mrsmackpaul

when this happens the air pressure isnt set right A soon as you flick the switch on the knob it puts pressure on the fork but the gears will only release when they have no load on them so if your climbing a hill and need to split a gear flick the switch when your near ready then on and off the go pedal and it will go straight in If your using the gears to slow down with dyna tard (dont know why you would bother open the door will work better) just flick the switch and on and of the go pedal they change right away The only time they will slip into neutral is when the engine gets down to near idle The reason you can preselect a Road Ranger is because they wont complete a change till they pass thru the neutral gate then the air is applied to the shift rams the Mack box is noisier but there is a lot more moving in a Mack box than a Road Ranger Think about this the Maxi torque was built for 285 hp it was that well built it was almost unchanged in basic design for way over 600 hp of the E9 thats Mack tough and on road trains they get over a million miles on the maxi torque grossing over 115 ton every day of their life you will never get that kind of life out of a road ranger Paul

Did you notice some of those were LHD they would have struggled to compete on the European market way under powered and no tilt cab It got so bad out some dealers modified them new to tilt cabs as every other brand of truck towards the end had a tilt cab standard I wonder was the GM 6V53 sold anywhere else as standard at one stage dealers were fitting them with V8 185 Cummins motors to new trucks to try and compete and they wonder why the UK truck industry died Paul

every road ranger I have driven wont shift until the gear stick passes thru the neutral gate in the box except for deep reduction can be shifted on the go with just a flick of the throttle and the switch I never have used all 12 speeds in a the Mack most times maybe 5 or 6 speeds only unless the weight is getting up to over 40 tons then I may split 4 th and 5 th once you go above 60 tons I find 3rd 4th and 5th need to be split even taking off on a steep hill with big weights lift off in deep reduction then low 1, 2, 3 and split after that But with a Mack motor even a cool powered Thermodyne they pull like a train so I find a lot of the time I will drive them just like a Maxidyne fine Paul

They were pretty much the only KM's sold out here some came out with Bedford 6 but almost all from new had the 6 53 But having said that, KM's weren't a big seller either. A pretty dated truck when they hit the scene and totally out of date when they finished.

The 12 speed I feel is the greatest gear box ever built. The road ranger is a lot more work to drive and isn't as well designed. It's harder on the driver and more thinking is involved if you arent used to it, where as the Mack is pretty fool proof. I am a fool and seem to handle it. The road ranger you have to shift the stick for every change. Macks you don't. The biggest thing I have found in driving a Mack box is you can't race them. There's a lot of weight spinning on the three shafts so I need to take my time. I have never had any luck driving a Mack with out a clutch. The Road Ranger is easier to shift not using a clutch at least I find it is. You get 5 reverse gears in a Mack box, only one in a Road Ranger. When hauling sugar cane, we often split into high range in reverse but it is easy to break reverse out the side on a Road Ranger box. Have seen it happen a few times. Biggest down side to the Maxitorque box is the shape. It's a bugger of a thing to pull out if your not set up for it but they are that tough they rarely have to come out. Paul

FFS you can tell some of you jokers dont live here a lot of snakes in this wide brown land will kill you before you can get to hospital you yanks can keep your girly man rattlers if you like but theres some deadly crap out here that kill people every year even when they are right near hospital so it is still survival of the fittest out here when you farm I know its not politically correct but better than pushing up daisies in the middle of the farm, it aint gunna no one no good so snakes all snakes die here dont like it buy the farm cuddle all the snakes you want simple!!!!!!! Old blokes tougher than me crack the snakes like a stock whip and the heads will snap clean off I have seen it done as a kid one of them things I'll never forget Paul the snake killer and proud of it

Yep most blokes I speak to reckon B doubles are a con a lot of people running them run the A trailer almost for free I still feel your far better off to run something with a few years on it and own it than have to drive the guts outta something to try and pay the bills Paul

That's a real shame the ute is part of Australian folklore we commonly call them "tilly" just the thing for a B&S ball Many a big weekend as a young buck tear assing all over the country side Me as a young bloke trying to be cool I guess Looks like I was standing to far from the razor would have given a shelia pash rash Paul

Swishy, Hillary's flogged your Mancini ???????? LOL bet gravity hasnt been that kind to her Paul

fantastic stuff fellas keep it coming Paul

no good at all mother nature sure likes to laugh at us some times anyway given time it will all work out Im sure Paul

Yeah Tim it wouldnt fit in my garage either but I only want a single cab for me and the Princess the boy can drive him self now days Paul

great stuff good work by all involved Paul

How good is that and I wonder what it all says ???

Well down at Mackay on Monday and wandering around passing some time and came across the new Dodge Ram sales man tells me it goes like a cut cat and pulls like a 16 year old, I still cant get past the price Paul

chicken should have just road on up there and go what sign never seen sign, were was your shovel for the snake ?????? only good snake is a dead one Very green and lush looking country side there looks a bit like a golf ball for a giant sticking up Paul

looks like a great show , I like those Pacific and Hayes trucks very stylish indeed although perhaps style wasnt the main thing they were chasing when they built them but they sure got a bucket load of style in the end Thanks for sharing the photos and glad the Mack made it there and back ok Paul

Swishy I was thinking of the same road but didnt wanna rain on their 11 mile parade LOL your way off the Melways there mate Paul

As you watch the movie you will notice it has 4 trucks in it all been used it has a Super Hippo a COE something AEC or maybe Foden or maybe a Hippo and also something a little smaller than a super Hippo because its single drive ??? A great old film of simpler times Buffalo has three vents on the bonnet (hood) Hippo has two vents

Oh yeah and that isnt a Hippo its a Buffalo bigger and more power not many sold out here or anywhere The old Buffalo still exists pretty rare cab on it custom made as was the norm back then in Australia for a lot of the pommy trucks Paul

hey hey some ones found my hidden stash LOL Paul

one of them is a vent to atmosphere and is meant to be open if the air is leaking a lot maybe time for a kit in the gear knob piece or maybe a regulator is set wrong Paul

I wonder if they come in RHD ????

would a two speed diff be a easier option would give you a lot lower first gear run wires up to the gear stick tail shaft most likely wont have to be changed and parts are easy to get Aux trans are getting hard for parts these days and every one wants what you are chasing, under, direct and over drive and they are pretty much rare as hens teeth out here now Paul

thats some impressive photos there Paul