rsmartyn

Hi Sleeper, Chech out the price at your Mack dealer first, I changed mine not all that long ago and was suprized that the cost wasn't all that bad. Bob

Hi Barry, Funniest one I've ever seen was in a Navy type American Legion (Fleet Reserve) mens room in Lakehurst NJ. Inside the urinal is a bull's eye target with a picture of "Hanoi Jayne Fonda" at the center. One of the guys at the bar saw me laughing as I walked out of the head and asked, "Did you hit the target?" Bob

I always thought that the "DM" came from "dump - mixer", anybody got any thoughts on that?

Hi Thad, Once again I'm late to the party but here's my 2 cents worth anyway. Next door to you here in NJ there's quarries ( like Trap Rock) or large paving outfits (like Trap Rock) or sand, topsoil & fill dirt operations around that'll pay you just enough to stay in business if you have an older truck. If you buy something new you'll have to move out of your home and into the cab to afford it. Anyway, this is a good place to start off with to get your feet wet and better yet, you'll get to meet some other owner operators (there are still a few around who speak English) who could steer you into something that might make you some money. Making money with just a truck and no inside contacts is tough but so is any other business these days. In my case, I have the "B" & "DM" to move and support the machines. I learned that when you focus on a service or operation that you need trucks and machines for (in my case it's septic systems but I still do other stuff) instead of on the trucks and machines themselves, that's when you make money. Without a relative or friend on the inside of some large outfit to help you will make getting started more difficult but if it's what you really want you'll make it. I did by being honest and giving my customers their money's worth (word of mouth is the best advertisement) with no inside help anywhere and there's no reason you can't either if it's what you really enjoy and want to do. Good Luck, Bob

Wow, what a great story! And it could only be done with a "B". I just went outside and hugged my B, "Baby Skiddle" and will dream tonight about doing a rebuild as fantastic as you did on "Ugly". Bob

Hi Shamrock, Great looking truck and a great story to go with it. Something to be proud of and no better legacy to hand down to your son. Good luck and keep on truckin' with that reliable "B". Bob

Hi Barry, Once again I'm late to the party but not too late to say thanks for some really great pictures! Several years ago I had the pleasure of seeing the Blue Angels at Maguire AFB (I live next door). Makes you really proud to be an American, they are awesome. Bob

Other than our military defending our country, can anybody think of the last time the government (Fed, local or state) did anything good for a self employeed working person or at least something that didn't hurt us? Here in NJ every once in a great while the Delaware River floods and they have to shut down the capital in Trenton. It's a beautiful thing. Bob

Hey Thad, I live right next to Fort Dix, Maguire AFB and Lakehurst Naval Base and haven't seen them driving anything around as sweet looking as those military Macks. Maybe our DOD should have a talk with those Aussies and order some real trucks. Bob

I'm with you guys, what a waste using a Mack for that test instead of some junk that isn't worth rebuilding. The least they could have done was to strap Zacarius Moussaoui on the nose of that Mack for their stupid test and they would have accomplished something positive. Bob

Some key words there from Kevin and why most of us love Macks - "You can sure make money with 'em" Bob

Good advice there from Truxnut. Most diesel B's I know of were 12 volt positive ground running and 24 volt starting. You do have a series paralell switch under the buddy seat don't you? Your best bet is to pickup an older Motor's Repair Manual for trucks from the sixties or early seventies which'll give you some good wiring schematics on the wiring spagetti your truck probably has. Watch Ebay where they go cheap enough. Make sure that if you use 4 six volt batteries that they're all good because one or two bad ones can screw up the circuit breakers in your series paralell switch. What that switch does is normally each pair of six volt batteries in series putting out 12 volts, are connected paralell (in the series paralell switch) to put out 12 volts and run the electrical system and are charged that way. When you push the starter button, the solenoid engages the series paralell switch to connect each 12 volt pair in series instead of paralell to put out 24 volts to the starter. That's that heavy clunk you hear under the seat when you start your truck if it's working right. Good luck, Bob

Hi Skip, When I cleaned up the DM for paint I used some stuff from Hotsy called RipperII which really worked well on grease and road dirt as well as old oil but it will screw up your paint if you leave it on too long. Their Nytro cleaner works pretty good for routine cleanings and both go for $45 for 5 gallons. If you blow off the heavy stuff first and get everything warm, then soak the cleaner on and let it sit a little it works pretty good and will go a long way. Bob

Magnificent job so far Rick, I'm impressed. That'll be some classy ride when your done. Good Luck, Bob

