harrybarbon

It appears from the many pictures of the concrete agis that the companies dont seem to have a keen interest to have clean trucks and agitators, is my perception fair. Compared to our concrete companies, particularly Holcim, the Swiss company, which bought the Australian operations from Cemex of Mexico after Cemex bought the original Australian owned company in USA about 10 years ago, big presence in the Sthern US states of Texas, Florida - name just now escapes me. Cemex did not want the Australian and New Zealand operations. Locally Holcim has a culture of clean trucks, and most are owner drivers with real good contracts - they make good money

Oh I forgot to mention, the German shepherd on top of the wool bales is not a fake photo, and he jumped up from the truck cabin. When I was young, often I saw dogs riding on top of semi loads. I recall at least 2 of my dad's drivers had their dogs ride up top, one had a similar Shepherd, if the dog did not know you, you would not dare try go near the truck. Dad's drivers never let the dogs in their cab, they never fell off the loaded semi, even when tarpped, only if there was a gap in the load or a bit of trailer floor free then the dog rode in there.

Seems like a bit of Mad Max design influence!!!

Another wool bale load - 3 high

And Nev is climbing up and down his 3 loaded trailers every day at 77 years of age, including tying 3 long horizontal ropes around stacks 1 to 3 and load binders, once it was all tied down by ropes. It will be looooooooong time before a driverless/AI truck drives out to the sheep stations, loads the trailers and drives to the wool traders or loads the livestock and drive to the yards, stopping to check no cattle have fallen down and then getting them upright.

He is 1 part of our real Australian heritage, the real people that built our wonderful country. I appreciate what he has worked at with passion for 60 years and continuing. All loading and unloading by hand under the outback hot sun and dust and no air conditioned road houses. There are no protective safety hand rails up on that load. On the B model with 4 bales stacked up, that is at least 16 feet up top. Originally, the bales were hessian bags (slippery) that had to be tarped if there was a chance of rain and then they went to the plastic bags, they are very slippery to load and walk over. They were old school trained truck drivers (like my dad), a 4 high load of wool bales requires skill to not tip over, especially on our gravel/dirt roads where these sheep stations are located and even our poor sealed country roads, plus coping with cross winds we have blowing across our country. His story reminds me of my youth. After I finished school, I worked 4 months unloading heavy compressed wool bales (with steel bands to secure the compression) from railway wagons onto tray trucks, we stacked the bales 4 high and we tied 1 rope around the rear bales to pull them into the front stacks, then the driver drove to the wharf for loading into the ships. By Fri night I was cooked, no night playing, but I felt I had done something useful. We rolled the bales at an angle close to the first row and then using the hooks piggy back the bale up and over the bale under it, that's how we got 4 high stacks. The trick was mastering the steel hooks (which I still have in our shed, by chance I moved them last week) and no 1 rule to make sure they hooked into the bale, otherwise the needle points would bounce off the bale and right into a leg (balls especially), forearm or stomach. After 3 painful weeks of big blisters, the inside of my hands were like old leather shoe soles - oh, no gloves and no creams or such fancy fix ups, just nature taking care of itself. Luckily the hooks never got into me, many near misses. Today, the bales are loaded into containers by forklift and rightly so, especially to protect from back injury. Back then, no work safety existed. Nev's hands would be a palm reader's dream 🤣 The company I worked for, Lambrick Transport, was 1 of the oldest Melbourne carriers, it started with bullocks and wagons (destroyed by 3rd generation) had a gent who worked for them 50 years to his retirement, nearly all his work was daily round trips loading sheep skins up 8-9 foot high on his tray truck at the merchant and driving 4 miles to the wharf, unloading and back. No ropes and no tarps, just stacked by hand as he was taught at 15 years. This gent had a history, from his early driving days, he ate his homemade lunch and drank his thermos of tea by 9.30 am and at our 12 noon lunch break, every day all the team went the pub (hotel) and he drank 10 pots of beer, no food so he could get his 10 pots in, then back to work, I saw him do that for 4 months. Only once in 4 months I saw another driver buy him a meat pie which he ate, and that lunch time he could not drink his last to 2 pots. Story was that during his 50 years, he never lost 1 sheep skin from his load, no accidents and no break downs due to his driving. He was humble, never had a sick day off work and was happy just doing his job every day and going home to his family. He had 8 children, all got a good education and 1 life long marriage. At 65 he retired, there was no union pension or superannuation then, only the government pension and a little money from his long service leave. Within 1 week of his retirement, the new driver lost a load of sheep skins. This gent carting wool bales reminded me of that gent I met at Lambrick's many years ago, he wore his bib and braces overalls every day at work and never hurt himself doing his job.

