Unimog Industrial Truck (BR404) · Unimog

BR404

The go-anywhere Unimog — industrial legend on four wheels.

Production
1955–1980
Built
64,242
Body
Van / commercial
Chassis
BR404
Unimog Industrial Truck (BR404) (BR404)

Before the Unimog became an icon of municipal fleets and alpine rescue, the BR404 established the template — a short-wheelbase, portal-axle, all-wheel-drive implement carrier that could plow a field at dawn and haul timber by afternoon.

Mercedes-Benz built the 404 series Unimog from 1955 to 1980 as a dual-purpose agricultural and industrial vehicle: equal-size wheels, generous ground clearance, power take-offs, and a cab designed for function over fashion. Diesel engines grew in displacement and output across the run; countless body variants — from flatbeds to fire tenders — made the 404 the definitive Unimog silhouette for a generation.

The BR404 Unimog served for a quarter-century as the backbone of Mercedes-Benz's off-highway program, outlasting countless imitators and earning a reputation for mechanical honesty that collectors and working operators still prize today.

BR404 interior
Cabin details of the BR404, as preserved in period photography.

Every model.

9 model designations across 1955–1980 — engines, chassis codes and production figures for the BR404.

ModelModel yearsChassisEngineTransmissionTotal
U821969–1970404.117615.91281
U1101971–1980404.010130113
U1101971–1980404.0121307
U1101971–1980404.0111301,151
U821955–1956404.1111801,210
U821955–1956404.1131808,106
U821955–1956404.112180185
U821956–1980404.1151802,548
U821956–1980404.11418050,321

* The published production figure covers every series of that model; the source does not break it down further.

BR404 side profile
Studio profile of the BR404 — the proportions that defined this chassis.
BR404 rear three-quarter view
Rear three-quarter view of the BR404.