Bollweevil

Paul, while you were flying ass over tea kettle, did your entire life pass before your eyes? Did you remember your army training about how to fall down? My back still hurts every day from 25 years ago. I wasn't even going to get out of the house. We had such an ice storm the night before, and I had already called work to tell them not to expect me. I still had teenagers at home then, and between them and my wife, they had it so rev'ed up by about 9:30 I couldn't stand it. I am going to work I said. That was when my wife informed me that before I went anywhere, I had to go to the store for a gallon of milk a loaf of bread and several other items. Back at home, with a grocery sack in each arm I started across the drive. Whoooop, I didn't have time to think of anything, except why am I hurting so bad. I had two young hounds that had the run of the place, and to top it all off, thinking I was playing both of them piled on top of me. I couldn't beat them off, I couldn't move for 5 min. Needless to say I didn't make it to work that day or a full week either. I have no idea how people are brought up where you live. But here in the south it seems that women are conditioned from birth, to wait until the snow is on the ground to realize they are about out of Milk and bread. If they don't need anything at all, the guy they married can drive anything with wheels, and to prove it he has to go for something. Shucks, get well quick, James

Well, you've been a Dad for several weeks now, it's time for an update. James

Doug. before you jump on this you need to Look at the tag on the Axle housing and determine which assembly you have. The Key word is MERITOR. Around 2001 Meritor introduced a couple of new hub ends one is serviceable one isn't. Get the number and email Barry for a parts breakdown. James

West bound I-20, pretty close to the center of nowhere. If you could say you were sitting on the edge of a truck seat, thats where I was. Cringing with every breath. A 100 miles from a wrecker big enough to handle a rig, and a transmission that sounded like a hog eating hickory nuts. I had just passed a road sign, Toyah 12 miles, and I knew I could at least find food and water and get out of the highway. The transmission was ruined, so I kept tickling the throttle, just enough fuel to keep it moving. Eight miles, six miles, four, then I was at the exit. Off the highway and into a small Truck Stop. Toyah Texas, is at the edge of the Permian Basin, just 22 miles east of the junction of I-20 and I-10. It is an unlikely place for a settlement, unless you take into consideration it's proximity to the Texas oil patch, which during this time frame was not doing well. Toyah was also the home of Bill Kiker, a genuine southern gentleman from Mississippi. I never knew exactly what had drawn Bill to west Texas, but I was glad he was here, since he also owned the Truck Stop. This was my kind of place, and I had been stopping here for a while. A gravel parking lot, and just 3 or 4 pumps, a nice quiet place that mostly catered to regulars. A better than average restaurant, was a big bonus. Well here I am miles from nowhere with a broken truck, at least I could have some lunch, and have a conversation with someone who spoke southern. I found Bill in the Restaurant, explained my situation, and asked permission to dolly the trailer down. Just don't block the road or my fuel pumps was his reply. Across the road from the Truck Stop, an older fellow operated a truck garage, I didn't know him at the time, but I knew that he and Bill had managed to keep a feud going for a while. As I approached him I didn't know what to expect. When I told him the transmission would have to come out, he said "son I can't do that anymore". Well, I asked, can I rent one of your bays and use your transmission jack. Yes, he replied, if you will hire my grandson to help, he needs to learn to do some of the things I can't do anymore. All of a sudden things were looking up. Back at the restaurant, I called Haygood Truck parts in Dallas, now TruckPro. Do you have an RTO14715 in stock? No, what have you got? An RTO15615, Has it got an oil pump? It has,

When you look at all the "bility's" involved, Your ability to make it work, the availability of parts, the liability involved if something did go wrong. Then a reconditioned steering gear looks a lot more attractive. Downtime is always a factor also. Check with Atlanta Gear And Axle 404 691 7662. They can answer any question you might have regarding your steering gear. If they don't have a gear in stock they can repair yours. James

GLORY, If I were not so dignified, I would jump up and yell. Shoot, I think I will anyway. YAH HOOOOO