Hi Thad, In the construction business here in NJ you can get equipment in transit plates. Six sets used to cost $100 but I'm sure that's gone up like everything else. You had to provide an insurance certifcate (contractors liability) made out to NJDMV and when I last renewed they were taking business checks. Only stipulations I knew were no payload in the truck, no after dark and I think no weekends. I only used them interstate before the apportioned tags came out so I don't know how that deal works now either. Bob

Remember what Ronald Reagan said were some of the scariest words in the English language? "We're from the government and we're here to help you" Help us empty our wallets, that's for sure. Bob

Yup, you're right Superdog, no tubeless for 24" rubber yet. You've got to watch also 'cause my tire guy showed me that when I switched from 11x22 tube type to tubeless I had to go to 12x24.5. The 11x24.5's couldn't handle the weight that the 11x22's could but the 12's did. Bob

Welcome to the site Little Joe, good God don't sell that "B", you just got here! That member number they gave you is a little scary though. Bob

Hi Guys, I get about the same fuel economy as you Trent with the DM which has a (I thought) 285 with a tip turbine. I've got to fix the speedometer cable in the "B" so I can figure out the fuel mileage. Friday I filled it up and worked her hard for 11 hours, half empty half loaded. Today again I drove about 5 hours half empty half loaded but didn't work her quite as hard. The results at the fuel pump today, are you ready......25.2 gallons is all that old 673 burned. One of the many reasons I love that old truck, have no intentions of retiring her until I do too and use her as much as possible especially now with fuel prices going into orbit. Bob

Any of you guys ever drive a DM600 or DM800 tandem dump? Now I've never driven an MR and I'm sure that the ride is brutal but they gotta go some to be more punishing than the DM's that have catapulted my head into the roof more than once. Bob

Hey Barry, Thanks for the pictures WOW! : Bob

Hey Thad, Boy am I glad I'm an old fart who was grandfathered into a CDL and only had to originally take the computer test. And I'm really an old fart "cause I was grandfathered into the auto-articulated licenses that came out around '77. I started reading your post with all those regulations and my eyes got crossed and my head got dizzy. What I want to know is how all these Mexicans, Turks and other foreigners read, understand and pass all this crap. To tell the truth, most guys my age (53) and older got a job truck driving the same way - BS'd their way in. Can you drive that truck? would ask the boss. Yeah sure, you'd answer and make a fool out of yourself but eventually you got the hang of it or found someone desperate enough to hire you. And those were the days of duplexs, triplexs and quadboxes, talk about grinding gears! Construction equipment operating was the same way, machines were much more difficult to run but you'd BS your way in and get fired and get a little more experience till you found somebody who needed anybody. A lot of places it's still like that. Enough of my stroll down memory lane, I just wanted to say that it is tougher for todays generation to get started than mine but in a lot of ways the roads are safer for it. Bob

Hi Kevin, Are you sure you want to mess with an economical fuel sipping 237 with todays fuel prices going through the roof? You can't get around it, more power means burning more fuel and if you're trying to earn a living with that Mack it would be nice for your pocketbook to pass those 700HP hotrods at the fuel station who just passed you a few miles back. I've still got the original END673 in my "B" which still works regularly and is fantastic on fuel. I won't win many drag races but the low RPM torque blows away a lot of newer engines and I enjoy driving by them as they fuel up . Bob

Hi Trent, This past winter I got rid of the generator on my B61 which has an END673. In it's place is a Leece Neville alternator with a + or - ground setup. The R model bracket they sold me (big bucks) didn't work no matter how much I played with it trying to get the pulleys to line up. I ended up using the generator bracket with a long bolt and shimming the gaps with pipe and washers to tighten up the alternator base. Also the pulley they sold me was too large and at an idle the alternator didn't put out enough juice so once again back to the generator for the old double pulley which was smaller in diameter and puts out great at an idle to full throttle. They told me that the circuit breakers in the series paralell might not handle the increased current from the 100 amp alternator but so far so good, no problems there. And so far no problems with the generator bracket shimmed out after a lot of use especially lately. Seven weeks ago I put my DM tandem in a body shop who told me that it would be done in two weeks so the B has been doing all of the work lately. Hope this helps you some Bob

Hi Steve, That is one fine looking "B" you have there and what's even better is that you still work it. As far as being too slow, I wonder how many other venicles that raced by your "B" since it was new have been crushed and melted into new Toyotas. B61's aren't all that much faster unless you get into some serious engine-trans-rear replacement and even when you get it to go 80 MPH uphill there will be some fool right behind you trying to pass to get to the junkyard first (or graveyard). So enjoy driving a classic as I'm sure you do and screw them hotrods, just let 'em pass, and know that there's a lot of guys here that know you've got a great truck. Bob