LAZ-5252

The design of this bus is rooted in the mid-1970s.

In 1977 - 1978, the All-Union Design and Experimental Institute of Bus Engineering built the very first LAZ-5252, but the path to the conveyor at the LAZ-5252 turned out to be long, since the city Ikarus 260 and Ikarus 280 , as well as several intercity models of Ikarus, dominated at that time.

The management of the Lviv Bus Plant slowed down the development and production of LAZ 5252 models, since assembling the old LAZ-695 , LAZ-697 , LAZ-699 and others was much easier. And KavZ , on which it was planned to master the production of LAZ 5252, in the 1980s needed re-equipment.

The situation with transport provision has deteriorated significantly since the independence of Ukraine . Deliveries of buses of the Ikarus brand stopped, and there was no large bus (80-100 passengers) in Ukraine. Then the serial production of LAZ 5252 were forced to establish pretty quickly. True, since many of these buses were going in haste, a large number of defects and defects were subsequently discovered in them.

In the 1990s, LAZ fell into a difficult position due to the fact that it did not have regular suppliers of engines, and ZIL and KAMAZ engines were no longer supplied to Lviv. Therefore, modifications of the LAZ 5252 had different engines, which, in fact, only differed. All engines required a large engine compartment, so the rear doors in later versions became single-wing and with this increased space in the back row of seats for the passenger sitting in front of the door.

In autumn 1992, LAZ 52522 trolleybuses were designed on the basis of LAZ 52521 and LAZ 52523 buses of various modifications; the first trolleybus based on the LAZ-52521 bus body was built in 1993, and in 1994 mass production of the LAZ-52522 trolleybus began (in 1994-2006, 47 trolleybuses of this model were produced for Lviv, but they were not distributed outside the city , being insufficiently reliable and durable) ^[1] .

In January 1994, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine instructed the plant to begin production of city buses LAZ-5252 for the Ministry of Transport of Ukraine ^[2] .

In the summer of 1994, the plant produced the first LAZ-52522 trolleybuses ^[3] with the ED 138AU2 engine from Elektrotyazhmash ( Kharkov ); the engine in them was located in the central part under the floor, so the rear doors of the trolley remained double-winged.

In early 1995, the plant began serial production of the city bus LAZ-5252 with the Renault MIDR engine 02/06/26 ^[4] .

In the late 1990s, LAZ 5252 showed their unreliability (frequent minor breakdowns), the general poor quality of performance and the unreliability of power units. 52522 trolleybuses had similar problems and could not compete with high-quality and cheap UMZ T2 , which since 1993 were produced at the Southern Machine-Building Plant in Dnepropetrovsk . In the late 1990s, new modifications came out - LAZ 52527, LAZ 52523 and LAZ 52528. In 1995, the Kharkov Car Repair Plant mastered the production of the KhARZ 5259 Kharkivchanin bus, which was almost completely written off from LAZ 5252 inside and outside, but this the bus was only released in 6 copies.

In 2002, restyling of LAZ 5252 models began, mainly LAZ 52527 and LAZ-52528 buses were updated. LAZ 52527 (old type) was delivered to Kiev in the late 1990s, having undergone restyling, a whole batch of LAZ 52528 has been operating in Lviv on bus route No. 5 since 2006. LAZ 52528 had a great price and the powerful Russian YaMZ 236NE engine was different from 52527 models. Restyling of trolleybuses began two years later, after LAZ made a restyled LAZ 52522, exchanging it for a decommissioned Lviv trolleybus of the old version No. 008. The new trolleybus got park number 008, under which it still operates in Lviv.

In 2004, LAZ A183 CityLAZ began production - the 12-meter successor LAZ 5252, which soon went into production, and articulated LAZ A292 . LAZ 52528 and LAZ 52527 remained on the conveyor for another year, until 2005, until their production was completely discontinued. The LAZ 52522 trolleybus lingered on the conveyor for another year, the last restyled models of 2006 were sent to Ternopol ; A total of 85 LAZ 52522 trolleybuses were produced.

During the production of LAZ 5252 in 1992-2006, 8 bus and 1 trolleybus modifications (52522) were produced. These models externally almost do not differ from each other (except for the number of door leaves and the volume of motor compartments ); they differ only in engines. Years of production of LAZ 5252 and its modifications - this is mainly the mid-end of the 1990s. LAZ 52522 (trolleybus) is considered an equal modification of LAZ 5252.

• LAZ 5252 is a basic model with a Soviet engine.
• LAZ 52521 - the very first modification of LAZ 5252. The bus was equipped with a KAMAZ- 7408.10 engine; had rear double doors. This bus was not mass produced.

