I own a 99 ch600 with a E7 355/380 maxicruise set up,4.11 mack diff, mounted on 24.5 tires through an eaton 13 speed.I pull a flatbed all over North america ,light and heavy loads. MY fuel average for the last seven years has been 7.93 us gal,9.3 imp gal.The CH series seem to be one of those truck that with a little TLC will go on forever. They are fairly easy to work on,the cab is one of the toughest in the business .If you can keep your foot out of it, it will make you money.Mack tranny can be fairly expensive to repair.Pulling in and out of the bush i would get a 3.90-4.11-4.33 rear end.Keep your highway speed under 60 MPH(I know that is not the norm in Florida)and you will be sitting pretty.Buying a used truck is a whole other story. I would go take a look around eastern Texas. Thers'a lot of loggers using Macks around that part of the woods.Slow and steady is the way to go these days! The E-Tech E7 series of engines with seperate unit pumps and injectors will get better fuel average and are cheaper to maintain in the long run.Simply replacing the injector tips will improve overall performance. I replace mine every two years and regain 0ne to one and a half mpg.I think the E tech started in 98, A very good engine serie.As for being underpowered, There is a very good reason you seen lot of 350/ 380 hp engines, there is a hell of a price to pay for being king of the hill with the price of diesel being what it is these days.Take note how easy it is to find a big horsepower unit for sale or on the repo lot.You do the math! Also Acert engines,2002 and up,have been plagued with problems related to antipollution devices. I would stay away from them .