volvo and mack : kind of the admirer owning the idol

[41180]

i have a nnew take on the volvo mack alliance. if you go back and look at volvo they have always wanted to be mack. they have had there own transmisssions and rearends in the past . and still have the mdrive. they make short nosed "east coast " style trucks. they almost are the european mack. just a thought. i bet i get hate letters but im just putting this out there as a thought of mine ive had for a long time .

[umodelnut]

Thats true!!!

[mowerman]

volva.lol...thier nice for school boys,,,dont like anything about them myself...dont see the connection,,,well they started off as a white,road boss 2 short nose,,,thats when they were cool,,,now thier just big ugly shit.lol.bob

[kscarbel]

My friend, Volvo has never "wanted to be Mack". It probably helps to have had exposure to the global truck industry to better understand Volvo.

Volvo is in competition with Mercedes-Benz (Daimler), MAN and Scania, for a variety of reasons. It's very much a competition amongst European truckmakers. North America just happens to be involved, because the added sales volume helps to determine the outcome of the battle. Volvo and Daimler are in the North American market because it is necessary in order for them to fulfill their goal of being the global leaders of the truck industry.

You mention short-nose east coast trucks. The Europeans have been producing them for years, with no relevance to North America. All the European brands have built conventional models in addition to their COEs, as required to meet individual market requirements. (For example, the Iveco PowerStar. Mercedes-Benz Atron, Scania T series, Volvo NH)

Before Volvo, Mack used to be a vertically integrated truckmaker. At one time, going back to the time of World War I, most American trucks were vertically integrated. But from the late 30's, a great many American trucks were assembled from purchased components. The European truckmakers on the other hand remained integrated, including Benz, MAN, Volvo, Scania, DAF, Iveco and Kamaz.*

By the end of their life, the UK truckmakers (e.g. ERF, Foden) built what we call assembled trucks, with Cummins engines, Eaton transmissions, ect.

To walk the assembly line at Benz, Scania or Volvo, for example, at any time in their history was to watch a vertically integrated truckmaker in action.

*Iveco, DAF and MAN use ZF transmissions. Iveco now uses Meritor rear drive axles. Volvo actually moved away from vertical integration when it sold its axles operations to Meritor in 1999, purchasing axles under contract. Meritor has produced Mack axles since 2004.

[rsb502]

I have tried to explain that Mack axles were not built by Mack but by Meritor to a Mack design and Mack specs but I have been told "your crazy Mack has always built their own axles" well guess what THEY DONT ANYMORE and here is another who knows the gruesome truth.

[41180]

hasnt mack rears been made by meritor/rockwell for a long time ? i knew mr scarbel would reply with his wealth of information . where did you get this knowlegde? i disagree on many of your opinions but i cant argue the facts. i like where mack is heading now i think they have a competive lineup of trucks . they only are missing the 125 bbc long haul truck . i think macks are over priced as well. i think the differance between mack and the the other truck makers that volvo bought like autocar,white, and gmc is that mack is still alive and kicking and doesnt have a stripe on the grill like the volvo autocars and volvo white gmc trucks had and its been 12 years since mac was sold.

[41180]

also meritor makes awesome rearends. we have had several trucks with rockwell/meritor rears and the actually outlast the mack rears.

[kscarbel]

Mack rears were produced by Dana from 1984 thru 2003. I was there, and felt it was an unwise move. I didn't mind that some carrier gear production was outsourced to John Deere. JD did good work. But final assembly should have remained at Hagerstown so that Mack had control of quality at final assembly. Meritor took over from 2004 to the present.

The very essence of the "Mack Difference" had always been Mack's balanced-design drivetrain. This first became clear with the revolutionary Maxidyne high-torque rise engine concept complimented by specially designed triple-countershaft 5-speed Maxitorque transmissions and dual-reduction carriers (featuring Mack's high load-bearing Durapoid spiral bevel gearing). Mack Trucks, under the brilliant leadership of President Zenon C.R. Hansen, literally turned the truck industry upside down with this revolutionary product.

But sadly, the legendary cutting edge engineering triumphs of Mack Trucks are now a memory. Take a moment to look closely at the new (Volvo-based) Macks sitting at your local dealer. Observe the chassis rust. Look how sloppy the air piping and wiring is mounted along the chassis. The Mack truck today is not the product it was 15-20 years ago. It's become a "throw away" truck like the Ford and GMC heavy trucks of years past.

