Rob

Is there much of a call for 14.5" lowboy tires? Getting ready to build a trailer and want the lowest profile deck I can get. I remember seeing a tag trailer with 14 ply 8R-14.5 "Lowboy Special" trailer tires but it was a few years old. They were Dayton brand tires. Thanks, Rob

Good friends of mine build sawmill equipment here and a knuckleboom crane could be very handy to have around. My boom crane truck works well but I really could use more capacity. I used to unload corn wagons, and buck bales a lot when I was younger. The way it was around here was that those willing to work always had money in their pocket. Rob

I've seen plenty of those around but have never worked on one. I suppose the R690 has the more standard hood of the R model then? Rob

What is an RD690? I've seen the term a lot but not well versed on the newer stuff. Rob

He turned back after discovering the hood was red in dissapointment. Has yet to recover enough to post. Rob

Be careful there Martin, don't be swayed by the comments with an underlying motive. As you can see Other Dog wants that loader too, but remember; I called first dibs. Rob

A lot of times the exhaust will have a slight "pop" in the tone followed by a short blast of smoke from 100% unburnt fuel. If your compression checks out alright I would send the injectors into the shop and have them calibrated/rebuilt while they were out. Rob

Just prior to jerking that log loader off and sending it to me I would pull the injection nozzles and start with a compression test of the engine to verify the cylinder integrity. When the engine is running and up to temp have you looked into the radiator to see if it is bubbling, or has oil in the coolant? I don't know that much about Cummins engines but the basics still apply no matter what the brand. If your engine compression looks to be even, balanced, and within spec, major mechanical parts can be ruled out. It is entirely possible that you have a dripping injector. You did not mention if the engine runs well or has a slight miss, or dead miss on one cylinder. You may have an engine that is ready for an inframe rebuild also. Rob

The 707 engine was very good in it's day but is several years obsolete now. You can get much more power with a readily available 237 Mack diesel engine and it is virtually a bolt in swap. CF Macks were built with that engine and others of higher horsepower yet. I don't know what rear axle or ratio you have but would be willing to bet it would be slow, meaning a high numerical number. They are not difficult to change with assistance. Everything is big, and heavy but that is the only real drawback. You would be more cost effective to purchase a complete truck and use it for parts as opposed to purchasing everything you need from salvage yards. The 707 engine is getting very difficult to obtain parts for from my understanding. Rob

If you have a series resistor network in the headlamp circuit it is highly probable that the system has been converted to 12VDC. Why someone would go to the trouble of doing this to stay with a 35-40 watt incadescent lamp I will not understand but it wasn't my truck. 12VDC automotive headlamps are 50-55 watt and the lumen output is much higher. At less than $10.00 a bulb, they are inexpensive. I would look further to verify the correct voltage of the system. On the firewall will be the voltage regulator. It is a black steel case and may still say "Delco-Remy" on the cover but it will be about 3 inches tall, and about 5 inches in length and have four, or five wire attached to terminals. One of the terminals will be stamped with the operating voltage, and a +, or a - indicating ground polarity. I would look there, the magnetic switch that pulls the starter motor in, the tailamp bulbs, the interior dome lamp bulbs, and the dash lamps. There should also be a flasher unit either in the glove box, or affixed to the steering column, (or close proximity) that will have the operating voltage on it. The battery only serves to start the engine, the generator carries the load at operating speed and recharges the battery. At low rpm such as idle, the battery does carry a good portion of the electrical load but as soon as the revolutions rise, the generator supplies the juice. Alternators do the same function at a much lower rpm. Rob

The Donaldson air ram scoop is relatively inexpensive and available in many sizes. The Maradyne "Turbo Precleaner" is not inexpensive at all, (at least to me). The extension is just a piece of aluminum air path tube that can be purchased at most heavy truck parts suppliers, or Donaldson themselves. If you extend the inlet up much at all, you best buy a bracing set to support the tube as the airflow running down the road will take it out of the clamps. These things really don't hinder inlet air at all. The "air scoops" actually enhance the airflow at road speed due to ram air effect. Rob

