Geoff Weeks

Almost always cheaper to repair than replace, cheaper to replace like for like than to change to something new. Often it is the little stuff that keeps cropping up that drive the price up. I was surprised I didn't have much trouble when I was going through the British bus trans or rear axles getting bearings or seals. They used some odd bearings also.

SQHD's don't have the best reputation, I know one guy who calls the "sure-quitter's". They have an idler gear between the power divider and the front pinion. Later SQHP's and SQ100's don't. They beefed up the powerdivider section and eliminated the idler gear. They are way obsolete, Heck, the SQHP and SQ100's are obsolete. The 3.70 gear ratio is also not made anymore, they went from a 40-10 (40 tooth ring gear, 10 tooth pinion) to 41-11 for 3.73 ratio so finding gearsets (should they be needed) may be a problem. Before making one big change that would require a lot, it may be time to re-assess and decide if you want to stay with that model and ratio or if you want a whole new cut-off, or just repair what you have. Later SQ100 housings will not be right either I don't think, so you'll be needed SQHD housings unless you weld brackets to what you have now. The SQHD's both pinions turn the same direction and are on the same side of the ring gear (front and back) SQHP, and SQ100's the front pinion turns the opposite driveshaft rotation on the front and are on the opposite side of the ring gear. SQHP rear-rear is amboid (essentially turned upside down) with the pinion above the centerline, SQ100, they went back to the lower hypoid gearset with the rear-rear pinion below the center-line. All this means is although all the models are related, the housings can be different for the different models. edit: Hadn't had my coffee when I posted the teeth count! 3.70 is 37-10

That tag must be off the rear-rear not the front?

Hyd detach, if ground bearing or not, spring is fine. Nothing wrong with the Rayco air, it looks like a Hendrichson clone. just hard to find I suspect. One thing to be careful about, if the mounts need to be moved, so does the crossmember. If only moved a small bit, it means holes welded and new holes in a limited area and that can weaken the frame. Personally, I don't think the change is worth the trouble. 4 spring is simple and has few wearing parts. Not the best suspension, I'll agree but dead simple, doesn't need bushed torque rods, which are always a maintance problem on all air suspensions. People over estimate air suspension comfort. All trucks have air bags between them and the road, they are called tires and you can see how well they do! If the issue is my comfort, air suspended cab will do much more for ride comfort than air truck suspension. I had a short wheelbase tractor on walking beam, mechanical T bar drivers seat, but suspended cab (coil spring cab suspension) and it was very livable. If the wheel base was longer, it would make far bigger difference than if the rear axles were on air.

Not sure he is, just said detach, but if mechanical, air ride has an advantage.

Mechanical RGN with any spring ride is more trouble than air ride. Walking beam Hendrickson is a great suspension, but starting from where he is starting from, either Rayco/graining air ride or Hendrickson or one of the corp clones would be the easiest. I don't think he is planning to put a cut-off on.

Does it have an oil filter can sticking off the front? That "R" may be a "P"

If mechanical RGN, then yeah, air ride is helpful with the gooseneck, being able to drop the suspension and lift back up helps. It should be fairly easy to find Hendrickson housings with the torque arm weldment on top. Do you have SQHP, or SQHD's? By the time SQ100's came out I think the ratio switched to 3.73. The reason I ask, is the rear, rear is Amboid (pinion enters above the axle centerline) on the SQHP and the housing is different then the later SQ100 (which is hypoid) essentially the rear-rear housing is "upside down". I may have the bracket weldments off a IHC Airride, but will have to look, then getting them from Omaha to NH would be the biggest problem. That way you could use your housings and weld on the bracket. They may have got tossed in my last clean up.

The Hendrickson, and the various OEM clones are about the best out there for most applications. Neway is expensive and difficult to maintain and need brackets welded onto the axle housings. Neway might be worth it for heavy haul. Easier to align than Neway. Rayco is fine for 4 spring, and it is almost always cheaper to fix what you have then start over. 4 spring isn't so good off highway, but properly loaded, you'd be hard pressed to tell it from air ride on highway. I ran both, 4 spring and IHC (Hendrickson) air ride. What ever you do, run away from a Neway ARDAB suspension. No parts, expensive and always need bushings.

Look at what Atro has to offer on any bushing for a truck. they have a large selection. https://www.doverbrakeinc.com/downloads/catelogs/ATRO BUSHING CATALOG.pdf

I think he is installing where it never had them, Not excusing the price quote, but not just replacing.