Assembled with Volvo D11(MP7)/D13(MP8) engines, Volvo I-Shift transmissions, Volvo chassis and Meritor axles, gentlemen, this clearly isn't a Mack Truck. What Volvo has done, reduce a global icon to a mere shell of its former self, should be a crime.

In its battle with Daimler on the North American front, Volvo chose to gut Mack trucks and replace it with Volvo components. That became crystal clear when Mack's headquarters and R&D center were closed and those functions were transferred to Volvo HQ in Greensboro, North Carolina, and Hagerstown became a Volvo Powertrain facility.

Arguably due to President John B. Curcio's questionable management, Mack fell on financial hardships and was sold to Renault. However unlike Volvo, Renault understood the value of Mack Trucks. Rather than disembowel Mack Trucks as Volvo has, Renault invested in Mack and got the company back on its own two feet. Renault wanted Mack Trucks to continue. Thus what Volvo has done is all the more regrettable.

Renault never wanted Volvo involved with Mack Trucks:

Renault Has No Plans To Merge Mack, Volvo `We See No Links,' Official Says

July 14, 1990

By DAN SHOPE, The Morning Call

An executive for Renault Vehicules Industriels (RVI) said yesterday that the French vehicle manufacturer has no plans for Mack Trucks Inc. to merge operations or facilities with Volvo GM Heavy Duty Trucks Inc.

"A merger between Volvo GM and Mack in the United States is only speculation," said Elios Pascual, executive vice president of planning-administration for RVI and a director for Mack. "Mack has to be able to survive without the help of Volvo. We see no links."

RVI, a subsidiary of Renault, on Thursday began its offer to purchase all outstanding shares of Mack's common stock at $6 per share.

RVI, which currently holds 44.6 percent of Mack's stock, will spend about $103 million to make Mack a wholly owned subsidiary -- if the offer is accepted by enough stockholders to give the French company 90 percent of its outstanding shares by midnight Aug. 8.

"Mack is losing $90 million for the first half of this year," Pascual said in a phone conversation from Paris. "Mack cannot continue at this rate.

"RVI will give financial and operational support. We are prepared to take the risk that Mack will lose more money."

A possible partner is Volvo, which in February agreed to buy 45 percent of Renault's truck operations. Volvo owns the majority of Volvo GM Heavy Truck Corp.

But Pascual said RVI has no expectations that Volvo GM and Mack would share facilities such as Mack's Winnsboro, S.C., plant or consolidate headquarters in Volvo GM's new facility in Greensboro, N.C.

"We have no comment on how to restructure Mack," Pascual said. "That's up to Mack."

Mack officials assured the 750 employees in the South Carolina plant on June 25 that reports about the facility were "speculative."

"The company is aggressively pursuing many options to reduce cost," the plant's general manager, Ted Jones, wrote in a letter to employees. "The closure of the Winnsboro assembly plant is not one of the options."

Before deciding to acquire all of Mack's stock, RVI has explored several options, including the sale of its stake of the truck maker to competitors, according to information released in RVI's formal offer to purchase.

Among the disclosures were the following:

* Navistar International Corp. expressed interest in buying Mack in November, but no offer was made and talks were subsequently terminated. "The document speaks for itself," said Bill Greenhill, director of financial communications at Navistar. "We have no further comment."

* PACCAR Inc. of Bellevue, Wash., and Hiller Group of Metairie, La., had recently submitted a bid to acquire Renault's 44.6 percent interest in Mack.

[james j neiweem]

Kscarbel: Being a long time Mack fan from my youth I have the folowing obsevations.

1)Mack concentrated on enginnering and building a rugged vertically integrated product.

2)Paccar concetrated on building a light weight product using the widest range of quality vendors as possible.

3)Paccar concentrated on quality/driver comfort/wide range of vendor options.

4)Mack and Paccar both concentated on building primarily trucks.

5) Paccar took care of the business side of building and marketing trucks.

6) Mack faced bankruptcy from the late 50's on. Obviously Mack didn't take care of the buiness side of the house. ie Signal/Renault/Volvo

7) If Mack had run a proper business model they would still be independent as Paccar is today.

8) I don't like Paccar but you will have to give them credit they took care of business.

