RowdyRebel

Had an 80 gallon tank on the passenger side of the truck....22" diameter and if I remember right, 49" long. I took it off to get it converted to hydraulic to run end dumps...then after a week of running on only the left side 80 gallon fuel tank decided I had better get it split 60/20 for the extra 100-120 mile range it would provide on a single fill-up. Well, long story short the guy the local Mack dealer recommended to do the job for me FINALLY got it finished after nearly 2 months...but screwed it up BIG TIME!!! There was some sort of cap (plugging a hole where I guess you could put the fuel pick-up or maybe the fuel gauge sending unit) in the way of where he would have needed to put the baffle......so he decided (without calling me to check) to put the hydraulic in the front and the fuel in the rear! So, if I would have paid him for the tank and tried to use it, I either would have not been able to add fuel or hydraulic oil (the cab would be in the way) by spinning the tank 180 degrees from how it came off the truck (fuel in front), or I could put it back on the same way it came off (fuel in rear), but there would not be clearance between the air tanks and the split tank for the hydraulic hose to come out of the front (where the 1-1/4" bung is located)...not to mention the fuel crossover wouldn't reach without switching the OTHER side to the rear also....and then there would be clearance issues with the driveshaft to the blower from the left side PTO..... He's supposedly going to fix it, but he didn't seem too happy about it...and mentioned that it would be "expensive" for him to go back in and correct HIS mistakes. He was going to charge me $400 for the initial job, and so I'm going to refuse to pay more than that original $400 to get the tank back finished. I highly doubt he's going to let me have it for that, though, so I'm probably going to have to start looking for a replacement tank. All he had to do was call me to see what I wanted him to do...or even ask me during one of my several calls to check on the progress of the job over the last 2 months....I guess that was asking too much

2001 CH613, dome light burned out and I can't find a replacement bulb anywhere. T/A had one that LOOKED the same, but was just a hair long and would not stay in place...and then they had the gall to try telling me they would not refund my money on the return less than a minute after I paid for the thing They did give me my money back, but I'm still in the dark. Anyone know the correct bulb number and/or know where to go to get a replacement?

Gotta keep a close eye on my fluid levels in this thing...the front drive axle seemed to be leaking pretty bad, but when I looked closer, it was leaking where the drive shaft went into the rear end...seems there are some 5/8" 12-point bolts that weren't very tight...and since I've always preferred 6-point wrenches and sockets due to their decreased likelihood of rounding off rusty bolts, it took me 45 minutes digging through 6 different tool boxes before I FINALLY found a 12-point 5/8" wrench to put a cheater bar on to snug them up . That slowed the leaking...but it still drips a little. How difficult is that going to be to disconnect the driveshaft, unbolt that box/flange/whatever it is, and change that gasket? Probably going to be a project for my next day off...'till then, I'll just be keeping an eye on the fluid level. ...also seems to be using a little oil too...finding I'm needing to add a gallon every 3000-4000 miles. I don't SEE any leaks, so I'm assuming it is burning it. Would an overhead help this any? I bought the truck with 261K on it...has 272K now and 12k hours, and I don't have any idea what maintenance had been done before I bought it.

yup....gold dog on my hood is standing on a chrome base.

I drove out of the Ste. Genevieve terminal, but most always parked at the house 60 miles south. I try to avoid St. Louis whenever possible....prefer to stay south of Ste. Gen.

Nah....it's my truck, but it IS Beelman's trailer

I would have preferred an older Mack myself...I LOVE the looks of the B-models and hope I can get one someday, but the company I was working for (and am now leased on with) doesn't want new leases to be more than 6 or 7 years old. Mine is a 2001...pre-emmissions, pre-volvo...one of the last of the true Mack trucks (I wasn't looking at anything without that gold dog on the hood, and nothing newer than 2002), and pretty much the oldest truck that would have been suitable at this time. Hopefully once this truck is paid off, I can get a toy...something to build up and restore...but then I've already got an '86 Ranger in pieces in my garage waiting for a new body and new motor...and a trailer in the back yard that needs rebuilding....and another trailer in the front yard that needs building...and a motorcycle in the garage that needs work...and an old '47 Ford tractor that I need to get running....and an F250 4x4 in the garage that has a few things I'd like to do to as well....not to mention the "little" things I want to do with this truck to make it work better for me....so much to do, so little time and not nearly enough money to do it all. There's a few gremlins lurking around on this truck that need to be fixed....seems every trip I find a new one...but I was expecting that with ANY used truck (and even a lot of new ones). So far, it hasn't been anything too difficult. I am a little surprised, though, that in this day and age of increased importance of the aerodynamics of a truck, you'd think the rounded curves and sloped windshield of the B-model would do better than the flatter, boxier CH...wonder if anyone has ever compared the trucks from 50 years ago to the trucks of today in the wind tunnel to see just how well they would do....prove that the old-skool designs were decades ahead of their time. Anyway, I've got a couple more pics to get off my camera that REALLY make the truck look larger than life....one is my g/f (all 5'nothin of her) standing next to the 11R24.5 drive tires (that are almost as tall as her). The other is my '92 Ranger parked next to the rig...and the drive tires are taller than the sides of the bed. Heck, I'm 6'2" and I look tiny standing in front of this truck.

I've been driving one sized vehicle or another for pay since I turned 18, and for the last several years, I've wanted my own truck. After looking at a couple trucks that just didn't fit the bill, I finally found one that worked for me. It is a 2001 Mack CH613, with the gold bulldog up on the hood. It's got the E7-460 w/Jake, T2180B transmission, and Mack rears geared 4.17 on air ride...and 11R24.5 tires. The only thing I wasn't too thrilled with was the wheelbase. I had been looking for something in the 215" (+/- 15") range....this one measures in at 240"....on a DAYCAB!!! But, with only 261,300 miles on the odometer and a clean bill-of-health from the Mack dealer, I went ahead and bought it. (I bought the truck at an independent shop...had the Mack dealer 35 miles away inspect the truck for me...including a run on the dyno...to be sure it was in good mechanical condition). The big tires and long wheelbase sure gives it a great ride....but the turning radius So, now I drive my own truck, leased on to the company I had been with as a company driver for nearly 2 years... So is that a big enough Mack to be posted here?