For limited use a long fiber wheel bearing grease will work just fine, as a matter of fact it's worked fine for a long time. There are several factors that need to be considered if you are thinking about converting, in either direction. Number one is the seals themselves. An old style Chicago Rawhide type seal will not hold oil very well. They do a good job with grease, and they can be reused. On the other hand. a later National two piece type seal will hold either oil or grease. But, I have never been comfortable with reusing one of these seals in an oil bath configuration. Number two, is brake service. In a hobby truck situation, brakes should last for ever, so should bearings and seals for that matter, but they do need to be looked at, at some point. Grease is nasty for a few minutes, but you don't have to buy two forty dollar seals every time you pull the hubs. Gear oil is a much better lubricant for wheel bearings, maintenance wise bearings will last longer. the seals however require more attention. By that I mean you have to look at them. Just sitting seems to do something to seals. In the past I have seen trucks and trailers that have set for awhile without leaks, start leaking after use. On a personal note, I would rather have an oil bath set up, if parts are available.

What a special time. I remember the time very well, one night in August 41 years ago, my wife woke me up and informed me that her water had broken and it would soon be time to leave for the hospital. We had about a 30 mile ride, at a very leisurely pace. My oldest daughter was born at about 10 am the next morning I remember thinking as I saw her and held her for the first time, that if my wife Shirley wanted a baby she could just have another one because this one was mine. She has her own family now. Treasure this time, take a lot of pictures. As your life gets more and more complicated, my prayer for you is that you will have Godly Wisdom, and that being a dad will just get better and better. James

Come on guys, it doesn't take but a minute. Stick a pin in the map.

All new bolts is not a bad idea. Flange head bolts and nuts are available commercially, as well as hardened washers. You will find hardened washers listed as structural washers. Measure OD and ID as well as thickness to get what you want. The Mack shoulder bolts are still available from Mack. If you need anything other than stock diameter or length, be prepared for dumb looks and shrugging of the shoulders. Any thing you could buy from Kent More would be pricey. The problem with purpose built tools like these are that they are often a non standard size. Wayne Tool Co. is an excellent source for reamers. Measure every thing two or three times and don't settle for anything you are not happy with. Be creative with your thinking, a fine thread metric bolt will work just as well as an SAE. If you find you have to enlarge existing frame holes a proper reamer is the easy, safe way to do it. It is absolutely faster and more accurate. I just finished installing a used rear suspension under my RS700, and finding suitable hardware was an absolute pain in the rear. Don't become overwhelmed with your project, keep plugging at it. If I can help find something send me an email. James

The Law is pretty much cut and dried about what does and does not constitute a commercial vehicle. However, the way the law is enforced from one area of the country to another is a different matter. By strict definition if a vehicle is not used in Interstate or Intrastate commerce it is not a commercial vehicle. Following that line of thought, a CDL would not be necessary. Does your vehicle have air brakes? GOTCHA. Now, you may have had great success in the past sitting on the side of the road arguing with a police officer. I haven't. Peace of mind is worth a lot more than the cost involved in obtaining a CDL. There is an application fee, and there may or may not be an endorsement fee. Again, depending on where you are you may or may not have to present a current DOT physical. Check it out, study the handbook, and go get the darn thing. Then the next time you have to stop and start over, because you can't get the transmission in any gear at all, and it won't do anything but grind. You can take the CDL out of your wallet and look at it. BLAME, I must be a driver, I've got a CDL.

Go ahead and sign up. It doesn't cost anything, and no one will call trying to sell you something. Being able to look at a parts illustration on your personal computer, is worth the time it takes to sign on. A good case in point is bailey channel, until you explained what it is no one here had an idea what you were talking about. Another point is, in the Mack parts system, older R models are not in the computer system. Instead they are on microfiche. That takes time, and if your parts rep doesn't give a " Fat Rat's Behind" about a $2.00 part on a 20 year old truck, you are in trouble.

Check this number, MAK440SX30A, I found this number in the PAI catalog under miscellaneous door assembly components. You can see the catalog online, you'll have to sign up, but it doesn't cost anything. The only problem is they don't sell direct. However, they will direct you to an outlet that you can buy from. Just remember, their Mack parts are not OEM. That is not necessarily a bad thing since most of these parts were supplied by vendors anyway. Good Luck, James

The march 2005 truck of the month featured Joe Mustang's H model. There is a good story about the truck, and there was a good photo of the truck. I just tried to look at it again, and found the story but no photo. You might ask Barry what happened to it. James