9) Of course the remaining Europeon manufacturers also took care of business (with liberal government support as required)

[kscarbel]

We share a lot of thoughts. I hesitate to say I don't like Paccar. I'd rather say the west coast truckmakers in the past had a different culture quite apart from Mack Trucks and other east coast truckmakers. But Paccar's success, 73 consecutive years of net profit, must be highly respected (Scania and Paccar have long been the 2 most profitable truckmakers in the world). And today, the differences between the west and east coast truckmakers have narrowed.

I believe you misunderstand the Signal Companies (Signal Oil & Gas) involvement with Mack Trucks. Mack was on the rise at that time. Mr. Zenon C.R. Hansen welcomed Signal's purchase of Mack in 1967 because it gave Mack more money to "seize the moment", while Signal was a very "hands off" investor. It was very much a win-win situation. By owning Mack and Garrett AiResearch, Signal was quite pleased (It was no accident that Mack led turbine truck research with Garrett).

You're right, a company is only as good as its management. Mack had some weak leadership ahead of Mr. Hansen, from 1955 to 1965, that brought the company down (Peterson, Johnson, Dykstra, Mcbride). But eventually, good fortune will always shine again on a great company. It certainly did on January 7, 1965 when Zenon C.R. Hansen arrived on the scene from Diamond T. Zenon C.R. Hansen, I feel, was to this day the best leader that any US truckmaker ever had. As he said so well, "The most important thing to a company is spirit; without that, you have nothing."

He was born in Hibbing, Minnesota. He was an orphan. Mr. Hansen started in the trucking business as a teenager in 1927 with a summer job in the parts department at the International Harvester factory branch in Sioux City, Iowa. He liked the job so much that he stayed rather than go on to college. After a year with International, the company placed him in its management training program in 1928. At age 19 with two years service, International sent Mr. Hansen to work in Europe. He spent the next seven years in Western Europe and Africa, providing him with unparalleled on-the-job training, and the chance to become fluent in French, German and Italian.

After 17 years with International, he left in 1944 to establish a Diamond T dealership with a friend in Portland, Oregon. It became the largest Diamond T dealer in the world. Over the next 12 years, he worked his way to the presidency of Diamond T.

Mr. Hansen chose Mack's corporate symbol, the bulldog, as the means for injecting new life into the company. He said, "It was the best-known symbol in the trucking business, and it typified what I wanted the company to stand for: a tough and reliable product."

He centralized Mack's operation by moving the company's headquarters to Allentown from New York to be near its assembly plants. He also launched the Mack Western division with the introduction of the Hayward, California plant, thus firmly moving Mack into the west coast market. Mr. Hansen's legacy, long and rich, includes his decision was to take the constant horsepower high-torque rise Maxidyne engine off the drawing boards and into production (the rest is history).

Zenon C.R. Hansen revived Mack Trucks and turned Allentown into "the truck capital of the world." He indeed joined the company during a time of downward turmoil, becoming Mack's fifth CEO in less than 10 years. During the nine and a half years he ran Mack Trucks, he turned the company into a truckmaking powerhouse, with massive increases in production, sales and earnings. Sales reached $1 billion for the first time in the company's history. Mr. Hansen said the achievement was reached by "damn hard work and good appreciation of effort."

"Many well-informed individuals advised me that I was taking over a sinking ship," said Mr. Hansen on January 7, 1965, the day he was named Mack's fifth president in less than 10 years. "Here was an opportunity to put many of my ideas into effect ... They were giving me a chance to make the bulldog growl again."

Mr. Hansen indeed was larger than life. His heart and soul were born to lead Mack Trucks. He is remembered not only for his many contributions to Mack, but to the entire truck industry. He was president of the American Truck Foundation, an Automotive Hall of Fame member and a retired colonel in the Civil Air Patrol. As a young man, he was an Eagle Scout with 81 merit badges (60 more than the required 21).

He stepped down as president and CEO in 1972, and remained chairman until 1974 when he retired. Mack Presidents Henry Nave (1972-1976) and Alfred Pelletier (1976-1980) performed well, largely carrying on the tradition of Mr. Hansen.

However, Mack President John B. Curcio's rein (1980-1989) was filled with controversy. I want to believe he had good intentions, but his strategies for achieving his goals were often highly questionable. The advanced MH Ultra-Liner, solid performing 4-valve E-6, CH and E-7, all superb products, were successfully launched during his tenure. However, he pushed the T200 multi-speed transmissions prematurely into production, despite objections from Mack engineering that more time was needed to finalize the product, which resulted in issues with early production models.

Ralph Reins was a non-truck guy that blew in and out of the company quickly (1989-1990), accomplishing nothing and leaving a mess.

