Supertrucker

I sure hope Mack stays with their tradtional look and don't go the way of the Volvo. I'm not a big fan of the latest Volvo models. Mack could borrow some of the interior refinements but hopefully the look stays all Mack.

Lol..I know what you mean. That old truck's days of being on the road everyday are done. However, it is certainly a testament to the durability of an old truck.

Hey guys. I wanted to share a story of one tough RS Dump that's in Dad's fleet. Dad bought this truck in the early days of our business and it had been a milk tanker in it's previous life. It's equipped with a heavy front end, walking beam rear, double frame, a 300 engine, and a 6 speed tranny. We took the tanker off and mounted a dump box in it's place. It worked for several years spreading gravel on township roads and hauling stuff that we didn't want to put in our other dumps. He was contracted by the DNR to haul boulders and rocks across a frozen lake in South Dakota to build an island for ducks. You can probably tell where this is going. He had been there for nearly a week and during the trips across, the DNR drilled holes in the ice checking the thickness and looking for cracks. On one of his last trips across, he was coming back empty when he suddenly felt the rear end of the truck drop. He was luckily near the shore when it happened. The truck slowly sank in the mud until the water was up to the bottom of the doors. It took two tractor backhoes and a wrecker to pull it out. Once it was out of the water, he and a couple mechanics worked all night to drain the mud and water from the rear ends and make several other repairs so he could get home. He drove 45 mph all the way back home to Minnesota where it was immediately brought into the shop. The fuel tanks mounts were bent as were the air tanks. We had to straighten the rear of the dump box and put new pins in as well. After about a week of repairs, she was back on the road. Years later, Dad hired a young guy who was a son of one of Dad's long time employees. He put him in the RS to help spread gravel. On one of his first trips out, the driver left the yard and traveled the mile and a half to the black top road. He bent down to pick something up and at the same time turned the wheel until he nearly went off the road. Being a rookie, he overcorrected, lost control, and rolled the truck down the steep ditch. The driver's left hand got crushed in the from the A pillar coming down on it. The cab was trashed as was the hood. The dump box got a little twisted but the cab took the brunt of the damage. We put a new cab and hood on, fixed the bent steps and dump box, straightened out the air and fuel tank brackets once again, and put a new exhaust stack on. This old truck is still on the road but it has kinda been retired to hauling concrete and rip rap since the box is already all beat up. Let me know what you all think!

Hey everyone, just joined today and glad to be here. I kinda glanced at all the picture galleries and glad to see so many sweet looking Macks. Just a little about myself. I'm from a small town in Northern Minnesota and grew up around Macks. Grandpa started our construction company and Dad and his brother took it over when I was about 2 or 3. We started with a 1971 R-600 and had various R models throughout the year and we've added to the fleet with CH's and just recently a Vision. Before Dad got into his Macks he was an over the road trucker driving an old White Freightliner and a Peterbilt. He always swore that there was nothing tougher than a Mack and he's proven it. Those two old trucks were soon sold off when I was born as he wanted to stay home to raise his family. They were quickly replaced with two 1980 RS dumps, one of which we still have and still use. His drivers pull belly dumps and side dumps, hauling aggregate products in our home area. I just got my CDL two summers ago and worked for another company who also ran Macks. I have driven many different brands in that short period of time and none compare to a good ol Mack. I spent last summer in a 1996 CH pulling a tri axle belly dump and a 34ft. tri axle end dump. It had a 327 Mack engine with a Mack 9. It was a little underpowered, but had that low end grunt that Macks are known for. About 11 years ago, Dad wanted a project and we drove up north to pick up a 1957 B-61 he had heard about. The truck ran great and drove just the same. We drove it home and disassembled it and that is how it sits as of right now. We just have not had the space or the time to work on it as I am still in college and he has since been busier in the summer. So this is a long intro, but I love talking about trucking and personal stories and experiences. Thanks