Why Can't We Buy Cabover?

[bubbamobilin]

i got 1 and love it 91 mh all air ride v8 500 i wouldnt trade it for 10 peterbilts

You said it all when you said V8 500. A person can put up with a lot of stuff when you got one of those under the hood.

[vision386]

Oh don't get me wrong,mine was a good truck,E-6 400,13 speed road ranger,air-ride, but i still stick by my original statement,this truck rode TERRIBLE!,to the point where i had it back to the dealer several times,never got the ride situation figuered out,broken cab mount,several broken steer axle shocks,it even broke the drivers seat mount once! my dad drove it once when his truck was in the shop,he said "you oughta'call this thing teddy roosevelt,cause it's one rough ridin'S.O.B"!....................Mark

[Lmackattack]

RW613... thats the nicest MH I have ever seen. that is a truck that gets noticed. Bet it passes alot of them up also if the pump has been adjusted...

[Lmackattack]

Mark the first time I ever remember seeing a MH it had a paint job just like yours.

I remember it well because there was 2 of them ,same paint job, and both were pulling an end dump. They were working near a creek that passed under a major roadway in town. the trucks were backing off the road and down to near the edge of the creek. Problem was the cabovers were to tall to fit under the bridge to get to the backhoe. The R models fit under just fine LOL...Sharp trucks but not the best for construction LOL

[bullhusk]

Years back 71-72 I drove a Freightliner day cab CO 318- 15 speed R/R Hendrickson extended leaf springs. We hauling cement (tanker) for Hudson Cement out of Colonial S&S Jersey Plant, an that was one of the best riding an pullin trucks I ever drove! the best part was that you could get in an out of just about any yard you del. too

BULLHUSK

[Lmackattack]

Heck....they all ride nice when your at 80K gross. LOL

[bullhusk]

80,000 gross? Hell back then that was only half a load!!

BULLHUSK

[vision386]

Mark the first time I ever remember seeing a MH it had a paint job just like yours.

I remember it well because there was 2 of them ,same paint job, and both were pulling an end dump. They were working near a creek that passed under a major roadway in town. the trucks were backing off the road and down to near the edge of the creek. Problem was the cabovers were to tall to fit under the bridge to get to the backhoe. The R models fit under just fine LOL...Sharp trucks but not the best for construction LOL

Weird thing about that paint job was it was SUPPOSED to be the other way around,i ordered white with blue stripes! somehow the order sheet got mixed up and this is the way it came in! i was leased to Atlas van lines at the time,and their policy was the tractor had to be mostly white! i did manage to get it worked out thankfully,that picture was taken the day i picked it up,i think it had 2-300 miles on it!....Mark

[heavyhauler]

I really enjoy driving this MH but perhaps the air ride suspension, air ride cab and air ride seat all combine to make the difference.

Regards,

John

[other dog]

Back when cabovers were a large part of trucking in this country, there was a different breed of driver in the seat. Experience was prevelant rather than distant. I can only imagine the fatality rate with many current truck drivers in a cabover.

How things have changed.

My favorite cabover always was the IH Transtar II with a 8V-71 and an RTO-9513 on 3.70's. The two I drove were smooth, relatively quiet, and quite fast for their day.

Rob

The first 4 trucks I ever drove when I started driving full time were 2 '74 Transtars,first with a 290 Cummins, the other a VT903, both 13 speeds, one overdrive, the other direct drive, then 2 F-model Macks, a '77 and a '79. Then I drove cabover KW's until we went to conventional cabs 10 years later. I liked 'em all.

[vision386]

The first 4 trucks I ever drove when I started driving full time were 2 '74 Transtars,first with a 290 Cummins, the other a VT903, both 13 speeds, one overdrive, the other direct drive, then 2 F-model Macks, a '77 and a '79. Then I drove cabover KW's until we went to conventional cabs 10 years later. I liked 'em all.

I started as a company driver for Atlas van lines in 82" we had all cabovers then,i drove a GMC astro,300 cummins,9 speed,F-model 237,5 speed,white road commander,6V-92 detroit,9 speed,the last new truck i had was a Freightliner,first one we got that was a twin-screw,formula 350 cummins,10 speed. Out of all of those i liked the astro the best!

[other dog]

I started as a company driver for Atlas van lines in 82" we had all cabovers then,i drove a GMC astro,300 cummins,9 speed,F-model 237,5 speed,white road commander,6V-92 detroit,9 speed,the last new truck i had was a Freightliner,first one we got that was a twin-screw,formula 350 cummins,10 speed. Out of all of those i liked the astro the best!

D'oh!! I plum forgot about the Astro, a '78 Astro went in between the 2 Transtars, 290 Cummins 9 speed. Solid white in color.

[other dog]

You said it all when you said V8 500. A person can put up with a lot of stuff when you got one of those under the hood.

Amen to that!

[vision386]

D'oh!! I plum forgot about the Astro, a '78 Astro went in between the 2 Transtars, 290 Cummins 9 speed. Solid white in color.

