11 Trucks That Owners Sawed For Long-Range Trucks

The ZIL-133 family was supposed to be used as part of a road train for long-distance transportation, but it didn't really work for them. The power of the gasoline engine was only enough to confidently move the truck itself in space, but there was no longer enough strength for the trailer. And the small cabin from the ZIL-130 was not designed for long-range combat. However, with the transition to a market economy, the situation changed, and everything that has wheels began to go long distances. Here, for example, ZIL-133G2, in which the cabin has increased two and a half times. Please note: the “sleeping bag” occupies the entire permitted width so that you can stretch out on the bunk. By the way, only 38,000 units of gasoline “one hundred and thirty-third” were produced – it’s even strange that it survived…

ZIL-133G4 became the development of the main ZIL theme. The new model even received a modification with a factory extended cab with a sleeper compartment. But the copy in the photo is clearly not one of those. The sleeping bag, together with the raised roof, was already cooked here by the owner himself. Along the way, headlights from Moskvich-412 appeared in the wings. As far as I'm concerned, it worked out well.

Everyone knows Colchis is a strange truck tractor with an angular cabin. Some criticize him, others say “norms”, but this does not change the essence – the “Colchis” of the 600th family were mass-produced only in the form of tractors. However, in the 90s, there were plenty of conversions of KAZ-608 into flatbed trucks. True, most often they did not claim the title of “truck driver”, but there were exceptions. How do you like this masterpiece? Cabin with extended roof, front bumper from Kirovets, extended base. And what booth? I don’t even know what kind of engine he has, but obviously not his native gasoline…

In the mid-80s, an all-wheel drive agricultural dump truck began to be assembled in Kutaisi. The car was interesting, but not suitable for long-distance routes. However, this was only before the collapse of the USSR. And then the “grinder” in one hand, the welding machine in the other – and go! Instead of the front drive axle, we put the axle from KamAZ, we change the rear axle to a gable one, we weld a “sleeping bag” to the cab, and instead of a dump platform we put a closed booth. That's it, the truck for work over long distances is ready.

Talking about mainline trucks and not mentioning KamAZ means being very disingenuous. “Tatarin” is known to everyone, and thanks to its endurance, it will surf the Russian expanses for a long time to come. But, despite the initial task of creating a car for long hauls, many drivers do not agree that the designers succeeded. As a result, the variations of tuning KamAZ just can not be counted. Just for example, a variant with a home-made “sleeping bag” welded on, as well as a high plastic roof and a front mask. They are made by one of the many truck upgrade companies.

By the way, the combination of a high cab and transportation of concrete blocks does not fit very well – “tired” of watermelons and was transferred to short distances?

Let's move on to KrAZ. Fortunately, the 257s came from the factory with a spare wheel bracket behind the cab, so there were no problems with turning it into a trucker. “Spare wheel” down, in its place we weld a “sleeping bag”, weld an additional headlight into the wing – and go. Well, in case of a puncture on the roof, we bring an inflated chamber…

In the mid-80s, the KrAZ-260, the heir to the crocodile, went into serial production in Kremenchug. In post-Soviet times, he even got a factory cabin with a sleeping compartment, albeit a small one. However, if you see a “two hundred and fifty” with a “sleeping bag” on the track, then be sure, with a high degree of probability, this is a “homemade”. Moreover, KrAZ trucks are sometimes reborn into such designs that oh-hoo! How do you like this version of KrrrrAAAAZ? A hefty cabin, a hefty frame, a hefty “booth” and… a trailer! This is how much time it takes to crawl with a full load on a more or less steep climb? Day?

Not counting cabovers, the hardest thing to sharpen under the “long-range” “Ural”. Initially designed as an all-terrain vehicle, it has a dense layout, and there is simply nowhere to attach a sleeping compartment to it. Or is there somewhere? Here, the owner simply dismantled the body, welded a trimmed cabin from the MAZ-500 to the native cabin, and instead of the superstructure, screwed the overcooked “kung”. It may not be very roomy, but it looks serious – one bumper is worth something!

Do you think that only the creations of the domestic auto industry are being modernized, but the “bourgeois” are doing fine, right? No matter how! If you managed to get a delivery Mercedes-Benz, and you have to move goods far, then you still can’t do without a “sleeping bag”! Yes, the car looks “departed”, but you're lucky!

By the way, not only our drivers are modifying their trucks. Here is the Slovak version of the transformation of a delivery truck into a long-range one. This Avia A31 with a very high cabin works on international routes, because this photo was taken not “out there”, but in Moscow.

And the “King” of this collection is a truck “based” or “with elements” ZIL-133GYa. The owner really got confused and created his own car to work on long-distance routes. Everything is fitted, linked, and nothing sticks out. Moreover, the cabin and the lower belt are made so harmoniously that a moderately neat van seems like an alien element…