BC Mack

you've raised a curious point here.... what do Americans have to go through to import a truck from Canada??? any difference importing a Canadian built rather than re-importing a US built truck? just curious... Canada has some stiff limitations... www.riv.ca has all our rules. we have to pre-advise the US border by 5 days to "export" from the US where the title is cancelled... if you drive 100yds into Canada and they refuse to allow the import a massive can of worms opens up as you can't simply turn around and drive back to the US... we are firmly advised to call the hotline and discuss vehicle specifics if there is any doubt... what hoops do you guys go through??? btw.. there are two or three of these groups of B's on kijjiji... Sask and Manitoba I think.... and NO, I won't open a dog pound on the west coast for all of Canada's orphan Macks... LOL BC Mack

next thing you know they'll be letting those damn Canadians though the northern border..... BC Mack

the MH is my summer outdoor project, I work on my Scenicruiser in the winter as it is undercover... too many projects, but good ones !!!. I have already removed the two fuel tanks, exhaust cross-over, driveline and battery boxes... trans is coming out in April/May depends on the weather... a few on here recommended various products to spray in the clutch but in the end it just seemed wiser to pull the clutch and have a good look at it... pt2 of "my summer project" will chronical all the happenings, good or bad. BC Mack

Farmer... 8 stud rims on front.... 10 stud on rear.... was that part of the original spec??? BC Mack

this was unfortunately a common event on the 4cyl version, the series 50 with the balance shafts in the oilpan..... we were losing them at about 700,000km on our Orion highway coaches... left part numbers and oil/coolant down our local highways... dot had words with the management and they started to pull at 650km... on teardown it was discovered in many cases it was #2 piston seizing and there were some known issues about cracks developing in the crank which eventually gave way. Crazy to see an ejected conrod complete with the crank segment still attached and correctly torqued. Worse one I saw had the complete block and crank at #2 cleaned off, block integrity front to rear was maintained by the head, should have taken a photo... BC Mack

drum measurements is what the records had to show, linings were at time of inspection..... it was an interim that lasted 10 years to get the operators lined up for the next set of regs in 2011.. as said, brake failures and cam-overs are dramatically down from past years as the biggest culprits around here were the dump trucks and pups operated by the suntanned guys with the wrap around stetsons, they ran drums until they were wafer thin.... the long distance truckers who ignored brake maintenance found out how tough it is to stop in the Rockies, we don't have anywhere around here where there is more than 5 miles of flat road..!!! LOL on our city bus rear brakes we were getting 12-15 months per reline, 50k miles, and three to four sets of linings per drum change... so that rule worked for us... we also changed all the studs at drum change.... with s-cam bushings and full hardware kit everytime we costed lab/mat at $2k per year per rear axle. we estimated a full stop every 400ft. disc brake pads are 21mm new, we remove by 5mm and off road if 3mm, three to four pad changes per year for 50k miles and 1-2mm disc wear per pad change.... studs and bearings are fixed replacement items regardless of condition.. jury is out on disc being a cheaper brake on a dollar per mile basis.... new caliper is $1600 and they fail on a regular basis, new only as replacement due liability issues on rebuilds... public city transport is not for the weak of wallet, that's why it's a government operation. I'm sure owner operators would shudder at these numbers, but it is what it is with people as freight..!! BC Mack

don't worry... even a large company like ours with 1200 buses got caught out... we were using the default for kingpins 100thou lift, great for Rockwell... but then we got MAN axles and nobody in engineering thought about looking up the OEM spec... this carried on for a few years until someone was talking to MAN on another matter and discovered the limit was 13thou... panic spread, all king pins were measured, 400 over limit.... dot,man and engineering evaluated our operation and decreed new limit to be 33thou... so only 200 over limit..!!!! big campaign, many dollars spent, new forcasting tool made up... but no $$ fine as we went to them so officially we were not caught..!!! yes, changes are here.... we used to turn our drums, 14.500 drum can be turned and max limit is 14.833 per oem with X and XX shoes with 3 sizes of roller... now, all thrown away and new std size only... shame, I used to enjoy turning drums and cutting linings to match... progress I suppose. BC Mack

