Bullheaded

There were a few Detroit powered Superliners around here when I was a kid. Real nice big bunk, heavy spec log tractors. Detroits were real popular in this area. It was funny hearing a Superliner with that screaming 2 stroke under the hood. The ones around here are all gone now. I knew where there was one in a scrap yard (wasn't much left of it) but recently I went by and all the scrap is gone. They must have crushed everything.

I just tried to upload a tiny pic of the new Maxxforce/Cat, but it won't let me. says the file is too big. Anyway just got it in an email update from today's trucking, so maybe it's on their web site. Looks exactly like a C15 twin turbo painted grey and black with a little bit different valve cover and some new "pollusion" stuff on it.

This is what scares me about a new dpf truck for my dump application. It's hard enough to get your money from the contractors you haul for, imagine trying to get paid when they see you sitting on the side of the road for 30 minutes.

I had those pics, but didn't even think to post them My friend is the salesman at All North. Last time I was down he showed me pics of the Titan parked beside a new CL on their lot. I asked him to email me a copy but he must have got busy and forgot. If I ever get them I'll post. Bad Dog; funny you say it's slow in Windsor right now. My new issue of Today's Trucking, the last page editorial, says how it is just booming there I know I can't afford a new Titan when all the brainwaves over here are working their tri-axle dumps for $50.00 per hour

Sweet looking Autocar Jocko

The dealer in Sudbury Ontario has had two out on demo for a couple months now. One is identical to the one Mack has been displaying with all the goodies, the other (also a heavy float tractor) is more plain, no headache rack, just a tandem with a wet line. Both 605 MP10's. Had good reports except from one company driver that was demo'ing it. They are locked out at 105 kph and the guy was saying it was gutless compared to his CL/Cummins. Salesman doesn't expect them to sell well around here right now, as they are priced at a premium. A basic tractor is $160,000.00 Canadian, so like he said, by the time you put a lift or a dump box, etc. on it.....wow! Last time I spoke with him he was saying they were supposed to have a meeting with Mack Reps to see if anything could be improved on the pricing. Anyone see one parked next to a CL. Wow, they make a CL model look small!

Thanks for the info. Let me know if you find out more. I'd like to know if you can get the new style Granite and with what years of E7 engine. Hopefully pre-ASET. You mention being set up for V-Mac III, any idea how the dash display would work? Would it support the Co-Pilot or just basic odometer functions? My friends Western Star glider worked out well, only one glitch. He ordered it for the B series mechanical Cat, even gave the engine serial number, but when the chassis arrived it had all electronic gages. He had to convert all the gages over to mechanical ones, which was no problem for him, just extra work. He said he wish he would have know they would do that as he had an early 2000 vintage C15 electronic he could have used. Even it would have been superior to the new ACERT's.

Yup, just read it in Todays Trucking (Lockwoods Product Watch). It says they won't say weather or not it will use Acert technology or something else. Hopefully it will perform better than the current Acerts. Also says International will likely drop Cummins after 2010. You kinda had to know something was going to happen. Seemed funny to be coming out with a Cat truck with no Cat engine involvment. Just like with the auto industry, you can't be brand loyal anymore, because you don't know who owns who or is partnered with who anymore. My head hurts.

My friend recently bought a new Western Star glider kit that he put a 3406B mechanical in, because he was so displeased with the performance of his 2006 Star/Cat. I also see Kenworth/Peterbilt are selling lots of gliders. My question is...can you get a new glider kit from Mack to put a pre emissions E7 460 in? Or are there too much electronics in the new Macks to sort everything out (all the accessories and dash/maintenance displays)? I like the new Granites but hate DPF's.

Our local dealer has two in, had them about a month now. They have one out as a demo. They are both 605 h.p. float tractors. Salesman said they need to talk to Mack reps about price as they are pretty high here. These tractors are plain, nothing but a fifth wheel on the frame and they are $160,000.00! They are Rawhides, but no headache racks or lift axles, just wet lines.

Well I tried to upload pics of my Challenger brochure (they show the big glorious E9 V8 under the hood) but this awful, useless dial up won't let me. After 45 minutes it still said "uploading file." Funny I can email pics, but can't seem to be able to upload them to this site. I'll try a smaller pic, hope this works.