Okay Paul and readers, I got it wrong. It was the Antonov 124 ( 4 engines ) plane that came to Australia with the Kone lifts and was at the Avalon air show. Both planes are same basic design, the 225 is approx 15 meters longer than the 124 and the 225 has twin rear tail fins, plus 6 engines. Both open front nose and back end. And both are 175,000 kilograms/385,000 pounds empty weight. Reading the 225 info it was used to transport the Russian space shuttle same as NASA's specially built 747 to carry the US shuttle. Interesting that Russia and US had similar space shuttles. And info says that one 225 built and one not finished.

Hi Paul, thanks for the comment re Crown Casino, that was around 1994/95 when I was working with a company that was the back up premix concrete supplier to the builder of Crown Casino. A friend worked for the builder doing the concrete, often 12-14 hour days, at least weekly they started a 150-200 cubic metre pour at 4 pm and they got off the finished concrete at 9 pm and then back on the job at 7 am. So based on your recollection, the Antonov flew into Syd around 95/96, Kone would have supplied the escalators in addition to the lifts - there are many long escalators in the casino. The Antonov would have been perfect to load the escalators into the plane.

David, I enjoyed walking thru the 225 Antonov some 16-18 years ago when it was at the Avalon, Victoria Australia air show, including climbing the stairs to the flight deck, it was massive, it was lowered to minimum ground clearance and the front and rear were open, there was a very long que of people to see the Antonov, we entered from the back and out the front - 1,000's attend these shows to see, walk into and thru some magnificent aircraft and watch some real flying, including 1 jet plane similar top wing design do the 360 rollover. I have some recollection that the Antonov did a take off, went around for a low fly thru along the main Avalon runway and then went around the bay and came in for a landing. Also many years ago, the Antonov flew into Melbourne Tullamarine airport, my mate was a refueling supervisor, he did the refueling of the Antonov. He had the joy of a guided tour of the entire Antonov by the engineer. I have read an article and saw a youtube video of an incomplete Antonov in the hanger in Ukraine. Is this true and correct? Article noted that if the funding could be secured to complete the Antonov, then it would go ahead.

Hello Matt - how is your B73 restoration progressing?

About 10 years ago we had I recall E10 petrol fuel (gasoline) over here which had some bio additive, not sure, it was strongly promoted as the way to for our petrol motors. So I started using it in our Toyota Prado 4 litre V6. Some 6 months later motor would not start, the engine sounded like it was choking. I rang the service manager at our local Toyota yard. First question - what fuel are you using, I said E10. His reply was - never use it again, put in 10-20 litres of 98 fuel and a bottle of injector additive and try kicking over the engine without actually starting the motor 3-4 times and then try start it, let it run for 1/2 hour stationary. It fired up after 3 key turns, the motor was rough for about 30 minutes and slowly it began to settle down. The service manager said the E10 slowly builds up like a glue and blocks the injectors and fuel pump, just keep topping up with 98 and add 1 bottle of fuel additive/cleaner weekly for next 3 weeks to clean out the crap. And continue using 98 fuel, which I have and thereafter motor has run perfectly, and more power and better fuel range than 95 and 92. We have hydrogen mixing with the diesel fuel in our E6 - 350, runs like a Swiss watch and reduces emissions 75-80%, plus the increased torque, up to 25% and clean engine. We planned to add LPG, but rules and regs to hard and the Mack technical guys told me their experience during early 1980's in new Ultraliners LPG was causing burn't valves and pistons, hence they removed the LPG set ups. No problems with the hydrogen and cheap to buy or make distilled water. One litre of distilled water creates hydrogen for 1,000 klms.