• LAZ 52522 is a trolleybus based on the LAZ 5252 modifications, which was designed at the end of 1992 and went into mass production since 1994. These machines had many shortcomings that LAZ 5252 had, in particular, quick corrosion of the body and minor damage to electrical equipment. The first series was produced until 1998 . Restyling of 52522 trolleybuses began in 2004, until 2006 10 new cars were produced. Since 2006, they were replaced by ElectroLAZ-183 .
• LAZ 52523 - a bus with a Renault MIDR engine 02/06/26, LAZ used a Renault engine due to the fact that Russian YaMZ, KAMAZ and ZIL engines were very voluminous at that time. It was produced from 1992 until the end of the 1990s; Delivered to various cities of Ukraine, as well as to some cities of the Russian Federation.
• LAZ 52523A is a cheaper version of the LAZ-52523 bus with the YaMZ-236A engine.
• LAZ 52524 - a bus with a MAN engine; this model is not widespread.
• LAZ 52527 - an updated bus with an RABA D10TL160 E2 engine; release 1998-2005; this bus had certain elements of restyling and kept on the conveyor until 2005, together with 52528.
• LAZ 52528 - restyled LAZ 5252 with the YaMZ- 236A engine (turbocharged); back doors became single-wing. The price of buses has become higher due to new construction materials and a more powerful engine. Sometimes it appeared as LAZ A172 in the plant documentation; produced until 2005, when it was not replaced by CityLAZ.
• LAZ 52528 - a variant of the LAZ-52523 bus with the YaMZ-236A engine, production began in the late 1990s
• LAZ 52529 - with the Cummins C220 engine, was produced in small batches.

LAZ 5252 and its elements were used on other buses of Lviv production:

• LAZ Liner 12 - intercity and tourist bus of the new generation LAZ, close to LAZ 5252;
• KHARZ 5259 - bus of the Kharkov Car Repair Plant (produced in 1995), the same with 5252 in size.

LAZ 5252 successors in the LAZ lineup

• LAZ A183 is a 12-meter low-floor urban LAZ that replaced 5252.
• LAZ A292 - 18-meter low-floor two-section urban LAZ, articulated version A183
• ElectroLAZ-183 is a 12-meter low-floor LAZ trolleybus that replaced the LAZ 52522.
• ElectroLAZ-301 is an 18-meter low-floor two-section LAZ trolleybus, an articulated version of the LAZ E183.

LAZ 5252 is a middle class bus designed to work on urban traffic. Outwardly, it remotely resembles the Ikarus 260 series, however, in fact, it is a completely independent development. The first prototype buses and trolleybuses had a length of 11.12 meters, later they became somewhat longer - up to 11.4 meters. Such dimensions are inherent in all modern issues of this bus. The height of the bus is not more than 3 meters, the trolley bus grew by another 20 centimeters due to a set of traction electrical equipment and a Bosch cooler.

Bus body - carrier , wagon layout; the body design has no special signs - it is quite square, like Ikarus, but the front of the bus is somewhat rounded. The front lighting is represented by 2 large square-shaped headlights; on the updated models, the headlights have blur at a small insertion depth and a large aperture; also 2 fog lights integrated in the bumper. The bumper of the bus is welded, large, usually black. Above the bumper is the emblem of the Lviv Bus Plant.

The windshield of the bus is relatively small compared to its successors (however, it is quite enough for the driver to work when viewed from the cab). The glass is divided in two, 2 wipers are moved using traction levers. The problem with this model is the failure of the wipers. The side mirrors of the outdoor installation are spherical, with a solid holder in the style of "hare ears", the old models had smaller and square mirrors, so they were very inconvenient when driving a bus. Direction indicators are located above the windshield; LAZ 5252 and its modes were still equipped with electronic displays, so they use mechanical route indicators.

The sides of the bus are galvanized and have a corrosion protection coating from Helios . In the first versions of the LAZ 5252, the body had a much worse quality of the skin and did not have an anti-corrosion coating applied to all parts of the body, so the body skin quickly degraded. The suspension of the LAZ 5252 models is air spring, well levels out defects in the road surface: pits, potholes, and the like. His predecessor LAZ-4202 used a mechanical suspension, which quickly deteriorated due to the poor quality of roads inherent in Ukrainian roads . Also, this suspension provides a soft and smooth ride, despite the high floor. The bus has two axles, with radial wheel rims.

