GearheadGrrrl

I thought the UPS MHs with spring suspension rode pretty decent...

That RB just looks too cool to replace!

But FMCSA rules only ban currently using drunks and addicts from the road, they impose no "off the road" time after a driver quits using.

The B model is better proportioned, the other model is top heavy and overloaded.

Unless you're old truck has a million miles on it or your working it 24/7 you're probably better of keeping it until you can afford to pay cash for a new one.

I've heard a salesman for a Volvo/Mack dealership bad mouth Mack, even claimed the Mack they had was $2000 cheaper than the similarly specced Volvo because the Volvo was a better truck!

The Pitt-Ohio Pinnacle is a much neater job of packaging these components. Obviously Mack can get it right when you demand it, but in trucks built for dealer inventory they don't seem to give a darn and just scatter the components all along the frame rails.

I've noticed the same problem on the newer trucks too- even with a bit over 200 inches of wheelbase there's isn't much space left along the frame rails. The frame mounted air tanks would free up a couple feet of rail, but I haven't seen a new Mack with them. Also, is the vertical mount DPF filter still available- the trucks I've seen lately were day cabs and with a 200+ inch wheelbase there was plenty of space behind the cab.

IIRC all the 2000 and later Maxitorques are overgear transmissions. I'm amazed too at the export prices- while the US market assumes a 1980s truck is worn out, the rest of the world appreciates that a 25 year old Mack has at least half it's working life left!

MR cabs are damn sturdy- The Postal Service had a driver lose his brakes in Kansas City and go into a brick apartment building. The cab remained intact and the driver survived. Unfortunately a young child in the building was killed.

Lessons from the farm shows- Couple weeks ago I paid my annual visit to Farmfest in western Minnesota. The show is huge and will seriously challenge your walking ability... If you've got a golf cart, you might want to bring it. I've been to Farmfest a half dozen or so times, but something was new this year- a Mack dealer was there! Ness Trucks was out in force with a handful of staffers, two Macks, a Volvo, and a couple medium sized Volvo loaders that looked like they'd come in handy around the farm. This dealership gets it- the axle forward Pinnacle they brought looked ready to hook to a grain trailer, and the setback axle Pinnacle with sleeper would have done a livestock trailer proud. Even the Volvo showed their understanding of their market- a VN with the short low roof sleeper. That's long been a popular spec in the midwest, where ag haulers want a sleeper for the occasional overnights or "naps" but don't want the weight and air resistance of a "condo" sleeper. To give you an idea of the strength of the ag market, Ness just sold a new Volvo to a farmer that admits he'll only be putting 5600 miles a year on it. But with income taxes taking any of his robust 2011 profits he doesn't reinvest by year end, a $100,000+ new truck is a good investment that will put him and his family's farm in a reliable truck for decades to come. Would have preferred he'd bought a Mack though! On to Dakotafest, South Dakota's twin to Farmfest. Lotsa big iron here, a couple trailer dealers even brought 9 axle "trains". Again, Mack was represented by local dealer Sheehan's with a small display. The only Volvos they brought were construction equipment, and the Mack they brought... Awesome! Sheehan's showed a superlative axle forward Pinnacle day cab with 14k front axle, all Mack drivetrain including an MP8 engine and 18 speed Maxitorque, held together by what looked to be a 300 mm. tall Granite frame that was at least 7 mm. if not 8 mm. thick. All ready to hook onto a grain or gravel train! That's what's right- clearly these dealers get it while Volvo still thinks all Titans should be hooked to lowboys and not wander far enough to need a sleeper, an MP8 is enough power for any non permit load, and it's OK to hog five feet of frame rail with emmisions gear because we'd just put unauthorized axles there otherwise. Mack, come to South Dakota and we'll show you 17 axle doubles "trains" that gross 170,000 pounds in a state so huge you'll need to log sleeper berth time to get across it and back. Mack ought to own this market, but because Volvo has muzzled the Bulldog Kenworthless, Peterbroke, and Wasted Star own the market here. Enough editorializing... Time to get back on the bike and see if I can get a picture of that 17 axle doubles "train" on the way home!

It's pretty much the same thing as a Mack Western mid hood R model.

Not sure if the belongs here (the CL700 is out of production) or Modern Mack Trucks (The CL700s aren't really old yet). Was making the turn from US 14 eastbound to the ramp to MN 23 this morning and noted a red CL700 hooked to a lowbow loaded with light tracked carriers painted in camo colors. I think they call them "Weasels" or something like that and the utilities use them a lot for going across swampy ground, etc.. Was wondering what company's truck it was, and surprised by the lack of a sleeper. Didn't see any carrier's name on the cab, and just as I passed by saw a "US Army" license plate on the front bumper. IIRC, Mack sold some Superliners to the military before the first Gulf War around 1991, and more recently some Granites. But a red CL700? Are there any more of these out there? Looked like he turned onto US 14 eastbound and there's a place near Minneapolis that rebuilds those tracked carriers, I'll keep an eye out and see if I can catch a better look at this red military bulldog again.