Passion equals success 👍 we have the same inter-cooler on our E6-350, definitely a second air cleaner (dry element unit) to match the right side air cleaner, which should also be a dry element unit with your EM6 - 300 engine, it will pull real good

Good observation and yes seems to be a novel way to make it work, i was told by owner that it ran excellently. The air intake is pumping air in and the turbo is allowing the exhaust to release the blow out, so a new way of application that works.

Here is a pic of new Shell Macks with the same exhaust muffler. Pic of blue frame 10/89 Valueliner with the steering box mounted inside the frame/chassis, the red frame Valueliner build was 12/89 it had the steering box mounted on outside of the frame, seems that Mack Aust decided soon after Oct 89 to mount the steering box outside the frame. All Superliners that I have seen do not have the V8 emblem, however all the Valueliners with the V8 engine have the V8 emblem. Maybe only the early V8 Superliners had the V8 emblem. The blue Superliner seems to have lost all it's hood emblems many moons past!!! Holes all filled in.

No air start in Bromage's Superliner and the muffler would have been speced to comply with our fuel delivery trucks regs. During 1970's to 1980's Shell had all Macks for it's prime movers and all had same type of muffler. Previously, the mufflers were under the front bumper and pointing out to the right side, again for govt regs, because most fuel trucks were petrol engines.

Hi Vlad Here is a picture of Vin plate riveted onto left door of our Valueliner and yes total of 17 letters and numbers. I have not enquired about what the letters and numbers represent. Frame (chassis) number is on right side, usually front of the cab. Dan Thomas wrote some time ago that when he was in process of registering his Aussie Valueliner he was concerned about the Vin plate not being on left side and he was relieved when he saw it was on left same as in US,

Clarification is 1st Aussie Superliner built 1978 and it had a Cat 3408 and is now resting with other doggies in a Mack kennel in the Southern end of Australia. The Supeliner above was the 1st powered by the MACK V8-E9, it was number 4, delivered July 1979.

I make an apology, this was not the 1st Aussie Superliner, It was the 1st Aussie Superliner with the E9 engine, waiting for some info to hopefully track down 1st Superliner and what engine was fitted before the E9

1st Australian Superliner was built in 1979

Here is the 1st Mack Superliner with Mack V8 built in Australia. Before and most recent pictures as a water cart are attached. It was bought by Joe Bromage transport, a Melbourne Aust fuel cartage contractor, who worked for Shell, local and country runs. Joe had about 10 all Mack trucks in his fleet. Around 1989 Joe sold his business to Cootes Transport, which grew to fuel and LPG distribution for Shell in Queensland, New Sth Wales and Victoria. No1 history after Joe sold to Cootes is unknown to me. It seems that Joe fitted a sleeper cab for the longer overnight fuel runs. After Cootes bought Bromage he repainted Joe's trucks to his blue colours Attached is a picture of the Supeliner with Cootes colours. Cootes was not a fan of the Mack V8's engine and within 1-2 years he sold all the Mack V8's, Superliners and Aussie Valueliners he bought from Bromage and stuck to the Mack 6 cyl R models, many being Valueliners. After Cootes sold it, it was repainted in the straight blue colour. It was for sale in 2018 and the vendor emailed these pictures. Neither he nor I knew it was no 1. If only!!! He eventually sold the water tank and pump set up and later he sold the bare Mack to a Mack collector, who will restore it. At some time in it's life cycle, the Mack V8 and gear box ( I dont know what box it was built with) were replaced with a Cummins 400 and 13 spd Road Ranger. The rear end and frame length are original, however it looks like the rear tandem was pushed back for the water tank set up. During it's life it had a sleeper cab fitted and repainted in the Cootes blue colours - a picture is attached with it's sleeper.

Is this what you mean? This is our 10 spd same as the 12 spd lever and splitter. We had a solid piece of wood shaped to copy the gear knob in our Toyota Prado auto shift knob. We had a metal tube threaded to same as the gear lever, drilled hole into bottom of wood knob and set the metal tube with industrial glue into the hole.

