SMZ "disabled woman": overview, specifications. SMZ S-3D. SMZ S-3A

2024 Author: Erin Ralphs | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-19 11:41

This is a two-seater, four-wheeled motorized carriage, which was produced at the Serpukhov automobile plant in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Its length was a little less than three meters, and the engine power was only eighteen horsepower. A vehicle weighing more than 500 kg could accelerate to sixty kilometers per hour on a public road, which at that time was very fast. It became a replacement for the S-ZAM motorized carriage, which was released in 1970.

Sizes

The length of this motorized carriage was about 2 meters 60 centimeters, but due to the fact that the body was metal and the car was compact, it weighed about six hundred kilograms and could be equal to such machines as the Trabant, which weighed 620 kilograms, "Okoy", whose curb weight was also equal to 620 kilograms, and "Zaporozhets", whose mass is 640 kilograms.

Engine

The motor was a two-stroke, frommotorcycle model "Izh Planeta-3", which had forced air cooling. However, he was, of course, quite weak for such a relatively heavy machine. Such a two-stroke engine had a big drawback - fuel consumption. It was large enough, given that it must be very small. However, at that time the price of fuel was small, therefore, this did not introduce "disabled people" into the large expenses of the owners of the SMZ. However, the engine had a peculiarity: it required a lot of oil, which already gave additional costs. Also in those days there was no function of showing the fuel in the tank, and therefore gasoline was poured "by eye". And this led to the fact that the engine wore out more. Therefore, quite often they broke down at the mileage mark of no more than one hundred thousand.

Gearbox

The transmission at the SMZ "invalid" consisted of a main gear with a differential and two axle shafts, as well as a chain drive from the engine to it. She had a reverse gear, and this gave the motorized carriage not one, but even four reverse gears.

Despite the very incomprehensible and unique appearance, the motorized carriage had a number of engineering solutions unusual for that time: independent suspension of all three wheels. Change the steering, make a clutch cable drive - all this was very unique for those times, and this is what made the car different from others. And especially in the practice of building "disabled women" for the world, this is something completely new.

Because the engine was in the back, the foot pedalshave been replaced with handles. There was plenty of legroom for the driver in the cabin as the pedals were removed. And that was a plus for paralyzed people.

Permeability

The car moved without difficulty on sand and broken asph alt, drove through all the bumps and almost did not skid. This was achieved due to the fact that the car weighed some five hundred or six hundred kilograms. And also due to the fact that the wheelbase was short, and the suspension was independent. The biggest disadvantage is driving in the snow, as there the vehicle was easy to skid, and getting out if you got stuck was not easy. However, some owners of the SMZ "invalid" used expanded rims on the wheels, but at the same time, the life of the tires decreased, as they were more worn out. But contact with the road is stronger, so in the northern regions of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, this helped a lot.

Operation

Yes, according to the reviews of the owners of SMZ C3A, the cars were very unpretentious, did not require large expenditures. However, the weakest point was the winter time, when the fuel pump froze and the engine stalled while driving. The rest of the car was good enough, never failed.

Can I buy a motorized stroller today?

At the moment, this car is a real rarity, and there are simply no options for buying wheelchairs on sites selling used cars, because there are very few of them.

However, there are several options, for example, in the capital of Russia, where a car costs about five hundred thousandRussian rubles. The car has already been completely restored and is a copy for the collection. Ordinary motorized strollers can be found at a price of six to twenty thousand Russian rubles in different towns and cities, but they are most likely no longer on the move. Therefore, they buy a "disabled blinker" now only for memory.

Features

A couple of decades ago, this very unusual vehicle for the disabled could only be seen in remote provinces of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. "Invalidka" is the nickname given to the SMZ S-3D. Despite the fact that the car was quite small, and also despite its simple and non-prestigious appearance, it served as a very reliable car produced by the Serpukhov Automobile Plant. The first such machines were produced in 1952. After the end of the production of SMZ, C3A came to replace it - "morgunovka", with an open body. And the most important difference from the old motorized stroller is that it already had four wheels.

They were presented with many requirements that were not implemented, so the car was not popular, and the Serpukhov Automobile Plant already in the sixties of the last century began developing a new wheelchair for people. C3A had many technical inconsistencies, because of this, disabled people could not drive such cars at all. It is worth noting that famous engineers and specialists from ZIL, MZMA and NAMI companies participated in the construction phase. When the first version of SMZ-NAMI-086 was released, it did notwas published, but production on the creation of the legendary "blinker" was continued. SMZ S-3D was lucky that it went on sale at all.