With power comes responsibility... Have fun!

Congrats! Now I need to get one and quit being "Mackless"...

The customer knows better what he or she needs than any Volvo engineer! There are more than a few customers who need a heavy haulage rig for 100 ton loads with a big sleeper for when they get stuck on a job 50 miles from a motel room in the Dakotahs. And how about Canada where you need the MP10 engine for there 62.5 ton metric weight limits but need something short enough with a comfy sleeper to pull a 20 meter B train in their 25 meter length limits? Mack needs a Pinnacle length BBC Titan for that market. And how about the 80k GVW hauler who just wants a prestigious high hp truck? Heck, he's a paying customer, so Volvo needs to quit sneering at him and let him have a Titan with a big sleeper and lots of chrome. Heck, build him a Titan with an MP8 if he wants one... There were plenty of Superliners built with sixes instead of the mighty Mack V8, and it didn't hurt Mack's bottom line a bit!

I agree- KW & Pete will be happy to build you a heavy hauler with your choice of axle position, hood length, sleeper, etc.. After a couple years of complaints all Mack has come up with is a cobbled on short sit in sleeper. No wonder my Volvo stock hasn't risen with the rest of the market!

The big bakeries out west seem to love droms... Hostess Brands has dozens of cabovers with about 11 foot long droms and they're getting up in years and may be for sale cheap. I've seen a few of them dismounted from the chassis and parked around their truck shops. If you see one I'd ask and see if they'll sell it cheap... IIRC when I worked for the company a truck shop manager could sell used vehicles and parts for up to $500 without higher level authorization.

Well, if I buy a bunch of Macks will you guys drive for me? I don't pay much...

Couple Mack advantages I've noticed lately: 1. Real world aerodynamics: The so called aero trucks like the ProStar and Cascadia come with flimsey plastic bumpers. After the 1st encounter with a deer, etc. the front of the truck is defiled with a giant "roo bar" in hopes of preventing the next multi thousand dollar repair bill and days out of service waiting for parts. With the big 'ol "roo bar", the truck is no longer very aerodynamic. Mack provides real world aerodynamics in the form of sturdy metal bumpers... Which explains why one doesn't see many "roo bars" on the front of Macks, except for the ones that ply the outback roads. One sees this advantage across the Mack line... While sturdy as all get out, the Granite is much more aerodynamic than KW and Pete's obsolete boxy riveted aluminum cabs. 2. Vocational specific models: At the Minnesota ATHS show yesterday the local Navistar dealer displayed a new dump truck. This was what I think they call the "Workstar", and it uses the medium duty cab. This thing had three steering pusher axles and about a 20 foot long box. In Minnesota, the legal GVW on this thing is almost 70,000 pounds. The frame on this thing? Single channel, 5/16" thick at most. Should keep the frame shop busy! With the Granite, even a newby salesperson can't underspec the truck- a 3/8" frame and numerous reinforcements are standard equipment. Compare that to Navistar, Freightliner, KW, or Pete where a dim bulb salesperson can spec an 80,000 GVW construction truck with the same 1/4" single rail frame and 12k/40k axles as an on highway tractor. 3. Engine packaging: As other forum members have noted, Navistar's supposedly simpler emmissions system isn't. Looking at the two trucks Navistar displayed, I can see why technicians have nothing good to say about them. There was a web of wiring and tubing all around the engine that got in the way of everything. It was in fact difficult to see the engine, never mind touch it. The local Mack dealer, Nuss, had a CHN axle forward conventional on display with the hood open, and what a difference it was- All the wiring and piping had been neatly tucked away to provide the best access possible for the technician. And even though it was a tractor, that CHN had more beef than Navistar's not-quite-up-to-the-job dump truck, with a 12 inch tall 5/16" thick frame.

Guys, I have to partly agree with you- we need to stimulate our economy, not China's and Mexico's! The stimulus was a good idea, but there should have been a requirement that the stimulus contractors use US made products as much as possible.

Problem is that Mack under Renault's "leadership" killed the Superliner and Volvo killed the last of the R models. Thus there's no point in promoting a product you're no longer making. Paccar doesn't have this problem, as they've had the good sense to keep their legacy products like the W900 and 359 in production.

Mack corporate should be sponsoring these truck customizers so we have more than one Mack truck entered. In the motorcycle biz, Polaris is sponsoring many of the Victory custom bikes you see in the shows and bike mags- they supply the bike gratis to the customizer and pay for accessories like the Motorvation sidecars too.

With those long fifth wheel ramps I'd suspect it's ex-military.

Expensive, but I doubt if a KW or Star with the same specs would be any cheaper. BTW, those weights sound heavier than the "garden variety" 3 MW wind turbines they've been putting in around here. Are these perhaps the new 5 MW wind turbines?