Heck I remember going as far as Lincoln before 95 was completed then came 95 that was 2 lanes (was 2 lane from Orono) Was up that way to bury my Dad's ashes a few years ago and 4 lane divided all the way, almost like being in the lower 48! Dysarts, was on Hampton rd IIRC

PAI must have got better. I used Interstate McBee, for engine kits, but don't know if they do Mack. I would buy the bayonet mount air gauges from PAI (I guess both IHC and Mack used these) and gut the case (only thing that went bad on mine were the little "ears" that held in the dash) and fit the IHC gauge in the PAI case. The PAI gauge itself wouldn't work with the IHC quick connect even though it was sold as fitting IHC. You had to re-work the case a bit for the IHC gauge to fit, but it was worth it.

so long ago I don't remember the spec's. Might have been a tad heavier as well, there were a coupla loads I moved in that weight range, I don't remember all the stats on them.

Pre digital picture days, EMD generator move. ~102K on the quad, 56K on the tridem

Its got Trico air wipers, those are getting hard to find parts for.

"Old age sucks, but it beats the alternative" Dad, RIP

When does 40 ton become 90 ton? I moved an EMD 20 cyl, generator and switch gear all enclosed on 8 axles. around 168,000 lbs gross

I will agree that most shops are R&R. There are also plenty of us that do our own work or when special tooling or processes are required have that done to our spec's. I have always considered myself a mechanic not a technician. For the last 25 years or so my K-7 has been running around with a stainless water pump shaft and industrial pump seal. Shaft was made, seal was purchased. I'll re-seal and rebush my Sheppard Steering boxes but the high pressure seal rides on and wears the input shaft, and after a while needs to machined down and a hard sleeve pressed on for a new wear surface. Those get sent out. I have a lathe but not one that can handle the high cutting pressures and tools needed for that kind of work. Things are being made in this country, no one would make a video of it. How long did it take to make a head gasket? I know when I made one out of crush copper it took a long time, lots of hrs to lay out and cut. If I can buy one and have it overnighted, It is still cheaper than my labor and time to make one. What I object to is getting all dewy eyed over repairs and processes that produce end results that aren't up to the task, then lament that it is not being done here! We are a richer country and have better options, that is why it is not done here. When my truck needed a waterpump, I purchased one and was back on the road in hours, I also "ate" the core and rebuild the old one, which I kept. I ran Delco 25 and 26 SI alternators that were modified (by me) to run external as well as internal regulators. Internal set to float voltage and the external handled the IUoU charging profile. I also carried a spare for rare failures. None of this is in reach of the third world, and no one would be impressed of a video of it. Stuff is being made here but we are selective, and while I can admire the tenacity of someone who tries to mend a snapped axle shaft or crankshaft, I also know that it is a weak repair that will fail soon.

Said it right here!

Paul, I think you missed the many times where I said I admire their skills and tenacity, However I was pointing out that the reason we don't do things that way in the developed world is we have better options. Yes, it is they are making the best of a bad situation, but that doesn't make it the best option if you have other choices. JC was implying that we couldn't do that here, I was saying we wouldn't do that here, and the reasons why. It is hard to watch someone make a repair that you know is doomed to fail again and again. Yes, it may be the best that they can afford, and therefore their best attempt, but it doesn't make it up to the task, just as close as they can get. In the video of the over turned truck, if you look closely are the rear suspension casting, you can see old repairs and evidence of cracks that were present for some time before it failed (again). It is frustrating to see repeated failures because you know that is a huge set-back for the owner and/or operator. The implication that we are "pansy's" for not making those types of repairs here is a false one. The man hours alone would push the cost of what they do, impractical, then add the fact that it is a poorer repair, no we will not do things like that here, we are fortunate enough to have better options. in the third world, trucks are often grossly overloaded, making failures almost a certainty, then to know the repair is weaker than the original item that failed.

I was asking about the trans swap. We haven't heard if it is done or how well it is working out.

So, how did this work out?

Big difference between today and 80 years ago. Loads, torque and HP have skyrocketed over what was done 80 years ago. To be able to handle that, metallurgy and mfg processes have changed. Today there are far fewer "twisted' axle shafts, to the point I would say none. Plenty of snapped axle shafts, the axle has become much harder to take the power and loading of today, without gaining in size. loads have increased, torque has increased but size has not. Fine splines carry more torque than the old course spline shafts ever could. Repairs that were "dodgey" at best 80 years ago, with softer metals and components just can't stand up to today's load requirements. Most know on some level that a forging is stronger than a cast or built up piece, A gear set hobbed in the annealed state then hardened, will be stronger that a gear build up with weld on a hardened part then ground. The problem in these 3rd world "repairs" is the original parts were over-loaded to the point of failure, then repaired with weaker processes and put right back in the situation where the original hardened part failed. I can admire the tenacity of them trying, but can't say it is worth the effort, nor condemn those with more options for choosing a better repair. Mfg has moved on from the point that soft steel can be used to handle todays requirements. If you had to build something out of low carbon steel to handle today's loads it would be so big and heavy it could not carry today's loads.