harrybarbon

Here in Australia, our 2 yearly Kyabram Mack Muster (that was to be this weekend 21 & 22 March) and our national 5 yearly Alice Springs (end of Aug 2020) shows have been cancelled and planned for 2021. And most other shows are cancelled also. So all you guys that have planned to join us at Alice 2020 from USA and Canada, we will miss you. As of tomorrow at 12 noon all non essential businesses are closed, such as restaurants, hotels (pubs) gaming venues, bars, movie houses, etc and each state is going into border lock downs except for essential businesses. However, the truck drivers are still going - they keep the country going and feed and supplied with toilet paper (and keeping the arse-holes happy)

Seems to me that what is written by manufacturers about efficiency, environment, minimising materials for manufacture and future running and maintenance costs is more talk than really being serious to actually do what they say. The more I think about a single drive axle and a lifting pusher, for highway and normal road trucks, makes simple sense - which unfortunately is so missing at present. Tandem drive is not necessary for all trucks, so why is so much money invested in tandem drives!!! Think of the $'s that would be saved.

I have been thinking - there would be a lot of benefits to reintroduce a pusher axle for highway trucks, that are not really requiring the 2nd drive axle, and using for example the Neway air bag suspension, the drive and pusher axles are independent, unlike the Page and Page system.

The Eddie Holland R Mack is a custom build, the front of the hood is a normal R model hood with the straight front and they designed and rebuilt it with a slope same as the V8 Valueliner hood, although it appears that it may have a higher slope than the V8 Valueliner hood. It certainly is a great design that Mack could have introduced as standard product.

Thank you for the reminder of Transpec, yes this company was the Page and page supplier and fitter of the pusher axle. I see on the picture of the P&P, the pusher axle has spyder wheels and the drive wheels are budds!!! Did the P&P have budd wheels? In Australia 50's, 60' and 70's most trucks had spyder wheels so followed that the P&P axle had spyders. I cannot recall seeing any P&P with budds. Also in Australia, a single wheel pusher axle was popular, it was fitted in front of the drive axle for prime movers (tractors) to avoid extending the frame, and the P&P axle had brakes fitted. For tray trucks it was popular to fit a single wheel pusher which were mainly fitted behind the drive axle, to allow a longer frame and tray, to gain more loading capacity (1 or 2 pallets) and avoid having to extend the tail shaft. These single wheel pushers had if I recall a front steer axle with non turning wheels and individual springs, I can't recall if they all had brakes on these single wheels. And this single wheel pusher was most common across Europe and UK, I think that we copied the UK with the single wheel axles. I have seen the UK and European single pushers fitted both in front and behind the drive axle. Single wheel pushers were also fitted to long distance buses, mostly behind the drive axle.

page and page was popular in Aust, 1965 Inter R200 with Page and page, lower truck tare weight more pay load for highway work, reduced maintenance so made a lot of sense, really how often is the tandem drive used on highway work where snow and ice not a concern?

And they made them 4WD, some are still running about in Aust, rare and people are keeping them.

The designers were very clever the way they stamped the V into the front panel and the indented reverse of the V is the outline of the W.

Hello Vlad, your excellent work demonstrates your passion and dedication. Given the extensive work you are doing and your local weather seasons, may I suggest that you consider applying the LIZARD SKIN products to all the cabin body panels that are not the final painted panels. I have posted here about LS before, the LS will be a 100% cover and protection in all the metal joints, welds, hidden sections as long as you apply it properly following the instructions. After you have completed all the repairs and there is zero rust, then first you have to apply primer to all the metal surfaces to seal the metal. Then you proceed to apply the 2 LS products, 1st the sound control and 2nd the LS. If you want a smooth finish on the fire wall facing the engine, I can give the process to achieve this result and I can send you pics of our B model cabin when we applied the 2 LS products. Then you will not require any other applications for sound and heat and metal protection, only your painting products for the external metal panels that you see. And you do the 2 internals of the doors, especially the bottom sills which rust easily. Have a look at the LS web page for more information and videos. Good luck.

I will make some enquiries and see what is available and price today and respond shortly. Postage could go Australia post and then into US post once it arrives in USA. When I bought our modern steering frame for our B model custom, the supplier at my request sent via US mail, cost was about $US 20 and best part was I ordered and paid on a Friday and it arrived at my home in Melb Aust next Tuesday, yet smaller box of items from US via UPS took nearly 3 weeks

Some of these Valueliners with sloping hood were produced with the 6 cyl E7 Mack motor with 12 speed Mack gearbox, not many made, some went to a Victorian government department and later sold to private buyers. I have a picture somewhere, when I find it will post here.

Late Wednesday night round midnight I was driving south along the Hume hwy to home in Melbourne Victoria in my car, stopped for a quick one, 2 B doubles and a single trailer truck passed me in formation tailing each other - a quick stream of bright lights on a clear night. I didn't see the make of the trucks. I got back on the road and caught up to them (with some excess speed) and as I came up to the side of the single trailer and truck this is what I saw, made my night. We followed each other approx 100 klms into Melb. Seeing this working Valueliner V8 (same as Dan Thomas's Aussie Mack) was far better than this picture, it was as if it was floating along the road, the V8 hardly audible from the 2 big exhausts, no smoke to be seen, gleaming alloy tanks, bull bar and wheels - the complete unit was clean, wheels and tyres, all lights shining brightly (not 1 broken light), the paint work all polished, complete colour and paint scheme of the truck and trailer, the tautliner trailer is maybe 2 - 3 years old and the Mack, if you didn't know about Mack trucks, you would think it was a new truck. And it is 30 years vintage 🤩

It would be very interesting to line up Dan Thomas's Aussie Valueliner to a R model cab Brockway and compare the alignment of the front axle and cabin!!! Did Brockway use the Mack frames?