Before you disconnect make sure the puff limiter hasn't just been re-shimmed. It's been a few years since I worked on one of these so I can't remember if turning it in or out makes the throttle response. One of the experts here can tell you. I had to take one of the ones I drove for the mandatory emmisions test we have here and the dealer shimmed it to make it pass. When I went to leave it had very slow response and would barely accelerate itself up to speed. I had to re-shim it when I got home. Also, instead of just plugging the air lines, I ran mine through an air switch. (same one as for a power divider or the one used for the deep reduction on the 12 speed.) That way you could make it smokeless if the dot is around, and get the power when you need it.

Thanks again fjh! Must have been cool working on those. The Challenger name is going again. You are correct, the Australians bought it and they have (had?) a web site. They still look the same but the last time I saw the web site it didn't list any specs or what they are using for power now. I'll have to search for the site again this weekend. That guy from BC that started Challenger was really nice. I first seen them in an issue of Highway Star Magazine and was blown away, so I contacted them. I told them I was in no way able to buy a rig like that, but was impressed and would like to learn more. The next thing I know, I receive a package in the mail with a brochure and a bunch of pics he took of some of the trucks he built and that were in service. If I get a chance this weekend I'll post some. There were the loggers and a really nice ore hauler. It's too bad to see him have to sell, but like you said the Canadian market really dried up. I hope he made out good on the sale because he was first class in my books.

Ya there was a couple Superliners with V8 Detroits in my erea when I was a kid. They were the original Superliners with the round headlights and they had the big walk in bunks on them. They were really good looking trucks. The loggers used to run them until they switched to E9's. I know where one is sitting right now in a scap yard but it is stripped and pretty rough. The old 2 strokes used to be real popular in this area.

I did some more digging. Mack's web site says the CL350ST was designed in Canada and built at the Oakville, Ontario Canada plant. They show production from 1976 to 1979 with 27 made in those years. I have a Canadian Bulldog Magazine (vol.82 #1) I believe from 1980 that has a pic of a brand new CL350ST painted yellow with a green stripe. The quote says "Heinz and Mike Portmann of Campbell River have taken delivery of the first or two CL350ST units for logging operation in Loughborough Inlet." Pretty impressive looking unit. I imagine they had Detroit power like most other fat trucks of the time did? I have a Mack product line brochure from 1978 that shows the M Series and Mack-Pack. There is only one pic (single axle dump truck) and details are limited other than saying they available with 800 h.p. 2 or 4 cycle engines and Mack Planidrive axles. Also interesting to note Mack was the only haul truck manufacturer in that class with all wheel disc brakes. Macks website has production of M series-1960 to 1979, M100-1967 to 68 at 3 units, MP404X-1976 to 1978 at 20 units. That's all the info I can find on the Big Macks. Other than I have that hardcover book "Mack Driven for a Century" and it has some pics. They show a restored M100 tandem dump truck, brown in colour. Very nice. I wonder how many are still around in the hands of collectors? If anyone has any other info or pics please post. Thanks for the other info fjh. I remember when I was young, I have an uncle that lived by the Oakville plant and he told me he saw a giant dump truck there one day. I do remember driving by it when it just before it went out of operation, but all I remember is R models as far as the eye could see. Does anyone have any pics from the Oakville plant? A couple other interesting facts I came up with are the DMM (EX) twin steer front drive trucks were designed in Canada in 1972 and also the RD800 in 1980.

I used to love those. I have some Bulldog magazines from the early 80's that have pics of one of those CL 350 ST's painted yellow. Was that something that came out of the Hayes relationship? Or did Mack make them themselves? Same with the M Series mining trucks and the articulated Mack-Pack. You never really heard or seen much of them. Did someone make those for Mack? I'd like to see a pic of that Mack-Pack all wheel drive articulated bottom dump. Have you guys ever heard of Challenger Trucks from British Columbia, Canada. They used to rebuild Hayes, Pacific, Mack, KW, etc. I-beam tractors for the logging and mining industry, then designed their own truck with a lot of new updates over those previous designs. I have a brochure and pics from them and the Mack E-9 was their standard spec engine. They offered all the big Cat, Cummins and V12 Detroits but praised the Mack E9 as having the best power to weight to fuel economy ratio of all the engines. They also praised the reliability of them. Sweet looking B Model mixer there Other Dog!