One i drove looked a lot like this one,just it was a single axle,probably the best visibility of any cabover i ever drove,bout' the only thing i was'nt crazy about was the wraparound dash,kinda'hard to get in/out of the bunk.....Mark

[Rob]

One i drove looked a lot like this one,just it was a single axle,probably the best visibility of any cabover i ever drove,bout' the only thing i was'nt crazy about was the wraparound dash,kinda'hard to get in/out of the bunk.....Mark

Was the dash plastic busted up or loose in yours? I drove one once and it was in some kind of rough shape. Like driven without any maintenance until it wouldn't get through an inspection. It had a 6-71 and nine speed if I remember correctly.

Rob

[vision386]

Was the dash plastic busted up or loose in yours? I drove one once and it was in some kind of rough shape. Like driven without any maintenance until it wouldn't get through an inspection. It had a 6-71 and nine speed if I remember correctly.

Rob

No,no real problems with the one i drove,we got 4 of them all speced the same,battleship gray interior,very "spartan" inside,but a "bulletproof" truck nonetheless,these were some of the least problematic trucks we had at the time,the freightliner cabovers that proceeded them were absoulute junk! fit/finish was terrible,the windshields leaked,numerous electrical problems,runs/sags in the factory paint,"welfare" heat/AC (sometimes it worked,sometimes it did'nt!) this was one of the deciding factors in me buying my first truck,got tired of driving someone elses headache!.............Mark

[other dog]

No,no real problems with the one i drove,we got 4 of them all speced the same,battleship gray interior,very "spartan" inside,but a "bulletproof" truck nonetheless,these were some of the least problematic trucks we had at the time,the freightliner cabovers that proceeded them were absoulute junk! fit/finish was terrible,the windshields leaked,numerous electrical problems,runs/sags in the factory paint,"welfare" heat/AC (sometimes it worked,sometimes it did'nt!) this was one of the deciding factors in me buying my first truck,got tired of driving someone elses headache!.............Mark

I never drove a cabover Freightliner but I always liked the looks of them. The standard Freightliner joke then was that you had to wear a raincoat inside it when it rained, but a lot of those KW windshields leaked too.

[vision386]

http://www.caboverkings.com/

Some pretty neat cabovers here,couple of good stories as well!...Mark

[other dog]

http://www.caboverkings.com/

Some pretty neat cabovers here,couple of good stories as well!...Mark

That's a great site, I read the whole thing. You're right, some good stories there, thanks!

[vision386]

That's a great site, I read the whole thing. You're right, some good stories there, thanks!

I kinda' found it by accident,was looking for a picture of an astro,ended up there!

[B613T owner]

Yes that's a great MH! drove one myself for a while. Really liked the truck. Now i drive a DAF cabover which is very comfortable. it couldn't be compared by old US cabovers but its more like the modern conventionals. Since we have narrow streets overhere in Europe i get around very well,of course the steerable rear axle on the trailer helps too.

i got 1 and love it 91 mh all air ride v8 500 i wouldnt trade it for 10 peterbilts

[Underdog]

Go ahead and line me up in front of the firing squad, but IMHO the MH was THE finest truck that Mack ever put together. Very well engineered, comfortable, easy to drive and service. Styling ahead of its time- even today it looks like a modern truck.

My '85 had E9500, 9 speed, 208" wheelbase on "soft ride" camelback springs. With my spread axle air-ride trailer loaded right, this truck rode as good or better than my current CX.

Go ahead and shoot me again 'cause I traded my MH for the CX.

Gregg

[other dog]

Go ahead and line me up in front of the firing squad, but IMHO the MH was THE finest truck that Mack ever put together. Very well engineered, comfortable, easy to drive and service. Styling ahead of its time- even today it looks like a modern truck.

My '85 had E9500, 9 speed, 208" wheelbase on "soft ride" camelback springs. With my spread axle air-ride trailer loaded right, this truck rode as good or better than my current CX.

Go ahead and shoot me again 'cause I traded my MH for the CX.

Gregg

It's a good looking truck. I never drove an MH or a Cruiseliner, but I just never liked the looks of the Cruiseliners.

[Underdog]

It's a good looking truck. I never drove an MH or a Cruiseliner, but I just never liked the looks of the Cruiseliners.

It is hard to believe the MH, Mack's finest COE, followed the Cruiseliner, perhaps the worst POS that ever carried a Bulldog. You just can't use POPRIVETS and expect a truck to hold together...

Gregg

[vision386]

Go ahead and line me up in front of the firing squad, but IMHO the MH was THE finest truck that Mack ever put together. Very well engineered, comfortable, easy to drive and service. Styling ahead of its time- even today it looks like a modern truck.

My '85 had E9500, 9 speed, 208" wheelbase on "soft ride" camelback springs. With my spread axle air-ride trailer loaded right, this truck rode as good or better than my current CX.

Go ahead and shoot me again 'cause I traded my MH for the CX.

Gregg

That is a good looking truck! i did like mine other than the ride,it was a good driving/handling truck....but i have to admit,my current CX is THE best riding truck i have ever driven! and i'm not just saying that cause' i'm a "mack man"...............Mark