Before you start losing sleep over this... check your backplates to ensure they can be removed "easily"... if the bolts are rusted solid you will end up paying for a drum pull, the inspector isn't going to risk breaking anything. if you visit a "friendly" inspection station ask them to let you read the inspection manual, they have to have one as well as the motor vehicle act (though that is probably on-line)... your concern is "truck 3A"... that will give the inspector the guidance and standards for pass/fail.. I assume most of the other chapters are currently done, just the upgrade of the inspection of the brakes. not sure how deep into it you are in Ontario, we have 'approved facility and 'approved inspectors' with variable licencing for cars, bikes, buses, trucks and alternate fuel and everything is recorded electronicly. it was confusing here too when it tightened up in 2001ish, now with the electronic input ie no writing, our id number and password eliminates the fraud... not saying that no dodgy guys are out there, but the time of day is recorded and at an average of 1.5hrs per inspection they can tell if an inspector does too many in a day. wheel bearings are checked... section 4, steering, item 4... it is no more than a wheel wiggle with a bar, item 5, king pins done at same time... limits are oem or default standard in the manual. the only big change that I saw was "serious structual or body damage" which had to be sent to an approved facility and that part of the inspection signed off by a certified bodyman. This was mostly an issue for unibody cars that were made out of two or three others after an accident. just about all employers in BC now require 'red seal' for mechanics and an 'inspector' ticket, it covers liability insurance issues... I work on transit buses which won't allow any non licenced person other than a registered apprentice to work on it... BC Mack

Get the tin opener... can of worms about to be served... http://ccmta.ca/images/pdf-documents-english/CCMTA-PMVI-Report-PRTD.pdf section 3A BC has its own version..very similar to other provinces, some say a bit more advanced.. http://www.th.gov.bc.ca/cvse/vehicle_inspections/PDF/BrakeInspectionWorksheet.pdf http://www.th.gov.bc.ca/cvse/vehicle_inspections/PDF/AirBrakesFAQ.pdf http://www.th.gov.bc.ca/cvse/vehicle_inspections.htm the new Vehicle Inspection Manual in BC was put out in 2011, I still have my older copy at home but as they charge too much for the new one I usually read my employers one as he is required to have them on-site as we are an approved inspection facility... CVSE (Commercial Vehicle Safety Enforcement) of BC cracked down recently on "vertically integrated companies" faking inspections... one guy signed off 150 in one day...!!!! so... now we "authorised inspectors" are independant of our employers and have to authorise the electronic form on the day and again within a month with our secure password... fun!!! brakes... our new form cvse0014/120125 requires the info as per the "worksheet" above... from memory the rules for drum shoe measurement are based on the dust covers.. if they can be removed we can measure the drums... if they cannot be removed and the owner can provide documentation that they were measured within 24 months by a licenced mechanic we can then perform a visual inspection and lining measurement through the spyhole... if none of the above, then we pull the wheels and drums.... I will go dig up the book to confirm all that when I go back on shift next wednesday... I've been doing 4 wheel disc buses lately.. pads are measured off the dash and we can get to the rotor to measure.. just.. so they are very simple. If you can find a copy of the Ontario Inspection Manual, section 3A, it should state the mandatory measuring requirements.... here in BC if I can take off the backplates, measure and inspect, measure cam rotation and pushrod travel, then I'm good.... with a big hill called "The Rockies" our CVSE are pretty rigid on brakes.... and I am hearing less about brake fail accidents and cam-overs, so maybe the message is getting through... hope this helps a bit... nice to hear that Ontario is finally joining the rest of Canada..!!! BC Mack

Been sitting on the fence for a year or so mulling over this technology.... the company I work for has been using them for about two years and I've never heard a single complaint... money is a big issue for me and some will question the cost vs benefit.. I'm going with the Speaker 8800 4x6 low beam direct replacement..... http://www.jwspeaker.com/other/led-headlamps on the net for about $325 each I was watching for a sweet deal on a pair of low beams just to try out and found some privately that were cheap enough for my budget, high beams maybe later but for now our company has the led's just in low position and regular lamp for high as it is only a city operation so I'm copying that set-up. I have driven same vehicles with and without modification and it is a vast improvement over the 'glow worms'... will try them out in the MH early next year.... when I get back into part2 of "my summer job".. BC Mack

Nah..!!! nothing like that here in BC.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Xsuy5oe3yM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bINDsyIWoQ8 sorry Paul, no logging going on up here..... no treehuggers on this forum, are there??? BC Mack