Yes apply the high fill in 2-3 progressive layers over the LS but you must add approx 35 of flex additive to the high fill because the LS is flexible whereas the high fill is solid, by adding the flex add to the high fill then the high fill will move with the LS - when I say move it means the product is flexible, and that is ok, after each HF you apply let it dry thoroughly then sand it back to even it a bit then apply 2nd HF with flex add, let dry then rub back, if after 2nd coat you have a smooth surface then you can apply an undercoat also with flex add, let dry and rub back to get smooth finish and then apply the final red paint with flex add in the red. That is how we did our fire wall engine side and we have a mirror finish which you see in my picture. If you need to apply a 3rd coat of HF then that wont hurt because you are building up in layers to get a smooth surface before you spray the undercoat. It sounds like a lot of work but the final result you will be very happy and get the benefits - once done you will look back and forget the extra work, but it is done properly, which is what the LS inventor, Bob Call advised me to do. Remember the trick is to add the flex add so all the products can flex in parallel with the LS. And that is what I have seen with underside of our hood, it is aluminium we applied LS with some of our external green paint mixed in and the hood twists when it is opened and lifted, so far after 5 years no cracking or peeling of the LS because it is flexible - hence the name like the lizard skin. With your cab wall vents they serve no real purpose unless you want a permanent air flow. If not seal them with a thin aluminium or metal sheet, painted black facing the vents, and stick on with a long lasting glue so you dont have water leaking thru into the cab, (when you wash the truck) and no bugs or mice to damage the upholstery, do this before you spray the LS over internal cab walls. That is how Ian Lee did the vents in his Pal LTL, from outside the vents look as original. Congratulations on a craftsman workmanship, a credit to you sir.

Matt - what are you planning to do with the 2 vents on the rear of the cab? Ian welded a curved plate inside over both vents stops water and all else getting into cab and upholstery and all inside cab had LS applied I dont have a picture of the plates he welded, but I will try ask his panel guy if he took some pictures.

Hi Matt For your firewall please see our firewall, we have lots of fittings etc including our custom vintage air co fittings, but the smooth mirror finish is clearly seen behind all the fittings. The aim is to stop the sound and the heat getting into the firewall metal from the engine side, that is the best 1st action that is overlooked. Once the engine side of the metal is shielded, it is at least 75% of stopping heat and sound coming into the cab. The inside cab is about 25%. The same as the cab floor, you have applied LS to the underside, so the heat from the gearbox will not penetrate thru the floor. Same principal for the fire wall. For the firewall holes, may I suggest that you weld a thin plate on the cab side over the holes that you will not use. Then you can apply the LS to the engine side of the firewall and then the hyfil to build up to a mirror finish. Re the use of the LS, yes you will use a bit more in the crevices etc, but on the generally flat areas you should not exceed more than thickness of a credit card. Double the thickness does not produce double the insulation, so you dont need to waste the LS by applying a thick coating. And yes do all the inside of the doors especially the bottom sills, it will seal and prevent rust permanently and do all inside the doors. You will be most surprised by the dull sound when you open and close the doors, it will sound like a clunk, no tinny vibrating sound. And do the under sides of the fenders, deadens the road noise. And same under the hood - you wont use much LS under the hood, it works like sound deadner under cars hoods. My experience in our B model, with E350 turbo motor and 10 spd overdrive, is it cuts out the noise and vibration coming from the engine bay, so then you can hear what you want to hear - the music coming out of the exhaust. You can go straight because with the LS all inside your cabin, and the upholstery it will cut down the exhaust sound, wind up the windows and it will be quieter. When I want to hear our exhaust humming, going up hill and winding up the turbo or going down hill and engine brake on, then I wind down the windows and I hear the music coming from the 2 exhausts. And in middle of the night the sound is fantastic, just the humming from the exhaust. Not dulled by noise coming from the engine bay thru the floor, firewall, engine hood and doors. Only noise that we could not cut out is the vibration that comes thru the gear lever - we have sound padding but it is ok, only under load it is a bit noisy. Ian's LTL Pal had the LS applied same as our B model, it has straight exhausts and a 400 HP Cummins, he got same experience a I do in our B model. That is the real benefit of the LS and it sound control product, it cuts out all the shit noises so then you can properly hear the exhaust sound.

Please any idea what engine is in that Brockway? Did Brockway ever fit the Mack motors and if yes did they fit the Mack V8's? This 760 with an E9 would be something!!!