The engine is located in the rear overhang; LAZ 5252 modes depend on the engine standing on the bus, Soviet engines were very voluminous and took up a lot of space, which reduced the capacity of the bus. LAZ 5252 is characterized by loud engine operation, and interior noise insulation is unsatisfactory. At the LAZ 52522 trolleybus the engine is placed longitudinally under the floor, the trolleybuses use a rheostat-contactor control system and they are powered by ED138AU2 engines from the Kharkov manufacturer Electrotyazhmash; the ED138AU2 engine is much quieter than the Škoda 14Tr , for example.

The rear bumper of the bus is large, brewed, black. The body of the LAZ 5252 bus and its mods has 3 front doors, the front and middle doors are double doors, the rear can be either one or two doors (depending on version); LAZ 52522 has three double doors. The problem of jamming of the door drive was solved in the LAZ 5252 model, jamming of the door about these models has become much more rare. At first, the rubber lining of the doors for depreciation was a screen, later it became completely rubber.

LAZ 5252 buses are high-floor type models, 2 steps lead to the passenger compartment , and the cabin floor height above the carriageway is about 80 centimeters. The flooring of the cabin LAZ 5252 is linoleum, seamless throughout the cabin. The bus handrails are thin, made of galvanized steel, the horizontal handrails on top can be equipped with plastic handles (in newer models). The seats of the old models were leather with foam filling inside the sofas; since most of the seats were paired, the front aisle was too narrow. New buses have soft green velor seats of a separate type and a smaller size; handrails of restyled buses are painted yellow. The bus has 2 storage areas for passengers opposite the middle and rear doors.

The windows of the LAZ 5252 bus are divided; in newer versions, after restyling, the buses received tinted double-glazed windows. Ventilation in the cabin is represented by hatches on the roof and movable vents. The lighting system in the cabin has changed: ceiling lights from the sidewalls are moved to the ceiling. The heating system is represented by an autonomous heater WEBASTO 268.07; heating in LAZ 52522 trolleybuses occurs with the help of an electric heater. The full passenger capacity of this bus varies depending on the modification and ranges from 95 to 108 people. Кабина водителя отделена от салона сплошной перегородкой, передняя створка передней двери открывается автономно и рассчитана только для прохода водителя.

The dashboard is black, plastic. The panel is conditionally divided into three parts, the speedometer is located on the left side, another speedometer jack is located on the middle part, auxiliary display devices are located on the right side. The door control buttons are located on the right side, the radio is located outside the dashboard. The driver’s seat in the first issues had a foam pad and was less comfortable, in the updated LAZ there were armrests on it, the seat was made of various synthetic materials. The steering wheel in most of the old releases was the standard LAZ, which was used by all the then LAZ - MAZ-64229, which was also used on the LAZ 52522. On the updated models, a new Laz steering wheel with the factory logo ZF 8098 Servocom with power steering is installed. Still, even the updated LAZ 5252 has not yet reached the “automatic”, the gearbox is a 5-speed manual, the automatic ZF Ecomat or Voith is already used by modern CityLAZ. The movement of the bus is controlled by 3 pedals. The driver's cab is equipped with: a passenger compartment inspection mirror, a fire extinguisher and a first-aid kit. The windshield can be partially tinted, and also have sun shields.

Advantages of the LAZ 5252 model:

• Unpretentious model, good adaptability to the roads of the CIS countries.
• The air-spring suspension eliminates road surface defects.
• Smooth acceleration-braking.
• Full anti-corrosion treatment of the body of the updated models.
• Most of the shortcomings are eliminated in restyled models.
• Low price.

The disadvantages of the LAZ 5252 model:

• High floor.
• Very noisy engines and poor interior insulation.
• Quick body corrosion (old models).
• Minor damage to electronics and demonstration devices.
• Cold in the cabin during the cold season.
• Stuffy when fully loaded in the summer.
• Manual Transmission.
• Inconvenient layout of seats in the cabin.
• Unreliability of power units.

Restyling LAZ 5252 received the following innovations:

• Pasted tinted double-glazed windows on all interior windows
• Full anti-corrosion treatment of the body and full galvanization
• Improved interior layout, replacing flooring with linoleum carpet with shiny inclusions
• Replacing old seats with new green, velor, characteristic for minibuses
• New ZF Servocom 8098 steering wheel (old - MAZ 64229) with power steering, now typical for the NeoLAZ family
• New mechanical gearbox from YaMZ or Praga, new control pedals.
• Lighting has Blurring at shallow depth glazing significantly increases the light intensity of the headlights.

• LAZ 52528
• LAZ A183
• LAZ 52522
• LAZ A291

• History and modifications of LAZ 5252 on the Kharkov transport website (Russian)