I see from a side view that the 1976 blue Brockway with the R model Mack cab and the Australian R model V 8 valueliner, seem very similar because the set back front axle/wheels appear to be about same position on the frame of both trucks. I can see that the one piece hood and guards of the V8 Valueliner would virtually fit onto the Brockway. Is it therefore possible that Aussie V8 Valueliner was based on the 1976 Brockway? And maybe the flat hood 6 cylinder Valueliner model was based on the Brockway?

Orville Speciality Steel Company built most of the extended sleeper cabs out of the day cabs for all the east coast truck manufacturers during late 40's to 50's. I have a letter and pictures from one of the original employees (no 3) that I have been trying to find in my boxes so that I can post here. He was a WW11 vet and in his letter he described how they built the extended cabs. Hopefully can dig up the info soon

put the plastic down on top of the base, concretor must not add water to the premix concrete in the agitator before or after it is discharged from the barrrel (it weakens the mix design strength and breaks the concrete curing process) VIBRATE THE CONCRETE as it is placed and no cement dust to be spread when finishing the concrete - in time it will crumble and peel - follow this process and you will get a strong dry concrete slab - 6 inches is minimum and 8 inches is extra strength for your long term safety. If you can get the guys to have a slight fall into the center and out towards the front opening, you can pressure wash the slab and the water will run out the front - or to a proper sludge pit drain - this depends on your local authority re washing out workshop floors etc

Thank you.

Please kscarbel2 , who owns truck Autocar company now?

3 years ago I was at a Rotary lunch function and the guest speaker was 1 of Australia's (now deceased) most respected motoring journalist. After he finished his talk about motor car industry he was asked his opinion of electric cars. He said that the future is hydrogen powered vehicles, not electric. He also said that he had recently returned from Japan test driving 1 company's (he did not name the company) new prototype cars which were not electric. A few months later without any fanfare Toyota brought 3 Camry's to Australia powered by hydrogen for testing. The Australian federal government is considering/investigating hydrogen production for export and local use. I also have read that there are a number of hydrogen trials powering public transport buses and other vehicles, with existing engines. If hydrogen does progress and cost effective and practical conversion kits are made for existing engines, petrol and diesel, millions of cars and trucks will continue to be used with reduced emissions - a win win, especially for our Old Macks and they will be emissions compliant.

I recently saw "The Irishman", there is a scene about mid way thru the movie where the Irishman (lets ignore the actor's name not relevant to this topic!!!) is driving a faded green B model with single axle trailer pan loaded with guns etc for Cuba invasion about 1962, and there were 2 other B models, I recall 1 was red and maybe the 3rd B model was black - not sure!!!

We owned this for 12 years, had planned to restore it, but sadly we sold it. It was a full import from USA to Australia, delivered new with RHDrive. 1965 R200, full air brakes, Cummins 180 turbo, R/Ranger 10 spd overdrive, single 2 spd diff and Page and Page pusher, original condition except for the paint colour. It was a Mobil tanker prime mover from new. We bought it from KTI, around 1999, the name on the doors, it was a local Adelaide prime mover, that they used for pulling trailers around Adelaide up to when we bought it. After we bought it, our Inter remained in a dry secure shed for 12 years never worked. Sold to a guy up country Victoria who was going to restore it. We have information since. I learned to drive trucks in these Inters when I was 11 years old, they were my dad's trucks - picture following next if it will allow me

Hi Paul Yes I understand that you may be able to visit Tony's museum. You will need to make contact with them through their office, look up Champions and you should get the number and make time with them, you will be surprised, this R800 is an appetizer and allow at least 3 hours if you want a proper look and read info. When you call ask if they allow pictures taken. Enjoy your visit to Mack Heaven - down under 🚛 😀

I think you are correct with the name RTG. And sale sounds correct to Cordoma and then Lindsay's but if not Cordoma, maybe Bunkers. Also when Billy sold his business it may have been to Bunkers, possible Williams did lot of work for Bunkers or work shared. RTG and Williams earlier carted produce from Adelaide to Sydney and then White Wings product back to Adelaide, when the grape season ended. Back then it was a short season for grapes not like now. I would say that Collins now has the bulk of the produce from Adel to Sydney

Here is 1 with same bumper, think it was a fire truck!

the Inter L&R 190's and other Inter trucks and lesser B model Mack's were the backbone of the road transport business in Aust from mid 1950's to mid 1960's, partly because International had a semi assembly/manufacturing operation in Aust, with all of Inter's USA parts to build trucks etc coming to Aust on paper via Inter Canada, which was a British Commonwealth country so imports "via Canada" were easier and escaped the high import duties. The Inter Loadstar's with petrol 6 and 8 cyl were very popular in premixed concrete plants for many years, all with joey boxes, mainly 5 X 3 and tandem drive. Mobil oil company mainly had R190 and R200 with pusher axles and the petrol motors, some later R models had Cummins and 10 spd road ranger boxes. We owned this 1965 R200 for a few years, it was most likely a full import from USA with full air brakes and page and page pusher, Cummins 180 turbo, RR 10 spd overdrive and 2 spd diff and an ex Mobil unit. It ran real good, we are sorry we sold it. Good originals factory built like this truck are hard to find in Aust.