling hoses, you can perfectly wash the car. The water pressure allowed even mosquitoes and flies to be knocked off the hood and license plate of the car! Domestic answer Karcher!
Up-to-date information on the availability of equipment and property, the holding of auctions can always be obtained on the website of the RUE "Belspetskontrakt" or by calling the phones in Minsk: (8 017) 278-06-97, 224-66-27, 224-20-01.
Thank you for your help in preparing the reportage to the military news agency Vayar.