Mack President Elios Pascual (1990-1995), from Renault's truck unit Renault Vehicles Industries (RVI), quickly earned the respect of Mack's employees and distributors by reviving the Mack team spirit originally inspired by the legendary Zenon C.R. Hansen.

[kscarbel]

An avowed patriot, Zenon C.R. Hansen brought his love of country to the job at Mack Trucks. He was inspired by his close friend, the football legend Vince Lombardi.

Under his direction, Mack Trucks received numerous advertising awards for its patriotic sales campaigns. The first red, white and blue truck in America rolled off the Mack production line. Mr. Hansen had a replica of the Liberty Bell placed in Mack World Headquarters.

We do indeed live in a global economy. However, as is with human nature, I can assure you that the love of country felt by the Swedes and Germans at Volvo (Mack) and Daimler (Freightliner / Western Star) is for Sweden and Germany respectively, not the United States of America.

I may not always see eye-to-eye with Paccar and Navistar, but I am proud that they are still American companies. What has happened to Mack is an indescribable tragedy.

For a country of our stature, in which trucking figures so prominently in our history, it is unbelievable that all the trucks on the roads of America today, with the exception of Paccar and Navistar, are produced by the Germans and Swedes. It is humiliating that America no longer has the ability to compete and lead in our own domestic truck market.

An orphan from Hibbing, Minnesota evolved Mack Trucks into "The Greatest Name in Trucks". What has happened to America that would allow our truckmakers, one-by-one, to be sold to foreign companies that, inherently, do not have America's best interest at heart?

[bullhusk]

We share a lot of thoughts. I hesitate to say I don't like Paccar. I'd rather say the west coast truckmakers in the past had a different culture quite apart from Mack Trucks and other east coast truckmakers. But Paccar's success, 73 consecutive years of net profit, that must be respected (Scania and Paccar have long been the 2 most profitable truckmakers in the world). And today, the differenced between the west and east coast truckmakers have narrowed.

I believe you misunderstand the Signal Companies (Signal Oil & Gas) involvement with Mack Trucks. Mack was on the rise at that time. Mr. Zenon C.R. Hansen welcomed Signal's purchase of Mack in 1967 because it gave Mack more money to "seize the moment", while Signal was a very "hands off" invester. It was very much a win-win situation. By owning Mack and Garrett AiResearch, Signal was quite pleased (It was no acccident that Mack led turbine truck research with Garrett).

You're right, a company is only as good as its management. Mack had some weak leadership ahead of Mr. Hansen, from 1955 to 1965, that brought the company down (Peterson, Johnson, Dykstra, Mcbride). But eventually, good fortune will always shine again on a great company. It certainly did on January 7, 1965 when Zenon C.R. Hansen arrived on the scene from Diamond T. Zenon C.R. Hansen, I feel, was to this day the best leader that any US truckmaker has ever had. As he said so well, "The most important thing to a company is spirit; without that, you have nothing."

He was born in Hibbing, Minnesota. He was an orphan. Mr. Hansen started in the trucking business as a teenager in 1927 with a summer job in the parts department at the International Harvester factory branch in Sioux City, Iowa. He liked the job so much that he stayed rather than go on to college. After a year with International, the company placed him in its management training program in 1928. At age 19 with two years service, International sent Mr. Hansen to work in Europe. He spent the next seven years in Western Europe and Africa, providing him with unparalleled on-the-job training, and the chance to become fluent in French, German and Italian.

After 17 years with International, he left in 1944 to establish a Diamond T dealership with a friend in Portland, Oregon. It became the largest Diamond T dealer in the world. Over the next 12 years, he worked his way to the presidency of Diamond T.

Mr. Hansen chose Mack's corporate symbol, the bulldog, as the means for injecting new life into the company. He said, "It was the best-known symbol in the trucking business, and it typified what I wanted the company to stand for: a tough and reliable product."

He centralized Mack's operation by moving the company's headquarters to Allentown from New York to be near its assembly plants. He also launched the Mack Western division with the introduction of the Hayward, California plant, thus firmly moving Mack into the west coast market. Mr. Hansen's legacy, long and rich, includes his decision was to take the constant horsepower high-torque rise Maxidyne engine off the drawing boards and into production (the rest is history).

