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Roadway U model


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Stumbled across 2 photos of a pair of Roadway U models. See SUPERDOGS post on what they are. U Models are something I never really paid any mind to, the "U MODEL VINNY'S" Resto.. :) Paul.

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"OPERTUNITY IS MISSED BY MOST PEOPLE BECAUSE IT IS DRESSED IN OVERALLS AND LOOKS LIKE WORK"  Thomas Edison

 “Life’s journey is not to arrive at the grave safely, in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting ‘Holy shit, what a ride!’

P.T.CHESHIRE

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Yes, Vinniebob is precise, the difference between a 600 and a 700 is 100. Anything beyond a 700, was called an 800. I could continue on and on, however, I have a feeling some out there may be saying to themselves,,and I may quote,,,"Shut the F**k up Randyp". So,,,I will. randyp

LOL typical randyp..... Thanks vin

Tom

"Nothing Breaks Wind Like A Bulldog"

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i remember seeing those pictures before. also seen pcture of Roadway with two fifth wheels on a truck and you could hook the trailer dolly to the frame and slide the one fifth wheel all the way forward. Roadway had some weird ideas. they also had the air conditioning controls on the back panel of the cab and no passenger seat. i dunno where but have sene pictures. anyone remember seein the dollys that hooked to the ass end of the frame? think they had angle iron and a fifth wheel track that ran the whole length of the frame.

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Yes, those are Jifflox systems. The converter dolly between the double and triple trailers locked into the rear frame of the tractor to create a tandem. The tractor 5th wheel was held in place by pins that you pulled. The 5th wheel assembly was on 4 rollers and you rolled it forward to the rear of the cab and relocked it. The converter dolly 5th wheel then became the tractor's primary 5th wheel. Different system, but it seemed to work okay. There was no way to relieve the load on the dead axle in the converter though so you could easily hang them up on uneven surfaces such as driveway swails. I have one of their former Jifflox dollies and we have a '87 Freightliner FLC Roadway tractor at the Museum of Transportation that they donated with the Jifflox system on it.

The rear wall A/C systems were Red Dot add-on units, most of which were installed after union contract negotiations stipulated a/c in the tractors sometime after they were built, or so I was told by a credibly Roadway Teamster driver. As for the passenger seat, the easiest way to enforce a no rider policy is to not have a seat there in the first place. Like UPS and other linehaul tractors, the tractors were traditionally very very very stripped down with no frills. There were no tachometers in Roadway trucks but the speedometers had markings on the gauge face to tell the driver which gear to be in based on MPH. The trucks have very very few guages and most things were monitored with idiot lights that came on when fluids or pressures were low. If memory serves, there were 4 gauges in the Freightliner FLC from the factory. It had a 6V92TA with a Fuller 9 speed.

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Yes, those are Jifflox systems. The converter dolly between the double and triple trailers locked into the rear frame of the tractor to create a tandem. The tractor 5th wheel was held in place by pins that you pulled. The 5th wheel assembly was on 4 rollers and you rolled it forward to the rear of the cab and relocked it. The converter dolly 5th wheel then became the tractor's primary 5th wheel. Different system, but it seemed to work okay. There was no way to relieve the load on the dead axle in the converter though so you could easily hang them up on uneven surfaces such as driveway swails. I have one of their former Jifflox dollies and we have a '87 Freightliner FLC Roadway tractor at the Museum of Transportation that they donated with the Jifflox system on it.

The rear wall A/C systems were Red Dot add-on units, most of which were installed after union contract negotiations stipulated a/c in the tractors sometime after they were built, or so I was told by a credibly Roadway Teamster driver. As for the passenger seat, the easiest way to enforce a no rider policy is to not have a seat there in the first place. Like UPS and other linehaul tractors, the tractors were traditionally very very very stripped down with no frills. There were no tachometers in Roadway trucks but the speedometers had markings on the gauge face to tell the driver which gear to be in based on MPH. The trucks have very very few guages and most things were monitored with idiot lights that came on when fluids or pressures were low. If memory serves, there were 4 gauges in the Freightliner FLC from the factory. It had a 6V92TA with a Fuller 9 speed.

Now you sir, seem to have a very good wealth of knowledge. I admire that. And the above quoted information is very interesting, cool too.

Ben

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Those Roadway trucks pictured are U773T's and had 8V71 Detroits in them,not the 6V92.Mack also offered Cummins and V8 Mack engines in U700's.The next batch of Roadway U's were U626's with the 6V92 Detroits and had the normal height hood and cab.Roadway trucks used to all have air starters,too.

they used to have cool looking equipment,,,now thier all goofy looking shit,,like most company,s now...bob
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Those Roadway trucks pictured are U773T's and had 8V71 Detroits in them,not the 6V92.Mack also offered Cummins and V8 Mack engines in U700's.The next batch of Roadway U's were U626's with the 6V92 Detroits and had the normal height hood and cab.Roadway trucks used to all have air starters,too.

You got me sold now. A Mack with an 8V71 and an air starter? That's awesome! I love air starters, they're so cool!

Ben

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Roadway's VP of Maintenance Don Dawson (RIP) was a forward thinking no-frills person. He knew what "made money" and what did not. He was one of the first to "recycle" oil. He plumbed a small line from the engine oil gallery into the fuel tank. They never had to change oil, just add oil and change the oil filter. There was no fuel gauge in the trucks. He knew how much fuel was needed to get from terminal to terminal and spec'd the fuel tank size accordingly (less dead weight, more payload). Air starters...no batteries to maintain.

Ken

PRR Country and Charter member of the "Mack Pack"

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St Johsnbury and Roadway both had weird configurations on their trucks. StJ had B65's with the shorter hood and weird ass fuel tanks that were really long and sat low to the ground. the square style, still could have been made by Snyder but they werent the standard B model tank. they either has this one or the round 75 gallon ones. i think they also had air starters. makes u wonder where all the Roadway and St Johnsbury Macks went. you dont see any around. was a Roadway R model on ebay a few years back in fla wiht a dumpbox installed. other than that you never see one.

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Onliest drawback to air starters was the heavy chain smokers had a harder time cranking their trucks every morning,,,okay,,I will shutup again. randyp

or if you were asleep minding your own bidness in a truckstop somewhere and somebody hit one of them air starters in the parking lot- they'd make you jump straight up and bounce off the ceiling in the sleeper!
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Producer of poorly photo-chopped pictures since 1999.

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