Bullheaded

This is a dream job really. My department has two new 980 Cat loaders, a D6K dozer and a 330 Cat excavator. The haul trucks which you see here and the tailings dam and open pit stuff are contracted out. But right now my loader is a nearly new (3000 hours) Cat 950M. I am on the little loader because I unload all the transports and explosives with the forks and have to sort out the ore pad. And it is a tool carrier, so it has different buckets, forks, and snow blades and push boxes. My department is day shift only and there is only myself and one other operator on the machine and he is a clean freak like me. I work 7 days, then he works the 7 I am off. I never before knew what it was like to have days off in the summer!! LOL When they get special situations, the underground trucks bring ore up to my pad and the geologists test it, then mark it all. They'll paint O for ore or W for waste. Any ore 18 inch or under I load into the trucks to go to mill. Anything bigger we break with the hammer on the excavator. I got a technique I use where I put my forks on, slide them 18 inches apart and use them to sift the piles. I can sort a lot cleaner that way compared to using the bucket. Last job I was on with the dump truck, they had a bunch of "new" truckers show up. They had no paperwork at all in their trucks and had their owners manuals out because 5 of them could not figure out how to dump the box or open the tailgates of their brand new T800's. I just couldn't take it any more. Between the new breed, and these new emission motors, it just wasn't fun any more for me. Like you say, when you wake up wishing you were dead.....time to move on. I'm 44 miles/70 KM in the bush and surrounded by lakes. Don't get any better than this.

Here's the other CL. Nothing sounds sweeter than a V8 Mack. Nothing.

Well I retired from trucking and couldn't be happier. The whole state of the union sickens me nowadays. Got a job in a gold mine running equipment above ground and when on overtime my coffee mug makes me the same money $240,000 dump trucks make around here, LOL Anyway, been loading these. There is a Superliner and two CL Elites still working in here. All E9 V8's and I assume 65,000 Mack rears. The Superliner is on Camelback and the CL is on solid trunion. They also have Stars with big rears and solid walking beams and one with planetary rears. The other reason I quit trucking. They don't make real trucks like these any more.

Funny you don't see many NEW trucks with loads like that. LOL

Only one thing I love as much as the old Mack's, is the International Paystar. I've drove and owned Paystar's from the old steel hood 6x6 5000's up to my 2005 5600i. Giant frame rails, slipper spring with torque rod front suspension........they were one tough truck.

Pics are not great, got them off Google Images, but shows the AWD RD800's Pelletier's ran.

I'm getting out of touch because I haven't been studying truck specs daily anymore like I used to......but isn't that the same suspension as the Mack M-Ride? Or at least the same style? Or is there a difference. Last time I looked at buying a new Mack I was thinking about that M-Ride, but then many members here told me to stay away. I know it "looks" very similar to the Freightliner Tuff-Trac and we have had a few trucks with that and never had any issues with it.

Here's a couple pics from Nortrux out west.

Very nice pics Tim! You have some really nice equipment to play with there.

Thank you all. I was very happy with how it looks considering it was just scrap cedar slabs I got for free from a local mill.

There are a lot of them that bought up a lot of the farmland around where I am. I don't mind it. They took a lot of good land that was abandoned and starting to grow in and made it all good farm land again. I have seen them put up barns for people I know. They are awesome workers. It takes them no time at all. All the men work and the women prepare the food to keep them fed. They are very efficient. Funniest thing I have seen is their tow truck. One day they had one of their horse and buggies stuck in the ditch, so they brought out the tow truck.....a DONKEY. LOL And it pulled them out. LOL

Nice Tim, congrtas. Nice to be appreciated for your work. How's it going over there? Any disruptions to your operations from this covid 19 stuff? Our highway job is going pretty much as normal. But it is still a pain trying to get groceries or meals out on the road. Still reduced hours, and purchase limits and stuff.

That W900 will be sharp. I've always loved that two tone blue color combo. I like the Argosy's they did without the drom boxes Alex G. They have straight pipes and really cool polished fabbed air boxes and intakes behind the cab.

That's a cool wetline tank!!

This fleet built a couple of these. Gliders with built Series 60 Detroit's and Tri-drive.

Saw another Anthem today. I used to work for the sister company of this fleet years ago.

Yes, it is central tire inflation system. They work good, increase traction and decreases rutting in soft roads. But it is very expensive. Got a pic of the headache rack on the green Star. I love these!! I have seen a few now, but can't seem to find out who makes them. Oh...I'm in White River, Ontario Canada.

They use tri-drive tractors like that in my area and west of here. They have to have the long wheelbase with our axle weight laws to get max AGVW. I like the 6x6. Reminds me of a new age RM. Only the RM was a better truck, LOL

The contractor I am hauling for was always all Cat, but they bought a Mack/Deere/Volvo equipment dealer. So the first new Volvo loader just showed up today. Check out the humpback on that thing! I guess you don't need to see anything but the camera. And I don't know if they are that good, or if it's the sales incentives, but Mack Anthem's have taken over the highway up here. They are the majority truck I see all day now. All the big fleets that were running Volvo's have now bought Anthem's. And I see them pulling heavy 5 axle tankers, live bottom trailers, wood chip trailers, etc.

Thought this was kinda funny looking. Two identical International HX's at just the perfect angle.

Shameless self promotion, LOL

I'll just pile these in one thread to save time. Some pics I snapped while waiting to load throughout the day. Western Star, Kenworth and International pretty much own the forest up here now ever since Volvo abandoned Mack from the heavy market. I love the Lonestar logger. Some can say they are plastic junk but they can survive the bush road with a 5 axle trailer.

The contractor I haul for bought a Mack dealer in Manitoba Canada so they have been buying Granite's now. Here is one of the floats and they have some dump trucks. All MP8 505 M-drives. And they have more on order that are going to be gold dogs....all Mack....MP8, M-Drive, Mack rears and Mack air ride.

Last weekend when I was off, my son and I built a little lean-to display area for the Allis. Now it can be seen sitting on the deck and not hid inside with the new Kubota. And still protected from the elements. Had an old Ariens Rocket roto tiller I stuck in there too. And hung an old scythe from my grandfather on the wall too.

I want it!!