Zenon C.R. Hansen revived Mack Trucks and turned Allentown into "the truck capital of the world." He indeed joined the company during a time of downward turmoil, becoming Mack's fifth CEO in less than 10 years. During the nine and a half years he ran Mack Trucks, he turned the company into a truckmaking powerhouse, with massive increases in production, sales and earnings. Sales reached $1 billion for the first time in the company's history. Mr. Hansen said the achievement was reached by "damn hard work and good appreciation of effort."

"Many well-informed individuals advised me that I was taking over a sinking ship," Mr. Hansen once on Jan. 7, 1965, the day he was named Mack's fifth president. "Here was an opportunity to put many of my ideas into effect ... They were giving me a chance to make the bulldog growl again."

Mr. Hansen indeed was larger than life. His heart and soul were born to lead Mack Trucks. He is remembered not only for his many contributions to Mack, but to the entire truck industry. He was president of the American Truck Foundation, an Automotive Hall of Fame member and a retired colonel in the Civil Air Patrol. As a young man, he was an Eagle Scout with 81 merit badges (60 more than the required 21).

He stepped down as president and CEO in 1972, and remained chairman until 1974 when he retired. I feel that Mack Presidents Henry Nave (1972-1976) and Alfred Pelletier (1976-1980) performed well, largely carrying on the tradition of Mr. Hansen.

However, Mack President John B. Curcio's rein (1980-1989) was filled with controversy. I want to believe he had good intentions, but his strategies for achieving his goals were often highly questionable. The advanced MH Ultra-Liner, solid performing 4-valve E-6, CH and E-7 were launched during his tenure. Unfortunately, he also pushed the introduction of the T200 multi-speed transmissions, despite objections from Mack engineering that they needed more time to finalize the product, which resulted in issued with early production models.

Ralph Reins was a non-truck guy that blew in and out of the company quickly (1989-1990), accomplishing nothing and leaving a mess.

Mack President Elios Pascual (1990-1995), from Renault's truck unit Renault Vehicles Industries (RVI), quickly earned the respect of Mack's employees and distributors by reviving the Mack team spirit originally inspired by the legendary Zenon C.R. Hansen.

Well, wich one of these nice men at Mack truck told the workers at Brockway in Cortland NY that if you go back to work for one year without a contract, we could work things out, but at the same time they were trying to sell Brockway? In the end the workers got the shaft and one of the greatest trucks in America was kicked to the side of the road by Macks Chief who spoke with fork tongue? Was it Alfred Pelletier? By the way, it was not the workers at Brockway that called the wildcat strike, it was there union Pres, and I'm sure he kept his job!.

BULLHUSK

[mowerman]

Well, wich one of these nice men at Mack truck told the workers at Brockway in Cortland NY that if you go back to work for one year without a contract, we could work things out, but at the same time they were trying to sell Brockway? In the end the workers got the shaft and one of the greatest trucks in America was kicked to the side of the road by Macks Chief who spoke with fork tongue? Was it Alfred Pelletier? By the way, it was not the workers at Brockway that called the wildcat strike, it was there union Pres, and I'm sure he kept his job!.

BULLHUSK

lol...just spotted this like the part about im sure the pres keeping his job,,,same ole bullshit,,as always,,get a big pat on the back for screwing the worker bees that make it all happen,,,you go getem ernie.lol.bob

[mackniac]

Hi !

Do you believe that Mack would survive alone without Volvo ???

I would certainly love to see them try !!

What about the rugged four : Mack,Brockway,Autocar, Western star all together !!!

[EM6285]

Navistar an American Truck maker???

They are Made in Mexico along side Freightliner. (Cheap built in Mexico)

Navistar diesel engine? Not anymore. They use MAN TRUCKS diesel engines for their MAXXFORCE advanced EGR.

Well they got the CATERPILLAR C15 engine block casting for their MAXXFORCE 15 but all the rest is MAN DIESEL stuff.

PACCAR with PX-SERIES (CUMMINS) and MX-SERIES ( DAF TRUCKS Europe ) is not all that integrated.

Caterpillar Trucks, built by NAVISTAR with MAXXFORCE Advanced EGR ( MAN TRUCKS diesel engine)

So... The all American Truck has long gone.

Of them all truck brands I will stay with MACK and be supportive to its product. Getting good information on parent company MACK MP-7 trucks in the refuse industry. Advanced EGR has failed them and they switch to MACK

.

[EM6285]

MACK TRUCKS dealer in PUERTO RICO.

M.A Caribbean- MACK.