these were on MH's set up for low beds... BC Mack

I'm pretty sure the H is spoken for or even gone.... he had an Albertan buyer that was ringing him daily for it.. titles... hmmm... seemed strange that no paperwork exists, however, the son never inherited the truck nor is he given responsibility or power of attorney for disbursements of the estate, nor did he make a court claim to reposses property abandoned on his property.... got to be worried about another family member making a claim after you have restored it.... in a court of law, today, he couldn't prove he was the owner... legally... so, within Alberta it MAY be possible to come up with something as there was a licence plate inside the H.... BUT... if I bought the F or H and moved it to BC, even though it is still within Canada, I was told I would need copy of will, copy of death cert, notorized statement that son was family member responsible for sale, copy of vehicle history from Alberta government... a bill of sale is not good enough..... and then a Commercial Vehicle Inspection before I could register it here in BC and licence it as a "Collector Vehicle", after yet another inspection..... it was, at best, an organ donor for me without paperwork and with freight at $5 per loaded mile at 800 miles there was a math problem. got to be the same issues in the states for vehicles "found on a farm" and moved to another state... there is no exemption for antique, the "import" needs an inspection and the nearest is "commercial truck".... and since I'm an approved inspector here in BC I know there is no wiggle room for this. hope this didn't "over answer" your question.... to make my life easier I may take on a BC registered "F model".... one of the rare ones with "Hayes" badges, no dogs just Grizzly Bears on the doors!!!!.... BC Mack

looks like he reposted one ad... for the F700... and it's still up. http://www.kijiji.ca/v-heavy-equipment-machinery/lethbridge/1973-mack-fl/1032339034?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true he told me he had a sure buyer in Alberta for the H63 if I didn't take it... BC Mack

6 or 8 cyl Gardners idle at 420rpm.. wonderful engines but you've got to understand the 1932 technology, even in an engine built in the 70's... and don't forget to pack your Whitworth spanners..!!! Going over my old manuals as I write this and remembering how different they were from other makes, but fuel misers they were.... the big 8LXB only put out a max of 240bhp but gave the boss another .5mpg compared to similar bhp of other makes available in the 70's. how many cylinders can you cut out?.. well, I drove an old Atkinson Borderer tractor unit with a 6LXB home with four cylinder levers pulled shut.. it was slow and shakey.... was reputed to be the best British bus engine ever by many operators and once the bus was scrapped the engines were sent to Hong Kong for another life in the junks of HK harbour. BC Mack (now returned from the seventies)

Maddog13407.. Superdog if you blow up the photo of the Canadian cert label it states Feb 1972... I wonder where the owner got 1973 from? BC Mack

believe me... you wouldn't..!!!!

Posted seperately for you FWD fans... http://www.kijiji.ca/v-heavy-equipment-machinery/lethbridge/fwd-cabin-chassis/1029896226?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true seller's father collected them from California many years ago... seller has some id plates for them... one is wood cab other is steel.. other than the photos I can tell you no more seller, Bruce, can be contacted via the link or cell 403-828-1497.. he is a trucker so you may be getting him in the cab.. BC Mack

remaining photos BC Mack

Sooo. I bit the bullet and set off East (going West is the Pacific Ocean!!) and 800 miles later there I was in Coutts Alberta... the things I have to do as a BMT intern!!! Nov 10th, minus 14 Celcius.. still snowing and 35kph winds. I must be nuts. Anyway, long and short of it... I didn't buy them, yet, still mulling it over, so they are still available for anyone interested.. seller is pleasant to deal with but admits not knowing too much about the trucks. H model, couldn't find a serial, no paperwork... 15 speed triplex trans on decal... seems to be all there but put away in the late 70's. I took as many pics possibe but snow and shrubs got in the way... many those of you who are experts can lend a hand as I have NO knowledge on this type.. FL785LST owned from new by sellers father, no paperwork, retired it in about 84/85 and been parked ever since with permits just left in the cab. For some reason some of the cab interior has been removed, I did see about a million mice droppings so maybe that is why, Mack engine, trans and rear end, springs and spoke rims 10.00x20?... but.. everything on the chassis is aluminum incl the rails... regular F model cab corrosion issues but not scrap. I noted that there was a Canadian Mack ID decal aswell as a Hayward plate, probably an importation certification item? here are a few photos of both, G first also... for FWD fans.!!!!! there were two of these on the farm for sale, so, I will start a new post for them. BC Mack

looks like Brazil from this video... 130m or 426ft for our metric challenged readers... just trying to figure out the Merc's powerplant BC Mack http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zw-qSs1XHng

and let's not forget, the Hooters Air gals..!!!! sadly, they've gone too...... BC Mack

Not sure what country it is, but I assume it is sugar cane???... Mercedes powered. Anyone want to estimate the weight? BC Mack http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=57d_1415010893

for those who are looking.... http://www.kijiji.ca/v-heavy-equipment-machinery/lethbridge/1973-mack-fl/1029895555?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true http://www.kijiji.ca/v-heavy-equipment-machinery/lethbridge/1957-mack-h/1029895028?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true BC Mack

or would this be more appropriately stated as "super loader"?? http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=b99_1413045912 BC Mack