Truck tractors from ZIL (19.440 and 4604) - last attempts

The staff of designers of the ZIL plant did not leave alone the idea of ​​​​creating their own truck tractor. And if earlier this was hindered by the production “vanity” associated with the production of trucks necessary for the country, then by the 90s it became clear that the production of a truck, if it was put into series, would seriously improve the financial affairs of the enterprise rolling into the economic abyss.


Particular emphasis is on the appearance, which was much more advantageous for Western cars compared to Russian exterior models. The design of the ZIL-19.440 was taken up by Konstantin Potekhin: it is he who owns the authorship of the Bull. In 1992, it was decided to adapt the cab of the ZIL-4331, which was released into the series, to a cabover version of the tractor. His front end was supposed to get the original design.


ZIL-19.440 was not planned to be put on the conveyor. In the future, the principles of constructing the machine were used in the development of the ZIL-30.250.

Features of the truck tractor ZIL-19.440

First, a full-size layout was built. However, the prototype that followed then differed from the first version, and not for the better. The sleeping bag was made shorter, for some reason windows were installed in it, the bumper was simplified, and the front wheel fairings became less elegant.


Actually, they didn’t think much about the appearance. After all, the task of using the cabin from the serial ZIL has been completed? Done! So what else do you want? The tractor turned out to be ugly, but it had a 440-horsepower engine and stubbornly fiddled around exhibitions. Later, the car stood at the factory gates for a long time, but where today is unclear.


The management of ZiL returned to the topic of a cabover tractor later, releasing in 1995 a small batch of the two-axle model "5423". However, her fate is also unenviable: part of the car went for scrap, others, subjected to alterations, live out their lives somewhere in the backyards of private owners' houses. But the plant also had a more ambitious project, which will be discussed later.

ZIL-6404

This is a large mainline tractor with a solid sleeping compartment, in appearance it looked a lot like American bonnet trucks from Hollywood films. A car with three axles, 6x4, was equipped with the Yaroslavl YaMZ-7511 engine, 14 liters in volume, which developed 410 “horses”. Additionally, the turbocharged engine was equipped with an intercooler - a cooling system for the air flow supplied to the unit. Complete with the internal combustion engine, a manual transmission was installed for fourteen gears with the factory index "2314". This box was not mass-produced.

"Joys of Civilization"

The tractor was equipped with ABS, which at that time was not actually found on Russian trucks. The car could be used as part of a road train, the maximum weight of which reached forty tons. At the same time, cruising speed was in the range of 85-90 km / h, and the highest was 110 km / h.


Inside - "everything is as it should be." In addition to the double "sleeping room" there is a refrigerator, a "microwave" locker for clothes and even a mini-TV. The cabin surprised with a high ceiling and spaciousness. From the outside, the car also looked modern: a fairing made of plastic was placed on top of the elongated cab from the ZIL-4331, the wheels were effectively covered by smooth "casings", the bumper was equipped with a "skirt", into which "foglights" were integrated.

The result?

The last truck tractor proved that ZIL can make vehicles that meet the requirements of the time both in terms of technical parameters and design (ZIL-6404). Of the minuses in both models, one can only note the insufficient heat and sound insulation of a large cabin.


True, the niche of "kapotnikov" in the Russian Federation is somehow not very in demand due to the difficulties of turning around in cramped warehouses and bases. In addition, the dying plant was no longer able to finance projects.