Bullheaded

I can't see why we can't get the 550/1850 rating for the MP8 over here.

Logtruckman.....one thing you can probably verify about the under cab air filters and those side mounted pre-cleaners.......that is one area the Titan shines. My friends that have them report they replace air filters on their other trucks two to three times before they need to replace the ones in the Titan. So there was one benefit to the raised cab with that intake setup. And unfortunately they also had the same problem as you, with the grill and breathers peeling, and the breathers corroding. Still, will be sad to see them gone, but like everyone has said, they should have been offered with better sleeper options and priced competitively.

This doesn't surprise me. I've been pricing Mack's for next truck, but prices are way out of line. So I showed dealers the 4900 Star I spec'd, same as my current one, but with the DD16 600.....fully loaded, leather interior, heated seats, full gauge package, dual breathers, light bars under cab and on breathers, air ride, etc. What did they counter with? A rubber block Granite with the base interior, low back seats, no gauges.....for 20 grand more, LOL. Ya.....I wanna get out of my loaded truck to get into a plain jane fleet spec. NOT.

Thanks for the info.

Yes logtruckman.....we have two trucks with Tuff-Trac. A Sterling and a Freightliner 122SD and that suspension rides almost as good as my air ride truck and neither of them have failed. That's why I thought the M-Ride would be good.

I love Camelback, but they are also expensive to rebuild here. So you are seeing M-Ride fail? I figured they would be good because they look very much like Tuff-Trac and we ran a few of those and they are bulletproof. Chalmers is good too. I have that on my ponies. With a twin steer I would look at all options, but on our SPIF lift axle trucks it is air ride only! Air seems to be the only way you can keep the SPIF reliable. They work a lot better off air than load cells.

Isn't that one of the best shows on TV? Much better than the tonight show. He shows some damn cool stuff.

I had that first one (HMX) in my Paystar. It did ride good for rubber block. The second one with the big blocks holds up better in logging. And the last one is the same as Raydan Air Link. Hendrickson bought them. And did also offer it as a conversion kit. Funny thing about that Raydan Air Link though.....I had Mack reps at the Truck World show tell me years ago that they didn't like that because it puts too much stress on the frame because it has only that one mounting point at the pivot. But I can't see how it could be too bad with both axles having transverse torque rods? That's why I wanted to see what your opinions are.

Yes you are right bbigrig. Doing some pricing on other options but so far no one is even coming close to what we can get another fully loaded 600 h.p. 4900 Star for. Seems like everyone still keeps ordering rubber block. I'm no longer interested in those, LOL. I'm waiting on some pricing on one with M-drive, M-ride and Mack rears. Thanks for the info too FJH and j_martell

This is the air ride they offer. The AMS40A.

FJH....do you have experience with the air ride fronts on a twin steer? Do they ride better than the spring? I only have experience with the AMS40T2

Thanks FJH. My last couple dumps have been air ride, so I'm used to it. No this one has springs and equalizers in the front. Simard does have a full air ride front, but I've never priced that.

Anyone run Raydan (now Hendrickson) Air Link rear suspension? It's basically the old Hendrickson walking beam, but on 4 air bags instead of springs or rubber blocks. In theory it looks good. Gives the articulation of walking beams, and the bags have rubber stoppers in them, so it says in the event you loose air or blow a bag they can be ran deflated. Has an MP8 505M and Allison auto. I'm waiting on pricing for one with 14 speed M-Drive and M-Ride with Mack rears. Will have a 22 foot dump box.

I had red velour level 4 in my R Model, and Ultraliner, and later in my CL Elite. The red level 4 and later Elite were my favorite interiors.

Thank You. Suspension would be Mack AL461 air ride. Had it in my old CH that pulled logs and walking floor trailers on and off road and it was dependable. Never had an issues with it. Any Mack I see on the lots up here has the S440 rears, but to get measured up for max allowable gross on highways here we need a 46,000 rating. Salesmen keep telling me Mack doesn't make a 46,000.

Does Mack still offer the S462 rear axles? I'm curious as to why sales people keep telling me I need to go Meritor or Eaton to have a true 46,000 rear axle? They keep telling me Mack only makes a 44,000. Or does it have something to do with suspension choice?

Thanks Logtruckman. They did, but whether it was the dealer not going the extra mile, or Mack Canada they only got one thing replaced but not the other. I think they got the grill covered but not the headlight surrounds or breathers? The other problem with the breathers is they go overboard on salt and de-icing agents on the roads up here in the winter, and his breathers are rotting out. The price to replace them is ridiculous up here too. Around 6 grand for the two of them. He looked into getting the Australian stacks, but the cost of shipping made them not worth it. I told him to just make a set of breather stacks, but he doesn't want to lose the pre-filter function of the stockers.

Ya I know. I won't win this argument. Everyone is stuck in the past. The Mack of old was king. No doubt about it. But compared to todays trucks and engines, I don't understand why everyone keeps bashing Volvo. My 2000 E7 was far from reliable and most were problematic until the MP series came along. Volvo also has supplied them with the best automated manual on the market. You're right too.....I'd also be happy with a Volvo. My friends have them and they have been bulletproof. But I don't get along with the local dealer, so until I change brands again I'm stuck with problematic Western Star and Cummins products, and Detroits that have constant regen issues when loaded light. Surprisingly though the Mexican built Freightliner 122SD's have better build quality than the Portland Star's. And for Logtruckman I can report two of my friends have Titan self loader log trucks with 605 MP10's also and they pull like trains and have had no issues other than the stainless peeling on the grills and breathers.

Well here's one quote: Volvo has corrupted Mack with their engines and other stuff for years now. I would call that bashing no? Everyone else gives their "opinnions" so I can too. And if you don't like mine, don't read them.

Wow, good to see the forum hasn't changed. Still bitching about Volvo. Guess you still haven't figured out Volvo/Mack is the better choice of ALL the new junk that is available today. Want something to really bitch about......buy a new Western Star or Cummins and see what happens to your bank account. Hahahaha.

"They're built to take 750hp engines and 140T loads overseas. They're not going to self-destruct just because they're used in the USA" And operating in consistently higher ambient temperatures than we experience here in Canada and the U.S. As for people pulling M-Drives out and replacing with manuals......you're living in a fantasy world. Resale? Well they are almost outselling manuals now, so I don't think resale will be a problem, LOL!

For longer than an 18 speed Eaton would last with todays steering wheeler holder seat covers trying to move 140 tons, LOL.

OK, so does the Detroit DD16 still use turbo compounding or not? This is taken from their web site today: Our exclusive 2nd Generation Amplified Common Rail System (ACRS™) and simple turbocharger combine to deliver instant acceleration like no other engine and torque response other drivers will envy. The right amount of fuel at the right time makes for an extremely quiet, smooth combustion and meets strict emissions requirements Variable injection patterns give you fuel economy across a wide variety of engine operations Turbo compounding helps your rig use less fuel without sacrificing power – making it the perfect solution for rising fuel prices. It recovers thermal energy from the exhaust stream, converting normally lost energy into useable power. First it says "simple turbocharger" but then says turbo compounding. My current Detroit has the turbo compounding. It has been a good reliable engine so far.

Very nice!

I applaud VW for giving us a more reliable diesel that is more efficient and better on fuel. Too bad they got caught. New ones can still be had here. I just did a deal on one. They just put some mileage on them and sell them as demo's. And like I said to dealer....it will never be back for an ECM reflash or anything else, LOL.