Roadway U model

[mowerman]

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.

air starts were also more powerful,and efficient than the 24 volt starter in the cold,,would spin engine faster lotta fleets used them for those reasons...bob

[slpwlker]

Still lopsided and needs the ever present kickstand or fat girl on the right side

[Superdog]

I love this U model talk!!! Yes!!! Werent there only like one U626 made Mike?

254 and I'd bet every one of them went to Roadway.

[Superdog]

I remenber St. Johnsbury had u600's with cummins V903's. The 903's were 90 degree v-8s so there profile was lower. I think the detroits

were about 60 degrees with super chargers so they sat higher. I can't remenber what model u model had the early v-8 Macks (864/5/6)

U615 - 864 V8 - 729 built

U795 - 865 V8 - 103 built

U797 - 866 V8 - 7 built

[39 Baby Mack]

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.

Being there were no batteries to maintain what powered the lights on these trucks, solar power?

Ron

Sorry about that --just couldn't resist!!!!

[bullhusk]

The last batch of trucks that Wilson Freight bought were U's with VT 903's and tandem tag's. Wilson was a big Detroit co untill the OO-92 fuel squeezer, also I just loved the Roadway R-700's with the 318 DD

BULLHUSK

[tkobes43]

U615 - 864 V8 - 729 built

U795 - 865 V8 - 103 built

U797 - 866 V8 - 7 built

So the chances of finding a U797 are slim to none... Damn I'd even like to have one.

Tom

[convoyduel]

On an air starter equipped truck, there is only one 12 volt battery to run the lights and accessories. That single battery lasts forever as there is no super drain or load on the battery to start the truck. Older air starter systems used air starter tank air plumbed to a valve in the cab to activate the air starter. Newer systems usually use a 12v key activated valve. The good thing about the old systems is that they didn't require any juice to start and run the truck. The change mostly came about with the electronic engines that needed 12V power for the ECM anyway.

I'll take an air start truck over battery any day. The meth heads steal all of the batteries around here anyway, so its less expensive to run air starters.

[farmer52]

Being there were no batteries to maintain what powered the lights on these trucks, solar power?

Ron

Sorry about that --just couldn't resist!!!!

Probably just a cheap 12V battery. If I remember correctly, the trucks were only shut down on weekends. Most of the OTR trucks were "slip seated". Trucks don't earn any revenue if they are sitting. The local trucks were Ford C-Series with Cat 3208 engine and Allision transmission.

[umodelnut]

So the chances of finding a U797 are slim to none... Damn I'd even like to have one.

Tom

Youd have to sell it to me or Id steal it. LOL

[tkobes43]

If I stole it, I'd keep it you can come over and look at it though.... Lol

Tom

[umodelnut]

If I stole it, I'd keep it you can come over and look at it though.... Lol

Tom

Wellll, I dont know Tom. Haha.

[39 Baby Mack]

Probably just a cheap 12V battery. If I remember correctly, the trucks were only shut down on weekends. Most of the OTR trucks were "slip seated". Trucks don't earn any revenue if they are sitting. The local trucks were Ford C-Series with Cat 3208 engine and Allision transmission.

That was supposed to be a joke!!!

We had H-61's and H-67's with air starters, they had two, I believe group 2, 6 volt batteries wired in series to run the lights and such.

We hauled race horses up and down the east coast for 94 years.

These trucks were a lot of fun at the race tracks, you had to be very careful when an where you shut them down, because you had be very careful when and where you

started them up-- it doesn't take much to scare a thoroughbred, there half nuts to start with!

As far as starting they would be great in Florida or any other place that's warm year round, when it got cold out they were a royal pain.

Probably would have been all right if we used block heaters, but we didn't.

One thing with an electric starter you crank it for awhile and when it slows you can stop and wait for the batteries to pick themselves up.

With an air starter pull the valve open and don't leave go until you're out of air because you only get one shot at it--then you got to go find more air or better yet

just tow it !!!

We live in a college town and our garage was near the campus, lots of college students lived near the garage.

There is a soft ball field next to where our garage used to be and before they paved the parking lot for it it there were lots of grassy areas near the creek that separates

the ball field from our shop.

Towards late spring before college was over for the summer we used to have quite a few co-eds who used these areas for sun bathing, didn't

bother us a bit.

Some of these young ladies would lay on there tummies and to avoid a tan line in the middle of there back would undo the top on their bikinis.

It would be times like this when we decided it would be time to start one of these air starter equipped "H" models sitting next to the fence by the creek.

Saw quite a few nice sights!!

And by the way we did do a lot of work down there too!!!

Ron

[JumperAndSon]

Towards late spring before college was over for the summer we used to have quite a few co-eds who used these areas for sun bathing, didn't

bother us a bit.

Some of these young ladies would lay on there tummies and to avoid a tan line in the middle of there back would undo the top on their bikinis.

It would be times like this when we decided it would be time to start one these air starter equipped "H" models sitting next to the fence by the creek.

Saw quite a few nice sights!!

