CaptainCrutch

So what, if anything, would need to be done other than taking the dump bed off and it's associated mechanism(s) and how hard would it be to reroute the trailer connections up towards the cab? My dad kinda wants a hydraulic trailer anyways so this is actually starting to look like a really good idea...

Me and my dad are still looking for a decent semi that wouldn't require a ton of work to haul our firetrucks with. But I just had a thought, how difficult and how long do you all think it'd take to turn a dump truck into a tractor? We've seen a few dumps that seem near perfect for our wants... except for the gigantic metal box taking up the location of the fifth wheel. We probably wouldn't go with this option because it requires work and the most we want to have to do is paint and little things that are as easy as general maintenance. Still it's a thought I had and isn't completely out of the question...

Hello all, I found this app called VINWiki, and it's designed to be a registry of as many vehicles as possible. You can tell the story of the vehicles you know the stories of, or you can add new vehicles, or even just mention that you saw it. It requires the VIN # of the vehicle, but they've got this system that retrieves it from license plates on vehicles from 1981 until today. I've been adding as many trucks and their stories as I can. It's even been used to find some rare cars that have gone missing, something as simple as seeing it rolling around a neighborhood one day led to the discovery of a vehicle considered to be lost to time. If anyone is looking for a specific vehicle it could help you find it, like me with the truck that worked alongside my L. Still searching, but in the meantime I can use the service and hope someone sees it. I'd recommend getting the app to share the stories of your vehicles, or vehicles you all know about, or if you don't want to get the app I'd be more than happy to put any trucks into the registry for you all, just need a picture and the VIN for any pre-81 vehicle, or just a license plate for any post-81 vehicles. I've created a list of classic Macks, but surprisingly there's less than 30 already on there, and I've added quite a few of those myself. I like it because it's a great way of being able to easily share the history of these vehicles, all in one easy place. I think it even works for trailers too. Just figured I'd spread the word about this cool history keeper...

Happy birthday! Hope it’s a good one!

Sorry to hear about your mom, sounds like a last I would’ve loved to have met in my travels. It does suck watching them suffer, it took my grandpa 3 years of cheating death before it finally caught up with him. Granted my other grandpa and an old family friend both died suddenly of heart attacks and it was such a shock that I’m not sure which was better. It’s just really unfortunate all around. I’m sorry to hear about your loss. May she Rest In Peace.

Delaying a product is not the same as lying about a product. There’s also a reason when they list dates it’s estimated or stated as NET (no earlier than). If Tesla has done something that could be considered a lie someone would’ve sued them by now. And self driving features are coming soon, they’re just not quite finished yet, another delay but not a lie. Tesla isn’t reliable on dates by any means, when it comes to statistics about the physical properties, though, they’re incredibly reliable, and their vehicles usually exceed those stated statistics. And you can still buy a $35,000 Model 3, you just have to go through a dealership to get it, instead of the website. Kinda shady but you can still get one, just as an off the menu item... If this Tesla Semi ends up being as good as Tesla says it is, which I’m confident it will, then I have a feeling plenty of fleet trucks will be replaced by these, with Owner/Operator trucks still being ICE. That’s just the way I see it...

Supposedly with this truck they’re getting 600 miles of range fully loaded, and they’ve been consistently pretty good on their range stats, most owners actually reporting getting better range than stated, they’ve done a lot of work and had breakthroughs that used to be considered impossible. I know it’s a different company but Elon’s SpaceX regularly lands rocket boosters on ships, something that was considered impossible by most of the world. Especially the way things have gone for Tesla lately, I’m sure they won’t lie about the stats on their vehicles. I haven’t heard any other things they’ve lied about, especially not once they’ve actually had prototypes. Also, this is a company that has dedicated almost 2 decades of its existence to working on this tech, a little different than a company that has been around for around a century mostly dedicated to ICE vehicles. If I remember correctly they just came out with an EV with such horrible stats that only a few hundred have been purchased since the vehicle went on the market. Not exactly one to trust on statistics regarding the limits of EVs.

Looks like that Tesla Semi is coming this year! https://carbuzz.com/news/whats-going-on-with-the-tesla-semi-truck Second half usually translates to fall, and honestly I'm a little excited. It looks like it'll be the first truck to compete in the average truck market. I do hope they allow for a bit more customization but I guess that'll come later. What do you all think of it?

