RowdyRebel

http://www.macktrucks.com/assets/mack/military/MackLHRT4pgbrochure%28finaldraft%29.pdf 525 HP & 1860 lb-ft torque would be nice...and with no emissions crap tacked on. I like that front bumper, too...looks much stronger than the flimsy things they bolt on "commercial" trucks.

I just did my shocks all of the way around a couple months ago. Went OEM Mack shocks in the rear...price was close to the Monroe's (which is what WAS on there when I bought the truck a year and a half ago), but the Monroe's would have had to have been ordered...Mack's were in stock (and I wanted to do the work that afternoon). For the fronts, though, went with the Monroe's...they had 'em in stock, and the pair of Monroe's were as much as Mack wanted for EACH of theirs They don't take but a minute or two each to change...one nut on the top, another on the bottom...easy to get to, too. So I figure as long as they last at least 1/2 as long as the OEM shocks would normally last, I'm ahead of the game. For all 6 shocks, I think my grand total was just a hair over $300. I'd have to dig out the receipts for the exact amount, but I'm pretty sure it was in that ballpark.

Holy crap!!! $600/pair? I could replace my Monroe gas shocks 8 times and still have money left over for that price! They don't take but a minute or two to change...

If the overall length of the transmissions are different, the drive shaft will either need to be stretched or shortened. But if you are going to buy an 18 speed, why not go with a Mack transmission? Triple counter shaft, more & more convenient mounting options for PTO's, etc.

I've done that MANY times....'cept not with a trailer...just had the truck loaded 'til the bumper was dragging I HAVE had a wrecker loaded like that, though...F350 wrecker and had a full size p/u with a bed full of firewood on the hook. Every time I hit a bump, the steers would come off the ground. Fun ride

If there is a problem with the truck (i.e. overheating) and the truck goes into shutdown mode, a buzzer and an idiot light will come on. I think you have either 30 seconds or a minute before the truck shuts off to get out of traffic. If you need an extra little bit of time, you can hit that button before it shuts down and it buys you another 30 to 60 seconds. ...or at least that's been my experience with it.

I've got 11R24.5 rubber with 4.17 gears in the rears...works great for what I do. I'm pretty sure the OD in my 2180B is a .71. Sometimes I wish I had 4.35 rears (when I'm running local/short-haul, in the hills, or off road)...while others I wish I had 3.94 rears (to run less than 1900 rpm's down the big road) Overall, though, it seems to be a good compromise gear.

Happy Trucker Day

Better review the regs. Must be a group of at least 2 people, and a certain % of the group must be random tested each year. This is one they are really cracking down on. As stupid as it sounds, they also will want to check your driver file on yourself, which must include an application for employment, work history background check (yeah...you have to send each of your previous employers a form for them to verify that you actually worked for them), and must also complete the annual review (including both the signed statement about any violations AND an MVR check through the DMV). You, as a driver, must follow all of the regs that any other driver must follow. You, as a carrier, must follow all of the regs that any other carrier must follow. Even if you are a 1-truck operation. Not sure if there are any "hobby truck" exemptions for the regs...unless you register below 26000. That might help bypass a lot of the CMV regulations...

Heck, for the first 4 years I lived here, I didn't have any inside furniture inside, either. Finally got hand-me-down couches last December....which replaced the bench seat from the '86 Ranger that was being conveniently stored in the living room in front of the TV Not gonna put inside furniture outside if its gonna leave me sittin' on the floors inside. ...and I ain't but a stones throw from Cairo

Cute girls bring me tasty burgers

The problem with all this new emissions crap is that retailers don't want to invest the money in getting the stuff, whether it's ULSD or DEF...until there is a market for it...and nobody wants to buy the new trucks with the new emissions crap because they can't buy what they need for it. I mean heck, if you DO buy a 2010 truck, you have to find a place that sells DEF at least every other fill-up or you are SOL. It was quite a while before I started seeing the ULSD pumps around here...heck, there's still some pumps marked "not for use in 2007 or newer vehicles" because the tanks haven't been ULSD certified yet. I can't see DEF getting pumps any quicker. Sure, they may sell it in jugs inside the store...probably at the same mark-up as the oil. $18 for a gallon of friggin' oil you can go to Wal-Mart and buy for $10. ...and people complain about the price gouging at the PUMP!!!

'cept for when I go to Show-Me's

Sad thing is, Dozer eats better than I do

That'd be nice...having that kind of power...but not if it means having to put up with all the other government mandated emissions crap. I have a habit of bypassing (rather than replacing) any component I deem unnecessary if/when it goes bad. Easier to just not have to worry about it.

Dozer is starin' ya right in the face

yeah, that just hit the papers yesterday. Now they have more squad cars than sheriff deputies since they had to let 3/4 of them go due to budget constraints. The county is over it's head in debt...wouldn't be surprised if they turn around and sell a car or two just to pay off some bills.

If it's steel, it can be fabricated. Worst case, buy some steel and weld one up yourself.

Get yourself a multimeter. One wire will have power when the key is off (to maintain radio presets and the time setting). One wire will have power when you turn the key on (powers on the stereo). I would guess the black wire would go to ground...but trace it to be sure. If you find the two power wires, you can run a new wire to the chassis to ground it. The other wires likely go to the speakers. Most hard-core car audio guys will tell you to run new wires to the speakers instead of using the stock speaker wire...so those really don't matter if you choose to do that.

Maybe when I get the 4-banger yanked outta my '86 Ranger. Right now I got a 289 out of a '66 Mustang that is stripped down to bare block on an engine stand in the garage waiting for me to find the time & money to start building it to go in that truck...

Dammit. How's anyone else s'posed ta get an old Mack when Rob's hoarding 'em?

Alexander Co. used to patrol East Cape pretty hard...catch all the Illinois people crossing the river on their way home from Cape, and catch all the Cape people on their way to/from the titty bars. For as often as I saw 'em there and as many tickets they wrote, this just seemed odd. Ain't seen 'em out there in a while though...and now I know why

Heck, may have just been that he misjudged the light. It happens sometimes...you see it go yellow and you try to stop only to realize that you won't get stopped until you are halfway through the intersection and now that you've started shedding speed, you won't make it into the intersection before it turns red...so you get back on the throttle and hit the horn to warn folks not to pull into your path. Or, you think you'll make the light on a yellow, but the yellow was shorter than you anticipated...and by then it's kinda late to do anything other than roll through (using the horn if you think someone may not see you coming). Even with properly functioning brakes, these things don't stop on a dime. From 55 mph, it can take 170 feet to stop the truck AFTER your foot applies the brake. Add in the time it takes for you to recognize and react to something and you've covered the length of a football field before you get that rig stopped.

...of the Illinois CDL study guide At least they got SOMETHING right around here http://www.sos.state.il.us/publications/pdf_publications/dsd_cdl10.pdf