Ron

That's priceless.

Ben

[randyp]

We had an "air start line" where old euclid coal haulers parked. There were enough parking spots and hookups for 15 trucks, and one massive air line powering it. You ought to have heard 5 or 6 of them spinning over on a cold morning. They had huge start tanks. randyp

[umodelnut]

That was supposed to be a joke!!!

We had H-61's and H-67's with two, I believe group 2, 6 volt batteries wired in series to run the lights and such.

We hauled race horses up and down the east coast for 94 years.

These trucks were a lot of fun at the race tracks, you had to be very careful when an where you shut them down, because you had be very careful when and where you

started them up-- it doesn't take much to scare a thoroughbred, there half nuts to start with.

As far as starting they would be great in Florida or any other place thats warm year round, when it got cold out they were a royal pain.

Probably would have been all right if we used block heaters, but we didn't.

One thing with an electric starter you crank it for awhile and when it slows you can stop and wait for the batteries to pick themselves up.

With an air starter pull the valve open and don't leave go until you're out of air because you only get one shot at it--then you got to go find more air or better yet

just tow it !!!

We live in a college town and our garage was near the campus, lots of college students lived near the garage.

There is a soft ball field next to where our garage used to be and before they paved the parking lot for it it there were lots of grassy areas near the creek that separates

the ball field from our shop.

Towards late spring before college was over for the summer we used to have quite a few co-eds who used these areas for sun bathing, didn't

bother us a bit.

Some of these young ladies would lay on there tummies and to avoid a tan line in the middle of there back would undo the top on their bikinis.

It would be times like this when we decided it would be time to start one these air starter equipped "H" models sitting next to the fence by the creek.

Saw quite a few nice sights!!

And by the way we did do a lot of work down there too!!!

Ron

Thats awesome!!!! I had a big smile on my face the whole time. I need a U model with air start.

[Maddog13407]

Schwerman tank lines in Upstate Ny had a bunch of B61's with air starters and 10 speed roadrangers from the factory. Doug Fetterly i think said he had a chance to buy a few b models with factory roadrangers down twards NYC one time but passed at the time and he thinks they got scrapped. The 'ghost' B model t shirt is a ghost picture of a Schwerman truck. its also pictured in a few of the Mack books, pretty nice trucks, were a cream color and had dark maroon colored fenders i think and straight pipes with the extra signal lights in the bolt holes in the bumper where the angle iron for the cow catchers would have been.

[umodelnut]

Beautiful sound.

[JumperAndSon]

Schwerman tank lines in Upstate Ny had a bunch of B61's with air starters and 10 speed roadrangers from the factory. Doug Fetterly i think said he had a chance to buy a few b models with factory roadrangers down twards NYC one time but passed at the time and he thinks they got scrapped. The 'ghost' B model t shirt is a ghost picture of a Schwerman truck. its also pictured in a few of the Mack books, pretty nice trucks, were a cream color and had dark maroon colored fenders i think and straight pipes with the extra signal lights in the bolt holes in the bumper where the angle iron for the cow catchers would have been.

Those sound awesome. I bet they were nice to drive compared to a Duplex.

Ben

[1958 F.W.D.]

Putting a Detroit into a U-Model is like school on Christmas Day........

NO CLASS!!!!!!

[farmer52]

Thats awesome!!!! I had a big smile on my face the whole time. I need a U model with air start.

Now is the time to convert your U to an air start.

[vision386]

Putting a Detroit into a U-Model is like school on Christmas Day........

NO CLASS!!!!!!

Putting a detroit in ANYTHING is like sleeping with your sister,just wrong!!!!!!.........................................Mark

[other dog]

I've got a t-shirt with the B-model front on it that almost looks 3-d now. If I keep expanding it'll look like an extended hood.

[dockmen027]

Schwerman tank lines in Upstate Ny had a bunch of B61's with air starters and 10 speed roadrangers from the factory. Doug Fetterly i think said he had a chance to buy a few b models with factory roadrangers down twards NYC one time but passed at the time and he thinks they got scrapped. The 'ghost' B model t shirt is a ghost picture of a Schwerman truck. its also pictured in a few of the Mack books, pretty nice trucks, were a cream color and had dark maroon colored fenders i think and straight pipes with the extra signal lights in the bolt holes in the bumper where the angle iron for the cow catchers would have been.

Schwerman colors were black cab with red stripe, and a stripped bumper from early on, to B-models, to Whites, to first batch of R-models. In the mid seventies, probably around the time of the first batch of 300 engines they changed the color to the white roof and top of hood. After that, I believe they changed to all white. Schwerman also goes by the name Tank Star.

[39 Baby Mack]

Schwerman colors were black cab with red stripe, and a stripped bumper from early on, to B-models, to Whites, to first batch of R-models. In the mid seventies, probably around the time of the first batch of 300 engines they changed the color to the white roof and top of hood. After that, I believe they changed to all white. Schwerman also goes by the name Tank Star.

These are the colors I remember them being.

Ron