9621 Agnes Crossing, Lake Suzanneview, New Mexico Island 84604-9295.
Light trucks on the Dongfeng Captain-T chassis can no longer be called a novelty on the domestic market. But if you add Russian brains to this standard Middle
Getting to know the new products that come from the pen of the designers of the Nizhny Novgorod company Promtekh is not a boring task. Until recently, their strong point was converting AVTOVAZ products for commercial use. Suffice it to remember how, in addition to the banal “heels” and a wide range of other light “commtrans” based on the elongated LADA Granta bodies, they turned the Niva 4×4 into a real hearse.
Now the residents of Nizhny Novgorod have become Russian distributors of Chinese Dongfeng. And they immediately started doing what they loved: retrofitting the chassis of a Captain-T model light truck for various tasks. All kinds of manufactured freight wagons, refrigerators and even a tank have already passed and mastered the stage. We were recently introduced to new products: a tipper truck and a ‘double cabin’ on a 3.5-ton chassis. As for the dump truck, under Russian conditions it can perhaps only be seen as a somewhat exotic design with a rather limited audience.
Rather, this is a demonstration of the company’s capabilities, which creates several add-ons for the standard chassis. Look, everyone: we can weld the body of a dump truck, connect hydraulics to it and certify the whole thing.
The flushing equipment weighs a total of approximately 600 kg. And it turns out that according to the passport, up to 1.2 tons of bulk material are allowed to be loaded into the body. This despite the fact that the actual volume is 3.5 cubic meters! What do you think: some of the real owners will fill it up to a third (as it should according to the papers!) and not allow it to be overloaded? Haha, like it isn’t! However, you don’t have to be afraid of the car. Apparently it was custom made according to the same principles as the Russian Gazelle. That is, it makes wild opportunities possible.
Captain-T is currently certified in Russia as a vehicle with a gross weight of up to 3.5 tons. However, company representatives plan to certify the same chassis in the category up to 5 tons! With appropriate load capacity. That is, it turns out that any 3.5-ton Captain-T, including a dump truck, can safely load at least twice the size of the passport. I have to deal with it. That will of course be difficult under the same weight as a 2.3-liter diesel engine with an output of 128 hp. Of. But what kind of “gazalka” has an easy life in Russia?
The second Captain-T based vehicle I was introduced to was a double cab flatbed truck with an original design. “Promtech” added a wider “continuation” to the standard cabin of the “Chinese” – with four seats. It is believed that such vehicles are useful for transporting teams of repairers, installers, utility companies and other companies. Actually every foreman’s dream.
This ‘double cabin’ has a steel floor and an aluminum space frame covered with plastic panels. The trick of this thing is that the passenger part of the body is about half a meter wider than the “Chinese” snout. There are four seats, but normally only three large men would fit in winter clothing. Four citizens of average build can be placed here only in the warm season.
Next, it is simply necessary to move on to the technical nuances that demonstrate the essence of Russian modifications to the “heavenly” design. Firstly, the standard seats from the original Captain-T are thrown out and replaced with more comfortable (according to the makers) rear seats from LADA Granta. Promtech has this goodness in abundance – thanks to its booming production of converting Grant sedans into various versions of “heels”. In the two-row cabin, the rear passenger seats are also Grant seats.
Second, the Captain-T side mirrors needed to be upgraded. They were mounted on special spacers so that they were placed further from the cabin. Otherwise, the driver’s rearward visibility is poor. The third point of the “Russian improvement” was the installation of metal protection on the sides of the frame – to cover the gas tank and battery, installed on the original cargo style Captain-T.
Without additional metal structures covering them, the fate of both would be unenviable – they are very vulnerable to even the smallest collisions with the surrounding reality.
Along the way, neither the dump truck nor the double cabin low loader based on the Captain-T presented any special surprises. Thanks to the very short first gear of the five-speed manual transmission, we can hope for an acceptable start, even at maximum load. The engine pulls well up to about 3500 rpm. The cruising speed of an empty car is about 80 km/h. With a full body – of course less.
When descending 8% of the hill, even an unladen Captain-T cannot brake with electric power. This must be kept in mind. When you drive up the exact same slope at a speed of 60-70 km/h, both the dump truck and the empty double cab in 5th gear cannot accelerate. But they don’t lose momentum either. The steering is as responsive as most trucks. The brakes are also of the ‘freight type’.
In short, Captain-T is a normal commercial unit. No enthusiasm or disappointment: a strong competitor to all “Gazalkas” of different brands that currently exist on our market. And considering the price: yes! Judge for yourself: both the dump truck and the “front man’s dream” cost just under 3 million rubles each. This circumstance alone can attract many potential buyers of such equipment.