[umodelnut]

Was at my Local Mack dealer, I noticed there was a line of about 10 {maybe} new Volvo tractors.

[kscarbel]

Navistar an American Truck maker???

They are Made in Mexico along side Freightliner. (Cheap built in Mexico)

Navistar diesel engine? Not anymore. They use MAN TRUCKS diesel engines for their MAXXFORCE advanced EGR.

Well they got the CATERPILLAR C15 engine block casting for their MAXXFORCE 15 but all the rest is MAN DIESEL stuff.

PACCAR with PX-SERIES (CUMMINS) and MX-SERIES ( DAF TRUCKS Europe ) is not all that integrated.

Caterpillar Trucks, built by NAVISTAR with MAXXFORCE Advanced EGR ( MAN TRUCKS diesel engine)

So... The all American Truck has long gone.

Of them all truck brands I will stay with MACK and be supportive to its product. Getting good information on parent company MACK MP-7 trucks in the refuse industry. Advanced EGR has failed them and they switch to MACK

.

My friend, you seem to be quite misinformed. Although I'm a Mack man (from when Mack Trucks was still in business), let's see if I can correct your misunderstandings.

First, let's talk about Navistar; They are not all made alongside Freightliners in Mexico (Actually, the Germans produce Freightliner trucks in Portland, Oregon, in North Carolina at Cleveland, Mount Holly and High Point, and Gaffney, South Carolina).

Note: In addition to the Cascadia, Century Class and Columbia, the Argosy II COE is produced in Cleveland, North Carolina (for Australia, New Zealand and South Africa)

Navistar produces WorkStar, PayStar, TranStar and MaxxPro military vehicles in Garland, Texas.

U.S. market Navistar medium trucks are produced in Springfield, Ohio (The Mexican plant in Escobedo produces trucks for the Mexican domestic market, and for export).

Navistar also produces buses in Conway, Arkansas and Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Speaking of engines, Navistar's Huntsville, Alabama plant produces the MaxxForce 5 thru 10 (proprietary Navistar designs), MaxxForce 11 and 13 (the MAN D20 and D26 produced under license) and MaxxForce 15 (the CAT C15 updated by Navistar).

Navistar also produces DT, Maxxforce 9 and 10 engines (again, proprietary Navistar designs) in Melrose Park, Ill.

Also, Navistar's foundry is in Waukesha, Wisconsin.

About Paccar, I have no problem with the company developing a close relationship with Cummins (speaking of the PX series engines). I call that a clever win-win decision between two American companies.

I'm proud that Paccar is strong and financially capable enough to purchase a major European truckmaker. It shows at least one American truckmaker still has the expertise and prowess to be a global player (not unlike Mack Trucks under Mr. Zenon C.R. Hansen).

The DAF-designed MX is a great engine. Paccar's decision to buy DAF and increase their global scope, and take full advantage of DAF's new advanced MX engine, deserves nothing but praise.

As an American, I am proud that Paccar, Navistar and Cummins are still American truck and engine manufacturers. To invest in America is to invest in our country's future.

[41180]

where do you get that the paccar mx engine is great ? we talked to a peterbilt dealer and they said to not buy one because it wont hold up to heavy hauling. volvo engines are good motors just as good as any other motor, i seriously think you hAVE A GRUDGE AGAINST MACK. ?

[other dog]

where do you get that the paccar mx engine is great ? we talked to a peterbilt dealer and they said to not buy one because it wont hold up to heavy hauling. volvo engines are good motors just as good as any other motor, i seriously think you hAVE A GRUDGE AGAINST MACK. ?

I drive an mx, 455hp, 1650 ft. lbs. torque. I haven't had any major breakdowns myself, but another of our trucks with an mx just exploded the engine at around 100,000 miles. PACCAR put a new crate engine in it under warranty, and told the local KW dealership to send the blown one to them and to not touch anything on it, so they could try to figure out exactly why it failed. My biggest gripe with it is the lack of power, it's rated at 455hp. but it pulls like a 350 Cummins. In fact, I think i've driven several 350 Cummins that would pass the 455mx on a hill like it was tied to a stump.

[kscarbel]

where do you get that the paccar mx engine is great ? we talked to a peterbilt dealer and they said to not buy one because it wont hold up to heavy hauling. volvo engines are good motors just as good as any other motor, i seriously think you hAVE A GRUDGE AGAINST MACK. ?

