bbigrig

Agree with Superdog....

Happy Birthday Vinny!

Ok.....couple things I have noticed..... Seems very home made. The frame rail behind the sleeper looks small for a CL/RW/MH rail. Looks like my CH or CHN frame rails. The battery box/air tank set up on the passenger side was not an option on a CL. On a CH/CHN/CHU the hood fenders usually sit just over the battery box covers. To me it looks like someone tried to make their own version of a Classic XL by lengthening the hood (Good job from the looks of it) and sliding the cab mounts and bags back on the frame. (changing shifter, steering shafts, some wires and lines in length doesn't seem to huge of a deal to do to make that idea happen??) Pretty neat. Need some more pics and info on this one.

I have one truck that has traction control which is basically part of your ABS system with an extra valve. Its freakin useless! It actually causes more issues in getting stuck in the snow up here in Canada then it helps. Cuts the motor back and applies slight brake pressure to a slipping wheel. It will cut your accelerator pedal down to idle on a major slip. (Useless!) The other new truck we have, we tested 4- way lockers on Meritor axles. The full lockers are the way to go if you need the extra traction. I have yet to get that truck stuck but it means a heavier more expensive truck. Don't bother with the ATC traction control. I have yet to get into a situation that ATC has helped me get out of. Cutting the throttle down has actually got me stuck twice.

Good day, EH.

Pricing will be a lot less then having to do syncros on a Mack Trans. If you have a guy that knows what he is doing, he will pull the Aux box (rear housing) of the transmission that holds the syncro pins and collar while still on the truck. it can be rebuilt and reinstalled fairly easily after dropping the driveshaft etc. In Mack's case you would have to pull the entire trans, then pull the rear gearcase, then replace the syncro clutch pack......blah blah.... Saves a ton on labour and the parts are about 2/3rds of what Macks are.

The PRE-SELECT issue is a poor excuse for a crappy range component design in Mack transmissions. Eaton-Fuller has the same instructions for selecting a range before shifting and has WAY less issues for the same usage regardless of driver error or type of work the truck does. When either make of transmission range fails, the Mack trans is twice the cost in parts and labour to repair the same problem. There comes a time where we have to put our love for the Mack name aside (only briefly!) and admit to Macks failure when comparing transmission reliability and serviceability.

Remember me saying you will have trouble getting parts for the little bastard? The last I saw someone order enough parts to rebuild a Renault engine, it was quite expensive. Let us know how you make out. Some of those Renault engines were very good motors. The bummer was when they went down they were costly to repair, especially in parts.

Old ones can be costly to keep on the road but sure have a lot more class and style.....New ones are WAY over priced but for the most part in my case have been very good on fuel and reliable. Simple really.......Pick your poison and enjoy the ride. I have old and new. They all cost money! I see both points of view here and there really is no good answer. Whatever makes you happy! Just be proud of the Bulldog you take for a walk everyday.

CXN and CHN should be Volvo frame rails. Like Volvo, the tell tale is the outboard of frame mounted steering box with the pitman arm between the frame and steering box. The original CX Visions were built on the CH pretty close to straight frame rails having the steering box with pitman arm facing outwards. CXN and CHN denotes the start of Volvo frame rails with tapered out rails near the engine area to accommodate ASET engines. It was also around the time of the cornerstone frame rails for use on Granites. Those rails were not of Mack design, I'm sure of that. They are the same rails used in the current Pinnacle CXU and CHU. The U denotes MP-2007 and up emissions. If it was a CXP it would be an MP pre 2007 emissions with Volvo rails.

I 'm pretty sure an E9 would fit in a CHN frame. The same Volvo frame in a CHN is pretty wide and accommodates a D16 for the VN. Most of the Gerth on an E9 sit above the frame rails anyway. Length shouldn't be an issue. You could make a Badass Rawhide out of that idea!

