heavyhauler

That is a really neat brochure, a great read and a very nice piece of history. Many thanks. Best regards, John

Matt Pfahl told me that he was going to look at two MH cabs that some guy close to him wanted to get rid of. He said that today (Sunday) he was going to take a drive up to this guy's place and have a look. You might give Matt a call at 203-266-6455 sometime next week. Regards, John

I have posted some photos from the movie in one of my albums showing the truck in action. I'll post a few more from the end of the movie where the truck is laying on its side with the tri-axle tanker behind it. Regards, John

A friend was watching an old Mad Max movie and asked me about the R model that they used in that movie. Any of you guys down under know what happened to that truck? Is it in someone's collection or perhaps it now resides in a museum somewhere in Oz? It would be nice to know. Best regards, John

I put myself through university driving a 50 ton rock hauler every summer some years ago. The ramp to the primary crusher was quite steep from the quarry floor and with the semi-automatic Allison, you could either select the gear or let the transmission do it for you. We ran those transmissions day and night and some of the guys I worked with were pretty rough on equipment but those Allisons were bullet proof. They ran and ran and ran without one problem. No doubt they were overhauled at times but not during the summers that I worked. I was, to say the least, very impressed and I really enjoyed the speed and ease of driving the truck with those transmissions. Regards, John

Paul: It depends on the feedstock as to whether you can make a judgment on greenability. Some of our biodiesel producers use yellow grease and/or french file oil and this would normally be dumped but now it can be processed into biodiesel so this is definitely a green type of fuel. Many of our biodiesel producers were geared towards using soybean oil. You know the rest. Biodiesel definitely has a greater lubricity factor than ULSD and the reason is this: highway diesel fuel used to have 500 ppm sulfur in it but ULSD or Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel has to have 15ppm sulfur. When you remove that sulfur, you also remove nitrogen, oxygen and water which makes the fuel more paraffin-like and not able to hold very much water or any lubricity factors. ULSD without additives can be a problem in cold weather because there are no charged chemical groups like the nitrogens, oxygen etc to hold the water and other organic compounds in solution. So ULSD needs to have lubricity factors added to it or simply mix it with biodiesel. I have tried to keep this fairly simple without adding a lot of chemistry. Email me if I have goofed on the explanation. Best regards, John

We sell scientific instruments to the biodiesel producers and the only problems you might find are with higher blends of biodiesel in cold weather i.e.-B-85 for example. Cold flow properties and fuel filter clogging can be an issue in cold weather. I suggest you buy half a tank of B10 and then fill the tank with standard ULSD. If you do that, you'll be close to the B5 that you need and you won't need a lubricity enhancer. Best regards, John

Matt Pfahl and I are restoring an '84 MH. These are wonderful trucks and many folks that I have spoken to have said that these trucks were some of the best that they had ever owned. I will post pics when we're finished. I plan to use the MH to haul the LJSW and the B-813SX to long distance antique truck shows. Best regards, John

Rob: It could be wine, women and song instead of antique trucks. Is this an easy choice-a tough call for some of us. You seem well grounded and can easily manage the situation. Stay well and stay in touch. Best regards, John

Rob: That's a great looking shop!! Any advice that you could offer would be much appreciated. Good luck with that R model. Best regards, John

Yes, most definitely keep it as a dump. History of the truck is important! Regards, John

Alberto: I would like to get on your email mailing list for your pdf magazine. I assume that it is in Italian but maybe you have lots of pictures. Let me know. Best regards and welcome. John

According to Matt Pfahl whose shop is getting the truck ready for Roger Gerhards show in Lititz, PA in early October, this Cummins engine has 3 head gaskets and the gasket for cylinders 5 and 6 was blown allowing raw fuel to be exchanged between the 2 pistons. Fuel got past the rings and into the oil pan. The bearings seem to be OK but we'll know more in a week. I have posted more photos of the truck plus photos of the original operator's manual.

There are 6 B-61's, 1 B-61SX, 2 B-67's, 2 B-75's and 1 B-613 listed on www.truckpaper.com. Best regards, John

Hey Paul: Now I see the reason for driving over the Grand Island bridges on your way to Canada! No, the big green Mack is still in CT but we'll have it here shortly. That local local meeting in Batavia is Aug 3 and I hope to bring something to the show but I don't know what yet. Hope to see you there. By the way, pics of the 1950 LJSW posted in the gallery. Let me know what you think. Best regards,