I couldn't possibly have a grudge against Mack Trucks, because the company no longer exists. I have a very serious distaste for Volvo, the Swedish company that acquired Mack Trucks and has since reduced it to being nothing more than a nameplate on a North American Volvo product.

The MX is a great engine. In Europe, they can run 44 (metric) tons (97,000 pounds) in regular over-the-road hauling. DAF's market share, under Paccar, has been growing and growing. I can assure you, the MX can do whatever you need. For most operations, while a 15-liter ISX might get you there 3 minutes earlier, the 12.9-liter MX and all 13-liter engines in general offer an excellent combination of power, torque and fuel economy (and obviously less engine weight than a 15L) for greater productivity and profitability.

[mack4ever]

in europe we can run 40 metric tonnes on international transport.in the netherlands we run 50 tonnes.the engines all can take that laod.but how is the feulconsumpsion?

there are some enginse that run a milion kilometers whitout problems but some aren`t.

we had to replace some parts in our shop that costumurs didn`t like.

but for me there are no big problems with the new renault (vulva) engines.

the only crap is the stupid enviroment shit arount the engines.

mack4ever.

[kscarbel]

Within the EU under council directive 96/53/EC, the allowed weight for 3-axle tractors with 2 or 3-axle semi-trailers carrying a 40-foot ISO containers as a combined transport operation is 44 metric tons.

Vehicle Combinations (Semi-Trailer)

3 axles 26,000kg (2-Axle Tractor + 1-Axle Trailer)

4 axles 36,000kg (18,000kg+18,000kg) (2-Axle Tractor + 2-Axle Trailer)

(if the distance between the axles of the semi-trailer is 1.3 meters or greater but not more than 1.8 meters)

4 axles 38,000kg (18,000kg+20,000kg) (2-Axle Tractor + 2-Axle Trailer)

(if the distance between the axles of the semi-trailer is greater than 1.8 meters)

(an additional 2 ton margin is allowed when the GAW of the motor vehicle (18 tons) and the GAW of the semi-trailer (20 tons) are respected, and the driving axle is fitted with dual tires and air suspension or equivalent)

5 axles 40,000kg (2-Axle Tractor + 3-Axle Trailer)

5 axles 40,000kg (3-Axle Tractor + 2-Axle Trailer)

5 axles 44,000kg (with shipping containers) (3-Axle Tractor + 2-Axle Trailer)

6 axles 40,000kg (3-Axle Tractor + 3-Axle Trailer)

6 axles 44,000kg (with shipping containers) (3-Axle Tractor + 3-Axle Trailer)

A 3-axle tractor with a 2- or 3-axle semi-trailer is allowed to operate at 44 tons when carrying ISO shipping containers as a “combined transport” operation. (Why? For a 6x4 tractor to transport one 40-foot container at full ISO-load, a 44 ton allowance is necessary)

Required:

1. No axle can exceed 10,500kg

2. Air suspension (RFS - Road Friendly Suspension)

3. Dual drive tires.

Or: Where each driving axle is fitted with dual tires and the maximum weight of each axle does not exceed 9,500kg.

[kscarbel]

_{The noteworthy news today is Navistar CEO Dan Ustian has been told by the board of directors to leave - effective immediately.}

_{All of Navistar's woes (EGR, ect.) have been caused by this man. It will be interesting to see what happens now. Maybe they can save the ship and avoid being merged with Oshkosh or sold to Volkswagen (the majority owner of MAN and Scania).}

_{The new interim CEO is a non-truck man, from Textron, with a previous car background at General Motors. At face value, not the right credentials for the job.}

_{Purely for the reason that there are only two American truckmakers left, I hope Navistar can quickly move beyond the arrogant Ustian era and get solidly back on their feet.}

[rw613]

I couldn't possibly have a grudge against Mack Trucks, because the company no longer exists. I have a very serious distaste for Volvo, the Swedish company that acquired Mack Trucks and has since reduced it to being nothing more than a nameplate on a North American Volvo product.

The MX is a great engine. In Europe, they can run 44 (metric) tons (97,000 pounds) in regular over-the-road hauling. DAF's market share, under Paccar, has been growing and growing. I can assure you, the MX can do whatever you need. For most operations, while a 15-liter ISX might get you there 3 minutes earlier, the 12.9-liter MX and all 13-liter engines in general offer the best combination of power, torque and fuel economy (and obviously less engine weight) for greater productivity and profitability.

thats funny because the kw dealer here cant fix them fast enough and they are telling there customers to stay away but im real sure its just our area