Getting to know the new products that come from the pen of the designers of the Nizhny Novgorod company Promtekh is not a boring task. Until recently, their strong point was converting AVTOVAZ products for commercial use. Suffice it to remember how, in addition to the banal “heels” and a wide range of other light “commtrans” based on the elongated LADA Granta bodies, they turned the Niva 4×4 into a real hearse.
Now the residents of Nizhny Novgorod have become Russian distributors of Chinese Dongfeng. And they immediately started doing what they loved: retrofitting the chassis of a Captain-T model light truck for various tasks. All kinds of manufactured freight wagons, refrigerators and even a tank have already passed and mastered the stage. We were recently introduced to new products: a tipper truck and a ‘double cabin’ on a 3.5-ton chassis. As for the dump truck, under Russian conditions it can perhaps only be seen as a somewhat exotic design with a rather limited audience.
Rather, this is a demonstration of the company’s capabilities, which creates several add-ons for the standard chassis. Look, everyone: we can weld the body of a dump truck, connect hydraulics to it and certify the whole thing.
The flushing equipment weighs a total of approximately 600 kg. And it turns out that according to the passport, up to 1.2 tons of bulk material are allowed to be loaded into the body. This despite the fact that the actual volume is 3.5 cubic meters! What do you think: some of the real owners will fill it up to a third (as it should according to the papers!) and not allow it to be overloaded? Haha, like it isn’t! However, you don’t have to be afraid of the car. Apparently it was custom made according to the same principles as the Russian Gazelle. That is, it makes wild opportunities possible.
Captain-T is currently certified in Russia as a vehicle with a gross weight of up to 3.5 tons. However, company representatives plan to certify the same chassis in the category up to 5 tons! With appropriate load capacity. That is, it turns out that any 3.5-ton Captain-T, including a dump truck, can safely load at least twice the size of the passport. I have to deal with it. That will of course be difficult under the same weight as a 2.3-liter diesel engine with an output of 128 hp. Of. But what kind of “gazalka” has an easy life in Russia?
The second Captain-T based vehicle I was introduced to was a double cab flatbed truck with an original design. “Promtech” added a wider “continuation” to the standard cabin of the “Chinese” – with four seats. It is believed that such vehicles are useful for transporting teams of repairers, installers, utility companies and other businesses. Actually every foreman’s dream.
This ‘double cabin’ has a steel floor and an aluminum space frame covered with plastic panels. The trick of this thing is that the passenger part of the body is about half a meter wider than the “Chinese” snout. There are four seats, but normally only three large men would fit in winter clothing. Four citizens of average build can be placed here only in the warm season.
Next, it is simply necessary to move on to the technical nuances that demonstrate the essence of Russian improvements to the “heavenly” design. Firstly, the standard seats from the original Captain-T are thrown out and replaced with more comfortable (according to the makers) rear seats from LADA Granta. Promtech has this goodness in abundance – thanks to its booming production of converting Grant sedans into various versions of “heels”. In the two-row cabin, the rear passenger seats are also Grant seats.
Second, the Captain-T side mirrors needed to be upgraded. They were mounted on special spacers so that they were placed further from the cabin. Otherwise, the driver’s rearward visibility is poor. The third point of the “Russian improvement” was the installation of metal protection on the sides of the frame – to cover the gas tank and battery, installed on the original cargo style Captain-T.
Without additional metal structures covering them, the fate of both would be unenviable – they are very vulnerable to even the smallest collisions with the surrounding reality.
Along the way, neither the dump truck nor the double cabin low loader based on the Captain-T presented any special surprises. Thanks to the very short first gear of the five-speed manual transmission, we can hope for an acceptable start, even at maximum load. The engine pulls well up to about 3500 rpm. The cruising speed of an empty car is about 80 km/h. With a full body – of course less.
When descending 8% of the hill, even an unladen Captain-T cannot brake with electric power. This must be kept in mind. When you drive up the exact same slope at a speed of 60-70 km/h, both the dump truck and the empty double cab in 5th gear cannot accelerate. But they don’t lose momentum either. The steering is as responsive as most trucks. The brakes are also of the ‘freight type’.
In short, Captain-T is a normal commercial unit. No enthusiasm or disappointment: a strong competitor to all “Gazalkas” of different brands that currently exist on our market. And considering the price: yes! Judge for yourself: both the dump truck and the “front man’s dream” cost just under 3 million rubles each. This circumstance alone can attract many potential buyers of such equipment.
Source: Avto Vzglyad
Donald Salinas is an experienced automobile journalist and writer for Div Bracket. He brings his readers the latest news and developments from the world of automobiles, offering a unique and knowledgeable perspective on the latest trends and innovations in the automotive industry.