Pretty common occurance on the GM truck lug wrenches there. Think I've seen close to a dozen in the past couple years. Throwout bearing, and clutch brake comming apart? If a buddies CH hadn't done that to him, I'd never had my A-40 cause it was in the dealership getting prepped for sale when he came along. Maybe this bit of "misfortune" can go in your favor? I never understood the reasoning for mounting a wrecker bed so far back on the frame. Dangerous operation in my opinion. I like steer axle weight. I would think a Mack dealer would have enough pride in their operating fleet to at least not have broken emblems on the hood, and a twisted chrome bumper for everyone to judge their appearance by yet have the corporate "Mack" decal emblazoned on the doors. A sharp and tidy looking outfit goes far with the public as they remember when needing road service. Rob

I've only physically seen a single Bering truck in my lifetime and that was twice. When I ran the wrecker service out of my auto body shop I was called to a bad accident with fatalities and four vehicles involved. I was loading up a car and a light truck, this Bering truck was loading up the other two. I spoke with the driver cause I'd never seen that type of truck before and he stated he'd bought it cheap out east someplace. I think it had a MAN diesel engine but I'm not sure but I do know it was not a Cummins. I seen this same truck, (minus the rollback bed) in a scrapyard about six months later, and my thought was that it must have not been a very good truck. On another call I once again ran into the same driver with a new Chevrolet rollback and I asked him about the truck. He said that it was not dependable and almost impossible to get parts for the engine. He traded it in at a wrecker dealer with an engine noise who broke it apart, scrapped the chassis, and built another wrecker with the bed. This was in the Peoria, IL area about the 2002 timeframe. It could be different in your area but I've not seen another truck around like that one so they must not of "caught on" so to speak. Rob

My daughter Nikki received a passing grade on her state board exams for veterinarian certification tonight. We are very proud; She is ecstatic! Rob

Same attitude General Motors had in the 1970's. Look at them now. Rob

If it is in fact a V6 engine, be sure to identify which vendor engine it is, (brand). I've never seen anything but a Mack engine in a "CF" series truck. Try to post a photo of what you have also. Rob

Way to go there Tom. Great job and thanks for posting the photos. One question though. Have you put any thought to how much more you could have given had you painted the hood on the mixer black??? Rob

Being a gasoline, (petrol) powered unit this would be correct. Positive ground, (earth) was very common in the timeframe before alternators became the normal application for battery charging. Rob

Is it an inline Mack diesel? Rob

One would need to ascertain what powerplant is installed to answer further. While some diesels do in fact use a trigger from the alternator windings, most heavy equipment of this vintage use some sort of reluctor ring and a magnetic pickup to drive an electronic gauge of some type. Rob

Naw, not really. Triple belly rolls kinda hide everthing. Even the belt that holds ma pants up. I did "challenge" momma to try to chew on both big toenails at the same time. So with her sitting on the floor, and just as she got both left and right big toes into her mouth, I gave her a shove from the rear and she went to rolling like a bowling ball! Don't think I've seen the girl that mad in years cause when she stopped against the wall, the resulting shockwave to the house from the impact knocked a few of her knick knacks from the curio shelf, breaking them on the tile floor. Woman can still cuss like a drunken sailor too I'm tellin ya. Think I'll sleep on the couch for a couple of days. Rob

Probably, but I can only imagine the size of the hole in the middle when she was doing that. Rob

Hey Jared, welcome to the site. As you have probably experienced there are some illicit personnel sniffing around here trying to stir up trouble. Pay no attention to, nor participate in it. Be especially leary of that "Other Dog" character. He goes to great lengths to steer good people of this website to his dastardly ways. Oh yeah, I almost forgot; Don't pick on me. My feelings are tender, impressionable, and easily irreparably scarred. Rob

Well, I have no shame, pride, glory, nor guilt, but I do have a healthy set of hemorrhoids. That is why I always stand at the computer, or sit on an ice pack while driving. You've seen the way I enter to sit in a truck. I don't want to bend over for fear of "Popping a Scab" cause then I might embarrass people. Rob

The hands had a feminine look to them. I sure hope she don't chew her toenails too. Then our wives would really have something to talk about. Rob