I remember that test truck for Atomic up here in Canada. Mack Canada Built 20 CH's up here at the Oakville plant in 89. I know where CH613serial #001020 is. (E7400 15spd Fuller 14/44 on camelback spoke fr and rear double frame 187" wheelbase) I'm still trying to get my hands on it!!! They only built 20 of them and stopped there because they wouldn't update the paint booth for the type of paint the CH called for. That and it was all destined for Winnsboro pretty much from the get go. (Told this by a former engineer from Oakville assembly)

There are kits available to delete the EGR on 5.9L engines like your 04.You will need a tuner as well to fool the sensors. The 5.9L has a more complicated and less reliable EGR set up then the 6.7L *Not sure why it wont let me Quote to bullhusk's comments????*

The newer 2012 Dodge/Cummins 6.7 I have is DPF equipped. The idiots at Cummins felt that its regens should be done by overfueling the cylinders while in operation (Passive) and overfueling cylinders stationary (Active) as well. Most Heavy duty engines we know have the 7th injector downstream from the turbo in the exhaust. ISB, ISC and ISL over fuel the cylinders during regens which causes quite a bit more then normal soot buildup internal to the engine on top of the EGR added amounts. At the TTC where I also hang out on the Hybrid Buses (6.7L), we have had melted pistons due to injector tip failure and even an engine that melted 3 turbos before we figured out it had a weak cylinder that was filling the turbo with near raw fuel and creating an F-14 Tomcat like afterburner during regens. Junk, Junk, Junk!

If it turns over and starts right up after that its not likely fuel. Any check engine lights? Low coolant, oil pressure or temperature related shutdowns are usually delayed by about a minute??? May even have an idle shutdown programed in.

I'm starting to think Its a Cummins problem. Even my 2012 Dodge with an ISB 6.7 gums up the oil pretty quick. I've tried a couple different oils in her and it doesn't seem to make a difference. Lots of soot seems to collect in the bottom end of my ISB 6.7 The ISB 5.9L didn't have the same soot issues. I'm changing oil at 8000kms (5000miles) because I can feel the grit on my fingers at the dipstick around there. I've had the truck since new for 13 months and its at 60,000k (37000miles)

Because its cold out is possible up here in J Martell's and my neck of the woods these days......-30C (-22F) with the windchill for the last month or so....

As a die hard Mack guy and only having 1 Mack Transmission left in my fleet, I feel disappointed by Mack in the transmission category. Sure we can blame it on rookie drivers but from a cost perspective alone, I have had better luck with Fuller. Same drivers with both trannies in regional and city use. Putting a Mack and Fuller up against each other on the range syncro set up alone, The Fuller is cheaper and easier to repair. The gears and bearings seem to have the same lifespan when comparing Mack to Fuller for us. I really do wish Mack put some more effort into making the T200/T300 series of transmissions more serviceable. Mack trannies are a very robust transmission, but were poorly designed for heavy wear and tear on some of the most heavily used components when it comes to regional work. When operating a fleet its hard to stay on top of how drivers are treating the Mack trannies when selecting ranges at proper times etc. ( They were shown) But when the same drivers have no range issues with Fullers you have to start to admit the Fuller seems to take a better beating in that category. I had less issues with My 12 speeds then the T2180's. Bums me out to have to speak negatively about them. Why hasn't Mack made a better and more reliable range syncro set up?

That truck would have sold to some of the fleets that haul B trains and use drome box applications up here. They was no effort into marketing that truck.

So it was a North Americanized "Magnum" demonstrator I saw at Toronto Branch Mack. Thought so.

I was lucky enough to see a Mack/Renault Magnum with an E-tech for power here in Canada at The former Toronto Branch in 1999-2000. It was white had left hand drive, tandem axles and an auto shift transmission if I remember correctly. I thought it sported a name like "Prestige" with Mack name branding. Wish I took a picture. Never seen or heard of it after that day. Ever seen that one?

The most important value of all is how much revenue that truck will bring in for you day in and day out. Resale is only important when you want to get rid of it because you cant keep a transmission working in it.!!!!! Don't feel bad. Do what you need to do to keep rolling.

Yep they would be a big hit in Canada...... If Mack felt there was enough of a market share to gain in building them..... It took almost 4 years to get Mack to build a less then 40" sleeper onto the Titan. When I spoke to Mack Canada's marketing man about sleepers on Titans a year after the release that was his answer. "Not enough money to be made in that market segment". God forbid you build a big heavy truck with a sleeper you can do more then rest your head in. Meanwhile every KW, Pete, Western Star, and Freightliner go by here hauling heavy with an average of a 60" midrise sleeper on them. Mills Heavy Haul from Halifax Nova Scotia mounted a 60" slightly customized midrise on a Titan. He has blown the doors off me a few times passing through Ontario. It looks beautiful. It took a customer to do it on his own. This is as good as it gets in North America.