The rapid development of agriculture in the Soviet Union significantly influenced the industrial sector, especially the production of trucks. Thousands of collective farms required reliable trucks of various capacities and purposes for normal operation. That is why a very impressive fleet of trucks was formed in the USSR.
One of the main manufacturers of such equipment was the Likhachev Plant. The enterprise produced both military vehicles and civilian models. Among the most famous vehicles of the plant is the ZIL-130, which is well known to several generations of drivers. Later, the engineers of the enterprise decided to develop this platform and created a heavier model - the ZIL-133.
Serial production of the new truck started in 1975. The vehicle received a three-axle design and a 6x4 wheel formula, which allowed for an increase in carrying capacity compared to previous models. The car was distinguished by its large dimensions:
- length was 9010 mm
- width reached 2550 mm
- height was 2396 mm
- truck weight - 6880 kilograms
The ZIL-133 had a bonnet layout. Under the bonnet was a new gasoline engine with a displacement of 7000 cubic centimeters. The power unit developed 225 horsepower. The truck was equipped with a mechanical transmission with a five-speed gearbox. Synchronizers were installed from the second to the fifth gears.
One of the main problems of the car was its extremely high fuel consumption. For every 100 kilometers, the truck consumed about 50 liters of gasoline, which made the model difficult to call economical. This drawback later became one of the reasons for switching to a diesel engine.
After installing the diesel engine, the performance significantly improved:
- fuel consumption decreased to approximately 27 liters
- vehicle operation became significantly more profitable
- while the truck maintained a high carrying capacity.
It was the carrying capacity that was considered the main advantage of the ZIL-133. In its original version, the flatbed version carried up to 8000 kilograms of cargo. Later, this figure was increased to 10000 kilograms.
Even though more promising KamAZ trucks were already being produced in parallel in the USSR, the production of the ZIL-133 in an almost unchanged form continued until 1993. In addition, this model with a gasoline engine is considered the largest gasoline-powered truck in terms of dimensions created in the Soviet Union.
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