The motor from the SMZ motorcycle was not equipped with a cooling system by itself, and therefore there was no stove in the motorized carriage, and it was very cold to ride on it in winter. There was an alternative, something like a heater, but it was rather weak, but it was possible to set it up and make the interior of the car a little warmer. The "invalid" SMZ S3D did not shine with technical characteristics, but this was not necessary at that time.

Also, despite the fact that the car had a single-cylinder engine, the design of the car and its construction were at a fairly high level. The front suspension was combined with the steering wheel into a single unit, and this gave greater handling. And also the brake drive was hydraulic, very effective. SMZ C3A is a great car for the disabled.

Dynamic performance and speed at the SMZ were very poor, as the engine from the 12 hp motorcycle could not cope with this. With. This is not enough for five hundred kilograms of metal. With a driver and a passenger, this car accelerated to a maximum of 55 kilometers per hour on a public road. This created much fewer accidents and traffic accidents on the roads of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Tuning "invalid", as such, did not exist.

Competitor

Already in the late sixties, designers and engineers began to work onmotorized carriages with the index SMZ S-3D. They came out way back in 1970. This was already the third generation of cars for the disabled. The car was very different from the others, because there was a new motor from a motorcycle, much more powerful and efficient. Also there was a completely closed metal body. Instead of a spring suspension, technology with torsion bars with levers was used. This made the Soviet "invalid" even more unique.

Cost early

The price of such a wheelchair with an engine in the late eighties was about 1,100 Russian rubles. At the same time, it is worth recalling the fact: the average salary of workers in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was seventy to one hundred Russian rubles. SMZ motorized strollers were distributed through social security agencies, they were quite often given to people with disabilities just like that. For them, options were provided for incomplete, partial and even complete non-payment. Free of charge - for disabled people of the first group, that is, those who were injured or became disabled after the Great Patriotic War with the Germans, as well as the military who served in the Armed Forces. Disabled people of the third group could buy a motorized wheelchair for 220 Russian rubles, but they had to stand in line for about five years.

And they gave it out free of charge for 5 years and gave the owner the opportunity to overhaul it in the service station once every 2.5 years. After the expiration of the period of use, the disabled person handed it back to the social security authorities and waited for a new copy for himself.

If the state of he alth of a motorist did not allow him to driveordinary cars, and his driver's license said that you can not have anything other than a motorized wheelchair, then the disabled completed courses in driving such disabled vehicles as the SMZ, waited for their copy and started moving around the city. To drive a motorized carriage, a category “A” driver's license (motorcycles and scooters) with a special mark was required. Education for people with disabilities was organized by the social security authorities.

In the seventies of the last century, the indicators of plans and production of Soviet cars crossed all limits and norms, and the pace of production at the Serpukhov plant also increased every day. The mark was ten thousand Russian cars that were created for the disabled. The peak was at around twenty thousand, but not for long. In just twenty years of production of such a rare specimen, about 250 thousand Russian SMZ cars were created. All of them were designed for a person with a disability.

Thanks to this production, thousands of Soviet and Russian citizens in the period from the fiftieth to the eighties of the twentieth century were provided with free transport and could live like all other people. In the CIS countries, such big ideas in the field of mechanical engineering that would be made for the benefit of people with disabilities were no longer noticed. The SMZ "invalidka" was a very noble machine, and its engineers really tried to make life easier for people with disabilities.

Control levers

Yes, they are really unique. After alla disabled person without legs could do with his hands what usually needs to be done with his feet. The car, in addition to the usual levers, had:

• brake;
• reverse;
• kickstarter;
• clutch;
• gas.

However, it was not very comfortable to ride on it. And yet, SMZ S-3D was intended only for the disabled.

Why a motorized stroller?

Designers and engineers of the Serpukhov Automobile Plant during the period of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics have always been eager to create their own simple, trouble-free and reliable car for urban and rural residents. However, the state allocated money to build cars for the disabled and people with disabilities, so they did it on the basis of a motorized carriage. "Invalids" were supposed to be produced under the GAZ brand, but there was no place at the plant for the production of this car, so it was decided to do it differently. In Serpukhov, technology and production were much less developed, but the main thing was desire.

For the sake of justice, it is worth mentioning that the parts of this car were in demand in the automotive market of that time, as they were very durable. In general, it was a whole breakthrough in the field of car reliability.

Together with the world

Especially for the "disabled" car in the USSR, they did not invent something new at the start of the project, but they took the old one and improved it a bit. The engine, as mentioned above, was from the IZH-Planet motorcycle. The suspension was independent, the brakes were hydraulic. The suspension was "removed" from the Volkswagen Beetle.

The engine was derated. They put cooling on it, which was not there initially. Also added a starter and alternator. The fuel tank has been enlarged. So, with the help of various modifications and improvements, a very good car tool turned out from old trash.