As well, just speaking statistically, EVs are less likely to have an accident than gasoline powered car. I think I read a study that showed EVs drove 4x as long without an accident than the average ICE car. Now with an EV right now you get into an accident and you total the vehicle, but that's less because the vehicle is beyond repair it's more that the repairs are so expensive. That and based on what I've researched the "glitchy" Toyotas were the result of the pedal itself getting stuck down and less of a software glitch. My dad has an older Tundra and says it happens sometimes but all you need to do is give it a little kick and it stays unstuck for a while. Don't get me wrong, car computers still glitch from time to time, but its significantly more rare than some teenager ramming into the back of a stopped semi because they can't even wait to get to a red light to text their friend, let alone waiting until they've parked their car. Either way EVs are the future, and like or not, Mack has to hop on board with this before they get left behind and shut down by Volvo. Mack is also one of the first ones to jump on this too, so I hope they become a leader in the industry again, even if it means this change is needed.

What can I say, my dad wants a Superliner to haul the Firetrucks with, preferably one that’s not too expensive and doesn’t need much work. He really wants an LTL though, but that’s less achievable for the price he wants...

If the price is right I’d like to take a look at that Superliner.

I'd love for them to bring the Superliner back, even if it's the Australian model. A classic looking Mack would sell well I think. Might just email him asking if that's the idea. Other than that I see electricity as the future of powertrains for all vehicle, with some Hydrogen powered vehicle mixed in but being a little less popular. Nice to see Mack jumping in early. I hope i get to see a test mule like this rolling around from the Hagerstown plant sometime soon...

There are Mack dealers in ATS, signifying that Macks are coming, and supposedly Freightliner aswell, but I was referring to wanting Macks in Spintires. Currently I'm looking to see if anyone could make an L/LTL mod and a good L cab B-75 mod for ATS but it seems like nobody is interested. Hopefully one day...

The Brockway Superliner looks more like early 2000s Macks than late 70s models, to me atleast. There's really no similarities between the two Superliners other than the name and cab. This conspiracy is pretty nonsensical because the two are very different. But that's just my two sense.

Still no Mack...

I think that first one is called Spintires, possibly the Mudrunner version. These kind of games are fun and harmless, so I tend to recommend them. Obviously not for everyone. Spintires is fun because you can take huge trucks off road which I wouldn't like to put any of my own trucks through. I saw a guy recently with an R model in one of these games that was kinda like the old Mack test track plow, lifted and on gigantic tires...

There’s a lot of open roads in this game with speed limits of 70 MPH, and some of those have railroad tracks, pretty easy to have everything in the air on those stretches of road. You’re supposed to slow down but why would you when you could just jump the tracks instead!

Just a few more shots I’ve taken that I think you all will appreciate, even if they’re not real trucks per say...

Actually it’s dual air cleaners on this truck for symmetry. I dunno, I just like the truck best with 2 aircleaners or none...

A game called American Truck Simulator. Got it for $5 on a sale recently for my computer, a few quick clicks later and suddenly I’m drive an R on the west coast hauling some Christmas presents. You can haul just about anything, I even got this thing that allows me to haul loads so big you need a police escort. It takes some learning but hey, when you’ve got time to kill it sure makes for a lot of fun and a great picture! I’ve seen some guys so into this game that basically build a computer that is set up like the cab of a truck, with foot pedals, a steering wheel, a shifter, and all the buttons, switches, or levers you could want. Figured I’d share this cool picture I got from that game.

Read this wrong the first time and was wondering where you got the president’s body and what is it doing in Bristol...

It’s a ton of fun!

Absolutely stunning! What’s the top speed on that one? She looks like she’d be able to put up a fight against some of the loggers and city delivery trucks I see...

You’d could but the engine had a lot of problems and he just had to keep everything original... I don’t blame him but I’m not spending that kind of money on it...

yarnall’s right in the sense this should be in the Odds and Ends section instead... he may be old but he’s not a Mack... On another note it’d be nice if Mack went back to the days of being “built like a Mack”... now it seems more like a Volvo with a bulldog on the hood... Just saw a guy today who was star struck over an old R model with huge tires on it that lives in the backwoods somewhere... Just a thought, but I wonder if it’d be beneficial to do an International LoneStar style truck, basically an old inspired design that meets modern requirements, especially if they made it look a good bit like a B or an L or something like that... if they brought back the Maxitorque I bet they’d move some of those units... the only thing I like about these new Anthems are the fenders and the interior is pretty nice...