mackdaddy

The 2 photos below are also Fruit Growers Supply Company trucks. The Pete is a 390 of which 38 were built. Note the Pete has bud wheels and is a lot lighter built than the Mack even though triple framed. I own a FGS Pete that I restored into a big single drive. Remember that where they were logging big sugar pine it was very flat ground near Westwood, CA.

The Mack LTH had a thicker frame and more steel than aluminum. This one was bought new for logging and had over 500,000 miles on it doing heavy logging work. The owner knew what he was doing and took care of his truck. Today it is still a beauty.

When I think back to the great dealers around our area the one thing they would do is keep a truck or 2 in the color of the bigger fleets in the area with hopes of selling to them. Even seen a few with the stripes etc on them to lure em in. A good friend just bought his first Mack ever.........4 of them. This is a 3rd generation company that has been a loyal PACCAR customer since the 40's. I was surprised by the following: 1. Mack did not put the company stripe on the trucks........I told the salesman he missed an opportunity to really please him as they could have went to his shop asked for the vinyl and took it even to the dealership to install. 2. Same goes for the company name stickers for the doors 3. The overall paint quality of the trucks was poor. Bad orange peel finish along with half the air hoses/electrical painted and some not. Also just using zip ties to hold the stuff on the frame? 3. One truck has a clearly defective left fender where it appears something was in the mold when the hood was cast. This should have been caught in QA at the factory. Hard to see in the pic but in person it is a noticeable flat spot. All I can say is I hope they run well and meet his needs as this is a big win for Mack to get his business. He even let the young salesman bring one to a recent truck show to give Mack some publicity.

The current store manager at the Mack TEC dealer in Medford tells a few stories from Hayward days. His dad an engineer for Mack......last name of Jones came west for Mack when the plant was started. He said that there was at least a dozen G model cabs delivered to the plant from Allentown but they were never used. Did they have something to do with the development of the Cruiseliner? He also said the first prototype Cruiseliner that came off the line when they jacked the cab up both windshields fell out right on to the ground! There is a guy that frequents some of the N California shows with a B-73 and he was working at the plant when it shutdown. He has some neat pieces that he brings to the show. One is bolts wit the bulldog on the head. Said they used them on some of the bumpers? however, when I was in Australia I saw a lot of these bolts on Macks down there.

Sure wish I could have made the trip. Best show hands down! There is going to be one special Mack there this year that is a real eye catcher!! Would love to see it in the flesh. Send pics !

Here is Gordon McCracken........better known as Cracker scrolling the Valueliner at the ATHS show in Salem this week. We had so much fun with all of our Australian friends!!

Mike, I gotta feeling you are gonna want a keep this one!! is that all the pics you got? I have not heard anything yet!! are you coming to Salem? if you are I will throw a set of batteries in it, change the filters, top it off and you show up in Medford Tuesday and join the convoy on Wednesday morning............

Very cool! thanks for sharing. It appears to be a Big E model perhaps an EQ?

carry a hammer with you. sooner or later you will need to spin the big washer inside to find new contact.

This was posted on Facebook.

Makes the 3rd G model in the past year to be put in the boneyard. This is a G-75 was a shorter single axle that got stretched. All original components and still has working hand parking brake. Someone tried to doll it up with a grill over the original and added strips.

The boot staying down on the yellow H doesn't look right? Should be mounted to the underside of the doghouse? Can't remember if they untied or you took the shift knobs off before jacking the cab. Here is an unmolested H I brought home awhile back. It has a few modifications (hose clamps) to the boots to keep them from falling through the doghouse.

Hi It was original colors I just meant I am keeping it original. Going to keep the dog and lightning too................The Thunda from down Unda. what is the update on the Superliner and sleeper?

I am repainting the Value Liner back to it's original colors. Gordon McCracken from Australia is going to do the scroll work back to the original for me as well. He is coming over to the ATHS show in Salem and we are going to have a few days set aside for him to give us all a show of his handy work. He will do the work on site at the show. And since I get confused over who all is on both the ATHS site and this one I will post over on it as well.

I did just the opposite and it worked..........I put a steel dash in a +3 cab.

I have really enjoyed owning the E-9 MH I have. Solid truck with a unique look and driving experience that grows on you.

easy Mike........... what about your R model in CA? I need to go that way soon.

I remember them well being from New Castle,, PA. I was just a little guy and can remember thinking the name was the same stuff my Dad would spray in the air cleaner of the old Macks to get them going on a cold day.

yes, it is........didn't really want it but help was needed to keep the original trucks intact They will be continuing to thin the herd until a replacement home is found. I don't know squat about fire trucks.

I ended up with a Mack B 4 door fire truck. Engine is bad. anyone know of a source for the 707's?

Jack Curcio told me that hiring Hank Nave was the one mistake that Zenon did make.

Took these pictures of a remodel in Redding California a few years ago. When I moved to Medford, OR in 1976 there was a Mack owned dealership operating. It closed shortly after.

If you want to keep the OEM look to the B model order the outside covering that comes in many different ID's (slips my mind right now what to call it) and just put the plastic line inside.

It was the Murty Brothers of Portland Oregon that did the work for Diamond T. They held the patent and for the cab that IH also used. This was based on a friendship developed with Zenon H when he was living in Portland and owned Diamond T dealership. He then became President of Diamond T. The big Diamond T 950 was also a project they did for Zenon. And when Zenon wanted the western R model dressed up for the Pacific NW logging he shipped one to the Murty Bros to outfit and it was shown at the Eugene logging show.

I have 2 H-653's. One was sold new to CF for trial runs with triples in Oregon. i was told by Ken Self of Freightliner fame that it was the shortest BBC with the highest horsepower of any other model at the time. The factory shows it as a 57 and notes the changes made to accommodate CF's requirements. It was resold by Mack but now as a 1959 to Haney truck lines in Portland, Oregon who ran several other H-65's. The other H-653 was also a Haney purchased truck. Another company that ran them as tandems was Bruce.